Struggling to eat 1200 calories

klikittyklak

I have been eating about 900 calories a day (+ exercise at least 3 days a week) for a while now, and am still not losing any weight. MFP suggests I eat 1200 BEFORE exercise, and since I seem to have hit a weight plateau, I think it might be a good idea to increase my intake a little. However, I just seem to naturally eat that little, and trying to eat more seems like binging to me. I can't figure out what else to eat that isn't something completely unhealthy like ice-cream. Any suggestions?

klikittyklak

I have been eating about 900 calories a day (+ exercise at least 3 days a week) for a while now, and am still not losing any weight. MFP suggests I eat 1200 BEFORE exercise, and since I seem to have hit a weight plateau, I think it might be a good idea to increase my intake a little. However, I just seem to naturally eat that little, and trying to eat more seems like binging to me. I can't figure out what else to eat that isn't something completely unhealthy like ice-cream. Any suggestions?

Lavendersunday

PBJ on two slices of whole wheat bread with an 8-12 oz glass of 1% milk.



~Namaste :flowerforyou:

dedelen0

What are you eating during the day??

sunnyholtz

I go to a weight control center where they are big into education. I was doing the same thing, thinking less has got to be better. They were explaining to me that if you eat below a certain amount of calories (usually around 1200), then your body goes into "starvation mode". What that means is, you actually don't lose weight in a good way, you lose muscle weight and you will feel very tired and sick all the time. Your body immediately stores the food that does come in as FAT and you gain weight (because your body thinks it needs to save some fat for later in order to keep you alive.)

A better way to lose weight is to eat at least the 1200 calories a day of HEALTHY calories like whole wheat, fruit, veggies, lean protein..and exercise. So by eating up to the calories you are supposed to intake, your body will still realize it is being fed and everything is okay and it can shed the extra pounds. Seems crazy, but it has worked.

apt84

Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter

mzrobbie

I am having the same problem. I can eat 1200-1300 calories a day, but with the amount I exercise, I'm still netting about 200- 300 calories under. I've lost a couple pounds, but it's taken me about 2 months, which is crazy-slow.

Do you really think that the extra calories will help us lose?

If you want to pick up healthy calories, eat the healthy fats - avacados, nuts, add olive oil to your salads, etc. Peanut butter is a good suggestion too.

apt84

anything lower to 1200 calorie puts ur body into starvation mode u must eat more or 1200cal pper day... for further details read the reply on recent post about eating 1200calories per day

klikittyklak

yes sunny, that's what I said...I know that eating more will produce more results, I just don't know how to do it! :laugh:

And dedelen, I eat frequently during the day, but rarely anything that's 200+ calories.

RhondaV

I WISH I had that problem -- eating too little! How about a handful of peanuts, or some cheese?

kimber607

Hi

I never had that problem..LOL
BUT what about nuts/almonds....
I agree with the pb&j sandwich or pb with apples to add some extra cals
I would try to add a few cals to each meal or snack...
Maybe ti would be easier to drink some cals...maybe try a glass of OJ etc

Good luck
Kim

MsLadybug

Try adding a good cold pressed olive oil to your salads, fish or pasta. Not heaps but a tbsp is like 119 calories of good fat. I also agree with nuts, again good fat.

rosabella

The obligatory: NUTELLA!!

And I wish I could have your extra calories. I exercise so that I can have 1500 and I STILL feel like I'm starving. Go figure... :grumble:

iluvsparkles

i have continuously had this problem, and i can tell you one thing, eating less does NOT work when you are exercising daily!

it took me a long time to get that through my head, but i am trying to incorporate one more item into each meal for starters, so i can gradually get closer to my net 1200. Ive been under for waaay too long, and i think starvation mode is working against us! ( i have only lost about a pound a month or so!)

so eat those cals in PB and milk if you like milk, and other healthy options are nuts and granola. The occasion cake isnt so bad either, just not every day

PedalHound

I'm re-posting this in this thread since it may be of interest!:

So, because I adore working out so much I tend to have a lot of exercise calories to eat. Some days it's NO problem at all and many days I have between 100 and 200 cals left over. I've also been paying close attention to sodium and fibre and have been looking for good solutions to those items... so today I had a desert that is high in fibre, low in sodium and 190 cals. And from someone with a love affair with chocolate, this is seriously delicious:

1 tbsp nutella
1/2 banana, sliced
1/3 C Nature's Path Organic Smart Bran Psyllium cereal

mix together and enjoy! lol SOOOOOOO tasty....

iluvsparkles

oooh man that sounds like the most scrumptious thing ever!

snowtrend

I am a personal trainer. You NEED to eat 1200 calories. No one should really have less. If you have under your Basil Rate(reqired to sustain life). Your body goes into starvation mode because you are taking in less calories then your body needs in a day. At this point, every ounce of fat you put into your mouth will be stored as fat. Fat is your slow burning fuel. You are not going to burn off fat if you are in starvation mode, you're body thinks it's not going to get energy sources for a while, so it stores, or holds onto the fat you have! I promise you will lose weight if you eat more calories.

Also, eat every 2-3 hours. Bring you calorie intake up slowly from 900. 1000 one week, 1100 the next, and so on.

Eating often and more calories works for me, and even as a trainer, I've struggled too. I always ate too little. This last couple of weeks I made it a point to eat right. In the first week I lost 4lbs!

You can eat snacks like almonds, kashi cereal, grapes, a banana, or add a meal in. It gets easier as you go because your body starts using the energy. You start getting hungry more often.

StrawberryMargarita

What if you are gettin plenty of food, and eating every few hours, but still are under 1000 calories? I have been great keeping my caloried down by eating steamed vegies for breakfast and other vegies and of course chicken for meal. I even snack a little on wheat thins and have coffee with real sugar in the morning. If I am eating all day, will my body still freak out?
I just ate a meal that I almost couldn't eat all of but it was under 300 claories, but I am totally stuffed. Isn't that important to eat and be full?

jdtrainer

!200 calories is a minimum that no one should go below unless under a doctor's supervision. However, some individuals minimum will be higher than 1200. Starvation mode is not something that happens at a specific number of calories either. The human body is extremely adaptable. If we deprive our body of calories by too large a deficit it will begin to slow down our metabolism in response.

The set formula of a 500 calorie deficit/day for one pound/wk. loss and 1000 calorie deficit/day for a 2lb/wk. loss does not factor in that the body may begin to adapt to these low calorie diets. Some studies have found that the ideal calorie deficit should only be 300-400/day to avoid the body slowing down the metabolism. The body may not actually be in all out starvation mode but merely adapting to a low calorie diet.

I hope I do not confuse anyone with this next statement, because there has been so much discussion about needing to eat your exercise calories. I prefer to think in terms of eating your maintenance calories everyday and allowing your exercise to take you to a deficit. That would be providing that you are burning 300-400 with exercise. It is still the same number of calories, but just a different way of looking at it. If you are burning more, then you would need to eat more than maintenance, and if you are burning less then you would need to eat a little less. I like this because it gets you used to thinking in terms of how many calories you need to eat each day in order to maintain rather than getting locked in on that arbitrary 1200 calorie number that so many are fixated on.

Most of us did not gain our weight quickly and we should not expect to lose it that way either. Those who do lose it quicky my just be setting themselves up for another round of the same old game.

Good luck to all of you and keep up the good work!

littlespoon

What if you are gettin plenty of food, and eating every few hours, but still are under 1000 calories? I have been great keeping my caloried down by eating steamed vegies for breakfast and other vegies and of course chicken for meal. I even snack a little on wheat thins and have coffee with real sugar in the morning. If I am eating all day, will my body still freak out?
I just ate a meal that I almost couldn't eat all of but it was under 300 claories, but I am totally stuffed. Isn't that important to eat and be full?

Yes your body will still freak out!
If you know that you are under 1000 calories, why would you eat vegetables for breakfast instead of say, porridge or some toast?

The problem with eating that little, is that once you figure out its not working and you are harming your body; when you start eating the right amount, your body will hold onto it and then you feel so unmotivated and confused to why you're putting on weight! So start increasing it now slowly, and you will lose the weight you want to.

ladywalkalot

vanilla yogurt, peanuts, berries and a touch of ff whip cream....yummy and filling!!!