Anyone have tips on surviving on less calories?? MFP reccomm

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gustergirl
gustergirl Posts: 534 Member
in Food and Nutrition
MFP is saying I can go down to 1200 calories and I know I can do it but its scary at the same time. Right now I only have 540 calories left for the whole day based on what I ate and I have already excercised too. Does this mean Im not ready for such a low number? Should I eat light for a week and see what the average is and then change it?? Any tips if you are at 1200 or could you show me a daily food log? Thanks!!

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  • gustergirl
    gustergirl Posts: 534 Member
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    MFP is saying I can go down to 1200 calories and I know I can do it but its scary at the same time. Right now I only have 540 calories left for the whole day based on what I ate and I have already excercised too. Does this mean Im not ready for such a low number? Should I eat light for a week and see what the average is and then change it?? Any tips if you are at 1200 or could you show me a daily food log? Thanks!!
  • vanessadawn
    vanessadawn Posts: 249
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    I am on the 1200, but I use it as motivation, sometimes I go a bit over, with no worries!
    This could be my meal daily, spacing out food every couple of hours.

    Apple - 70 Calories
    All Bran Flakes 1 cup - 110 calories w/ almond breeze - 40 calories
    Orange - 80 Calories
    Subway sub - 300 - 350 calories, or Stouffer's/Lean Cusine frozen meal with extra frozen veggies added in (around 280 - 340 calories usually)
    Carrots/celery/snap peas to snack on throughout the day - 80 calories
    Soup/sandwich for supper, or chicken and veggies, or tuna wrap, or usually some form of protein with a side of LOTS of filling veggies. (Supper around 400 - 500 Calories)

    If there is extra calories I usually have a fiber1 bar, fruit, or some sort of snacky item I have been craving. Also I usually drink lots of coffee with splenda but that has so few calories I didn't factor it in. But mostly eating 1200 can be really hard, struggling with it for 6 months but I find it gives me the best results. And I have a few cheat days :bigsmile:
  • alf1163
    alf1163 Posts: 3,143 Member
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    You should be eating your exercise calories. How many calories did you burn? Add that to your exercise diary and it will adjust your food diary with the extra calories. :flowerforyou:
  • Phoenixflame
    Phoenixflame Posts: 560 Member
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    You'd be really surprised to know that it's quite easy for people to have problems MEETING 1200 calories.

    Load up on veggies! Put together a bigass salad with spinach, mushrooms, a little tomato, cucumber, sweet peppers, a little bit of carrot. Drizzle with vinegar. Pair with a bit of chicken breast or fish.
  • VballLeash
    VballLeash Posts: 2,456 Member
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    I had a hard time on 1200, I would put all my food in and I'd have like 300 calories left for dinner, sooo I was hungry! What did help me though was to eat a regular breakfast, a relatively light lunch, and a bigger dinner but DON'T eat it too late, I would eat it around 5 and then I'd save like 100 calories or so for a snack later. Heres what I ate yesterday.

    Breakfast- plain yogurt with granola- 200 cal
    Snacks- Almonds and dried cranberries mix, apple with peanut butter, blueberries (300 or so)
    Lunch- 2 whole wheat tortillas with hummus (270)
    Dinner- Traders joes chicken quesadilla thing (340)
    Snack- 10 whole wheat pretzel sticks (100)

    Anyways you get the idea, the quesadilla was actually very filling so pick filling foods that aren't too high in calories, plus that was without exercises. It wasn't easy because normally I burn at least 500 a day, but I've had shin splints so I couldn't run, hope this helped! :happy:

    ~Leash
  • sonia2
    sonia2 Posts: 154
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    Lots of fruits and veggies!!! Also, lots of high intensity exercise will give you those calories that you have to eat. Try to burn at least 200-300 calories every day. It's hard to do,, but you feel so excited afterwards to get to add those extra calories to your day. Lots of luck!!
  • Cerabell18
    Cerabell18 Posts: 124
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    I am also on 1200 calories a day. It can be tough at times. I found the best way for me to work with them is to view them as money. I tend to be a bit frugel with my money :laugh:

    So I start off the day with $1200. If I want to eat something it will cost me a certain amount of money. Do I really need to spend my money on that?? No, probably not. If I want to "spend" more, I have to work for it by exercising. Using this method, I found that I eat much more nutritionally dense foods because I get more out of the "money" I spent.
  • sonia2
    sonia2 Posts: 154
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    I am also on 1200 calories a day. It can be tough at times. I found the best way for me to work with them is to view them as money. I tend to be a bit frugel with my money :laugh:

    So I start off the day with $1200. If I want to eat something it will cost me a certain amount of money. Do I really need to spend my money on that?? No, probably not. If I want to "spend" more, I have to work for it by exercising. Using this method, I found that I eat much more nutritionally dense foods because I get more out of the "money" I spent.

    Great idea!!:drinker:
  • clk238
    clk238 Posts: 48 Member
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    are you eating your exercise calories? MFP recommends it! put in your exercise and it "buys" you more cals. i use this as an incentive to get to the gym. if i see that number gettign lower and lower as i eat during the day, I think, well, I'll just have to go to the gym and get myself some more calories! usually it only takes about an hour of cardio to earn back around ~400 cals- that's a lot of extra you can eat!
  • MyaPapaya75
    MyaPapaya75 Posts: 3,143 Member
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    MFP is saying I can go down to 1200 calories and I know I can do it but its scary at the same time. Right now I only have 540 calories left for the whole day based on what I ate and I have already excercised too. Does this mean Im not ready for such a low number? Should I eat light for a week and see what the average is and then change it?? Any tips if you are at 1200 or could you show me a daily food log? Thanks!!

    1200 for me as well ...I will pass you an example of my food log and excercise
  • Fitness_Chick
    Fitness_Chick Posts: 6,648 Member
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    You'd be really surprised to know that it's quite easy for people to have problems MEETING 1200 calories.

    Load up on veggies! Put together a bigass salad with spinach, mushrooms, a little tomato, cucumber, sweet peppers, a little bit of carrot. Drizzle with vinegar. Pair with a bit of chicken breast or fish.
    SO true at times. I realize some folks on here say 'hey you ate way more than that before MPF and didn't gain on eating nothing' but truth be told and really we ALL know this in our hearts. Eating healthy foods don't add up the same way a bag of doritos and a bottle of Mountain dew will!:laugh:

    I totally get when folks say they have a tough time meeting the daily cals plus excercise cals it can be tough, BUT with preplanning it IS possible to do it!

    Just wanted to comment on your post Arizona as well as encouragement for gustergirl:drinker:
    So here's a few things that can really bump up cals nuts, PB, avocado's pre-planning can't say enough good about that!

    As far as figuring out how to survive on 540 cals left for the day, wow, it certainly possible! Some healthy protein, veggies, a piece of very hearty bread...a bit of fruit as a snack later....that can all be had with very few cals:wink:

    The suggestions you've gotten on eating up some or in your case today ALL your excercise cals sounds like a pretty good plan Hon:wink::drinker:
    FC:heart:
  • drewzaun
    drewzaun Posts: 111
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    If you are used to over eating on your early meals (as in eating more than a normal portion), you might try dirinking a full glass of water before eating. Try to eat foods that are high in fiber, and remember that fat is the slowest macro nutrient to digest, leaving you feeling full longer, whereas carbs are quickly digested (one reason why you feel stuffed after eating Chinese food, but only for a short time).

    Another trick is to eat a salad about 15 minutes or so before dinner, especially a high calorie comfort food fest like lasagna.

    It will not take long to get used to normal sized meals if you stick with it. But whatever you do don't fall into the calorie trap. There is alot more to nutirition that the calorie. If you balance your diet soon you will find a rough number that fuels your body, allows you to be comfortable, and even lose weight if that is your goal...
  • mommared53
    mommared53 Posts: 9,543 Member
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    I am also on 1200 calories a day. It can be tough at times. I found the best way for me to work with them is to view them as money. I tend to be a bit frugel with my money :laugh:

    So I start off the day with $1200. If I want to eat something it will cost me a certain amount of money. Do I really need to spend my money on that?? No, probably not. If I want to "spend" more, I have to work for it by exercising. Using this method, I found that I eat much more nutritionally dense foods because I get more out of the "money" I spent.

    That's a good way to look at it. :smile:
  • Fitness_Chick
    Fitness_Chick Posts: 6,648 Member
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    I am also on 1200 calories a day. It can be tough at times. I found the best way for me to work with them is to view them as money. I tend to be a bit frugel with my money :laugh:

    So I start off the day with $1200. If I want to eat something it will cost me a certain amount of money. Do I really need to spend my money on that?? No, probably not. If I want to "spend" more, I have to work for it by exercising. Using this method, I found that I eat much more nutritionally dense foods because I get more out of the "money" I spent.
    Loving your comparison to money idea...we all can relate to that these days...glad you shared it here so we can all gain something from it. (ahh as in gaining something of value!:laugh: )

    FC:heart:
  • Hannah_Banana
    Hannah_Banana Posts: 1,242 Member
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    I'm not a big veggie person, but I try to at least 'drink' my veggies in V8 and GreenGoodness so I get the proper nutrients. My tip? Find a veggie you like and pair a LOT of it with something higher in cals.

    Ex. When DH wants to have the Orange Chicken from Trader Joe's, which is 240 cals for a cup, instead of having fried rice as a side with him, I made myself a big plate of steamed green beans. I eat the green beans first, which fills me up SOOOOO much, and then I start on the chicken. Most of the time I have to give DH the last few peices of my chicken because I'm just so full.

    And trust me, nothing feels better than getting to go back to your food log where you budgeted your dinner and SUBTRACT from it. :laugh:
  • tazzy
    tazzy Posts: 197
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    take a fibre drink thing not sure what makes you can get this will fill you up for little cals.

    Also focus on eating slow burners those things low on the GI index like organic oatmeal for breakfast you shouldnt need a snack mid morning then.
    I shoot for 400 cals per meal and exercise cals get me snacks etc.

    If I workout early apple and glass of milk 150 cals
    breakfast oatmeal with fat free milk 260 cals (big bowl full)
    lunch homemade nutty bread 200 cals with tuna chicken or something similar protein150 cals
    Snack varies from dark chocolate 130 cals to a banana
    dinner fish in sauce tuna steak salmon and loads of veg maybe a cup of organic brown rice with some steamed peppers.

    Easy and lots of water water water and green tea or boiled warter with a slice of lemon this help feels full.

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