1200 calories a day and hungry, scared to up the calories
Replies
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You are definitely not sedentary even though you work at a desk, since your tracker doesn't sync I'd increase your activity level to Active if you don't want to manually log.0
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For me eating a carb/fat/protein with each meal has helped me stay satiated on 1200. I also don't like breakfast and on the occasions I do eat breakfast it seems to make me hungrier throughout the day, so now I eat brunch and dinner and that has helped because now I can have higher calorie meals since I'm only eating 2x a day.0
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leanjogreen18 wrote: »For me eating a carb/fat/protein with each meal has helped me stay satiated on 1200. I also don't like breakfast and on the occasions I do eat breakfast it seems to make me hungrier throughout the day, so now I eat brunch and dinner and that has helped because now I can have higher calorie meals since I'm only eating 2x a day.
Thats interesting, I never was very interested in eating breakfast, I would have coffee and wouldn't be hungry until 11 or 12 when I would eat lunch, its very possible that eating breakfast is making me hungrier as well.0 -
laurenebargar wrote: »leanjogreen18 wrote: »For me eating a carb/fat/protein with each meal has helped me stay satiated on 1200. I also don't like breakfast and on the occasions I do eat breakfast it seems to make me hungrier throughout the day, so now I eat brunch and dinner and that has helped because now I can have higher calorie meals since I'm only eating 2x a day.
Thats interesting, I never was very interested in eating breakfast, I would have coffee and wouldn't be hungry until 11 or 12 when I would eat lunch, its very possible that eating breakfast is making me hungrier as well.
All I have for breakfast is coffee w/soy milk and low cal sweeter. I eat brunch somewhere around 10:30-11:30 and then an early dinner 4-5ish.
I should add...
I try to drink at least 48oz water
Get 7-8 hrs of sleep (less can cause stress hormones to increase thus you are hungrier)
I zig zag my calories so a couple days a week I eat around 1000 so a couple of days I can have closer to 1400 this just works with my social calendar.
Play around with your macros as well. Some need higher protein others fat. For me I just need a carb/protein/fat with each meal.
Having said all that I'm 5'4", 50 and sedentary so 1200 is ok for me. You may however need a bit more.0 -
Looking at your diary, you're hungry because you're wasting calories on carbohydrate rich food. This means that you're probably eating very small portions, which of course, you're gonna get hungry if you're only eating a little. Plus, the way that carbs metabolize in the body, they don't keep you full for that long. So a tiny portion of something not filling = HUNGER lol.
Cut out some of that stuff, and start incorporating more greens. Veggies have very few calories so you can eat a ton of them without much of an impact to your calories and the fiber in them will keep you full for longer. They are also rich in vitamins, minerals, nutrients, etc. Also, look for foods with higher protein and fat content, because those also help keep you full. Watch the fat though, it is easy to blow out your calorie goals because even a small serving tends to be calorie rich. But the fat will keep you full, so you won't suffer so hard.
To be clear, I'm not saying that you have to go on a low carb diet. Just saying that you should reduce your carbs, up your protein, up your fat.
I also don't know how much water you drink, but if you're not drinking about half your weight in ounces, I'd say you are not drinking enough and that's probably adding to your hunger. Green tea is also fabulous for helping you feel full. 1200 calories is hard but it's manageable, if you can eat and drink strategically.
ETA: Check out the 1200isplenty subreddit on reddit. There are alot of good recipes and snack ideas there that have been really helpful for me.0 -
laurenebargar wrote: »leanjogreen18 wrote: »For me eating a carb/fat/protein with each meal has helped me stay satiated on 1200. I also don't like breakfast and on the occasions I do eat breakfast it seems to make me hungrier throughout the day, so now I eat brunch and dinner and that has helped because now I can have higher calorie meals since I'm only eating 2x a day.
Thats interesting, I never was very interested in eating breakfast, I would have coffee and wouldn't be hungry until 11 or 12 when I would eat lunch, its very possible that eating breakfast is making me hungrier as well.
If you still drink coffee, I add a protein shake to my coffee in the morning as my creamer and that way I eat protein at the beginning of the day, it works for me because I don't eat a meal until lunchtime.
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chaosbutterfly wrote: »I also don't know how much water you drink, but if you're not drinking about half your weight in ounces, I'd say you are not drinking enough and that's probably adding to your hunger.
This is a myth that needs to die.
If your urine is pale yellow in color, you're drinking enough and not dehydrated. If it's clear, you're overdoing it with the water, and if it's dark you need more.
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I did 1200 calories for several months and was full on it. However, macros are VERY important on lower calorie diets. You must eat plenty of protein...certainly higher than the default mfp percentage. A combination of proteins and healthy fats always work to keep me full for hours. Things like pasta, cookies/pastries, chips, and other refined carbs might make me feel full initially...but an hour later I am hungry again.
You have two choices...either increase your calories if you are willing to accept slower weight loss. Or, try increasing protein and staying at 1200. Do that for a few days and see if it helps...otherwise you will probably have to accept eating more calories.0 -
MoiAussi93 wrote: »I did 1200 calories for several months and was full on it. However, macros are VERY important on lower calorie diets. You must eat plenty of protein...certainly higher than the default mfp percentage. A combination of proteins and healthy fats always work to keep me full for hours. Things like pasta, cookies/pastries, chips, and other refined carbs might make me feel full initially...but an hour later I am hungry again.
You have two choices...either increase your calories if you are willing to accept slower weight loss. Or, try increasing protein and staying at 1200. DO that for a few days and see if it helps...otherwise you will have to accept eating more calories.
Protein, fat, and vegetables are the three legs of the 1200 calorie diet. Protein and fat are pretty obvious. Vegetables give you all kind of fiber and vitamins and minerals.0 -
Protein is pretty important but I do think that satiety is individualized. Not everyone is satiated the same.
OP you have to play with your macros and see what works for you.1 -
I felt hungry under on the 1200 calorie plan for the first couple of weeks but then it becomes the new normal. I practice a trick that I did when I quick smoking. If you have a craving for food just think to yourself - I will wait 5 minutes and then have something - the craving will usually go away. Best of luck0
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heiliskrimsli wrote: »MoiAussi93 wrote: »I did 1200 calories for several months and was full on it. However, macros are VERY important on lower calorie diets. You must eat plenty of protein...certainly higher than the default mfp percentage. A combination of proteins and healthy fats always work to keep me full for hours. Things like pasta, cookies/pastries, chips, and other refined carbs might make me feel full initially...but an hour later I am hungry again.
You have two choices...either increase your calories if you are willing to accept slower weight loss. Or, try increasing protein and staying at 1200. DO that for a few days and see if it helps...otherwise you will have to accept eating more calories.
Protein, fat, and vegetables are the three legs of the 1200 calorie diet. Protein and fat are pretty obvious. Vegetables give you all kind of fiber and vitamins and minerals.
Non-starchy green vegetables are very low calorie and have a low number of carbs...much of which is just fiber. She can eat all the cucumbers and peppers she wants and it will not add significant calories or impact her weight
However, refined flour and sugar are a very different story. They are carbs that add MANY calories yet provide very little in the way of vitamins and do almost nothing to keep you full. If constant hunger is a problem, then this is the stuff that should be reduced and replaced with protein.
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laurenebargar wrote: »Also should I be adding my calories that my fitness tracker says I burned throughout the day from walking (between 6-10K depending on the work day) my tracker doesnt link to MFP
I popped your stats into this calculator: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ which is a good one.
Called you 3-5 hours/week of "moderate exercise" (the setting that corresponds to the level of activity described above).
To maintain your current weight, you'd need to eat ~2,700 calories/day. To lose 2 pounds/week (the most that is recommended), you should aim to eat 1,700 calories/day. This is consistent with your observation that you're losing weight very fast on a 1,200 calorie/day diet (which would correspond to losing 3 pounds/week - not far off from what you're observing).
Set yourself to "active" on MFP. Make sure your height, weight and age are accurate. And follow the recommendation. It won't be as low as 1,200. Recalculate the calorie target every 10 pounds or so because your body needs fewer calories once it gets smaller.
The advice to reduce hunger by increasing fat, protein and/or fibre is good advice. Play around with increasing those three things - separately or individually - and see what helps. But, fundamentally, 1,200 is too low a target for you and that's part of the problem.0 -
SusanMFindlay wrote: »laurenebargar wrote: »Also should I be adding my calories that my fitness tracker says I burned throughout the day from walking (between 6-10K depending on the work day) my tracker doesnt link to MFP
I popped your stats into this calculator: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ which is a good one.
Called you 3-5 hours/week of "moderate exercise" (the setting that corresponds to the level of activity described above).
To maintain your current weight, you'd need to eat ~2,700 calories/day. To lose 2 pounds/week (the most that is recommended), you should aim to eat 1,700 calories/day. This is consistent with your observation that you're losing weight very fast on a 1,200 calorie/day diet (which would correspond to losing 3 pounds/week - not far off from what you're observing).
Set yourself to "active" on MFP. Make sure your height, weight and age are accurate. And follow the recommendation. It won't be as low as 1,200. Recalculate the calorie target every 10 pounds or so because your body needs fewer calories once it gets smaller.
The advice to reduce hunger by increasing fat, protein and/or fibre is good advice. Play around with increasing those three things - separately or individually - and see what helps. But, fundamentally, 1,200 is too low a target for you and that's part of the problem.
All of this...
You've chosen the most aggressive calorie deficit and are cutting to the minimum recommended calories. You don't have an insignificant amount of weight to lose, so you need to find something that is sustainable long term, and that has room to tweak the numbers if you hit a plateau. Going immediately to the lowest calorie target, especially when you are young, not extremely petite, and not sedentary... is not necessary or advisable.
I am shorter and started at a lower weight than you but I also have a desk job and my activity is mostly walking and hiking on weekends (now weights). I ate between 1600-1800 calories and lost > 30 lbs to reach my goal weight and am maintaining with a TDEE of 2200.
You are new here but a wise rabbit used to say, "the winner is the one who eats the most and still loses the weight". 2-3 lbs/week is too rapid, you are likely losing lean body mass in the process. Eat more. Stay at a reasonable deficit. I never felt hungry while losing, it's not necessary to be miserable during this process.1 -
laurenebargar wrote: »
I agree with some previous posters, if you are consistent with that level of activity I would select Active
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It depends what you are eating. I eat 1100-1200 calories a day and I am not hungry. But I eat lots of protein, greens and some fruits. I feel stuffed almost with a bloated feeling.
Me too. This is the first time I've tried a high protein, lower carb diet and it is so much easier for me to stick to. At first it was hard to cut back on the carbs, but after a few days I started feeling really good. I had more energy, fewer cravings and no hunger to speak of. Once I realize how much better I could feel with more protein, it became really easy to make it a top priority.
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One way to ease hunger what I do is I divide my meals instead of 3 meals per day I make it 4-5. My meals go this way
Example if i got a 1550 calorie budget a day
Breakfast at 8:00am - 250 cals (im not a morning eater lol)
Lunch at 11:00 am or either 12:00pm it depends i wait until im hungry - 450 cals
At 3:00 pm sometimes im hungry i will do a 200 calorie snack
And at 5:00pm im hungry again i will do a 200 calorie again
Dinner at 7:00 or either 8:00 i still wait until im hungry - 450 cals.
Total calorie eaten = 1550 that way im not hungry i don't feel miserable what I snack is a handful of peanuts or either 2 piece of whole wheat bread gives me more good filling. My common problem is always I can't hit my protein goal but still i can't feel im hungry because of my meal timing. Good luck
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chaosbutterfly wrote: »ETA: Check out the 1200isplenty subreddit on reddit. There are alot of good recipes and snack ideas there that have been really helpful for me.
There's a lot of useful stuff in that sub demonstrating that it is very possible to eat well on 1200 calories.
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heiliskrimsli wrote: »It's also normal to be a little hungry sometimes, rather than eating enough that you never feel hunger.
I share your thoughts, the stomach needs to shrink.
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You are definitely way too low on your kalories! I weigh 142lbs and live quite comfortably on 1200cals a day and sometimes eat under, but I started higher and it took me a little while to figure out how to avoid hunger. - Lots of protein and very strict counting. I also need to exercise, otherwise dinner just looks too measly.
So, at 209lbs and 1200cals you must be starving! It's always better to go slower at weightloss. It took me several goes to realise that, really, it's not about goal weight (yes, it's about that too), but it's about changing your relationship with food. That takes time. You need to find a way of enjoying the journey. If you're miserable, you'll just fall off the wagon.0 -
laurenebargar wrote: »Hi everyone,
Im new here, I currently have my calories set at 1,200, but most days im still hungry, If I work out I eat half my Exercise calories back, but the thing is im worried about lowering my "goal" to loosing maybe one pound a week because even eating 1,200 calories a day, im averaging about 1.5 lbs a week lost. Is it normal to be so hungry at 1,200 calories a day? Also im measuring all of my food with a scale.
My Info:
5'4
Current Weight 209 Lbs
Goal weight 143
Exercise: Hiking on the weekend, walking / going to the gym 2-3 times a week.
Hey
I used to be a fitness instructor and I can guarantee that 1200 calories is too few. Your body needs 1500 at least. Especially on work out days.
Maybe shake it up a bit and if you're dedicated to 1200 calories, make sure you're getting plenty of protein and carbs on non workout days, as these hold off hunger for longer.
On workout days the diet remains the same but push those calories up to 1500 on a light workout and 1700 on a big work out.
At 1200 calories though your body will be attempting to stay in starvation mode where it tries to maintain as much energy store as it can.
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Judging from your diary, it is time to rethink what you are eating. If you aim for such a low calorie goal (which I do not think is realistic or necessary) you will need to eat more filling and nutritious food. You cannot waste 1/3 of these calories on treats. Nothing wrong with treats, but it is not just about calories, as you have figured out. If e.g. you eat 200 calories in cookies, you will be hungry, if you eat the same calories in grilled vegetables, you will feel fuller. It is a choice: either lose more slowly (which I would be doing in your place) or focus on changing what you eat so you are not starving.0
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laurenebargar wrote: »Hi everyone,
Im new here, I currently have my calories set at 1,200, but most days im still hungry, If I work out I eat half my Exercise calories back, but the thing is im worried about lowering my "goal" to loosing maybe one pound a week because even eating 1,200 calories a day, im averaging about 1.5 lbs a week lost. Is it normal to be so hungry at 1,200 calories a day? Also im measuring all of my food with a scale.
My Info:
5'4
Current Weight 209 Lbs
Goal weight 143
Exercise: Hiking on the weekend, walking / going to the gym 2-3 times a week.
Hey
I used to be a fitness instructor and I can guarantee that 1200 calories is too few. Your body needs 1500 at least. Especially on work out days.
Maybe shake it up a bit and if you're dedicated to 1200 calories, make sure you're getting plenty of protein and carbs on non workout days, as these hold off hunger for longer.
On workout days the diet remains the same but push those calories up to 1500 on a light workout and 1700 on a big work out.
At 1200 calories though your body will be attempting to stay in starvation mode where it tries to maintain as much energy store as it can.
"Starvation mode" isn't real. If you're trying to describe adaptive thermogenesis, it would take something far more extreme than a brief period of eating at 1200 calories while having excess fat stores for a body to stop growing hair and fingernails and (if female) eliminate menstruation.
Also, adaptive thermogenesis can be offset even when maintaining a calorie deficit by periodically eating at a higher level (i.e. maintenance) and then resuming the deficit.
Losing 1.5 pounds per week isn't excessively fast, and doesn't really indicate an extreme deficit. The US National Institutes of Health do not consider 1200 calories per day to be a VLCD, either.Most people who need to lose weight should not use a VLCD. For many of them, a low-calorie diet (LCD) may work better (see The Low-calorie Diet (LCD)).
An LCD limits calories, but not as much as a VLCD. A typical LCD may provide- 1,000–1,200 calories/day for a woman.
- 1,200–1,600 calories/day for a man
Cite0 -
Judging from your diary, it is time to rethink what you are eating. If you aim for such a low calorie goal (which I do not think is realistic or necessary) you will need to eat more filling and nutritious food. You cannot waste 1/3 of these calories on treats. Nothing wrong with treats, but it is not just about calories, as you have figured out. If e.g. you eat 200 calories in cookies, you will be hungry, if you eat the same calories in grilled vegetables, you will feel fuller. It is a choice: either lose more slowly (which I would be doing in your place) or focus on changing what you eat so you are not starving.
I agree, I have decided not to cut everything off right away, and although my diary isnt perfect yet, I have successfully cut all soda and juice from my diet, and have started to incorporate more veggies and fruits. I have bumped up my calories to 1360 and will be eating my exercise calories (at least half of them) and adding in my pedometer steps since my fitness tracker doesnt sync. I am working on getting better food into my diet, specifically more protein, Planning on going to the store tonight and will stock up on some essentials!4 -
shroodle88 wrote: »You are definitely way too low on your kalories! I weigh 142lbs and live quite comfortably on 1200cals a day and sometimes eat under, but I started higher and it took me a little while to figure out how to avoid hunger. - Lots of protein and very strict counting. I also need to exercise, otherwise dinner just looks too measly.
So, at 209lbs and 1200cals you must be starving! It's always better to go slower at weightloss. It took me several goes to realise that, really, it's not about goal weight (yes, it's about that too), but it's about changing your relationship with food. That takes time. You need to find a way of enjoying the journey. If you're miserable, you'll just fall off the wagon.
I think everyone has valid points, that I may just not be eating the right foods, I only bumped up the calories to 1360 but am taking everyones suggestions to add more protein, I had cut out the majority of the things that I used to enjoy, but I may not have been making the best choices yet, Its a work in process lol Im going to come up with a meal plan and try sticking to it completely for a week and reevaluate after that, I see alot of people mentioning that you need to play with your macros, so thats what I plan to do.1 -
heiliskrimsli wrote: »chaosbutterfly wrote: »I also don't know how much water you drink, but if you're not drinking about half your weight in ounces, I'd say you are not drinking enough and that's probably adding to your hunger.
This is a myth that needs to die.
If your urine is pale yellow in color, you're drinking enough and not dehydrated. If it's clear, you're overdoing it with the water, and if it's dark you need more.
This is what I typically go off, and not half my weight in ounces, I am pretty much drinking water all day, I can feel when I havent had enough (and see when I havent) I cant imagine drinking too much more than I do. On work out days I can get to maybe 80 ounces, but I dont think I would be able to drink 100 or more ounces a day.1 -
laurenebargar wrote: »Judging from your diary, it is time to rethink what you are eating. If you aim for such a low calorie goal (which I do not think is realistic or necessary) you will need to eat more filling and nutritious food. You cannot waste 1/3 of these calories on treats. Nothing wrong with treats, but it is not just about calories, as you have figured out. If e.g. you eat 200 calories in cookies, you will be hungry, if you eat the same calories in grilled vegetables, you will feel fuller. It is a choice: either lose more slowly (which I would be doing in your place) or focus on changing what you eat so you are not starving.
I agree, I have decided not to cut everything off right away, and although my diary isnt perfect yet, I have successfully cut all soda and juice from my diet, and have started to incorporate more veggies and fruits. I have bumped up my calories to 1360 and will be eating my exercise calories (at least half of them) and adding in my pedometer steps since my fitness tracker doesnt sync. I am working on getting better food into my diet, specifically more protein, Planning on going to the store tonight and will stock up on some essentials!laurenebargar wrote: »Judging from your diary, it is time to rethink what you are eating. If you aim for such a low calorie goal (which I do not think is realistic or necessary) you will need to eat more filling and nutritious food. You cannot waste 1/3 of these calories on treats. Nothing wrong with treats, but it is not just about calories, as you have figured out. If e.g. you eat 200 calories in cookies, you will be hungry, if you eat the same calories in grilled vegetables, you will feel fuller. It is a choice: either lose more slowly (which I would be doing in your place) or focus on changing what you eat so you are not starving.
I agree, I have decided not to cut everything off right away, and although my diary isnt perfect yet, I have successfully cut all soda and juice from my diet, and have started to incorporate more veggies and fruits. I have bumped up my calories to 1360 and will be eating my exercise calories (at least half of them) and adding in my pedometer steps since my fitness tracker doesnt sync. I am working on getting better food into my diet, specifically more protein, Planning on going to the store tonight and will stock up on some essentials!
Sounds like a good plan. Don't forget to monitor that rate of loss, if you are still losing 2 or more pounds per week you may want to increase the percent of your exercise cals you eat back.
Good luck!0 -
CynthiasChoice wrote: »It depends what you are eating. I eat 1100-1200 calories a day and I am not hungry. But I eat lots of protein, greens and some fruits. I feel stuffed almost with a bloated feeling.
Me too. This is the first time I've tried a high protein, lower carb diet and it is so much easier for me to stick to. At first it was hard to cut back on the carbs, but after a few days I started feeling really good. I had more energy, fewer cravings and no hunger to speak of. Once I realize how much better I could feel with more protein, it became really easy to make it a top priority.
I think im going to try this, or at least the more protein part of it. Make a meal plan for a week and then see how I feel and tweek what I need to based off that.0 -
WinoGelato wrote: »SusanMFindlay wrote: »laurenebargar wrote: »Also should I be adding my calories that my fitness tracker says I burned throughout the day from walking (between 6-10K depending on the work day) my tracker doesnt link to MFP
I popped your stats into this calculator: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ which is a good one.
Called you 3-5 hours/week of "moderate exercise" (the setting that corresponds to the level of activity described above).
To maintain your current weight, you'd need to eat ~2,700 calories/day. To lose 2 pounds/week (the most that is recommended), you should aim to eat 1,700 calories/day. This is consistent with your observation that you're losing weight very fast on a 1,200 calorie/day diet (which would correspond to losing 3 pounds/week - not far off from what you're observing).
Set yourself to "active" on MFP. Make sure your height, weight and age are accurate. And follow the recommendation. It won't be as low as 1,200. Recalculate the calorie target every 10 pounds or so because your body needs fewer calories once it gets smaller.
The advice to reduce hunger by increasing fat, protein and/or fibre is good advice. Play around with increasing those three things - separately or individually - and see what helps. But, fundamentally, 1,200 is too low a target for you and that's part of the problem.
All of this...
You've chosen the most aggressive calorie deficit and are cutting to the minimum recommended calories. You don't have an insignificant amount of weight to lose, so you need to find something that is sustainable long term, and that has room to tweak the numbers if you hit a plateau. Going immediately to the lowest calorie target, especially when you are young, not extremely petite, and not sedentary... is not necessary or advisable.
I am shorter and started at a lower weight than you but I also have a desk job and my activity is mostly walking and hiking on weekends (now weights). I ate between 1600-1800 calories and lost > 30 lbs to reach my goal weight and am maintaining with a TDEE of 2200.
You are new here but a wise rabbit used to say, "the winner is the one who eats the most and still loses the weight". 2-3 lbs/week is too rapid, you are likely losing lean body mass in the process. Eat more. Stay at a reasonable deficit. I never felt hungry while losing, it's not necessary to be miserable during this process.
I guess since I'm sitting at a desk all day I dont consider myself active, most days I try to get the dog on a few mile walk and the weekends consist of of being outside with my husband and dog pretty much all day. But when Im home I am just hanging out around the house, doing homework (college classes all online) and then doing normal household chores. I think the descriptions for activity level on MFP are what threw me off, sedentary is described as an office job, but im learning this may not be the right choice.1
This discussion has been closed.
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