1,200 calories
amioc
Posts: 175 Member
Hi I’m finding it so hard to stick to 1,200 calories I keep going over because I’m so hungry all the time! Does anyone have any tips on how to stick to 1,200 calories and not be so hungry?
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Replies
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Do you have to stick to 1200 calories?
That is the rock-bottom goal that MFP will give a woman, and it’s only really appropriate for very short, sedentary women. Often, if you’re on 1200 calories it’s a sign that you’re trying to lose too much, too quickly; which would make anyone hungry!
So what’s your height, weight, and activity level, and what rate of loss have you set?7 -
My height is 5ft3inches my weight is 60kg but I’d like to be around 53kg and tone up. I’ve recently joined a gym. The rate of loss I’ve set is 2pound a week is that unrealistic?1
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My height is 5ft3inches my weight is 60kg but I’d like to be around 53kg and tone up. I’ve recently joined a gym. The rate of loss I’ve set is 2pound a week is that unrealistic?
Yes. As lynn_glenmont says above, your rate of loss should be 1/2 lb per week, and here is one of the reasons why:
1 lb of fat is approximately equal to 3500 calories. That means that in order to lose 1 lb of fat, you need to eat 3500 calories below what your body needs.
2 lb of fat is approximately equal to 7000 calories. That means that in order to lose 2 lb of fat in one week, you need to eat 7000 calories below what your body needs in one week. That's a deficit of 1000 calories every day.
Based on what you've said about yourself, the amount of food your body needs is probably about 1800 calories per day. So in order to lose 2 lb per week you would actually need to eat only 800 calories per day - but MFP won't go below 1200 because it's not safe.
It's hard to get all the essential nutrients you need, eating that little. Also, if you're small and close to goal, you just don't have that much available fat for your body to burn; so it will burn muscle as well. If you want to look and feel good at the end of the process, you probably don't want to burn muscle
Change your rate of loss to half a pound a week, log your exercise, eat back (some of) your exercise calories, and be patient. You'll be a lot happier with the end result.15 -
Thankyou so much for your help. I will up my calories a bit 😊 for me personally I’ve always been around 53kg I’m the heaviest I’ve ever been without being pregnant lol I’m on medication that makes me so hungry all the time hence the weight gain! and I just want the old me back ASAP! I want to feel comfortable again3
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I lost normally (1-1.5 lb per week) at 1200 and lost at exactly the same rate when I upped to 1350!9
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eat a very light breakfast. drink lots of fluids, non calorie of course. it's 100% mental26
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ColdTurkeyplus1 wrote: »eat a very light breakfast. drink lots of fluids, non calorie of course. it's 100% mental
this varies. I need a good solid filling breakfast to make it thru the mornings (and adhere to calorie goals). Everyone is different.8 -
I have a ton of weight to loose 60kilos I’m finding 1200 cal hard. Really hard. Any advice or tips anyone ?1
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angelayarham wrote: »I have a ton of weight to loose 60kilos I’m finding 1200 cal hard. Really hard. Any advice or tips anyone ?
How did you come to the number 1200 calories? did you enter your stats in MFP? or just pick it as that's the number you hear about in diet groups?
lose a bit slower, eat a bit more. there is no rule that you have to pick the most aggressive rate of loss.
also, reconsider if you really are sedentary or not. sedentary on MFP is really really really sedentary.
eat back a reasonable estimate of your purposeful exercise calories.
https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/1200-calorie-diet/4 -
ColdTurkeyplus1 wrote: »eat a very light breakfast. drink lots of fluids, non calorie of course. it's 100% mental
this varies. I need a good solid filling breakfast to make it thru the mornings (and adhere to calorie goals). Everyone is different.
I'm the same. My biggest meal of the day is breakfast.1 -
I hear you! I’m always going over my 1200 calories! I have 45 pounds to lose and would like to still feel like I’m eating more than a toddler 😞0
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ColdTurkeyplus1 wrote: »eat a very light breakfast. drink lots of fluids, non calorie of course. it's 100% mental
What is 100% mental???
Feeling hungry on 1200 calories??
If 1200 calories is not appropriate amount the answer is to eat the appropriate amount - not to drink fluids or whatever to force compliance of 1200.
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No matter what daily cal goal you have, some ideas I have found here and elsewhere to help with the 'feeling full' thing: Drink lots of fluids, eat a lot of fiberous foods like veggies. They are low cal and fill you up and as long as you don't slather tons of butter and stuff on them, you can't go wrong on calories with them, include some form of lean protein every day, supplement that with a protein powder scoop mixed into something like coffee even, eat fresh fruit daily. If you're eating diet, pre-made frozen dinners, they have no fiber, look sad, taste sad and although are low calorie, the lack of fiber and nutrients make them a bad choice. Easy, yes. Hope this helps a little!2
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ColdTurkeyplus1 wrote: »eat a very light breakfast. drink lots of fluids, non calorie of course. it's 100% mental
this varies. I need a good solid filling breakfast to make it thru the mornings (and adhere to calorie goals). Everyone is different.
Same here, hungrier during the morning/afternoon but absolutely not hungry at all later on0 -
ColdTurkeyplus1 wrote: »eat a very light breakfast. drink lots of fluids, non calorie of course. it's 100% mental
Please learn that when it comes to ways of eating what applies to you may only apply to a small number of other people.
Also:
Hunger is not mental it is physical
Dissatisfaction is mental
Learning the difference between the two can be helpful.12 -
At 5’3’’ with a sedentary desk job, MFP set my goal at 1200cal per day. I’ve lost 45lbs so far at about 1lb per week, although there have been several plateaus along the way. I also eat back some of my exercise calories and currently work out 4-6 times per week. Volume eating “whole foods” is how I’ve been successful. In some ways my weight loss has been mental. I “trick” myself into thinking I’m eating more by using smaller plates and using a plate rather than bowl whenever possible. I’m only now just understanding my body’s hunger cues and will quiz myself, “am I so hungry I’d eat a raw onion right now?” Focusing on weekly totals rather than getting hung up on going over one or two days has also been helpful.6
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Figure out what types of food you find filling, also. I could eat eggs all day and never feel full, but a single small apple for breakfast keeps me going until lunch. I'm all about those tasty carbs. But other people are the reverse. Everyone works a little differently. It takes some experimenting.3
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Focus on eating mostly real food, not processed food. This will be more satisfying and help you stay full.
Here is a 1,200 calorie day that is satisfying and realistic. It assumes someone works outside the home and eats out for lunch like I do. I try to focus on getting a good balance of carbs, protein, fat and fruit or vegetables in each meal to help feel full.
Breakfast: 2 egg scramble with a handful of cut of veggies, 1 slice of whole wheat toast (270 calories)
Lunch: Chick fil-a chicken wrap and a large fruit cup (420 calories)
Dinner: Start with a salad of mixed greens and various veggies and 2 Tbs dressing (something with some fat, not nonfat)...then cook 4 oz skinless chicken breast (with some kind of seasoning of or a small amount of BBQ or teriyaki sauce), 3/4 cup brown rice and some steamed broccoli...note: make and eat the salad first, then cook and eat dinner because your cravings will settle down a few minutes after finishing the salad (510 calories)
Drinks: water and maybe an unsweet iced tea with lunch (or other no calorie drinks, but avoid artificial sweeteners)9 -
I am in a wheelchair, completely immobile and lost 95 pounds, on a 1200 calorie diet.
See my thread here for pictures and how I did it -> https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10674309/mfp-weight-goal-achieved-95-pounds-gone-wheelchair-user/p1
If I can do it, ANYONE can do it.
As a earlier poster stated, it is all mental. However, it also about your strategy. The key is understanding how to stay fuller longer...here are a few tips.
1) Drink coffee as it is suppresses appetite.
2) Eat slower. (i.e. I use a small spoon to eat rice/soup - takes me longer time to finish/use a small bowl for snacks/other unique strategies).
3) Eat foods that are LOW CAL, but take long for your body to metabolize (RAW FRUITS/VEGETABLES/Measured out nuts).
4) Protein is friend (makes you full, generally low cal).
5) Eat a low calorie snack before you are hungry.
6) Remove as much high carbs from diet as possible.
7) Find low calorie substitutes for high cal food (i.e. weight watcher bread: 1 slice is 50 cals). Popcorn instead of chips.
I encourage you to read my thread. You got this!!
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Patrice120 wrote: »Focus on eating mostly real food, not processed food. This will be more satisfying and help you stay full.
Here is a 1,200 calorie day that is satisfying and realistic. It assumes someone works outside the home and eats out for lunch like I do. I try to focus on getting a good balance of carbs, protein, fat and fruit or vegetables in each meal to help feel full.
Breakfast: 2 egg scramble with a handful of cut of veggies, 1 slice of whole wheat toast (270 calories)
Lunch: Chick fil-a chicken wrap and a large fruit cup (420 calories)
Dinner: Start with a salad of mixed greens and various veggies and 2 Tbs dressing (something with some fat, not nonfat)...then cook 4 oz skinless chicken breast (with some kind of seasoning of or a small amount of BBQ or teriyaki sauce), 3/4 cup brown rice and some steamed broccoli...note: make and eat the salad first, then cook and eat dinner because your cravings will settle down a few minutes after finishing the salad (510 calories)
Drinks: water and maybe an unsweet iced tea with lunch (or other no calorie drinks, but avoid artificial sweeteners)
How would a processed meal with the same macros be less satiating than a "real" one? I might agree with you a little on satisfaction but not across the board. There are many "unreal" foods that I find very satisfying because I have no intention of preparing them myself. Chicken strips/nuggets would be a good example.
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angelayarham wrote: »I have a ton of weight to loose 60kilos I’m finding 1200 cal hard. Really hard. Any advice or tips anyone ?
Try to drink more water and replace a meal with a protein shake
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I feel like this post could have been typed by me! And, I thought that 1200 was the goal for losing weight...
Not to completely hijack this post, do any of you have thoughts for calories/day I should aim for:
-female
-40
-186 lbs
-5'5"
-mostly sedentary (walks around 1 mile per day)1 -
unyquescorpion wrote: »angelayarham wrote: »I have a ton of weight to loose 60kilos I’m finding 1200 cal hard. Really hard. Any advice or tips anyone ?
Try to drink more water and replace a meal with a protein shake
why a shake? nothing leaves me less satisfied than drinking my calories. I get that it works for some but why recommend replacing an entire meal with a shake?3 -
StephanieBam wrote: »I feel like this post could have been typed by me! And, I thought that 1200 was the goal for losing weight...
Not to completely hijack this post, do any of you have thoughts for calories/day I should aim for:
-female
-40
-186 lbs
-5'5"
-mostly sedentary (walks around 1 mile per day)
1200 is a random number in the zeitgeist. it's NOT appropriate for many/most (but IS appropriate for very short, very sedentary people).
https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/1200-calorie-diet/
Use the site as it was meant to, put in your stats in MFP. You are not that far from healthy weight so i'd go for 1 or 1.5lb/week rate of loss. Eat back exercise calories from your walk.4 -
StephanieBam wrote: »I feel like this post could have been typed by me! And, I thought that 1200 was the goal for losing weight...
Not to completely hijack this post, do any of you have thoughts for calories/day I should aim for:
-female
-40
-186 lbs
-5'5"
-mostly sedentary (walks around 1 mile per day)
Did you put your stats into MFP? Women typically get 1200 calories because they select the most aggressive rate of loss MFP will give you, regardless of whether or not that is reasonable for that person.2 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »
^^^This...1 -
StephanieBam wrote: »I feel like this post could have been typed by me! And, I thought that 1200 was the goal for losing weight...
Not to completely hijack this post, do any of you have thoughts for calories/day I should aim for:
-female
-40
-186 lbs
-5'5"
-mostly sedentary (walks around 1 mile per day)
You have around 40 lbs to lose to get into the healthy weight range for your height, so you should be aiming for @ 1 lb per week. MFP will probably give you around 1300-1350 cals as a goal. Make sure you log any exercise you do and eat back at least some of those calories. This thread might be useful to you, and anyone else getting started:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1
And as someone else who gets a pretty low calorie goal, this thread helped me a lot:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss/p1
I've probably added a good 100 calories or so to my NEAT in the last year. It doesn't sound like much, but when you don't need many calories in the first place, every little bit helps. Also when you get naturally more active during the day, I find it makes getting motivated to workout and add even more calories into the formula easier.4
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