so i think people are lying

Liz75

I love food too and my calories are set at 1420, so I'd struggle with 1200. Plus if I exercise I eat some or most of my calories in order to refuel. I cant go to bed hungry either. Feeling hungry all the time cant be 'healthy', some people might find it empowering in their weight loss mission but really its can't be a permanent life style choice, can it? I guess it depends on what food you consume with your 1200. I certainly make better choices when I have a limit set! I look at the calorific value and think...I'd need to run for 40 minutes to burn that off, I don't really need it!!

Dhargis

I love food too, and that's why none of those "liquid meal replacements" work for me...believe me, I've tried them. I find that if I drink a LARGE glass of cold water about 10 minutes before a meal that I'm less hungry. I drink COLD water because it forces my body to start my metablisom to heat it up, then it's working when I eat...I also chew my food till' it's baby food consistency, as it takes 1/2 hour for your stomach to tell your brain it's full...

When I get to the 1200 calorie mark, I guess I'll have to get creative about what I eat, as I tend to yo-yo diet. I know what to do,it's in the doing that I have trouble. Any suggestions out there?

Dakota1235

They could be lying, OR they could be working their way into an eating disorder. Obviously one day of not eating 1200 is not a big deal, but readng some of these posts I see some huge red flags. Alot of people here do not have a healthy body image, or know how to do self care without food. Often it seems like they're replacing food with exercise, which sounds ok at first, but if any ONE thing rules your life there's something wrong, and in general it's not sustainable.

I have to say I am very tempted at times to say "get thee to therapy". REALLY and I don't mean that in a bad way. I mean that often people have unresolved issues that manifest as weight gain. Don't treat the symptom, treat the cause.....

As for me, I know what my problem is, I LOOOOVE food, and I struggle with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, so I'm exhausted all the time. I love being outdoors, but structured exercise is a tough sell for me. I can sleep for 14+hours a day, and my doctor and I have yet to find a good dose of levothyroxine that works for me. The funny thing is, I still love myself, I still see myself as beautiful, even at 225 pounds. Working out and counting calories isn't my life, it's a PART of my life, that's it.

I guess my point is, people need to find balance.

bparsont

I don't exercise a lot, but I do Wii Fit almost every day.

Kristina I hope you are counting the Wii fit exercises that you do because there is calorie burning in that type of exercise. there is "calories burned" under the tools tab if you enter in Wii fit.

abyt42

I think it depends on what type of food you are eating, how much you are working out and also the amount of water/liquids you are drinking.

Exactly.....

LorinaLynn

One thing I'm trying to work out in my head is "hungry" vs "want to eat something." I want to eat when I'm bored. When I'm sad. When I'm happy! I enjoy food!

So anymore, unless my guts are growling like an angry cat, I try to think about if it's a "want to do ... SOMETHING" and eating is just an easy fix. If so, I fire up a video game instead. Sports Champions on the PS3 Move is good because it keeps me active. And bashing someone with a sword in the gladiators game is sometimes JUST what I needed!

sheenabe

Oh my Lord there is NO way that I could eat only 1200 calories and be okay with it. My daily goal is set to 1420. I exersize on average about 6 days a week...thank goodness it alows me to eat more...lol. On the days that I have not exersized I am almost always over my calorie goal. I find that I am consistantly about 1600 to 1700 cals a day. The people on here that are okay with 1200....I just say WOW good on you! With my love for food and eating I guess I just have to workout that much longer or harder

traceytoo

i think you have to be careful here, I fluctuate, but on the whole eat less than 1200 .. that's because I pick at foods, a mouthful of this, a mouthful of that, food that in calorific terms cannot be quantified so, I don't count my teas/coffess and rather than try and add them in, I know that I have 200 / 300 calories to play around with and although it looks like (on here) I am eating less than 1200, I am in fact not and I am not hungry ... if I were hungry I would eat more than 1200 up to 1500 - and I do so on some days.

I do not think you can judge people - or call them liars until you have lived a day in their bodies - if they can live on 1200 and not be hungry and still have energy to go about their daily business without feeling ill or faint .. then that is up to them .. it does not make them liars.

Only my own personal opinon of course....

smae1980

Ok Ive been following the thread here and its a bit off track from what i originally read.... originally the post was regarding people "at" 1200 now its regarding people "under" 1200..maybe Im confused....per your last post ** "I guess I'm saying either these people are not eating a balanced diet or they are just telling themselves they are full so they have an excuse to stay under 1200 calories. I don't think it's healthy or practical long term to get into the habit of eating less than 1200 calories a day. Now and then, yeah I get it you're not always hungry, but every day and you risk becoming malnourished. "**

To clear this up, I meant people eating only 1200 calories while exercising or just eating less than 1200 calories. I should have clarified that. I've been reading these things for so long and I so often see posts like "I eat 1200 calories and I work out and burn 500 calories and I never eat my exercise calories." OR "I have my settings at 1200 calories but I can rarely make myself eat more than 900 calories"

cangst

I honestly feel full off of 1200 calories a day. I cycle my calories so that I average 1200 a day in a week. Yesterday I ate 878 calories and felt fine. Drink lots of water. Eat lots of fiber. It takes some time for your stomach to shrink to that you feel satisfied. I used to be a big eater. Now, a Lean Cuisine makes me full. Beans and rice are the perfect diet food. I eat it all the time. 1/2 cup rice, 1/2 cup beans. Lots of fiber lots of protein. Great source of vitamins and SUPER cheap.

fuzzymel

If I don't do any exercise then I really don't need many calories. What I do it I try to ensure is good.

JMun

When I first started back in July of 2011 I was eating 1650 calories a day. I struggled every day with staying in that limit and not feeling hungry all the time.

6 months in I've set my calorie intake at 1450 and I'm usually at 1300-1400/day. I also exercise 6 days a week for 60-90 mins and generally I avoid eating my exercise calories. If I'm really hungry I'll eat extra calories but for the most part, to be perfectly honest.... I'M NOT HUNGRY ANYMORE.

its been 6 (and a half) months since I started counting calories and exercising. All I can say is that after time you'll get your groove on and your body will quickly adapt to a healthier calorie intake. Believe it or not some nights when I get home from work at 8pm I need to force in extra calories to keep myself above 1300. Because I eat smaller meals and include snacks in my day I guess I just feel full all the time.

Everyone's different I suppose. :flowerforyou:

SheliaN1960

Several times I was over the 1200 mark, and still managed to lose weight!!!! MMMmmmmmm.

stereomad

the thing ive noticed about this fitnesspal is that with sensible choices you can actually get no where near your calorie limit and still have eaten a load of food that makes you feel satisfied and full, therefore not necessarily the people having 1200 and saying they are not hungry are lying.

my target calorie intake is 1950, i on average have hit 1400-1450 a day, which is a deficit of 500 a day and with the choices ive made i can honestly say im not hungry but them choices all include a load of vegetables and fresh food and protein.

its the high carb, high sugar foods that in my opinion add calories but little satisfication in terms of hunger

SmashleeWpg

1200 calories can offer a lot of food if you're eating smart choices.... so it's all from different peoples' perspectives! If you're conscious about your carb consumption, and keep it lower and healthy, you can eat a ton! For instance, yesterday I ate:

B -
1/4 c. old fashioned oats
1/2 scoop Iso Femme protein powder
1 tsp. natural peanut butter
1 small banana

Snacks -
15 baby carrots
1/2 c. 1% cottage cheese
2 stalks celery
1 grapefruit
1 apple
12 almonds

L-
6" whole wheat Subway egg white sub, with 1 tbsp light mayo, 1 slice cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, olives, white onion, banana peppers, salt and pepper
diet coke

D-
4 oz. grilled chicken
2 c. spinach with diced cucumber, tomato, mushrooms
1 tbsp. lite salad dressing
1c. steamed broccoli
1c. steamed zucchini
1/2 c. quinoa

and I came in at 1250 calories. Wasn't hungry and felt satisfied, with energy to get through my workout.

melzteach

oh no im starving well was till i started working out so i can eat more

I'd suggest exercising more so you can eat more or do what I did, slowly work your way down to 1200. I had myself at 1500 for half a week and cut down to 1400 for a week now I'm at 1300. So far so good IF I eat foods that keep me full. I've got a good handle on 1300 and will cut back to 1200 next week. Good luck!

InMyOwnWorld

1200 can be a lot of food if it is all home prepared - I space my meals out every 2 - 3 hours, Ive found this helps with the hunger (and boosts metabolism). I have also heard that you should feel slightly hungry at the end of the day, but not so hungry that you will tear the door off the fridge.

hotpickles

There are days when I'm below 1200 and not hungry. There are days when I'm WAY above 1200 and still hungry. It's just what my body tells me.

theatr3geek

It really depends, because I am on a 1200 calories diet plan and have trouble eating all 1200. I usually get around 800-1000 in a day. It's just because my body has gotten used to this. I also drink A LOT of water. I drink water before every meal and I keep a bottle with me at all times. I'm also petite, though.
It depends on the person but it also depends where you get your calories. 1200 is.. a lot of food for me. An entire cup of carrot sticks is 60, a banana is 100, I can get healthy calories and feel fuller quicker!

javamom

I have a very difficult time staying at 1200 calories. I only do that on the one day I take a rest from exercise and it is HARD for me! I love eating closer to 1700 calories and exercising off 500. I love food too much!

Dobsaya

I work out and burn at least 500 calories a day so that I can eat at least 1700 calories a day.

gehlerc

I'll tell you that I am consistently below 1200 calories a day and am almost never hungry. (And I'm not lying.) Before I started this journey I read the book _The Mayo Clinic Diet_ which recommends eating at least 4 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruit each day (and a serving of vegetables is *way* more than I thought it was), and no snacks other than vegetables and fruits. Consequently, I've been eating lots more vegetables than I ever have before. They fill me up, and have very few calories. I'm also burning at least 350 calories a day working out.

So, my advice (and it's worth about as much as the paper it's written on ) is to try eating more vegetables. I usually include baby carrots, sliced cucumber, and fresh bell peppers every day, among other things.

Good luck to you. As lots of other people have posted here, everyone is different.

yanicka

You also assume that evryone here has trouble with food and eat too much. It's not my case... I need to lose weight after giving birth to my 6th child. I gained 25 pounds so my weigth gaine was not excessive. I can honestly say that I feel llke I eat all day long at 1200 cals and sometime, after a long day, a rather go to bed then try to eat 300-400 more calories. I remember some night that the reason I don't want to exercice...it's because I will have to eat those darn calories LOL

Jaedynmoon

I'm set at 1200 calories and honestly...some days it's hard to even hit that! I don't know why it's so hard to believe?!

Jaedynmoon

It really depends, because I am on a 1200 calories diet plan and have trouble eating all 1200. I usually get around 800-1000 in a day. It's just because my body has gotten used to this. I also drink A LOT of water. I drink water before every meal and I keep a bottle with me at all times. I'm also petite, though.
It depends on the person but it also depends where you get your calories. 1200 is.. a lot of food for me. An entire cup of carrot sticks is 60, a banana is 100, I can get healthy calories and feel fuller quicker!

This is how I feel! I'm 5'9 though and it's the same way for me. I'm drinking water all day long and eat lots of fruits, veggies...stuff like that. Filling food and it's healthy/low calories. Some days it's really hard to meet my 1200 goal! Glad to see I'm not the only one!

SmashleeWpg

This is how I feel! I'm 5'9 though and it's the same way for me. I'm drinking water all day long and eat lots of fruits, veggies...stuff like that. Filling food and it's healthy/low calories. Some days it's really hard to meet my 1200 goal! Glad to see I'm not the only one!

Exactly how I feel! It's all about eating dense, low-cal, fresh, high protein, CLEAN foods - you can fill up on those no problemo!

JulsDiane

Didn't read through all of the posts so if this is the same as someone has already replied, sorry. The beginning size/baseline of the person and their previous eating habits can affect the calorie intake their body is comfortable with when they are tracking. The amount of exercise/activity can also affect appetite. There are so many factors I think you just have to find your own comfort zone and make it work for you.I started out thinking 1200cal and then remembered when I did Jorge Cruise a few years back that he uses a graduated scale based on beginning weight so I upped my goal to 1500 for starters. Once I get to a point where I quit losing I will readjust my daily goal.

Good luck!

Barneystinson

I see the 1200 / day and not hungry posts and yes, it's hard to believe, but I have to remember I have a pretty high activity level on a given day and will eat considerably more than many on this site and still lose weight.

There's some days when I can barely eat, though. No idea why. I go from absolutely ravenous to just...meh...don't feel like eating.

DawniesLife

I think some people have been pretty rude with their comments on this thread to say the very least.

My normal calorie intake is set to 1200 a day. Because I am mostly sedentary and sit at a desk for most of the day. Unless I get up and exercise then of course I am allotted more calories. With that said, there have been a couple days where 1200 calories have felt like not enough, but when I review my foods for those days, either my fiber is low or my protein is low and I made terrible food choices. But when I pick the right foods, I am stuffed at 1200 calories if not before then. I always make my 1200 net calories when I don't exercise. My problem is when I do exercise and I need to intake more than my 1200 because my exercising upped the amount I need to eat. I find myself having a hard time getting back up to the net 1200 calories. I am absolutely stuffed right now and I have eaten 1,324 calories today but I burned 660 today exercising which makes my net calories 664 and I am honestly not hungry at all. I will eat a bit more later as I know I need more calories. But I don't think people are lying, if you pick the right foods, it is not hard to be satisfied at 1200 calories (depending on height, weight , age, activity level). My food diary is public also.

myukniewicz

This is how I feel! I'm 5'9 though and it's the same way for me. I'm drinking water all day long and eat lots of fruits, veggies...stuff like that. Filling food and it's healthy/low calories. Some days it's really hard to meet my 1200 goal! Glad to see I'm not the only one!

Exactly how I feel! It's all about eating dense, low-cal, fresh, high protein, CLEAN foods - you can fill up on those no problemo!

Agreed. i drink 12 cups of water a day, and i eat a lot of fruit & vegetables. i am usually completely satisfied by the end of the day on 1200 calories.