Does anyone else not feel satisfied?

cinnabrit

Today is my third day of sticking to my 1,200 calorie limit. And let me just say that 1,200 calories doesn't really seem like very much. Frankly, it doesn't seem like enough. I'm actually pretty much constantly feeling famished, and I'm just wondering if any one else on here feels the same way at the end of they day.

So what about it? Do you feel satisfied with your calorie-intake goal?

cgeiser1

I could not make it on 1200. I don't know how people do it. I've been netting 1300, after working out and eating back 300-400 calories and that seems to be working for me.

blondebaby9890

I find i'm usually below my 1200 calories and i don't eat my exercise calories. I find it's more than enough!!!

rgrubba91

Mine is set at 1740. I feel pretty good about it but I usually don't have many calories to spare. But always under. Do you log your exercises on here? Because if you don't, if you log your exercises it gives you more calories to eat.

baisleac

1200 may not be enough calories for you. Your profile is private and you didn't give much info to work with, but 1200 is... overused on this site.

thetrishwarp

Shpffff my calorie goal is 1640! And I usually feel pretty satisfied! Sometimes I'm a little hungry but I attribute it to being bored at work - haha!

wvjanie

Exercise and it adds calories to your daily food intake. I routinely have at least 600-1000 extra calories I can consume every day because of the exercise I do. I find it a very strong motivation to get moving.

bflicker11

Somedays are better than others. I try to choose foods that will keep me feeling full longer. Earning exercise calories helps too.

salmanajmal

mine was 1450 and i found it really easy to control my diet and remain within the limit. after remaining on diet for a month, now i have reduced my goal to 1200 calories. i think all that matters is the motivation. i saw a post on mfp yesterday, a lady had lost 5kgs in one month whereas i had lost 2 (2 is not bad either). now i have reduced my target to 1200. i think the best solution is eating vegies and fruits. thanks

mleipe

I think you probably need to give your body time to adjust to the lower caloric intake, you know?

Drinking lots of water can help you with this, as can nibbling on things like carrot sticks, celery, etc. Put things in your stomach that aren't going to add pounds!

Not sure how much you're exercising but I find that this both reduces my hunger a bit and buys me some headroom in terms of additional calories I can eat.

It's really tough at the beginning but it gets much better over time as you adjust.

Hang in there!

DaniiWanii

I usually have 1200-1300... seems ok for me but I do get to about 4/5pm and want to stuff my face but i just try to fight it

Abells

AT first i felt weird eating 1200 but then i learned how to cook a decent amount of food and snack right at low cal snacks and i feel like i'm eating so much when in actuality i'm not.

Check out my food diary -- i have so much food on their. I eat throughout the day. Breakfast, snack, small lunch, snack (2nd small lunch, snack, dinner

SarahofTwins

I felt the same way when I first started but then saw that I could eat some to most of my exercise calories back if I felt famished. The first and second week were the hardest but your body will learn to adjust. Also are you drinking the 8+ glasses of water? That reallly helped to keep me filled for a little bit but make sure to find foods that are high in fiber. For example, I like to eat those 90cal fiber bars for a snack to hold me over either by dinner or afterwards. Stay strong and it will get better :flowerforyou:

Saruman_w

It's been only 3 days. It took me about a week or so to finally get used to eating so little. Your stomach will sorta adjust I guess and things'll get better.

acall333

That first week or so is rough! That's all there is to it! Keep at it for a while longer and see if it gets better for you. Double check your diary and see if your snacks, etc... are filling and not just low, empty calories.You might also need to eat smaller portions all throughout the day (I do this... eat breakfast, 2 small snacks, lunch, 2 small snacks, supper, snack/treat in the evening and I'm usually able to stay within the 1200). Also, if you're exercising, allow yourself to eat more. Hang in there and good luck!!

Julijulz

Do you exercise often and still only eat 1200?? That may be why you are hungry. Try to eat more filling foods and see if that works for you. It could be an easy fix. If not, maybe try adjusting 100 calories or so until you find what is right for you.

jrich6

YES! It's been a constant struggle for me. I don't usually go to bed hungry, but I hit a level of hunger between 3:30-5:30 that is DANGEROUS! I've been working to tweak my meals and snacks to help. Some days have been better, but I can't really find what's different about those days. A couple weeks ago I changed my goal so I can have 1360 calories a day, and it does kind of help. I'll be following this thread to see if anyone's got some words of wisdom on the subject.

dragonflydi

Mine is 1200 as well and I find that I have trouble sticking to that, but I try to workout regularly, which helps bump it up.

Riebop

I manage on 1200 calories on the days that I don't workout. It's not always easy. Veggies and fruit are the only way I can do it.

mboone4541

I only saw the topic so I clicked on this just to make sure it wasn't my wife starting the topic :-).

1200 calories is not much at all, especially if you are working out; if I were trying to lose weight I'd probably go 500 to 1000 under whatever your metabolism + workout calories are.

Katie320

Ok, first of all, it is a big change. Your body and mind will adjust eventually. If you're honestly feeling famished all day, be sure that your activity level and how much weight you want to lose each week is set to a good level for you. Be sure to eat lots of water, veggies, fiber, etc. It will get better!

petemeyer

I dont see how anyone makes it on 1200 calories a day and is still feeling good. I am a guy and that makes a big difference. My trainer recomended 1700 a day for me. I told him no way. I am very active and excercise every day. I went with 2000 and feel good and my energy is up and I am losing weight.

vraesgame

AT first i felt weird eating 1200 but then i learned how to cook a decent amount of food and snack right at low cal snacks and i feel like i'm eating so much when in actuality i'm not.

that's exactly how I felt too. It took me some time to adjust but after my body got use to it I found it hard to eat more calories without eating junk. I also drink a lot of water which helps me keep that full feeling and from binging on unneccesary food.

banjjo

Eat what your body needs. Some people need much more than 1200 just because their basal metabolic rate is higher than others. You know those people who are skinny no matter what they eat, and they could be eating fattening pastries all day? You may have a high basal metabolic rate and able to eat more. I say eat at a couple more hundred calories and see how you feel and if that's not enough, go up a couple hundred more and see if you still lose. Just play with what feels right. I find if I add whole grains, like brown rice or whole wheat tortilla's, I feel much fuller for longer. You could also try something like that. I do the Insanity workout and it tells me to eat much more than 1200. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. Infact, that's another idea. You could vary your calorie limit from day to day. One day 1200, the next 1400, and then 1600 and then back to 1400, or something like that. It's supposed to keep your body guessing so it's not getting used to just the same amount of calories. Good luck!

pa_jorg

1200 cals is too low. Please read this post. It can explain better than I can:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/292119-you-gotta-eat

27strange

I am eating on average around 1,200 calories a day right now. I feel satisfied, but I didn't the first week or so. I have also learned to have smaller meals or snacks more often to keep me from feeling hungry. Once I became adjusted to the fewer calories the cravings tend to stay away. Also, make sure you are drinking tons of water. I only drink water now almost entirely because I have found that with only a limit of 1,200 calories a day I need to save those precious calories for filing foods not wasting them on beverages.

I don't plan to always eat this few of calories but for now I am shredding the weight off and once I get closer to my goal will add back exercise calories and then once I reach my goal eat even more calories and strength train a lot more to tone up.

vetta

Eat more protein it helps keep you full and I think 1200 calories is a bit low. What kind of work do you do? most women should have at least 1500 calories a day and still be able to lose weight. Alos if you lift heavy weights you will build muscle which burns fat. just keep trying different things something will work for you

melizerd

Two things: Are you NETTING 1200 calories a day or just eating that and then exercising there for netting less? Because you need to NET 1200 minimum.

Second thing: my body refuses to lose weight at 1200 calories net, plus it makes my brain feel foggy and makes me cranky. I'm much happier at 1350-1450. Currently my goal is 1460 (weigh 173lbs, sedentary, 5'7") but with exercise each day I eat usually about 1600 calories and I'm MUCH happier, and the weight still comes off just fine.

In 15 days I'll have been this one year and I just hit 69lbs lost this morning!!

cinnabrit

Maybe a key is too eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and make sure that I'm getting enough fiber. I've pretty much stuck close to about 1500 calories/day for several years, and I'm sort of shocked at how deprived I've felt after taking away those extra 300 calories. Thanks for all the advice!

christine24t

What is your BMR? Eat that amount. My BMR is 1975 calories.

Georgefathers

Me and my gf started ours one monday and are also on 1200 calories, we havent stopped moaning about how hungry we are all the time we have just put it down to the fact our body is getting used to not as much food lol