1200 too few?

cthoma70

I have done 1200 calories per day and done great. Somedays I do go over a little and then some days I have trouble reaching the 1200. It is all about what you eat. Fresh green beans seasoned with nothing but sea salt has 44 calories per cup and 2 cups fill a plate about 3/4 of the way up. Add a large tomato (33 calories) and a 1/2 cup og onions (34 calories) and you have a big meal for 155 calories. (I may be wrong of the calories but not by much) A 4oz chicken breast with 1 cup of sliced green bell pepper and 1 cup of onion is 254 calories and is also a good sized meal.

If you eat good (low calories) early in the day you can eat at a mexican place and have the chicken fajitas have them fix it without the oil and bring corn tortilas and no beans, rice, sour cream or the Guacamole it's like 350 calories for the fajita and 165 for the corn tortilas. Have a cup of salsa with NO chips and thats 35 calories.

Hope this helps out

nas24

Yeah i eat healthy food all day and it just takes more to get to that total. Like i said in my last post, i had to force myself to eat more and went to bed feeling sick, and i ate a med bowl or greek yogurt, strawberries and honey, still didnt meet the 1200. I struggle but sometimes i just feel like "well im full and i dont see the need to force myself to eat anymore" but also don't want my body to go into "starvation" mode and keep everything i eat. Its hard for me.

nas24

Yeah i totally agree with cthoma70! Last night i had chicken breast, broccoli tossed in butter and LCC, and a baked potato with butter, sour cream and salt/pepper. That whole meal was only 325ish cals, and i couldn't even finish it. LOL

fishgirlnola

Interesting thread. I changed my goals recently and was dropped down to 1200. I think it's reasonable. HOWEVER, since I have begun living more healthy I am working out more all the time and hard. I used to be happy with 15 minutes of fast walking now I am running for 30 minutes then lifting weights. So with all my workouts I get really hungry and do eat my calories.

I am interested in hearing from others on how they deal with 1200 calories b/c it did seem very low to me. I am still not sure if I am on board with eating my calories burned. I'm still working all this out.

stephintolife

People don't understand what BMR is. I think if they did a lot more people would be eating around 1600 plus some.

spaingirl2011

Yeah i eat healthy food all day and it just takes more to get to that total. Like i said in my last post, i had to force myself to eat more and went to bed feeling sick, and i ate a med bowl or greek yogurt, strawberries and honey, still didnt meet the 1200. I struggle but sometimes i just feel like "well im full and i dont see the need to force myself to eat anymore" but also don't want my body to go into "starvation" mode and keep everything i eat. Its hard for me.

On days like that, you might want to reach for more calorie dense food(quinoa, real butter, olive oil, etc) so that you can get the calories you need without force feeding yourself. Then you won't feel as sick.

spaingirl2011

People don't understand what BMR is. I think if they did a lot more people would be eating around 1600 plus some.

I did that for about 3 weeks ... it caused me to maintain and it was more than enough food for a day. I eat 1250cals on days where I don't exercise and between 1550-1600 on the days I do exercise and that seems to be my magic number. People's bodies are different. Mathematical equations are great, but they don't take into account so many factors. I'm a doctoral student, and I get about 40-60 minutes of exercise 6 times a week. I have an underactive thyroid, AND (it's taken me two years to learn this) I don't have the insatiable appetite I once thought I did when I was shoving enormous bowls of pasta into my face and eating two slices of cake. For my current lifestyle, 1250 is perfect. Now, when I move to Spain in a month and have to walk everywhere, this may not be the case, in which case I will reexamine my eating goals.

All of this is to say that while you (not just you, but in the general sense of people questioning then 1200 cal thing) may find that you lose at your BMR or higher than that, not everyone will. I'm not at 1250 because I want to lose faster, but because that's the number that allows me to lose at all.

All best to all of you with your individual goals!

jaimealison

I am at 1200, and I think its fine, I eat one large meal, around 500 cals, and two smaller meals with a few snacks. I usually have enough room to have fresh fruit as a dessert.

The only time I have trouble sticking under 1200 is when I am going out at night when I'll be drinking.

But I think sticking to healthy food choices like fresh veggies and lean proteins, can make 1200 doable, while keeping you feeling full and energized.

But everyone is different and having a default number isn't the best way for MFP to go about things.

Jess5825

I did the 1200 for nearly 8 months. Finally I hit a plateau. I bumped up to 1400 and started losing again. I hadn't been eating my exercise calories either.

fiberartist219

I eat out a lot, and 1200 was hard for me to stick to. I was on that for about a month, and even then, I went over on most days. Then, about a week or two ago, I fell off the wagon. I thought I gained a couple pounds back, but it turns out my digestive system stopped. I ate whatever I wanted, and then it started "moving" again. Now, I'm losing again, and still having ice cream. That says to me that 1200 wasn't enough, and I'm going to try 1500 for awhile and see how that works.

idauria

I am trying to stick to between 1200 and 1300. I am doing my best to eat clean and healthy but I find myself to be hungry a lot. I would really like to know how to eat clean and feel full and satisfied.

Jenscan

People don't understand what BMR is. I think if they did a lot more people would be eating around 1600 plus some.

I did that for about 3 weeks ... it caused me to maintain and it was more than enough food for a day. I eat 1250cals on days where I don't exercise and between 1550-1600 on the days I do exercise and that seems to be my magic number. People's bodies are different. Mathematical equations are great, but they don't take into account so many factors. I'm a doctoral student, and I get about 40-60 minutes of exercise 6 times a week. I have an underactive thyroid, AND (it's taken me two years to learn this) I don't have the insatiable appetite I once thought I did when I was shoving enormous bowls of pasta into my face and eating two slices of cake. For my current lifestyle, 1250 is perfect. Now, when I move to Spain in a month and have to walk everywhere, this may not be the case, in which case I will reexamine my eating goals.

All of this is to say that while you (not just you, but in the general sense of people questioning then 1200 cal thing) may find that you lose at your BMR or higher than that, not everyone will. I'm not at 1250 because I want to lose faster, but because that's the number that allows me to lose at all.

All best to all of you with your individual goals!

This, exactly. I'm set at 1250 + exercise calories. I tried upping my calories to 1350 because I kept reading threads that said "eat more, lose more." Guess what: my weight loss slowed to an absolute CRAWL. It's not hard to stay at 1250 on non-exercise days, either. It's a matter of food choice.

messyinthekitchen

People don't understand what BMR is. I think if they did a lot more people would be eating around 1600 plus some.

I understand what my bmr is. I also understand what works for me and what doesn't. I have not experienced any bad symptoms. And I feel excellent!!

maemiller

i tried 1200 calories and guess what, i started to gain weight. TAlked to my trainer and a nutritionist and they said with the amount of workouts i do, 1200 calories was too low and my body went into starvation mode and thus the weight gain. They had me go to 1400 calories, started losing the weight and now im up to 1500. Im training for a marathon, and with too low of calories, there would be no way in hell i would have the stamina or energy to do any of my workouts!