1200 Calories...how?

opaquewhite

Anyone out there on the 1200 calorie goal for the day? What are you eating? I am and I'm struggling to stay full and at 1200 cal. I'm all about the high-fiber / lots of veggies / fruits / lean protein options, but I wanted to get some new suggestions!

Feel free to peek at my diary, although I've been less than angelic the past few days!

bobbin1

I found that if I drank a protein shake every day it was easier to stick with my 1200 calories but I also had to exercise almost every day so I could get eat back calories.

NicoleSchimmel

Hi there!

I took a quick glance at your diary. We aren't perfect and all have those bad days. My diary isn't perfect either. Do you record your water consumption? I noticed that you were at zero glasses on a few days. I recommend drinking more water. It makes you less hungry, but also helps with joints and does other stuff (insert medical terminology here) when exercising. I was told that when exercising (before, during, and after) that water is to your body as oil is to a car. Hopefully that makes sense.

I love frozen grapes as an afternoon snack. You could freeze any fruit, but grapes are less messy.

I hope this helps!

-Nicole

oceanchristy

I'm at 1200 cal's a day too... you can check out my diary if you need more ideas..
It's hard.

oceanchristy

more water , or tea maybe -

Cut the stew you eat in half and pair it with a green salad ?

EJsMummy26

I exercise so I can eat more! I love food.

Try to plan your food for the day, maybe provide some insight into what works and doesn't.

If I eat a high-carb breakfast I get hungry soo fast. If I eat whole grains w/ eggs in the morning I last much longer sometimes w/ no morning snack, which leaves me more calories to eat later.

My breakfast usually makes or breaks my day.

mercadezporcha

are you putting down your exercise thats how i get calories back, remember even walking is exercising add it all up x

dixieprincess79

Add higher protein. Do high protein smoothies made using greek yogurt for your snacks. It helps! I have the 1300 something a day. My problem I have is taking in enough calories for the day. I end up 500 or more under each day. But yea the protein is what causes you to stay full through the day so make sure your protein intake is higher. Cut back on carbs also. If you do a salad top it with a high lean protein meat.

ritmeyer

You can check out my diary if you want, but when I am in "lose" mode I dial back on the carbs. Simply cutting out bread at lunch and eating a big salad packed with veggies, cheese, chicken/tuna and good fats like avocado & olive oil based dressing keep me full so much longer than a sandwich. I work out alot, so when you look at my calories many days they are higher than 1200, but the day or two a week I don't, I can stay within my 1220 budget and feel full. Also, I noticed that you were eating chocolate daily, sometimes several times a day. While it is NEVER wrong to treat ourselves, if ate an apple with peanut butter, some cheese & almonds, etc which are the same calories, you would feel more satiated than with the chocolate.

To echo what others have said, water is key. I drink water all day, but I drink a large glass at least 20 minutes before I eat. a sign of Dehydration is hunger.

Good luck!

dcdickerson2

Adding even a little exercise will give you a few hundred extra calories - 1300 to 1400 for the day. Walk, dance, go to the gym, do some housecleaning, or my favorite: hula hoop! I use a 3lb weighted hoop and within a very short time starting doing 30 to 40 minutes a day, watching TV, talking on the phone or listening to a book on tape.

Try 94% fat free pop corn for one of your snacks - filling and satisfies that munchie craving.

Experiment and find a fat free salad dressing you really like and start adding a vegie only salad to at least one meal a day. Lots of nutrition for very few calories, filling and tasty. I use mixed greens, fresh spinach, tomatoes, colored bell peppers, onion, mushrooms, artichoke hearts (water packed), jicama, celery, carrots, brocolli, cauliflower, etc in various combinations. For a meal, I add one or more of berries (blueberries, strawberries), orange (canned mandarin good too) apple pieces, and/or fat free feta cheese and/or small amount of protein such as baked chicken or shrimp, soy beans (edemame), chick peas (garbanzos) and/or a few slivered almonds or walnut pieces. Stay away from dried fruit - too many calories for the amount.

Good luck!

jogglesngoggles

Ideally eat your biggest meal in the morning, and make it full of protein, avoid the sugars, they just set you up for wanting to snack. drink water, drink ice water, drink tea, drink coffee, I didn't see this in your diary but I'll say it anyways, do not drink your calories. (soda's, juices) Eat more fruits and vegetables and you'll be amazed at how much you can actually eat. I like to eat so I exercise every day to get those calories back. Even a 30 minute run will give you 200 extra calories, that's a whole salad!! Good luck

Siannah

I changed my settings so I have more calories than the 1200 I was given. I'm on 1380 now + I add my exercise (approx 200 a day). This is the only way I can do this.

Skeemer118

I tried & I was unsuccessful. A friend of mine has dropped 20 lbs in a couple of months by exercising & staying on 1,200 calories. I don't think she eats her calories back so I'm really not sure as to how she isn't hungry ALL the time!

Elizadolots

Hiya

If you do some exercise, a few extra calories help! I have also found the last few days easier than usual, I think like with everything else, you learn to adapt!

Good luck!

LuciaLongIsland

Anyone out there on the 1200 calorie goal for the day? What are you eating? I am and I'm struggling to stay full and at 1200 cal. I'm all about the high-fiber / lots of veggies / fruits / lean protein options, but I wanted to get some new suggestions!

Feel free to peek at my diary, although I've been less than angelic the past few days!

I am restricted to 1000 calories. I do it, so can you. Every time I want to eat, I think of all my clothes collecting dust or I go to a store and see all the awesome clothes that look horrible on overweight people. I am old, but I never want to dress like and old lady.

AmberJslimsAWAY

I eat lots of snacks during the day. My breakfast is normally 150 or so calories, which keeps me full until lunch, which varies from 300-800 calories. Then I eat nuts, fruits, granola bars, etc. until dinner which is somewhere in the 500 range normally.

ArroganceInStep

Greek Yogurt goes a really long way towards keeping me full on relatively low calories.

My Taco Salads have always been very low calorie for the amount of food you get.

Tuna is your friend.

noiva

I'm at 1300. My diary is open if you'd like to take a look. I love bunless turkey burgers, pickles, lots of veggie bakes & sautes, etc. Drink a lot of water and make sure that you're eating when you're hungry. Sometimes when your body tells you its hungry, though, it's really just dehydrated. If it's not a meal time and I feel hungry, I first drink water. It helps.

princessputz

Take a look at my diary if you want for the past few days and you'll see what I eat it's in and around 1200 each day. Sometimes more, sometimes less.

meramon

I am also on 1200 and actually have adjusted well over the last few weeks. I'm a big fan of grating carrots and cucumbers, then dressing lightly with some rice vinegar and worcestershire sauce. If you avoid the olive oil, you can really save yourself. Shredding the veggies makes them absorb a lot more flavour and they somehow seem sweeter. I am also a big fan of greek yogurt in the mornings. A few hemp hearts added makes you feel fuller longer and adds a bit of an energy kick. My favourite treat is a cup of tea in the afternoon with a bit of milk and a teeny bit of honey. I've built up a huge cupboard full of different flavours, which helps for variety. Good luck! It will start to feel natural soon, if you stick with it.

becoming_a_new_me

Cut the simple carbs and focus on complex like whole wheat, brown rice, etc. You can eat a TON of veggies with very little calories. Cut down your sodium intake and increase your water. Pair protien and fiber together to keep you fuller longer.

bridies01

I find that if I try to follow the south beach principles (protein and veggies at every meal, low carbs) I am at my best. I always eat 2-3 egg whites for breakfast with at least a cup of veggies. Sometimes I have a piece of fruit mid morning if I need a snack. Lunch is when I eat carbs since I work out in the morning or at lunch (some days both). It's usually leftovers that I keep in the freezer - pasta, stir fry, etc, but I make sure to get at least a cup of veggies and some protein with lunch. I also find that I eat much less in the evenings if I have an afternoon snack around 3 pm - 4 oz of non fat greek yogurt, with 1 tbsp sugar free jam, and 1/4 cup cocoa pebbles curbs my afternoon cookie cravings.

LuciaLongIsland

Also, I do have medical issues which is why I checked with 3 doctors before I did this. I don't count exercise calories either. I haven't eaten fast food in 5 months nor any white , like bread, rice, potatoes, pizza. It is working. As far as Starvation Mode, the DOCTOR says it is only if you eat 300 calories for many , many months. We have a lot of extra, our body is not gonna start eating our organs.

Miss_dannii

Have a look at my diary for ideas. I try stick to 1200 a day, sometimes I go slightly under. Do more exercise to allow yourself more calories

x

ZombieChaser

I'm on 1200... for now Feel free to take a peek at my diary It's hard at first, but I'm a month into it and I don't feel it anymore.

KatelynDesrosiers

I typically eat a yogurt for breakfast and a soup or salad for lunch. This keeps me at 400 calories.

In between breakfast and dinner I either have mini-pretzels or a cup of fruit so I get to eat 5 times. This way I'm only at around 600 before dinner and can have a big dinner.

Also, if you work out for even a half an hour you'll get back around 200 calories and they go a long way if you're craving a late night snack.

Good luck!!!!

SDakotaLady

I'm on 1200 calories also. Exercise is really the key for me. I try to do 60 minutes of cardio (usually walking on the treadmill at a very brisk pace and moderate incline) five times a week, and on those days I do the cardio, I am consistently under the number of calories I can eat when the day is done. When I don't do the cardio, it's hard to stay at 1200. I've modified my snacks also. Now snacks for me are vegetables and hummus, almonds, fruit. And I do pay attention to getting at least my 8 glasses of water a day, although I'm not certain if that makes a big difference or not.

bcattoes

I have days where I eat 1200 or less calories, but I've never been able to do that ongoing. That is why I only gain weight when I stop exericing. For me, weight gain/loss is all about exercise.

dixieprincess79

I just looked at your food diary. I will give you an example of a day of eating for myself. 1 c. Raisin Bran with a 1/2 cup (or less) of organic milk. Sometimes a thin bagel toasted to go with it. Lunch is Salad or a vegetable and sometimes a SMALL portion of left overs from the night before. Today's lunch will be my other half of my steak and chicken fajita dinner (1 tortilla) from Chile's. If I am still hungry after that I will either fix me some vegetables or fruit to snack on or I will make a smoothie with 3 tablespoons of yogurt, half a cup of frozen strawberries and a cup or two of milk to thin it out. That ends up getting split between myself and my 3 boys so I take in half a cup of it. It always help knock that faint hunger feeling off. Dinners I make homemade chili or bake chicken breast. Something lean no fat on it. I serve it with one starch and at least 2 vegetables. I do mine within proper portions and my starch is the smallest portioned item on my plate if I serve myself a starch at all. Sometimes I replace the starch on my plate with a salad to go with the other two vegetables and lean meat. I will sometimes eat a yogurt before I settle in to watch a movie for the evening if I am craving something sweet. I noticed your portions are more on some things and a lot of sugar and carbs. Carbs and sugar causes your body to feel hungry more, because your body is burning the carbs and sugar (which form glucose) more than it will the fat. Your body needs protein and lean fats to feel full and fueled. It will also help your energy level get boosted.

dmcw19

Hi,

I am on 1200 too and find that doing a shake for breakfast and lunch helps me. They are balanced, which means you don't have to worry about too many carbs, proteins or fats. I really like it because it is easy to make and I don't have to make packing up for the day a major ordeal. I have found that I get more excited about cooking or getting a great healthy dinner made because I am looking forward to a meal at the end of the day. I hope the company that I use for shakes exists forever because I love the taste and I would have a hard time doing it only with planned meals.

Dana

sandown12

I think it also depends on how you are mentally with food lots struggle as they comfort eat its not always proper hunger as you are hungry its mental hunger if anyone and theres lots here who comfort eat you'll know the difference.I know when I first start a healthly plan I am cutting my calories alot so it takes a whilke to get used to the much lower calories as siad maybe set your cals higher what have you got for loss? 05lbs a week 1lbs 1.5lbs 2 lbs? Trial and error on eating exercise calories as I read here alot x