1200 calorie start up????

twistedshine7474

i just signed up and i thought 1200 was kind of low to start so i started with 1500 calories. the way i looked at it was that if i start at 1200 i have no room to lower my calorie intake later? when i have been eating about 2000-2300 a day. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated and fried adds too?!

another thing is i was wondering about is i am always always hungry!!! its horrible its like a stupid curse! wheither i am trying to lose weight r not its awful. i have heard that protien n fiber r my best bets. and i need protien with everymeal?

i have no problem exercising it is just the eating!!!

eates

What do you have your goals set as? If they're set at 2 lbs a week and you change it to 1.5 or 2 lbs a week you'll get more calories. Its not a good sign if you're starving all the time.

Rae9911

When I started in January I was on 1500 Calories as I consulted my Dr about how best to lose this weight and he said start at 1500 and slowly decrease it. So the start of May I have now decreased it to 1400 and in another couple of months I will decrease again. In the last 8 weeks my weight loss has slowed down but I am still losing 1lb a week which was my target for each week.

chickielou

I have no problem with the exercising either.........food is my biggest down fall

twistedshine7474

i would lke to do 2lbs a week but its going to have to be 1 pound. i can do this but not 1200 to start out lol. i have thyroid disease w a low thyroid n i really dont know why im always hungry even if im not dieting im still aways hungry. i figured im just not eating the right things

twistedshine7474

thank you. rae9911that is the way i was thinking too! good luck with ur journey u have done good so far. i hope to have success too.

laylabelle

I was the same, it suggested 1200 cal a day because I wanted to lose 2lbs a week. I changed it to 1lb a week and now it's 1300 cal a day which doesn't sound like a big difference but it made all the difference. There's no point setting it too low or you wont stick to it (in my experience). I have been steadily losing 1lb a week so it's working. Exercising tops up the calories too......

Angeladobush

I too started at 1200 and felt like it was quite low. I am losing weight so it is working.....It does motivate me to exercise though since it earns me the right to eat more food. Good luck!

Rae9911

Good luck on your journey too.

MaeBlooms

Hi, there. I started at 1600 calories and worked my way down to 1400 calories and it works great for me. Starting with 1200 calories may cause your body may go into starvation mode and store unwanted calories. Speak with your doctor about your hunger and the calorie recommendation. Best of luck in your weight lose endeavors! Have a fantastic Friday!

CraigIW

I'm at 1200 and it's not as bad as I thought it would be. I can eat 1200 and not be really hungry all day. Remember to drink plenty of water, or green tea if you want a change. I don't drink diet soda because of the sweeteners but if you do then go for it, plus the fizz can help you feel full. Avoid fat and sugar as those are really high calorie. I have swapped a lot of things like potato or pasta for green vegetables, wich are much lower in calories but still filling. Courgette/Zuchinni is really low cal and great for adding bulk to meals.

mirgss

I struggle with 1200 calories too - it's hard! I think the key is to eat a lot of fruits and veggies, especially broccoli, lettuce, that kind of thing (which I am not good at). But fiber will definitely fill you up - try adding some to your meals. If you really can't get the fiber naturally, you can try adding a little flax seed powder to your breakfast or something. I've used it in oatmeal before and it really helps bulk up the meal. But that kind of stuff will stick with you a lot longer than starchy things like bread or potatoes.

twistedshine7474

thanks everyone!! yes i drink over half a gallon of water a day n no sodas not even diet!! man o man does a soda stick to me bad!! : hope everyone has a good day!

cherylad

There are some great posts and links to articles here on the "starvation" issue. Be careful to not lower your calories too far and make sure to "eat your exercise" calories. You can really, really devastate your metabolism by doing so.

I've done every diet in the world and this time, I joined an Executive Edge challenge the first of the year that was for 3 months. I dedicated myself to following the advice of experts at the club and they told me to use a diet diary and eat enough including eating my exercise calories. (Like yesterday, I added an additional 826 calories to my allowed 1480 to lose one pound per week.) They ALL recommended this tool (myfitnesspal). I've lost 15 pounds so far this year, do not feel like I'm starving or overly depriving myself and that I can do this along with my level of exercise, which I dramatically increased, for the rest of my life. I am over 1/3 of the way to goal and my over-arching goal is to then keep at that level for a year. I've come close to my goal weight through extreme dieting many times, but I've never maintained it.

Short-version of my long-winded message? Don't over-limit your calories!!