Need Help Staying Within 1200 Calories

TeaBea

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.

I hear you with .... this food is good ..... this food is bad. I just try to eat as many "natural" foods as I can, I try to eat in a way that I can eat for the rest of my life. I don't worry about dairy or gluten, or natural sugar because I don't seem to have digestive issues.

Eating protein with every meal is a good idea; greek yogurt, whole grains, beans, eggs, and cheese.

Veggies AND fruit ....... both are good for you. It's good to eat a variety because they contain different nutrients. Cucumber are very low in calories .... but also rather low in nutrition.... I like to bring snack bags of veggies to work.... carrots, snap peas, red pepper strips, etc. ..... you can make a nice low cal dip with fat free greek yogurt & dry ranch seasoning.

I eat corn now and then .... but I treat it as a carbohydrate (not a veggie) ....so if I'm having a hamburger (with a bun) .... I'll skip the corn on the cob. Better to have an ear of corn with a grilled chicken breast.

As long as you make room for your sweets (and log them) .... you're ok. I use a dixie cup as an ice cream container, or buy Ghiradelli chocolate squares (the individual ones).... these are small portion sizes.

Exercise is a great way to relieve stress and improve your mood. Look for a soothing yoga video ....Hulu.com has tons..... or do what I do walk, walk., walk (with Leslie Sansone). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjduJjO1pLg&feature=related

Zenjaeie

Hmm... I'm 4"11 and tried the 1200 diet and found it near impossible. Definitely not sustainable for me, but hopefully you have more luck! Try stocking up the house with watery veggies and fruit like cucumbers, tomatoes, strawberries, raspberries, carrots, etc. You can eat a ton of em! And Don't forget protein, of course, which will keep you full longer- just focus on grilled fish and chicken and such.

chirosche

Hi,

I found myself over the 1200 limit at first too. And with my intense workouts, I was starting to feel a little weak and hungry. What made all the difference is drinking my Green Magma, which is a barley juice powder. Actually, I've upgraded to the Magma Plus. Just 2-3 teaspoons of the powder in your favorite drink, like carrot or apple juice. Not orange juice or an acidic beverage. This is not only very nutritious for you, but it will take your appetite away and restore you after a vigorous workout. And keep your blood sugar from dropping. It has virtually no calories. I count carbs. It has 4 carbs. But I have to have it in order to keep at 1200 calories and be able to work out. You can take before and after or before or after a workout if you need it for energy.

The good news is that when I work off 400 or more calories, as an example, any amount of calories actually, you get to EAT those extra calories and add them to your 1200. The cheapest place to buy the Green Magma is swansonvitamins.com. Actually the Magma Plus is even cheaper than the Green Magma. I've been taking this stuff for long time. It's my daily vitamins as well. Among other supplements I take regularly.

I do plan to increase that though after after I get the weight loss going really good. I've just started. But this ain't my first rodeo.

Hope this was helpful.

Stlarenas

I'm a 37 yr old mom of three.

I shoot for 1220 NET calories a day and have lost 19 lbs since April 23. I am not really picky about what I eat and don't really feel like I am depriving myself at all. When I crave "junk" I keep my portions small and exercise more to offset the calories.

I have calculated my BMR here http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ and it says I should be at 1391. But since I am still losing at 1220 and don't feel hungry all the time, I am not going to up my calories yet. I have a feeling I probably overstate my calories burned since I don't have an HRM, and understate my calories in slightly since I don't always weigh my food and use entries already in MFP that look "close" often. (so I may be eating closer to 1400 and just don't know it)

But for now I am sticking with what works

I log everything - feel free to friend me if you want to see my diary.

And I drink lots and lots of water. Often when I think I am hungry I am really just thirsty and water seems to curb my temptation to snack.