1200 and Hungry

qtqtpie1

I am new to Myfitnesspal and I'm set at 1200 calories/ day. However, lately, I have found myself hungry late night. I have 23 calories left for the day and I am so Hungry. What can I eat that's not too much over my daily goal of 1200 calories? Thanks!

clarkeje1

fresh fruits and veggies. also you should exercise and eat back your exercise calories that should really help

skinnycate85

What does a normal day of eating look like for you? It is most likely that you aren't getting enough bang for your buck calorie wise. Fruits and veggies are very filling foods so try more of those. Also -- water water water! Many times we mistaken hunger for thirst.

piinchi

Egg whites are very low in calories but pure protein. Fat free greek yogurt can be very filling, too. You could also make a vegetable soup and freeze it, and heat up a cup when you need something to eat at the end of the day.

qtqtpie1

Thank you

skinnycate85

Warning!

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eating back your workout calories is something to try, but keep in mind it does not work for everyone (myself included).

ashiggins

I agree with the fruits and veggies, plus eating a little extra when you work out. Also, 1200 cals may be too low for you depending on your height/weight. I'm 5'7" and 157 lbs with about 15 pounds to lose and my trainers tell me that I should absolutely be eating 1800-2000 cals to lose weight (I workout daily). Just something to think about....

HauteP1nk

Eat some vegetables! Snacking on peppers, carrots, celery, etc won't put you that much over. Or grill up some bok choy...there are next to know calories in that.

Also, drink LOTS of water. It will fill you up!

qtqtpie1

What does a normal day of eating look like for you? It is most likely that you aren't getting enough bang for your buck calorie wise. Fruits and veggies are very filling foods so try more of those. Also -- water water water! Many times we mistaken hunger for thirst.

I am trying to drink more water to see if that helps my late night food cravings. Thanks for your reply!

claudknow

Try a small apple and sprinkle a little cinnamon on it. not a lot just a light dusting. yummy! Good luck.

skinnycate85

Egg whites are very low in calories but pure protein. Fat free greek yogurt can be very filling, too. You could also make a vegetable soup and freeze it, and heat up a cup when you need something to eat at the end of the day.

Word

rudzud

Another possibility is to increase your calory ammount to start with. If you've just started dieting and are use to eating say, 2500 a day (just picking a random number) then cutting it down to 1200 would be setting yourself up for failure. If say it was at 2500, try starting at 1800-2000 to get your body used to eating a bit less, then slowly drop the calories. Or, you could just exercise and eat back the calories.

Abbzzz

If you like pickles they are quite low in calories. Pickled onions and gherkins can be a great snack and you won't eat heaps of them because of the vinager.

skinnycate85

What does a normal day of eating look like for you? It is most likely that you aren't getting enough bang for your buck calorie wise. Fruits and veggies are very filling foods so try more of those. Also -- water water water! Many times we mistaken hunger for thirst.

I am trying to drink more water to see if that helps my late night food cravings. Thanks for your reply!

Any time!! Tea is a tasty night time drink (herbal, decaf, use 23 calories worth of honey & you're set )

1a1a

Go for protein and fats to keep you full for longer (veg for bulk too). Also, consider changing your settings to half a pound loss a week (worked better for me). Then, do some exercise and eat back your exercise cals :-)

qtqtpie1

I think the veggies are the way to go. Sounds like a great plan!

kathydp

I eat biggest meal at night about 5:00 pm. It helps me make it. I drink lots of water too.

skinnycate85

If you like pickles they are quite low in calories. Pickled onions and gherkins can be a great snack and you won't eat heaps of them because of the vinager.

Loooove pickles! Just make sure you drink loads of water -- there tends to be lots of sodium in pickles

skinnycate85

I eat biggest meal at night about 5:00 pm. It helps me make it. I drink lots of water too.

Glad that works for you! For me, I would tend to over-eat at that meal if I didn't have much to eat during the day

SweetProgression

hun pleas remember 1200 is the minimum. People try staying under that and think it's good but the message at the bottom of your food diary after submitting let's you know it's not. Don't be afraid to go a little over if you're still hungry.

sedosher

Personally I can not consume only 1200. No matter what I eat during the day I feel deprived and end up overeating after a few days because I can't do it any longer. I also have horrible will power. I have since upped my calories to 1350, and although it is only 150 more calories a day I do so much better. I have also added exercise 6 days a week. I am still experimenting on whether I need to eat my exercise calories or not. Right now I am eating no more then 150 of them, which puts me never going over 1500. So essentially I eat 1350 on the day I don't exercise and 1500 on the days that I do exercise. I have only been doing this for about a week, but so far it seems to suit me way better then 1200.

Good luck!

LPS1986

I am new to Myfitnesspal and I'm set at 1200 calories/ day. However, lately, I have found myself hungry late night. I have 23 calories left for the day and I am so Hungry. What can I eat that's not too much over my daily goal of 1200 calories? Thanks!

You should probably adjust your calorie intake. I almost always go over my calories somehow but I exercise 6 days a week and only eat back half those burned. Honestly, MFP is usually a larger deficit than a pound a week. I lose two pounds a week, average with the 500 calorie deficit.

reneeileen

I keep crunchy vegetables around like carrots and sugar snap peas. That helps when the snacking urge comes on but I think it helps to set yourself up for success early in the day. I try and get in some high protein, high fiber, and high water content foods in early. For me, these are things like shredded wheat, berries, an egg, almonds, a salad with homemade vinaigrette. When I'm feeling super hungry, I'll drink a big glass of water before I eat. It helps take the edge off and sometimes I'll find I wasn't really all that hungry.

IMO, I find 1200 calories really challenging most days. I opt to take half of my calorie cut from my meals and the other half from exercise. I eat about 1500-1800 calories most days and commit to a solid burn. With a little experimenting, you will find what feels right. I often stop and ask myself, "Would I be happy living like this for the rest of my life?" I think I've found the balance that allows me to answer that question, "Yes."

fashionista954

Are you also working out? If you are, make sure that you are adding the calories burned from your workouts to your log and eat those back. 1200 calories for me is too low and leaves me feeling hungry most of the time and if I workout, I don't have energy to follow through with my routine. I overcome that by working out so that I have more than the 1200 calories in my "bank"...this helps with not feeling hungry or deprived while still staying within my range. If I don't workout, I still eat over 1200 calories but I follow the "eat at your BMR" rule on those days and keep my calories at or slightly below that number (which is over 1200). It's working for now and if it stops I will change my routine. I'm also fairly new, so everything right now is trial and error.

recker80

I have been at this for about 2 weeks now and had great weight loss. i went to a wedding on Sunday and had about 1800 calories (400 over what i should have had) but since then i have been starving every day. between meals and late at night. im loosing my mind and feel like i cant do this. why do i have all of a sudden starving feeling. the first 2 weeks i had to force myself to nibble so i didnt eat my 1350 cals at 8pm at night lol. any ideas

japruzze

Make sure you spread out your calories so you have some left at the end of the day for a snack. Be sure to get enough protien in and eat some of your exercise calories.

Kenzietea2

eat more than 1200, I'd be starving too. I lost weight eating about 1800/day sometimes more!

Spinach_Brigade

Late at night, ungarnished popcorn is your calorie-sensible friend.

Nana_Booboo

Youre hungry because you're eating to low of calories. Can you honestly say you can do that for the rest of your life.

You should be eating.

Have you looked at your BMR? It's under tools. It tells you how many calories you need to just lay in bed all day.

Mine is almost 1800 so there is no way I'd survive on 1200.

If you continue to eat too low, you will lose but you will fail also.

Love me, hate me but it's true.

Done it your way my whole life until now.

I eat, I move and I lose. And the best part of it is, I'm not deprived. I don't go to bed hungry, I lose steadily and I don't live at a gym. I exercise 20 minutes at least daily (walking) and twice a week Aqua Zumba (1 hour)

I also have a Heart rate monitor to tell me what I'm burning (calories) when I exercise so I fuel my body with extra calories on those days. Those days I can eat 2200 cal.

don't starve.

Friend me if you'd like but trust me, I'll continue to tell you to eat.

missflygirl80

All the feedback you have gotten has been great advice. How long have you been doing this (sorry if you have already said this, I am a half post reader ) but you may just need sone time. My caloric intake is 1200 calories too and for the first week and a half I was MiSERABLE! But now it's not really bad at all and I am in my fifth week of weight loss. I also did weight watchers about five years ago and lost a significant amount of weight and the first week or two was really difficult, but I upped my water and fiber intake and things got much better. Time also helped. Good luck!

andrewamym

It's a lot of trial and error...everyone is different...you made need to eat more protein instead of carbs...or more fiber instead of protein, depends on your body. Look at your nutrition every day...one day shoot for mainly protein and see how you feel, make note of it. The next day, try higher fiber foods...see you how feel, take note of that too. Obviously...water.water.water. Drink tons. I find that drinking hot tea or coffee helps curb my appetite. So, at night, my husband and I boil a tea pot of water and sip on tea while watching tv! If I feel really hungry in the afternoon, I'll have a cup of coffee. When drinking warm beverages, there is a certain chemical released that is the same chemical released when eating food. So, it can trick ya for awhile I've also learned that I do best if I follow this plan...have a protein shake for breakfast...I can drink coffee/water/tea until 12:00. Eat a lunch of a sandwhich thin, meat, and a huge helping of carrots or peppers w/ hummus about 2 TBS. Then I have calories for an afternoon snack of apples and Peanut butter or Chobani yogurt and then dinner...usually Eggs, or lean protein and a huge, colorful salad, and steamed veggies. The more veggies I eat..the more fuller you'll feel. Because they have lots of water in them. Good Luck!!!