Am I Eating Right?

LilMissRaptr

1200 calories seems so impossible, I'm hungry most of the time, and I seem to be going over my 1200 calorie goal most days by one or two hundred calories. There was a birthday where I had pizza and really blew my calorie count, but aside from that day I seem to just barely go over. I want to be healthy, but I also don't want to starve myself. Advice please!

melaniecheeks

Do you eat your exercise calories? Did you tell MFP you wanted to lose 2 pounds a week?

MelodyandBarbells

1200 calories is what MFP gives you when you've basically said you need to lose so much weight a week that you'd basically be eating nothing.

Even then it's still 1200 calories plus exercise

How much weight do you have to lose? You may wish to consider setting your account to lose 1/2 lb or 1 lb per week which will give you more calories to eat per day

LilMissRaptr

Do you eat your exercise calories? Did you tell MFP you wanted to lose 2 pounds a week?

I do eat my exercise calories although most of my exercise is just walking so it doesn't earn me too much. I do want to lose 2 pounds a week, which is why I set that goal. I just wish there were foods that would feel filling but not super calorie heavy. I find myself craving lot's of carbs and proteins.

I've considered changing my goal, but my worry is that I'll just go over that now higher goal. I just want to be healthy for my body. I'm 5foot 2 inches, at about 147lbs. I do have some muscle on me and I'm considerably large up top (boobs), but I'm not so sure how that factors into what a healthy weight would be for me.

TavistockToad

Do you eat your exercise calories? Did you tell MFP you wanted to lose 2 pounds a week?

I do eat my exercise calories although most of my exercise is just walking so it doesn't earn me too much. I do want to lose 2 pounds a week, which is why I set that goal. I just wish there were foods that would feel filling but not super calorie heavy. I find myself craving lot's of carbs and proteins.

I've considered changing my goal, but my worry is that I'll just go over that now higher goal. I just want to be healthy for my body. I'm 5foot 2 inches, at about 147lbs. I do have some muscle on me and I'm considerably large up top (boobs), but I'm not so sure how that factors into what a healthy weight would be for me.

its going to be really hard to lose 2lb per week given your stats, as you're finding out. with 20lb to lose 1lb is a much more realistic goal.. dont be in such a rush to lose... think healthy lifestyle not crash diet...

MelodyandBarbells

There are height weight charts and body mass index charts all over the interwebs. You could research some of that to get some input about your goal. Ultimately how you feel will also play into how much weight you'd like to lose, and when you feel you're done

1200 calories - if you want to keep eating that little, you could always do a search for posts on people who eat 1200 calories on MFP. There are quite a few. One of the threads even asked for people with open diaries and eating 1200 calories to post. Of course half the responders did not know what an open diary meant but hey the other half? Gold

Add this to your google search for MFP specific results: site:MyFitnessPal.com

As for eating more and potentially throwing away your progress: you won't know until you try. For me an extra 200 calories really helped me a ton. If you don't use a food scale, GET ONE. Being inaccurate is the last thing you want when you are executing a smaller deficit. There's much less room for fudging the numbers and the scale will be truly unforgiving

GreenIceFloes

You have only 21 lbs to lose, you are supposed to be doing that at 1 lb/week or less. Not 2. Reset your goals to losing 1 lb/week and you'll be able to eat more.

MelodyandBarbells

Looks like at the op's height and weight, MFP is bottoming out at 1200 calories even at 1 lb per week. I didn't adjust for age. Ways to eat more: exercise, more non-exercise activity throughout the day, set account to 1/2 lb per week (for around 1400 plus exercise)

GreenIceFloes

Looks like at the op's height and weight, MFP is bottoming out at 1200 calories even at 1 lb per week. I didn't adjust for age. Ways to eat more: exercise, more non-exercise activity throughout the day, set account to 1/2 lb per week (for around 1400 plus exercise)

In that case, 0.5 lb/week sounds about right. And maybe re-estimating her activity level.

Xmydearambellina

I'm totally off track right now, but last year I had more success losing 2 pounds a week when eating 1500-1800 calories a day than I did with the 1200 a day. What worked for me might not work for you, but it would be worth a shot.

That was also with me NOT working out like I should have been.

nltg13

I'm only 5 foot 2 like you, it's frustrating that because of being short MFP will give you few calories to go on. Can you not bring in another type of exercise on top of walking? Something like 30DS is good because it's only a short burst every day but burns a good amount of calories for it. Also, salad is amazing. I often try and fill half my plate with salad and then have pizza or whatever else I was planning, that way I still get to eat what I wanted but can't fit too much of it on the plate and the salad helps to fill up with few calories. You probably don't want to be set to 2lbs a week, it's an unrealistic goal for your weight and height and you'll end up feeling rubbish when it's not happening, it's not a race!

haleema93

I'm 5ft 2, have 27 lbs to lose and i've put my preferred weight loss at 1lb a week. makes it much more realistic.
I have around 1300 calories a day and usually slightly dip in to my burnt calories by around 50 - 70 cals. Overall i still have a calorie deficit and dont let myself get to the point where i'm constantly hungry!
Try reducing your target to 1lb a week

LilMissRaptr

Thanks for all the input guys, I think I'm going to change my goal to 1lb a week. Also I'm going to try and incorporate some kind of exercise.