1. hungry 2. alcohol

daniellescsu

1. I am new to this and MFP told me to eat 1200 calories per day. I am trying to do this, but I feel hungry all day. I just ate a 200 calorie lunch and my stomach is growling (whole wheat pita 1/2 stuffed w/ chx breast and peppers)!! I have read other sites that say you should never go below 1600 calories per day b/c your body will store that fat in starvation mode. I am wondering if that is what is happening b/c I have been eating around the 1200 for a week and havent lost even 1 pound. Any advice would be great.

2. Also, I am going to happy hour tonight so I will have a few beers. This will be like 400 extra calories. Should I just take the hit, or try and eat less today (I am already hungry) to make up for it? Of course it would be best to skip the beers, but I have already let my social life suffer because I get stressed at the thought of hanging out with my friends b/c of potential calories, and that is just not good. Stress is fattening too!

papastu

how about having the drinks and doing some exercise this weekend to burn it off

Angela4Health

Alcohol is empty calories. I think you would be better off to take the hit, so that you're properly nourishing your body, rather than count those 400 calories as calories for the day and deprive yourself of those nutrients you would be getting from food.

Try snacking on things like brocolli, cauliflower, carrots (raw), they tend to be filling and are low in calorie.

DanOhh

Do you exercise?

superhippiechik

vodka and captain morgan are both lower calorie drinks. Are you watching your sodium?

AllyS7

I agree. If I were to drink any alcohol, I'd just do some exercises to account for it.

burnguru25

Aye, the key here is to increase (or start) an exercise program. The only way to effectively increase metabolism, burn off the "days" calories, and improve overall general health is to start some kind of physical activity. Trust me, I have been on my weight loss plan for 3 days and I have lost 5lbs with diet and exercise. Good luck!

spacecase76

Go for a walk / run / bike ride / dance...something and "earn" your beer calories. Make sure you are drinking lots of water.

What is your weight loss goal set at? the less you want to lose a week, the more calories you will be allowed. I suggest starting at 1 pound a week, and once you get used to eating less, adjust it.

ksloop00

I went out last Saturday night with a friend and made the mistake of eating less so I would have calories for my drinks. I got really drunk. My advice is to exercise more so U earn calories and eat more or like U normally do. I don't usually eat my exercise calories, but there are exceptions. Hope this helps. Have a fun time!
Kim

aehartley

my trainer told me that you have to burn 3500 calories to loose a pound. That just eating the 1200 is just so your body will function. You have to burn calories to loose weight. When you burn then you can eat a little more. Also splitting up your meals from 3 to 5 or 6 has also helped me a bunch.

ShellyMacchi

use lots of whole grains and vegetables to bulk up your meals *S* ..
plus, if you are exercising, b sure to eat back at at least some (1/2?) of your exercise calories, if not all of them.

A calorie is a calorie.. some are just more nutritious.. and some are more filling than others... complex carbs like whole grains will help.
Also having a lil bit of protein with each mean and/or snack helps you feel full for longer as well. *S*
and water... lotsa lotsa water... a glass before a meal sure helps you feel full too.

good luck *S*

edited to add:
i have become very selfish with my calories.. like having calorie cash in my purse..and once it's gone for the day, it's gone.. so, being rather thrifty (cheap *L*) i cannot bear to 'spend' my calories on empty foods (like drinks).
However, when i do plan on indulging... i make sure to 'earn' those extra calories by working out first (i refuse to 'spend' my alloted base calories on indulgences.. i make myself earn them *S*

meggonkgonk

As for your hungryness, try changing your goal loss per week. 1200 is the absolute lowest MFP will let you go (ie the biggest deficit it will let you set) so try setting a smaller deficit and getting some more calories. When you reach 1200, it generally means you are trying to lose more per week than you really should.

You only have about 20 lbs to lose, so I would recommend looking up your BMR, and setting your daily calorie goal to be within about 50 +/- that number.

Also set a rough calorie goal for meals and snacks, so you don't inadvertently "save" all your cals for dinner. This is an example of the rough estimates I keep in my head:

Breakfast: 250- 400
Snack: 50-200
Lunch: 300-450
Snack :50- 200
Dinner: 300-500
Snack: Anything left over

RatherBeInTheShire

I know I'm going to say something most people don't agree with on here, but drink the beers. It's life... and if you're like me, it's something you ENJOY.. I'm trying to lose weight, yes..but at the same time I still have a social life and things I enjoy doing. Alot of people on here are like "NO NO NO" when it comes to alcohol, but it's not going to hurt you that much. Try to make a better choice and work out some this weekend. You'll be fine. Don't sacrifice the things you enjoy. Life is too short.
I drink on the weekends and I'm consistently losing weight.

When I started, it had me at 1300 calories a day and it was WAY too low. I was SO hungry all the time. I increased to 1620 and i've been fine ever since. Try increasing them for a week and see what happens. There is such thing as too few calories.

just my 2 cents!

lemonychick

If you skip eating in favour of drinking you're going to end up A) really drunk, really hungover the next morning and C) you'll just eat whatever you can lay your hands on when your under the influence. I would just take the hit, have enough food and enjoy a social beer (or four!) Exercise is the key! You still have to live your life, right?

its_betty

I get hungry on only 1200/day, too. So I set my weight loss goal to .5 lb/week, which gives me 1440/day. And I eat most of my exercise calories, so most days I can eat 1600-1800 calories and still stay on goal.

OTOH, if I'm not hungry, I might net 1200/day. That's a bonus and makes up for days that I might go over calories.

I would never stick to something that made me feel hungry all day. Slow loss is better than none!

My3Rayz

I'm eating 1200 calories a day and most days I have a hard time getting it all in. You should be eating 2-300 calories for breakfast and lunch and atleast one snack to get you through. Drink 80-100 ounces of water a day. Dinner for me is usually around 400 calories and I make sure to save 100 calories for my evening snack though most days I just can't fit it. If you exercise, you can add a few more calories to your day.

fitzie63

Suggestion: Beer is loaded with sodium (includes the 1% non-alcohol types too). You will gain weight. Wine will also play havoc with your program. Any alcoholic drink will mess up your total cholesterol profile~~big time. It raises the triglycerides in your cholesterol profile and can send it off the charts. Triglycerides turn to glycerol~~~sugar~~~to FAT. You need to decide if it's worth it. Enjoy your relaxing evenings out with alternatives. Try water with a twist of lime and, perhaps, have them toss in a little maraschino cherry on the pick too. Get out on that dance floor and dance your booty off.

Behavioral

I love wine! So...over lunch, I go to my local exercise place and use the elliptical. I can't have the wine until AFTER I earn the calories. Works great and acts as a great motivator. Also, the exercise decreases my appetite. I eat a lot of soup for lunch. It's filling and stays with me. I also make a plate of sliced tomatoes, splash with balsalmic or red wine vinegar and lemon pepper or other seasoning. Filling and very few calories.

Foxworth81

I can relate to this in the sense that I was hungry all the time when I first started using this site. However, I can tell you that your body will adjust to consuming fewer calories. Just give it some time. I've completely changed what I eat and that's still evolving. Each week it seems like I'm eating something I've never liked before. Try eating nuts in between meals as a snack. They are high in calories but they will also help you to feel full. Also, one thing to keep in mind is that ususally the chemical (Leptin) that tell yours your brain that you're full does not typically kick in until 15 minutes after you start eating. So be sure you're eating slowly or have a small snack 15-20 minutes before your lunchtime. These are just a few tricks I've learned thus far.

shawnateerow

I've seen the websites about minimum calorie intake. Most say not to go under 1200 calories, but it all depends on your body. I just started going to a weight loss doctor and after doing all the measurements and whatnot he figured out that my body (not including exercise) only burns 1450 calories a day to live..he then put me on 950 calories a day so that I would lose a pound a week not including exercise. Your best bet is to find the best BMR calculator you can find online and type in your info to find your BMR. Once you do, subtract 500 calories from that and that's what you should eat to lose.

lbetancourt

I'm infamous for earning my beer calories.