How can I not be hungry on 1200 calories?

jv0898

I have been doing the 1200 calorie diet, since January 1, and find myself quite different compared to some of the stories I read on here. I lost 3.5 pounds the first week not eating close to the 1200 calories I was allowed, plus I exercise almost daily and do not eat those calories back either.

Yesterday I had 1626 calories (earned 426 from exercise), ate 881, and had 745 remaining at the end of day. It wasn't trying to do this, but most days I don't find myself hungry and am left with extra calories. .

This morning, my weight went UP!

WTH?

Seeing that is so frustrating that it makes me lost my motivation.

rella_1003

When you first start exercising your weight increases due to water being stored to repair your muscles. It is really important to eat at least a net of 1200 calories, eating below this level especially consistently isn't good for you. If you really struggle to reach 1200 calories drink your calories! That's what I do when I have a lot of calories left over, a cup of Ribena has 110 calories!
Good luck on your weight loss journey and try not to be put off by the scales, try and measure your waist, thighs etc to see if you've lost inches off them

hannydeee

The only way I can do 1200 calories (NET) and not get *too* hungry is to do a lot of exercise so that I end up being able to eat ~2000!

LuvonLuv

You must eat at least 1200 cals and have at least 8 glasses of water per day. When you don't give your body enough, it gets panicky and hoards the energy from past meal(s). If you place your stomach on starvation mode, it will automatically go into survival mode and just retain everything. And if you have put exercise into your routine, then eating a mere 800 cals would not work for weight loss.

I'm not guessing at this...I used to do the same thing and never lost, in fact, I gained. Explore relevant posts here on MFP...that really helped me to adapt my routine. And don't forget those 8 glasses plus of water...:drinker:

Gotta add...one thing I never do is eat all the calories I got back from exercise...I just give myself some, like half or so, but never all.

ashiii1

Ignore daily weight fluctuations - it's normal and isn't indicative of fat gain/loss. Try to just weigh yourself once a week (or whatever works for you).

LeahFerri

I don't want to get into a huge "starvation mode" argument, but it's not recommended that you follow a very low calorie diet (VLCD, less than 1200 calories) unless you a) are morbidly obese AND b) have close supervision by a medical professional. My personal belief, based on my knowledge of thermodynamics and historic examples, is that you WILL lose weight on a VLCD, but that you will lose muscle mass along with fat and that it will, overall, be damaging to your body. It's also difficult to get proper micronutrients at that few calories (it can be difficult to get proper micronutrients at higher levels of calories if you eat only certain types of food, but that's a different story).

Calorie burns from cardio are often overestimated by MFP. I agree with the above recommendation of not eating back all of your exercise calories, but you should definitely eat back at least some. Half seems to be a common number around here.

You also don't "have" to have 8 glasses of water a day. You gain water from other drinks, and food has water in it too. That said, many people live their lives chronically underhydrated and find that adding a few glasses of water (by no means 8) can help them feel a lot better.

Eat healthful, calorie-dense food if you find yourself with a lot of extra calories but unable to bear even the thought of eating a full meal. Peanut butter is a popular choice, as is avocado.

Edited for syntax.

QuietBloom

You must eat at least 1200 cals and have at least 8 glasses of water per day. When you don't give your body enough, it gets panicky and hoards the energy from past meal(s). If you place your stomach on starvation mode, it will automatically go into survival mode and just retain everything. And if you have put exercise into your routine, then eating a mere 800 cals would not work for weight loss.

I'm not guessing at this...I used to do the same thing and never lost, in fact, I gained. Explore relevant posts here on MFP...that really helped me to adapt my routine. And don't forget those 8 glasses plus of water...:drinker:

Gotta add...one thing I never do is eat all the calories I got back from exercise...I just give myself some, like half or so, but never all.

No. And she would lose on 800 calories (anorexics do it all the time) but she would lose a lot of lean body mass as well as fat.

sarahslim100

I can't see your diary. I cope with 1200 with low GI foods and protein eg. eggs. Michelle bridges has great cookbooks for ideas on food. I often eat roast vegetables. I don't eat sugary things eg.lollies or too much salt eg. chips.

Willbenchforcupcakes

Are you not hungry, or just telling yourself you're not hungry? When I undereat for my activity level, my stomach says it's not hungry, but the rest of my body is telling a different story. I have a headache, feel dizzy and weak, can't concentrate. And that's just if I'm having a day with too much rushing and not enough eating. I keep it up for longer than a day, and I can't sleep, can't perform at the gym.

I've learnt to not listen to my stomach, and listen to the rest of my body. It works.

janesmith1

Eat more, exercise more (like zumba).

FoxyLifter

Yesterday I had 1626 calories (earned 426 from exercise), ate 881, and had 745 remaining at the end of day. It wasn't trying to do this, but most days I don't find myself hungry and am left with extra calories. .

Lack of hunger pangs are not a good way to tell if your body has gotten enough fuel/nutrients. What has likely happened is that the brain has stopped sending your stomach the signal to eat because you're likely to ignore it. If ignored enough, the brain stops in order to save energy.

sarafischbach9

I don't want to get into a huge "starvation mode" argument, but it's not recommended that you follow a very low calorie diet (VLCD, less than 1200 calories) unless you a) are morbidly obese AND b) have close supervision by a medical professional. My personal belief, based on my knowledge of thermodynamics and historic examples, is that you WILL lose weight on a VLCD, but that you will lose muscle mass along with fat and that it will, overall, be damaging to your body. It's also difficult to get proper micronutrients at that few calories (it can be difficult to get proper micronutrients at higher levels of calories if you eat only certain types of food, but that's a different story).

Calorie burns from cardio are often overestimated by MFP. I agree with the above recommendation of not eating back all of your exercise calories, but you should definitely eat back at least some. Half seems to be a common number around here.

You also don't "have" to have 8 glasses of water a day. You gain water from other drinks, and food has water in it too. That said, many people live their lives chronically underhydrated and find that adding a few glasses of water (by no means 8) can help them feel a lot better.

Eat healthful, calorie-dense food if you find yourself with a lot of extra calories but unable to bear even the thought of eating a full meal. Peanut butter is a popular choice, as is avocado.

Edited for syntax.

Thanks! Exactly.

Are you a dietetics student, or have taken nutrition classes? I've only heard of VLCD from my clinical nutrition classes! But yes that is true. I remember there being a classification for 800 calories or under, but I don't remember what its called.

sarafischbach9

I've been on a lot of diets...

Here is one good rule of thumb that I have learned: If you go to bed hungry, you probably didn't eat enough.