Need Help Staying Within 1200 Calories

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  • nanner5811
    nanner5811 Posts: 7
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    Really good points about calories burned exercised can allow >1200 calories consumed.

    I'm a newbie here. Some ideas & thoughts from my experience:

    - Oils & butters: Previously, I had been using about 2 tablespoons (240 cals) of olive oil in one serving of nice, healthy steamed spinach. Today I made it with 1/2 tablespoon (60 cals) and a splash of lemon juice and I noticed no difference.

    - Chips: I have to just say no, because I cannot stop at one small handful. I don't miss them.

    - Portion size: Stop before I'm full! Still satiated, and no bloaty tummy feeling.

    - Cheese: Reduced this dramatically, but didn't cut out completely.

    - Exercise: My appetite, especially for junk & refined carbs, goes down when I work up a good sweat. That's me...anyone else?

    - In general: Oops, so I go a little over one day. No biggie. Just do a little more exercise and/or go a little under for the next few days.

    I hope this is good advice to add to all the other great suggestions. Oh, and You Can Do It!!!!!
  • emmietoby
    emmietoby Posts: 171 Member
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    i , too only eat 1200 cals a day . i tend to eat a lot of salads when i was on ww i obtain my gole but all i ate was salads and more salads. since i've join mfp i have lost 30 pounds and i eat everthing. i take into account what i plan on eating for the and i love junk food so i have that too. if i feel like cheating i want real food - like a steak exc. just hang in there it does get better!! love to chat with ya. lets give each other support!!
  • emmabooth32
    emmabooth32 Posts: 10 Member
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    Oh I forgot to say that I exercise too and if I want extra pizza or a cake I exercise it in. My kids are young so I wait 'till they are in bed and then do dvd or get a babysitter while I go out for 1 hour so it can be done x
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Hi . I am a 43 yr old mom who just joined here a couple of days ago. I was given 1200 calorie limit to consume per day to reach my goal. I seem to be always eating over my limit. I don't know what are the low calorie foods to eat. Please help. I need to lose 25 pounds. Thank you.

    Add exercise and eat those calories back.

    Low calorie foods ....veggies ..... most veggies are low calorie. The fiber should help you stay full.

    Air popped popcorn..... or you can use a microwave and a paper lunch bag .... fiber again.

    http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Microwave-Popcorn/

    Clean, whole foods are not necessarily low calorie, but typically give you the most bang for your calorie buck. Whole grains are more filling than processed flour because the fiber & protien have not been stripped away.

    Greek yogurt is more filling than regular ..... because it has been strained, it is higher in protein & needs way less sweetener.
  • Iron_Lotus
    Iron_Lotus Posts: 2,295 Member
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    Just remember its not a race, its a marathon.

    isnt a marathon a race?

    Ha!
  • Skinnyjeans007
    Skinnyjeans007 Posts: 5 Member
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    I used and still use the 1200 calories. I have lost 30 pounds since May.
    Questions?
    1. Do you eat three "balanced" meals per day?
    a. Breakfast of kings
    b. Lunch of princes
    c. Dinner of a college student, with expired credit card.

    2. Do you use portion control? Get a scale. I now get it. No guessing.

    3. I did give up my salty pleasures.

    4. Being new to MO, my change of life buddy is my significant other. We are enjoying our life. I am 20 years older than you.
    It has been a pleasant journey so far. I have 10 lbs to go.

    5. Lots of vegetable/fruit.

    6. Snacks- nuts, fruit, popcorn. I learned to make a protein smoothie with Whey Protein/frozen fruit/0% milk put it all in the blender, ice cream, really, nice meal no guilt.

    7. Check your foods before you fill the plate.

    8. I spent a month getting to this point. It will work, I kid you not.

    You've only just begun. Keep you eye on the prize. A fabulous you:)

    Margaret
  • mathjulz
    mathjulz Posts: 5,514 Member
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    So, with not much to lose (<25 lbs), and depending on your height, I accept that 1200 may be the goal it gives you if you set it to lose 1/2 or 1 pound per week, especially if you told it you were sedentary. Depending on age and other factors, it may not be necessary to go all the way down to 1200 calories, anyway.

    I would suggest starting with looking at your activity level. Whether you keep it as set and exercise daily (even a 30 minute walk will help) and then eat back those calories, or figure you are lightly active, it will give you some more calories. [Personally, I struggle to stay under 1400-1600 most of the time, so I make sure I'm more active and exercise].

    As far as food, it's hard to help without seeing your diary, but I would say start with adding fruits and vegetables. Get rid of any unnecessary or unhealthy fats or oils. I stopped using mayo on sandwiches and instantly cut 100 calories out of my day (I use mustard instead, mmmm). I don't put butter on toast or pancakes most of the time. I do get fats from healthy sources (butter is okay, but olive oil is good for cooking, and I love my avocado and nuts). I avoid chips and sweets most of the time, too (I'm not saying they are inherently bad, but most of the time they just don't fit my macros). I only eat crackers if they are whole grain, and then it is instead of bread and I really monitor my serving size. I do allow myself one treat a day - knowing that I can have ice cream or a fun size snickers later helps me to forego the temptations through the day.

    I hope something I said helps … if you can have more calories (ie by exercising) and find ways to cut out unneeded calories, you'll probably make it
  • xMuscles
    xMuscles Posts: 24
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    don't eat just 1200 calories. calculate your TDEE and CUSTOMIZE your caloric intake. 1200 is ridiculous for anyone
  • geminijo04
    geminijo04 Posts: 31
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    Don't go by that 1200 number. Do your TDEE calculation instead - use this link http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/


    THIS!!! ^^^


    I'm 5'2 and eat between 1700-2000 calories and lost a lot of weight!! (see below)

    Losing the weight slowly will keep it off in the future!!!



    What are you doing to get/keep the weight off? When did you start your journey?
  • xMuscles
    xMuscles Posts: 24
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    Don't go by that 1200 number. Do your TDEE calculation instead - use this link http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/


    THIS!!! ^^^


    I'm 5'2 and eat between 1700-2000 calories and lost a lot of weight!! (see below)

    Losing the weight slowly will keep it off in the future!!!



    What are you doing to get/keep the weight off? When did you start your journey?

    agreed... i'm 5'4" and eat 1800 in my cutting phase.
  • annemartin777
    annemartin777 Posts: 5
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    Thanks so much for taking the time to write all the the details. I have spent so much money , time and heartache to loose weight that it is not even funny. I am trying to understand the whole theory behind weight loss. Thanks again
  • annemartin777
    annemartin777 Posts: 5
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    Thank you so much for your help. I have lost 22 pounds on a another diet after spending a fortune before I came here to My Fitness Pal. Now I have 25 lbs to lose and I have hit a plateau. I am struggling with the chocolates and chips or ice cream. I am 5'4" I am thinking of getting a food scale like you suggested. I am guessing now with meat....it is size of a deck of cards. I spend a lot of time reading books on diet and nutrition. Some say Dairy is bad and to drink almond or soy milk. Some say corn is bad. So as you can see...I don't even know what to eat anymore. I have been working out 3 days a week ...an hour each day. It is in the evening and then when I come home, I feel hungry.I turn to sweets for comfort I guess because day to day life is stressful.

    I don't know if I should eat protein at every meal or not. I do eat snacks...mostly fruits. Then I heard too much fruits are not good either because it has natural sugars but it is still sugars. So here I am ....just confused. I am thinking of just eating cucumbers for my snacks because it has very low calories. A cup of bing cherries is 70 calories versus cucumbers 20 calories per cup.
  • xMuscles
    xMuscles Posts: 24
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    Thank you so much for your help. I have lost 22 pounds on a another diet after spending a fortune before I came here to My Fitness Pal. Now I have 25 lbs to lose and I have hit a plateau. I am struggling with the chocolates and chips or ice cream. I am 5'4" I am thinking of getting a food scale like you suggested. I am guessing now with meat....it is size of a deck of cards. I spend a lot of time reading books on diet and nutrition. Some say Dairy is bad and to drink almond or soy milk. Some say corn is bad. So as you can see...I don't even know what to eat anymore. I have been working out 3 days a week ...an hour each day. It is in the evening and then when I come home, I feel hungry.I turn to sweets for comfort I guess because day to day life is stressful.

    I don't know if I should eat protein at every meal or not. I do eat snacks...mostly fruits. Then I heard too much fruits are not good either because it has natural sugars but it is still sugars. So here I am ....just confused. I am thinking of just eating cucumbers for my snacks because it has very low calories. A cup of bing cherries is 70 calories versus cucumbers 20 calories per cup.

    protein should be with every meal. food scale is a great idea. dairy is not bad for you unless it bothers your stomach. corn is not BAD, its better than eating potato chips. you're listening to people you shouldn't be. youtube layne Norton under biolayne. VERY intelligent man. check out fit people on MFP and look at their diaries.
  • annemartin777
    annemartin777 Posts: 5
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    The TDEE calculation website is awesome!! Thanks so much guys.!!
  • lewandt
    lewandt Posts: 566
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    That's gonna be tough. Are you exercising at all? If so, you can add calories to your limit which will help. For example, a 45-minute run will burn almost 900 calories. Cycling is also a good way to burn off some calories. I burned almost 3000 calories yesterday on a 3 1/2 hour ride. That was a bit extreme, but you get the idea. Try and increase your fresh fruit and veg. intake and reduce the carbs. Check out www.cookinglight.com for some good recipes. Good luck!

    Do you use a heart rate monitor? a 45 minute run for me is like 400 calories and I am about half that for a 3 1/2 hour ride (and i ride hard!). Boy, i wish i burned that much!
  • RabbitMccool
    RabbitMccool Posts: 7
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    Don't go by that 1200 number. Do your TDEE calculation instead - use this link http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    I just checked out this site!!! WOW, I had no idea I was undereating! LOVE THIS SITE! thank you for sharing!
  • alg42
    alg42 Posts: 45 Member
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    I try to eat only 1200 cals a day and like most of the others I eat lots of veg, lean protein and bulk out my meals with pulses and seeds, which do make a difference and keep me fuller for longer. I also exercise nearly everyday, either Zumba or aerobics for an hour a day but obviously not everyone can fit this in so I used to walk most places when I didn't have time to exercise at the gym. Mostly, I don't feel too bad if I go over my calorie intake some days and just try to motivate myself to do better tomorrow. You can do it :-)
  • Peachy1962
    Peachy1962 Posts: 269 Member
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    Making sure you get enough protein will help ward off hunger!! Butt he cravings for the carbs sugar is just that cravings!!! Not Hunger!
  • tashshep
    tashshep Posts: 1 Member
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    I was having the same trouble and kind of fell off keeping track for a month! Thanks for bringing up this question in the forum! Hope you don't mind, i've added you as a friend!
  • MSmith74
    MSmith74 Posts: 24 Member
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    I think he meant --- It is a marathon not a sprint. Slow and steady keeps the weight off. :)

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