only 1200 calories per day, help!!!

japruzze

I have a hard time getting to 1200 calories a day! I do lots of protien (some each time I eat) and I drink a lot of water. Never without a bottle of water. I also eat every 3-4 hours from 6:30am to 8:30pm so my body never has time to get hungry.

raige123

Drink lots of water... don't just sip it, gulp it. You would be surprised at how much that helps. I have heard that most of the time when we think we are hungry we are really just thirsty.

i have a bit of a problem with the water.. if i drink the recommened 2L a day a pee like a pregnant lady, im talking every 30mins :ohwell: The doc said it'd sort itself out eventually but after 6 months ive had the same problems, i think ive the worlds smallest bladder

Haha I have you beat! I'm in the bathroom every 10-15 minutes. I actually am convinced I have the smallest bladder. And I drink 120 oz of water a day!

EnjoyEverything

There are a couple things that work for me.

1) Exercise more. It adds to the amount you can eat by adjusting your allowable caloric intake.
2) Change the way you eat. Very simple things like, the bread you buy. Most bread is 70 - 85 calories per slice. Sara Lee 45 Calorie Delight is umm, only 45 calories. Make a great tasting turkey sandwich, drop the mayo, add mustard. Use 1 bread and fold in half. You've saved 156 calories. That difference means being able to eat a nuked med baked potato.

Drinking 3 cups of coffee? Drop to two and use half the sugar - non-fat cream.

Switch off in the morning. A Thomson pre sliced bagel _ 280 calories, Jimmy Dean breakfast DeiLights are only 270.

Salad - drop the dressing and add Virgin Olive oil, maybe some red pepper.

A WHOLE CAN of Progresso soup is only 239 calories and that will fill you up!

Use the extra calories to eat something else. Eat throughout the day and

STOP "THINKING" ABOUT EATING!

jeckyb

Break it into 4 sets of 300 calories, thats one each for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.

300 cal breakfasts - 2 eggs, some porridge, yoghurt with fruit and nuts
Lunch - chop salad made from tomatoes, cucumber, celery, olives. Or home made vegetable soup. A slice of ham or chicken won't bust the calorie bank either.
Dinner - grilled chicken breast with steam veg (broccoli or cabbage, say) or a stir fry with lots of peppers and mushrooms.
Snacks - small piece cheese, hard boiled egg, handful of almonds, rice cakes with humous, cottage cheese - any of those should come in around 100 cals.

It does seem very low at first sight, but with a bit of experimenting it is possible.

Good luck!

i'm loving u food plan,it seems so filling and satisfying yet healthy and low in fat! i will most certainly be stealing some tips from you

dissonancesquared

Drink lots of water... don't just sip it, gulp it. You would be surprised at how much that helps. I have heard that most of the time when we think we are hungry we are really just thirsty.

i have a bit of a problem with the water.. if i drink the recommened 2L a day a pee like a pregnant lady, im talking every 30mins :ohwell: The doc said it'd sort itself out eventually but after 6 months ive had the same problems, i think ive the worlds smallest bladder

lol this happens to me too! i just say f- it and drink the water anyways. i just feel better when i am hydrated.

beckysiz

You don't give me a lot to go on in your profile, but am I right in reading you have more than a 100lb to lose? if that's the case then you are *absolutely* undereating. You need to eat far more than 1200 to lose at a healthy 2lb per week rate.

Re-run your BMR, and see what MFP are recommending as your daily intake. My guess is it will come out around 1600.

Also remember to eat back some of your exercise calories in addition to your daily allowance. This isn't so important if you're just doing light exercise, but if you're doing anything that's producing a decent sweat, you need to fuel that.

You need to listen to this advice. Eating 1200 calories is NOT enough. Your body is probably going into starvation mode. I know for myself I lose way more if I eat more. I used the BMR calculator and put in my goal weight- this is the amount of calories I allow myself to eat and if I work out I eat almost 100% of my exercise calories back. I feel good, look good, and I don't feel like I am starving!

Sweetcheeks278

If you have over 100 lbs to lose you can definitely be eating more than 1200 calories a day. Also, EXERCISE. I didn't exercise the first couple of mths I was on here and once I started exercising and having all those extra calories to eat it kept me motivated to keep on doing it. I would think, "I would love to have such and such today for dinner" so I would exercise to earn the extra calories. lol
I found the first 3 weeks at 1200 were the hardest for me and then I adjusted and it seemed like the norm after that. Good luck!!

ButterflyJourney

First, this is a lifestyle change, not a diet. If you think of it as a diet, it becomes short term and it is easier to gain it back once you hit your goals. Be sure to eat every 2-3 hours. Usually a protein and a carb. Such as an apple and a tablespoon of peanut butter. I follow a 1200 a day plan myself. And am never hungry becuase I make sure I eat something every 2-3 hours. Even if only 10 raw almonds or a piece of fruit, etc. I also follow a Pesce vegetarian lifestyle (which means only fish as protein). I do this because I also have a personal trainer and he weight trains me. I need the protein for that. Rather than follow a straight 1200 calorie day, I make sure I eat a certain amount of grams of Protein, Fats and Carbs. By following this, I was able to lose over 80 lbs. I keep my fats at 26 grams a day or below. Don't forget to get in at least 30 minutes of exercise a day. If you can't do it all at once, three 10 minute intervals works too.

Foods I eat: 0% Fat Greek Yogurt, raw almonds, Bear Naked Granola (I mix this in my yogurt); English cucumbers (less seedy); Steel Cut Oatmeal (McCann is best, but Starbucks makes a good one for when you're on the go); Fruit (all kinds - fresh); Vegetables - both steamed and raw; Lara Bars (Cherry is my fav); Hummus, etc.

LuciaLongIsland

How do you do it? I've been on diets before but find it impossible to stay under 1200 calories without being famished
So guys what do you eat on a typical day and still manage to stay within your goal? I know sometimes if I’m under on calories I’m usually way over on fat/carbs/sodium, help me please

Why are you eating so little? When I was in my 20's and 30's , even my 40's I exercised for 10 minutes in the morning and ate whatever I wanted. You are so young, I think you will drop the weight quickly. Just exercise and eat.

LuciaLongIsland

How do you do it? I've been on diets before but find it impossible to stay under 1200 calories without being famished
So guys what do you eat on a typical day and still manage to stay within your goal? I know sometimes if I’m under on calories I’m usually way over on fat/carbs/sodium, help me please

gailashton

I start my day with a giant omelet with either egg beaters with egg whites or 4 eggs total & only 1 yoke. Add a bunch of spinach, maybe some mushrooms, thin & trim low sodium ham, salsa, light cheese or anything else you have around, even beans. It's very filling and just over 120 calories depending on what you put in it. Loaded with protein, low carb, etc. The rest of the day green yogurt, lots of veggies, chicken, etc.... it's not really that hard once you get into the habit. Good luck. Remember, if your a guy though you should give yourself more calories..... Hope this helps!

Crystal_Pistol

Calories be damned!!! If you are hungry, eat more.

auntiebabs

Here's how I started:

1) tracking for a couple of weeks before I worried about losing.
(although seeing what I was eating I couldn't help but rein back a bit)

2) seeing where I could make small changes on things that weren't that important to me.
(Don't even think of taking chocolate out of my diet!!!)
--Reducing quantities where I won't notice it so much
--Swapping out things instead of eliminating them.

3) Look at my diary and started adding foods that had positive healthy effects specifically for the health issue in my family.
I found most of the things I "should" add were really yummy too! salmon, avocado, oatmeal, mango, red grapes....
(Sort of think of food as medicine to deal with family history of various health issue oatmeal is good for heart health, mango and red grapes lower cholesterol, tumeric and cinnamon good for arthritis)

4) every couple of weeks I see where I can make another couple of small changes.
If you completely revamp your diet, it's way easy to revert to old ways in times of stress. (and who doesn't have stress?)
If you make a series of small changes, food still offers you some sense of comfort.
sort of a comfort continuum, and after a while the first small changes will seem comforting in themselves.
You don't have to be perfect you just have to do better.

5) also rather than being uberstrict with the target MFP set for me I did the math to find out the calories needed to maintain my goal weight and my current weight and I gave myself a range with 1200 as my rock bottom, lose 1 lb/wk as my target*** and maintain my goal weight as the top of my range. As long as I keep within in this range I'll lose. I tend to naturally zig zag my calories 3-4 at very close to my target and then a higher calorie day closer to the top of my range.

As long as I stayed under maintain my current weight calories I won't gain. So no need to throw in the towel, just pick-up where I left off.

Once I found ways to lessen the stress, I found it way easier to focus on the process and let the results follow. (It's what worked for me some people need the stress to get them motivated. Me I get scared and overwhelmed and don't see the big goal as achievable. I only worry about it 1 lb at a time.)

***also once my lose 1 lb/week target was down to 1200 calories I switch to lose 1/2 lb/ week (1200 cal rock bottom, 1/2 lb/week as my target, maintain goal weight as the high end of my range.)

Food is not the enemy.
Oddly enough on my journey here I've reduced guilt over food.
I have the occasional treat and I fully enjoy it with no guilt involved.
The thing is since I'm not eating crap all the time the occasional treat is just that a TREAT it's special and I enjoy it so much more than when I was unconsciously shovel junk food into my face.

I figure if I've got a good plan that I can actually maintain I can keep this off for a long time to come, without feeling deprived.

starshine420

How do you do it? I've been on diets before but find it impossible to stay under 1200 calories without being famished
So guys what do you eat on a typical day and still manage to stay within your goal? I know sometimes if I’m under on calories I’m usually way over on fat/carbs/sodium, help me please

I'm on the same and it is possible. first off, the more you exercise, the more you can eat. Second off, don't diet, just make smarter choices. Instead of a chocolate bar, eat an apple (130 calories compared to 35). Make your main meals roughly 300 (a little less or more is okay), whatever is left over can be snacks. Don't drink too much soda or juice, drink tea and water instead, lots of water gives your tummy the "i'm full" feeling longer. Start with a healthy breakfast and just keep it up throughout the day. Good luck

kardowling

I eat little for breakfast and lunch, not very hungry...I save my calories for dinner which is the only meal hubby, and my 3 kids have together. Worth the save. Night time is tough, I want a glass of wine and to snack. I've been trying to keep busy, play with kids, read, drink lots of seltza water and go to bed extra early. It can be done, trying hard to stick to it.

mhopp71

You shouldn't need to be at 1200 calories everyday. You should be eating back 1/2 of your workout calories in my opinion. Somedays I will burn 600 - 800 calories working out. This gives me the freedom to indulge (within reason) in some extras or at least more healthy food

auntiebabs

Also track your sugar... Both sugar and artificial sweeteners INCREASE your appetite.

When I have a diet coke no way I could stay under 1200 calories

Helloitsdan

If I had a penny for every one of these topics id be rich!

Set goals to appx 1600 calories per day.
Do it for 2 weeks.
In the meantime go to Fat to Fit Radio on their tools page and do the calculators.

Use the military body fat calc first then the BMR tool.
Once the BMR tool gives you your calories, choose the activity level that best describes you.
Eat those calories for 2 weeks and see if you lose weight.

For macros youll set protein to 1g per lean body pound (youll know this after the military BF calc)
Set fats to .45-.60g per Lean body pound.
Find out the closest % that the protein and fat comes to...normally around 25-30% for protein and 35% for fat.
Carbs will make up the rest.
dont forget to eat!
Dont forget to drink tons of water.
Dont forget to hide your scale for 2 weeks.

hope this helps!
Hugs!


PS: A lot of people dont realize the importance of proper macronutrients and they start to plateau because if this.
Protein if set too low will hinder your progress.
Youll lose weight but you will also lose muscle mass.
Avoiding fats is bad as well.
Fats are extremely important.
Avoid saturated fats unless you are consuming coconut milk or dark chocolate.
If you are staying within your carbs macro and eating the proper foods you will always go over in sugars.
MFP cannot distinguish between a twinky and a banana. Both have appx 20g sugar.
So if you see red in sugars but you are eating proper complex carbs with some simple carbs dont worry!
You wont explode!
Dont make the mistakes I made in the beginning!
Set the macros right and youll do very well!

starshine420

Drink lots of water... don't just sip it, gulp it. You would be surprised at how much that helps. I have heard that most of the time when we think we are hungry we are really just thirsty.

i have a bit of a problem with the water.. if i drink the recommened 2L a day a pee like a pregnant lady, im talking every 30mins :ohwell: The doc said it'd sort itself out eventually but after 6 months ive had the same problems, i think ive the worlds smallest bladder

I have that issue sometimes too. I found if I space the water out throughout the day instead of trying to drink a lot at once, it helps

NeshBeMe

You should NEVER be under 1200 calories a day. Even when you complete your daily diary, if you're under 1200 it tells you that you aren't eating enough and should intake more. If you workout, you should also be eating some, if not most of those calories too. I was HORRIBLE about this. I would only eat really small meals that consist of really NO cals. My results were horrible and I was getting headaches. Now that I understand this healthy lifestyle so much more, I am seeing the results. And I'm no longer hungry! lol

shellimus

Break it into 4 sets of 300 calories, thats one each for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.

300 cal breakfasts - 2 eggs, some porridge, yoghurt with fruit and nuts
Lunch - chop salad made from tomatoes, cucumber, celery, olives. Or home made vegetable soup. A slice of ham or chicken won't bust the calorie bank either.
Dinner - grilled chicken breast with steam veg (broccoli or cabbage, say) or a stir fry with lots of peppers and mushrooms.
Snacks - small piece cheese, hard boiled egg, handful of almonds, rice cakes with humous, cottage cheese - any of those should come in around 100 cals.

It does seem very low at first sight, but with a bit of experimenting it is possible.

Good luck!

Great ideas. Thank you, this was helpful!

shellimus

I used to be like that, too. When I first started drinking water, it felt like I went every 5 minutes. However, once your body adjusts to the new routine it seems to get better.
I drink about a gallon of water everyday. On top of that, I have coffee, tea, crystal light, and an occasional diet soda. I guess you could say that I'm a heavy drinker.
When it comes to the food, it seems pretty easy if I'm "in the zone". Last time that I was in the zone, I lost about 68 lbs in a little over a year. I stepped out of the zone due to stressful circumstances and gained 17 lbs back in about 7 months. I came here hoping that it will help me step back in.
By being in the zone, I mean that my mind is made up. It's a feeling of "I WILL do this"...not "I WANT this" or "I'm FAT."

In the last week, I have this weird feeling going on. It's a "not full" type of feeling. I remember this from before, and it means that I am on the right track again. Not full but not hungry either.

I think you are right on! It's really important to make the decision to do it and be in the zone.

I like to call "not full but not hungry" politely satisfied.

alva538

breakfast choices for me: oatmeal, hard boiled eggs, fruit and yogurt,

Lunch: frozen entre w calories not to exceed 300, progresso soup, homemade turkey veggie chili, homemade meals that have protein and lots of veggies,

dinner: salad, sauteed veggies or grilled veggies (zucchini, broccoli, onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, squash, asparagus, anything you like)

i hate fruit but it does help me stay full in between meals as a snack... also keep fiber bars near when i have the urge to snack and eat everything in sight....

yes, drink lots of water and if you exercise... even walking on treadmeal for 1 hour will help you burn more calories so you can eat more and not be so hard on yourself. Eventually you will adjust to it just stick with it.

JeSuisPrest

How do you do it? I've been on diets before but find it impossible to stay under 1200 calories without being famished
So guys what do you eat on a typical day and still manage to stay within your goal? I know sometimes if I’m under on calories I’m usually way over on fat/carbs/sodium, help me please

For starters and excuse me if someone else already pointed this out, it's not a diet! Diets are temporary and most often don't work! This is a lifestyle change. Look through people's diaries, check out websites like www.skinnytaste.com Eat lot's of veggies, weigh and measure all your food!

Helloitsdan

breakfast choices for me: oatmeal, hard boiled eggs, fruit and yogurt,

Lunch: frozen entre w calories not to exceed 300, progresso soup, homemade turkey veggie chili, homemade meals that have protein and lots of veggies,

dinner: salad, sauteed veggies or grilled veggies (zucchini, broccoli, onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, squash, asparagus, anything you like)

i hate fruit but it does help me stay full in between meals as a snack... also keep fiber bars near when i have the urge to snack and eat everything in sight....

yes, drink lots of water and if you exercise... even walking on treadmeal for 1 hour will help you burn more calories so you can eat more and not be so hard on yourself. Eventually you will adjust to it just stick with it.

Id prefer a lower sodium lunch like:

2oz chicken breast with sundried tomatoes, baby spinach, havarti cheese on a rosemary wrap.
Top it with Kraft olive oil mayo and its perfect macronutrient wise.

When you start making your own food you have better understanding of what you put into your body.

meerkat70

Someone may already have mentioned this, I haven't read all the replies. As far as I'm understanding it, the 1200 calories is what you should be left with once you have entered everything on your food log and then the calories you burn on exercise are taken off the calories you have eaten, you should then be left with 1200 calories. So say you eat 1500 calories in a day, you need to burn off 300 calories to bring it down to the 1200. Having said that it takes a fair amount of vigorous exercise to burn off 300 calories. I agree with what quite a few people have said that 1200 calories is very low and I am going to find it more or less impossible.:noway:

i'm afraid that's not really accurate either. 1200 is the net minimum.

Shredded2011

Green tea
Staying active
Eating veg and salad
If your hungry cook a load of eggs and just eat the egg whites. It will blunt the hunger.

Become mentally tough and say hmm am i actually hungry
score it between 1 and 10.

Do an atkins type diet or dukan diet as your probably craving CARBS - not calories

Anyway thats what I have done to get used to dieting.

Go your own way and do what you want thats what i say they are just things that have worked for me. Eggs also are a bit unpleasant so you don't rush for them and very good for you.

Some unpleasantness will of course come from dieting and its a case of being a little bit tough. I'm sure your new friends on here will help.

see ya,

Shell xx

Lunies

Okay, I'm just curious about this. I'm new to this and I'd like to know what I'm doing isn't harming my body

Using this calculator: http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm ,

My estimated BMR is 1488 Cal. I am a university student so while I am not extremely active while on break, I imagine my activity level will be at least moderate when I get back, as well as I take regular walks around campus. So I used "3 times/week" as my activity level. This gave me a maintenance level of 2046 Cal. MFP first gave me a limit of 1200 Cal, but after reading a couple of these types of threads, I switched it up and it gave me a limit of 1510 Cal. On top of this, I plan to be working out without the help of a gym (The people there intimidate me), so basic things like running, pushups, swimming occasionally.

2046 - 1510 = ~500 in deficit, so about pound a week lost.

As long as I stay over my BMR, eat wholesome foods, and move to my maintenance level when I reach my desired weight, do these numbers work out in a healthy way? Also, 1510 is the net number, correct? Lastly, is it alright to be eating only a little higher than my BMR?

bcattoes

I could not live happily on 1200 calories a day. Exercise, log it, earn more calories. Simple.

zenzoes

Try to workout and burn some extra cals so you can eat back all or some. I swim and burn anywhere between 600-1200 cals. I can't possibly eat all those back in a day, but they days I am super hungry it allows me the slack I need. Best of luck.