Not eating 1200 calories

Libby283

Hi, I am here because I want to get back to a good weight again. I tried this a few years ago but never changed what I ate. I seem to remember always running out of calories even with exercise. Needless to say I lost almost no weight.

This time is different. I have changed my whole diet and cut out most of the crap foods and now eating a very vegetable and fruit heavy diet. I am not eating back my exercise calories. However, I am finding that I often do not eat my allotted 1200 daily calories. I feel good. I am not hungry.

I weighed 157 lbs. on 5/8/2014 and now 153 lbs. I am 5'3" /5'4"

Is eating less than 1200 calories ok as long as you are not hungry and you feel good?

Ninkyou

Hunger is not an indicator of getting enough nutrition/calories.

Eat more calorie dense foods and you'll hit your numbers.

Libby283

What would be calorie dense foods? And why do I need to hit 1200 calories?

WisheeNY

So why not add back in a little of that "crap food" to hit your goal?

scottsgirl4lyfe2004

i have 3 meals today and maybe a snack later and im probally gonna hit 800 something no matter how hard i try i never hit many and then somedays i go way over

Libby283

So why not add back in a little of that "crap food" to hit your goal?

I don't think I understand why I need to. I have opened my food diary so it can be viewed. I am eating a well rounded diet. It just happens to be below 1200.

MindyRH

It's not recommended because you could be getting less than your daily need for protein and lose lean tissue. And without at least 1200 calories it is extremely difficult to get your micronutrients. Plus the whole starvation mode message on MFP. Just keep up the good work! You'll see results. No need to hate your diet

Libby283

I have been high on protein some days but still low on calories. I am loving the diet! Other than switching out fried foods and breads for salads, I have not changed to much.

It is amazing the difference without eating breads and fried foods.

GothyFaery

Looking over your diary, you are not going below 1200 every single day. 1200 is considered to be the lowest number you should eat a day because going below that could put your body in starvation mode and ruin your metabolism. The truth is as long as you are getting all your macros and your vitamins, you should be okay. Your metabolism won't just go crazy after a few days here and there of under 1200 calories. But don't feel you have to starve yourself or deprive yourself of the foods you love just to lose weight. If you want to eat what you are eating, go for it. If you want a cheeseburger, go for that too, just make it fit. Just remember if you want your diet to be successful, you should learn how to incorporate foods that you want to eat for the rest of your life.

hurricanekaty

I understand how you feel. I typically eat about 300 calories less than my goal of 1200 calories and people tell me I need to eat more but I'm not hungry. I look at it as if I log something and can't find the exact brand (example: I sometimes get chicken sandwiches from a local store and I have no idea what brand they use so I go with what seems logical) then being under my calorie limit a bit will make up for any hidden calories that I have no way of tracking. A lot of people tell me I need to eat more but I look at it as I'm not hungry, not even kind of, so why risk going over my calorie limit. (which I often do if I try forcing myself to eat 1200 calories). HOWEVER if you are under your calorie limit by like, 1000, I'd say you should probably eat some more for the simple fact that your weight won't come off as easily if you're too low under your limit. Good luck!!

AmyRhubarb

I am not eating back my exercise calories. However, I am finding that I often do not eat my allotted 1200 daily calories. I feel good. I am not hungry.

How long have you been eating such low cals and feeling good? Not likely to last - ran your stats through a quick BMR calculator, and for your height, age and current weight, that's about 1450 calories a day. For doing nothing. At all. Comatose.

You are clearly walking & talking and therefore not comatose, and mentioned exercise as well - don't you think your body deserves just a tad more fuel???

Using MFP and eating below goal and not eating back exercise cals = doing it wrong. Your daily goal already has you at a deficit - meaning if you ate all 1200 cals every dat (heck, or 1450 cals for that matter), did zero exercise - you'd lose weight. Burning off more through exercise makes the deficit much larger - too large, and over time will leave you under fueled, grumpy, hormones out of whack, metabolism screwed up, people report losing hair, brittle nails, saggy skin and so on. FUN! Not!

Food is fuel. Eating too little leads to loss of muscle along with any fat, in addition to the list of problems I already posted. If you set your weekly loss goal to 2lbs a week, change it to not more than 1lb - your ticker shows you're aiming to lose 27lbs. That's not a lot, so 2lbs a week is really too aggressive. A half or just one pound week will give you more cals. And yes you should eat them. Avocados, nuts, nut butters, full fat dairy, olive & coconut oils - calorie dense foods that add up quick in small portions and get you to goal, and keep you fueled.

Eat your calories - FOOD IS FUEL! Drink water, exercise, take rest days, get good sleep and have patience.

ASKyle

Add protein to your fruit veggie diet.

skullshank

what's "crap food"?

if its feces, that's bad....don't eat that.

PinkCupcakes84

Ahh here we go with the "I just can't eat 1200 calories" posts.

DuckDynastyMakesMeLaugh

what's "crap food"?

if its feces, that's bad....don't eat that.

:laugh:

Libby283

When I say crap diet, I mean French fries, baked potatoes, rice, fried foods. Cookies, donuts, cakes, ice cream every night....

I have always made fairly good choices meal wise. I mostly order kids meals when we eat out. I never order sodas. I have not cut out the quantity of food I eat. I just changed what I ate.

WaterBunnie

A lot of people try swapping one unhealthy way of eating for another at the other extreme of the scale thinking it'll make them lose faster when really this is your opportunity to learn how to eat properly. Eat back your exercise and hit your goals and you'll be well on the way to better long term habits.

Libby283

I eat lots of chicken!

Some_Watery_Tart

Really? You can't eat 1200 calories? Cause eating WAY more than 1200 is how I (and many others) ended up here in the first place. :grumble:

Libby283

Add protein to your fruit veggie diet.

I eat lots of chicken. Today. I was over on protein.

segovm

People get really religious about numbers... I think because we imagine we have some control over them we insist on strict adherence to them.

A portion of food might be labeled as 500 calories but is well within FDA guidelines if it has 375 or 625 calories (you would never guess that most producers use this to cram more tasty calories into their "healthy" treats).

Regardless of any number or system the biggest indicator of health is how you feel. If you are legitimately not hungry don't eat. If you are just getting started with all this it'll take your body a while to adjust and for you to sort out what you should be eating when. You are not special or magical or in any way different than the rest of humanity though, if you exert yourself your body needs fuel, even if you are losing weight.

My daily intake right now is low and my excercise numbers have me burning a thousand or two calories a day. This isn't going to last. The machine that is my body will either stop working out, get hurt, or start eating more food. The folks that are offering advice are just letting you know you can forgo injury and likely out of control insatiable binges if you plan ahead and just eat what most folks need to be healthy and lose some weight.