1200 calories a day is killing me!!!

Helloitsdan

1200 calories a day is quite low.

Check out the post below;
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/538381-in-place-of-a-road-map

It can be a bit difficult o understand but, keep reading and it will all become clear. It helped me realise I was not eating enough

Also check out this website;
http://www.fat2fitradio.com/

Fantastic Article!
Thanx for this!
=D

emmahaines1

I have been doing the 1200 cal since last August and have lost 25lbs from doing this, it is so hard to stick to sometimes and it started to slow my leight loss down,

I have now upped mine 1500 calories, which is still low but a bit more managable.

If you do wish to stick with the 1200 calories you need to change what you are eating a lot, try not to eat beard products to often, as they are so calorific maybe, for my lunches I have substituted my bread for salad.

If you are serious about sticking to 1200 cal you really need to research what it is you are going to eat and try your best to plan out other meals for the day so you can try and stick to your goal. Their are a lot of options that you don't realise. I also suggest doing more exercise, burning calories back will allow you to eat a little bit more.

Good Luck.

MrsDutt

Seems like my biggest mistake is the bread. Ok I need to cut out some of it. I mean I have had carbs in each meal and might be why I feel so sluggish also.

Any advice on how to get started on my fitness levels?

Helloitsdan

I have around 1200kcals a day because I'm really small!

I find the best thing to do is have smaller meals but eat more often in the day - this is my breakdown and example menu;

Breakfast: 250cals - Boiledegg, toast and marmite, piece of fruit, cup of tea and milk

Snack: 100kcals - Bowl of soup

Lunch: 200kcals - Light cream cheese, 6 melba toasts, slice of fruit loaf

Snack: 100kcals- Cereal bar

Dinner: 300kcals - Quorn fillets, cous cous, salad, apple.

Snack: 50kcals - Carrot sticks and dip

Supper: 200kcals - Two rich tea biscuits, cup of tea and milk and a bit of chocolate.

I don't feel like I'm dieting at all because I'm eating whenever I want!

IMO skip breakfast and the first snack and lump those extra cals into a bigger first meal.
You dont have much to lose so screwing with leptin now will only hold you back.
If you are physically hungry, leptin levels may drop signaling the body to maintain fat for energy.
The best way to lose the last few stubborn pounds is simply burning them off with mild cardio daily, like 200 cals burned, and lifting heavy weights.
In order to fuel this youll need more calories in though.
So using the Road Map you can figure this out for yourself.
If you hit a bump in the road feel free to PM me and i'll help as best I can.

Hugs!

ChristineS_51

When I first started this I found it hard to keep in my goals, but it is a learning curve - I see you have only joined in April, so you are still in learner mode :-) You will find if you plan your day, put in what you think you will eat, and then look at the numbers, then fiddle - eg breads have lots of different calorie values, either eat a bit less or find bread with not so many calories. I have switched to plain microwaved potoato at breakfast, with two eggs and tomatoes, all dry fried - fills me up and the weight is almost falling off. (29 lb/13.1 kg in 100 days). Having a protein kick at the beginning of the day seems to fire up my metabolism very well.

I notice you didn't mention drinks - if you are drinking tea / coffee with milk & sugar, or fruit juices/cordials, sodas/fizzy drinks, they will really mess your calories. I now drink black coffee, no milk, no sugar, no sweetener, and really enjoy it. Also green tea with a tiny pinch of chilli flakes is nice, nil calories!

Drink lots of water, tell yourself you are full / full / full; if you feel deprived you will feel hungry!

Just make good choices each time and you will learn what is the better option to eat. This is for the long haul, not a quick fix, so give yourself time :-)

kaned_ferret

I think it's all been said well by others here, but I just wanted to add in my enthusiasm for "exercise calories". when I first started, I found it hard to stay within my 1350 budget, especially as I took like a glass (or three!) of wine of an evening! But gradually over the past couple of months, I have upped my exercise by doing the c25k programme, and a couple of at-home fitness programmes (wii zumba and fitness coach). My body is finally used to this and now actually WANTS to exercise daily hehe, and it's changed my calories from going just over daily, to leaving me with a few hundred to spare most days.

You have an elliptical sitting right there lady, use it wisely! (And if you burn out and feel defeated after only 5 minutes, work up to it gradually - do a similar programme to c25k to build up your endurance and fitness, and you'll feel a lot better about it all, I promise!)

gonna_do_it_56

Hi ,
like the original post I am having difficulty. I have followed the links and carried out the calculations.I would lose comfortably on 1500 acording to it [ 1-1/2 lb]. So my question is how do I change MFP's calories? Thanks for any help....:flowerforyou:

ChristineS_51

A tip to keep salads from getting soggy, when you pack them up the night before fold up 1-2 paper towels and place on the top of the salad, put the lid on and store upside down. all the excess moisture will be drawn into the paper towel and your veggies will stay crisp

Brilliant idea - I have never thought of doing that, thank you! :flowerforyou:

steadk

I would suggest eating more, and raising your calories limit. I have continuously lost weight after upping my calories to 1400 a day, and not really doing much exercise.

gonna_do_it_56

I should have said thanks for the info Fat2fit is a great link

Articeluvsmemphis

just eat more

serena310213

Hi,

I also have the 1200 calories a day range too. I advise you to maybe use low fat cheese, or low in sugar jam. The little changes make big differences!

Keep up the good work, and remember you CAN do it!

Serena
xoxoxo

MrsDutt

Great link fat2fit :-)

Yeah going to work on those exercise calories. Going to down on the cards and try new recipes. Also going to blow off the dust of my elliptical trainer!. Amazing advice guys, just what I needed.

PineappleMartini

Also check out this website;
http://www.fat2fitradio.com/

Absolutely go to Fat 2 Fit Radio - listen to their podcasts! They're the reason I eat the calories I do.

KelliW_runner

When I first started on this site in January I stuck with 1200 calories per day, which was very challenging and I would feel very hungry when I went to bed at night. I did have some relatively quick results - 5 lbs over a few weeks.

Then I started incorporating more exercise and in late February began P90X. The lowest calorie eating plan on P90X is 1800. I checked that against my BMR and TDEE and found 1800 cal per day would still allow me to lose if I am exercising. So I have been averaging ~1800 calories per day, some days 2200, some days 1500. And have maintained a gradual weight loss since then. More importantly than the weihgt, I am stronger, more energetic, clothes fit better, and I don't go to bed feeling like I am starving.

I'm not opposed to the English muffin - breakfast sandwich with egg and english muffin (especially the whole grain kind) is good for you and under 300 calories. Add smoked salmon if you want even more protein and good fats (for little calories).

mom22nteaching

The glass of wine is my problem. As much as I enjoy it I know it works against all my other good choices.

lilojoke

1200 calories is not low if the person feels stuffed and can not eat anymore. Why make people believe that eating 1200 calories is a bad thing? Are you in their bodies to say eat more? Sure I can eat more but I am certain to nearly vomit afterwards if I eat over say 3000 calories.

This is not a game about how many calories you can stuff into body its about eating intelligently according to what your bodies telling you.

cherylbennett74

It's the same when I began this process, I was only eating 845 calories... I was in starvation mode. No wonder I couldn't lose!

MrsDutt

I want to feel energetic and go to bed feeling satisfied. Usually by the time I get to be (around 23h00) I want another meal. urgh. The late sleeping might be my downfall but with 2 toddlers I only get to sit down and watch some tele at 22h00.

Now I eat supper at 18h30 so by 22h00 I am opening and closing the fridge door.

sherry9300

For me, that's a lot of carbs: muffin for breakfast, bread at lunch, rice for dinner, and another muffin for snack.

If you looked for alternatives to some of these, you might be able to bring down your calories. Eggs for breakfast, or soup/ salad for lunch. Nuts or fruit instead of the snack muffin.

Also look at portion size - could you reduce the amount of rice you eat at dinner time, and have more veg instead?

^^^^^^This!

Also, the 1200 calories issue is a personal one. I personally stuck with 1200, but earned and ate exercise calories, which made it completely do-able. Others will tell you to eat more. I would say don't eat less than your BMR, but unfortunately I'm short, female and middle-aged. 1200 is within 100 pounds of my BMR. As you can see, someone whose BMR may be 1600 would have a completely different experience. Everyone is different.

darrensurrey

Hi all you beautiful people.

So MFP suggested I eat 1200 calories a day but I am finding it very hard to eat healthy and stick within the calorie range.

If you look at my food diary, last Wednesday's food is what I'd happily been eating for the last 2 months with a calorie intake of ~1200 a day. It's not clever but I was rarely hungry nor was it a chore.

Then someone questioned the amounts I was eating for my fitness goal hence it's gone up. As you will see, nothing particularly healthy or unhealthy but I'd been on a low carb (~100g of carbs a day) and basically eating meat and vegetables mainly (with meat snacks in between).

Hopefully, using my diary will give you some idea of what is possible if you still want to keep the calories down.

cookiesandjuice

choose healthier foods, that you can eat more(like cucumbers, carrots...they have very little carrots so you can eat your little heart out)!! also i found that for me eating nuts in the morning curb my appetite for the day and i actually want to eat less. weird huh. and trust me wen i say...I USED TO HAVE A PROBLEM SNACKING!!

msgsarah

Just reading some of the things you guys eat makes me feel like I am overeating. Thank you I will go check out the recipe side.

The other challenge is ofcourse cooking 3 different meals at dinner time as DH is not in the mood to change his lifestyle and the kids do not eat any of the two meals I make. I want to stop making excuses and just do it.

Hey there

Firstly, I really feel your pain! It can be so hard to make these changes, especially as when (as you say) you have young children and a husband that isnt interested in healthy changes. But once you start you'll get on a roll and there will be no stopping you!

I can't add much new, only that I totally agree with all the other posters about trying to cut back on carbs and drinking more water- this has really helped me. 2lbs a week is a lot though especially if you dont have a lot to lose. I need to lose 12-14lbs but as I'm in the 'healthy weight' range for my BMI, even though I exercise often and mostly stick to my calorie allowance its been really tough going. Ultimately I found that half a pound a week was about the maximum I could do, so it may be that you need to re-evaluate your goal to be more sustainable?

As for cooking different meals at night, I totally get it - I have the same problem with my husband, who likes quite a carb-heavy diet (but is a runner with a lightning fast metabolism, where I'm the opposite). What I started doing was buying in lots of canned vegetables (like mixed bean salad, kidney beans, carrots etc). Then I would have the same meal as him, keep the protein and replace whatever else he had with canned vegetables or a fresh salad. Or even 'good'/brown/low-GI carbs sometimes like brown rice or quinoa.

For example, if he would have chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans, I would have chicken (smaller portion), green beans and carrots. Or whatever other combination. This way we don't cook separate meals, just a separate portion of veg or salad that I use to adapt my meal. You could try this. I found it was the only way I could do it that was still convenient- and let's face it, if it's not convenient, you probably won't do it!

Hope that helps a little bit.

Eleanorjanethinner

For me, that's a lot of carbs: muffin for breakfast, bread at lunch, rice for dinner, and another muffin for snack.

If you looked for alternatives to some of these, you might be able to bring down your calories. Eggs for breakfast, or soup/ salad for lunch. Nuts or fruit instead of the snack muffin.

Also look at portion size - could you reduce the amount of rice you eat at dinner time, and have more veg instead?

Yup - there are lower cal alternatives to what you're eating. I did 1200 for about 3-4 months and lost about 15 pounds. I had porridge (oatmeal) for breakfast, fruit or low fat yoghurt or a small pack of 'lite' chips for snacks, sometimes a biscuit (cookie). I had the ocassional small glass of wine (I think it's important not to completely deprive yourself of treats). Your dinner looks good. Soups and eggs are low cal and filling for lunch (I feel too deprived with just a salad for lunch, but you might like it).

And I tended to earn at least another 100- 200 cals a day through walking. I rarely lost 2 pounds a week, usually closer to a pound. I went over my cals some days and under some days but it evened out.

Now I'm on 1310 (aiming to lose a pound a week) and it's much more comfortable! And I'm exercising a lot more too, so that earns me more calories.

Good luck!
Also,

SafireBleu

Hi all you beautiful people.

So MFP suggested I eat 1200 calories a day but I am finding it very hard to eat healthy and stick within the calorie range.

For example today my diary consists of the following:

Breakfast: English Muffin with laughing cow wedge and strawberry jam

Lunch: 2 Slices Seed Bread with Pesto, Avo, Cottage Cheese and Peppers.

Supper: Chicken Breast with rice and grilled veggies

Snacks: Peach and Small Bran muffin.

That is over the calorie range.

Before starting this I did not even eat so much but now I obsess with what I eat and although the choices are healthy, it is not in the 1200 calorie limit.

Please advice cause when I eat any less now I feel extremely hungry.

Also my other bad habit is having a glass of wine at night which takes my guard down but I'm working on that.

My question is, what changes can I make to stay within this range otherwise I'm never going to loose this weight.

If you are struggling with 1200, it may be that it is not the right amount for you.

Do you know your BMR and TDEE? -Work out your TDEE and deduct 20%. http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

I was also given 1200, but couldn't manage as it made me ill and cranky - I now lose on 1600.
1200 works for some, but not for everyone, you need to find the sweet spot for you.

Also, bear in mind that the way MFP works, 1200 is meant to be NET, so if you exercise even a little you will eat more than 1200.

Good Luck.

The Fat2Fit site is fantastic. You need to know your body fat % and the military is most accurate so you can figure that out here http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/mbf/ Also they have this cool feature that will help you find your ideal weight based on your lean body mass since the goal is to lose body fat not lean body mass I feel like this is good to know too http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/ibw/

epoeraven

Also, make sure you drink lots of water as this really helps too!!

This is my biggest defense when I am hungry. I had this same same complaint and asked my doctor about it. He said that many people who think they are hungry are just thirsty. I found this to be true for me.

I also found that some of my problem was habit. I was used to eating more so I thought I was missing out. After about a month that got better as I got adjusted to my new eating habits.

BrokenBarbiexoxo

Hey

I am on 1200 cals a day also, and I seem to eat loads! I have diet everything and for the last two weeks I haven't been exercising much (and even when I do, I don't eat more as I personally feel this is cheating and means the exercise is pointless if you are just eating loads to make up for it).

I would personally say to you, maybe up the calories for a week, say to 1800 and then each week drop it until you get to 1200? Or just get lots of diet foods.

Weight Watchers meals are fab and rarely go over 350 calories which is amazing. Lower cal bread, drinks, anything really, it'll make a huge difference And then you can eat a lot more too and stay with your target.

Good luck either way xoxo

babychickenwoods

I agree with everyone who has said that you should cut out some of the bread! I'd say limit yourself to only one bread item a day, and eat more healthy carb sources (oatmeal for breakfast instead of the muffin etc) and more fruits and veggies which will keep you full!

MrsSWW

It's difficult to comment without seeing your diary, but I would say that if you aren't full with the food you're eating then you need to change your food a little. Have a look at some open diaries, see what people are eating with calories that would fit in to your limit and try them!

Secondly, exercise. It doesn't have to mean the gym, I only work out at home and I've lost wieght - if you want a glass of wine you might have to work for it, and if that glass of wine means you need nibbles then you'll have to work for them too. You have kids, take them to the park, play football with them, go cycling, get them dancing in the house with you, or if you can get some alone time do some workouts you can find online - exercise doesn't have to be expensive or done away from the family, getting everyone involved makes it a whole lot easier!

It IS harder to lose weight when you don't have as much to lose, but if you stick with MFP I have every faith that you'll do it. :drinker:


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jetscreaminagain

1200 calories is very low. If you're hungry eat more.

Google fat to fit radio. Eat more than your sedentary BMR. Take your deficit from TDEE which includes exercise. Never go below BMR with net calories.

This might mean slower than 2#s a week. That's ok. Go faster and you lose body tissue you'd rather keep: muscle organ bone hair. And not exclusively fat.

You can also go to the mfp faq group and learn from people who've been there and figured it out and generously offer knowledge