1200 Calories...how?

sandra4562

I tend to eat salads for breakfast and it really keeps me full until lunch. This is what my salads consist of: chopped lettuce, 1 clove of garlic, 1/2 a tomato, .25 cup of garbanzos, 2 heads of broccoli and feta cheese. I know it seems like a lot but when you add up the calories its almost nothing and you could always take the cheese out I also try to eat fish for dinner. Hope that helps... Have a great day

kbw414

I noticed that you eat very little plant-based foods. I can eat a vegetarian meal for under 200 calories (tons of fiber) and feel full for hours. Maybe you could try snacking on some raw veggies throughout the day? They're very low in calories, and the fiber will keep you feeling full. For me, satiety is more about fiber and less about protein.

greyrealm

I stay at or about 1200 calories every day and eat every 1 to 2 hours. I start with fruit followed by hardboiled eggs (whites only), then more fruit. I eat oven roated turkey on mini whole wheat pita pockets with Trader Joe's Garlic Eggplant Spread instead of mayo. I eat alot of ceviches (tuna, shrimp, langostino, pink salmon)with avocado, veggies with homemade hummus (make it spicy and you eat less!). I also eat Triticale and Rolled Barley as a cereal with banana, unsweetened coconut, and walnuts or pecans. Dinner is 2 - 4 ounces of chicken, pork, steak, or fish, with lots of veggies sauteed with garlic and olive oil, and half a serving of rice or other grain. I do sneak in fun foods (Trader Joe's Popped Potato Chips are my favorite) but I go for half or quarter servings. Having a food scale has been helpful too! The key is to make your calories count and to find lower calorie options (like Triticale and rolled barley which look and taste like oatmeal but have half the calories). At night I make a shake out of skim milk, with banana, some type of nuts, and unsweetened cocoa. I adjust my portions according to how many calories I have left. Good luck!

mixedfeelings

I find it quite easy, I usually stick to fruit and veg with the odd bit of bread, pasta, rice, I'm a vegetarian and I don't eat that much in the way of fake meats, well I do but maybe once a day. I just try and control portion size.

ARDuBaie

Okay, I looked at your diary. Oatmeal with brown sugar! Oatmeal doesn't need sugar. Learn to appreciate the true taste of food by eating things without the added sauces and such. I do oatmeal in the morning, most every morning, with sliced almonds on it. No milk, butter, or sugar. It taste good just like that and I used to be a sugar/butter gal.

Try to make your own food. You can control the calories better. Don't do granola bars because they often have more sugar than you need. Try protein bars. They fill you up, which decreases your hunger.

Add a lot of water to your diet. Eight cups to 2 liters is about right.

Fruit is low in calories and high in fiber. So are vegetables. Eat a lot of them. I also like to have beans - refried, lentils, vegetarian chili, etc. They add protein and fill you up because they are loaded with fiber.

Think fiber and low glycemic. If I have something that is high on the glycemic scale, I eat it at night. This way, I am not awake when it causes hunger.

Also, try exercising before you eat breakfast. This way, you are burning actual fat. When you eat any other time of the day, you are burning what you ate. Some don't agree with this, but it seems to be working for me.

LittleElephant

I'm on 1200 also. To start with I found it hard but now I often struggle to take I'm enough and have often averaged 800 a day. For me it was just a matter of getting used to it. It's been worth it though!

therealangd

There's a lot of processed foods in your diary. They are really calorie dense and don't fill you up.

hh07

I'm on 1000 calories a day (I'm really short) and it's quite easy. I just have fruit and/or yoghurt for breakfast then something like glass noodles in a clear broth with loads of veggies or a small salad for lunch, fruit for an afternoon snack and then for my main evening meal I substitute cauliflower mash or butternut squash mash instead of carbs and have lean protein with veggies. Sometimes I make a sauce out of extra low-fat cream cheese and natural yoghurt..

Treats are low calories cereal bars, cassava crisps and mini milk ice lollies (all low calorie).

It might be hard for the first week but you will feel so much better from not being bloated and your stomach will shrink so you don't feel as hungry - stick at it!

missigus

I am on 1200 calories as well and it's hard to get used to such small portions, until u learn to fill in on extra veggies. I looked at your diary and I would forgo the chocolate and beer until you get to your goal- as much as possible. If I am dying for chocolate I've eaten strawberries drizzled w/ hershey's syrup and light coolwhip. Or just a single piece of chocolate. If I'm out and want a drink, I stay away from beer. Vodka and soda- Less calories. I eat very few carbs. Mostly veggies and meats, water based soups, salads, hot teas, and a bit of fruit. I am not a breakfast eater which helps me, because i'm not hungry in the mornings, and can get by on my coffee, but I get hungry at night, so I can eat a little bigger dinner to get through my evenings most of the time. Hot tea helps me at night too. Our bodies all run differently, so hopefully you can figure out your weak hungriest times of the day and work a bigger meal into that time. Some people eat back their exercise calories, I don't. But I do allow myself 1400 to 1500 calories 1 day a week. Usually Saturdays because we go out to dinner or something. I usually see the scale drop shortly after that too. You can do the 1200 calories, it just takes a lot of planning and being sensitive to your bodies demands.

regions02

I tried 1200 - just wasn't enough for me so I increased to 1300 - that extra 100 cals made a big difference.

missigus

It might be hard for the first week but you will feel so much better from not being bloated and your stomach will shrink so you don't feel as hungry - stick at it!

Oh my gosh! I totally agree! I gave up A LOT of carbs, not all, (simple carbs and sugars) but I too noticed the same thing. I'm not bloated anymore. It dissappeared with in a week! I feel waaay better too! No more bloated face in the mornings, no more unbuttoning my pants at night! I think I had a sugar allergy. I'm glad u pointed that out!

Tiff1124

I am on the 1200 calorie count, and what's easiest for me is eat low carb, high protien for breakfast and lunch and then for dinner get my carbs that way. Generally I work out during my lunch break, so I burn off about 200 cals of my breakfast from running and weight training.

Good luck!

Bean615

im 1200 a day, most days i stay under. exercising helps so you can gain some back. check out my diary for some ideas. i like to snack all day and i drink alot of coffee and water.

zbmb30

bump

MissesJai

I am on the 1200 calorie count, and what's easiest for me is eat low carb, high protien for breakfast and lunch and then for dinner get my carbs that way.

Same here, for the most part. I try to limit my carb intake as much as possible - good carbs ONLY. I eat most of my protein at breakfast and lunch so I'm full for a good portion of the day. I also do Zumba, which given my weight, I burn 700+ cals in one hour, so naturally, I eat those back :glasses:

carlageek

I was having a lot of trouble hitting even 1300 calories. I ended up changing my target to 1/2 pound loss per week instead of 1 pound loss per week so I'd have a few hundred more calories to play with.

No sense in being in a rush if it leads to a miserably restrictive plan I have trouble sticking to!

wow youve ;ost 116lbs is that using mfp how long did it take? WEll done

Thanks; it's taken me almost 2.5 years so far. I didn't join MFP until this past fall - when I started getting close to a healthy weight I needed more rigor in my calorie counting and FitDay's ancient and featureless interface just wasn't doing it for me anymore, so I switched to MFP then.

Lwesterhold

I've seen a few people now suggest others to look at their food diaries, but how can others view your food diary entries for ideas?

Di3012

I've seen a few people now suggest others to look at their food diaries, but how can others view your food diary entries for ideas?

They would have to change their settings to making their diaries viewable (public).

The settings tab is right along the top of the screen next to "logout" and "help".

kellyh2

I stick to 1200 calories on a regular, but eat part of my exercise callories, feel free to add me as my diary is open and more than happy to talk meals/exercise/motivation. Kelly

Kymmu

hi- open diary 1200 c girl here!!