1200 CALORIES IS ALL I GET?!?!?! HELP - NEED IDEAS

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  • gwengogreen1
    gwengogreen1 Posts: 194 Member
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    pickles are actually pretty low cal...just watch out for the sodium and stuff in some low cal foods lol
    omg ikr? i love pickles! one spear has 5 calories :D
  • senyosmom
    senyosmom Posts: 613 Member
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    I LOVE sweet peppers (I buy a bag of mini sweet peppers and get red, orange and yellow), also love to munch on baby carrots.

    As for fruit, seasonal is best for taste. Right now I go with cantalope and various berries (blueberries, strawberries, etc).
  • Amcolecchi
    Amcolecchi Posts: 260 Member
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    Veggies, chicken, fruit and work out ! AND LOTS OF WATER!
  • AReasor
    AReasor Posts: 355 Member
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    Lots of home cooking! Veggie soup with lots of beans, salad with tuna, chili, stir fry with lots of veggies. I hate greek yogurt, but if you like the flavors it is amazingly good for you. Also, have almonds and other nuts as a snack.

    Hope this helps.:smile:
  • chandra38
    chandra38 Posts: 112 Member
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    Sometimes eating more calories will help jump start your body as well & I'm not talking like fast food calories (although they can be yummy...) Try to up your protien & eat 1500 calories for a week or two you are still in a deficiate to lose weight and you won't be starving it's a win / win!

    ^^This^^ For the longest time I had mine set too low and I was starving every day, and not losing a single ounce. I finally upped my calories, and eat my exercise calories and started losing regularly. For sure, eat more to lose! But, for snacks during the day, I like red peppers with hummus, english cucumbers, baby carrots, popcorn and I drink LOTS of water, which helps me feel full all day!
  • lh1626
    lh1626 Posts: 241 Member
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    I absolutely love yellow and orange bell peppers cut into strips....I also make the ranch dips packet with regular sour cream. It is amazing how far 2 TBSP of that can go. I also love carrots and cucumbers with that!
  • LaSweetMini
    LaSweetMini Posts: 157 Member
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    add me and read my diary. Lots of fruits and veggie ideas there. Im a veg so I eat a lot of it and stay at 1200
  • Mindmovesbody
    Mindmovesbody Posts: 399 Member
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    Make sure 1200 calories is correct for you. Calculate your BMR and TDEE and in between the two. You should not be eating under your BMR. Good luck!

    ^^^^THIS^^^^
  • Adam_Breazeale
    Adam_Breazeale Posts: 2
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    Exercise, exercise, exercise. I work out thinking about the extra calories I can add to my intake. Already burned 800 today.

    Food ideas, one of the best I've come up with is making ranch dip from Greek Yogurt, a little Kefir and a ranch seasoning packet. Buy the 100 calorie Greek Yogurt package (6 oz?) and the total calories will be less than 200. Eat it with carrots, red bell pepper and any other veggies you like. I do not like broccoli, cucumber or celery, unfortunately. Should be able to eat 1-2 ounces (30-60 calories plus veg) per meal as a side to a sandwich or as a snack or appetizer before dinner. Its actually good for you, too.

    Eat a salad with each meal. Skip the full dressing and use JUST red win vinegar and a little pepper. 2 cups of lettuce and you are talking about 20-30 calories total.
  • legnarevocrednu
    legnarevocrednu Posts: 467 Member
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    So I changed my fitness and pounds to lose per week goals - and now i'm only allowed 1200 CALORIES A DAY!!! I was having trouble staying under 1300 before!!! But I need to jump start my body again b/c I've been stuck between 151-149 lbs for a few months now! One of MFP "peeps" suggested lots of fruits and veggies b/c there are so many that are low calorie. Just looking for ideas - What are some of your favorite veggies? I need "free" food ideas.... that's the only way to go with this new plan!
    I am able to stay under 1200 calories a day. I eat every two hours. I keep my meals around 300 calories (or less), and my snacks around 100 calories (or less). I'm not big on fruit or veggies (although I do eat salads and drink smoothies) so I can't really tell you which ones are better. I just wanted to let you know it IS possible although many will tell you on here, not advisable. It works for me and I guess you just have to figure out what works for you. Good luck!
  • gwengogreen1
    gwengogreen1 Posts: 194 Member
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    aim for about four meals a day, 250 calories or less. that adds up to 1000, so you have room if you screw up :D
  • jessicae1aine
    jessicae1aine Posts: 885
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    MFP says I should be eating like 1375 calories.

    Um, no.

    I used a TDEE calculator and found the TDEE for my goal weight. It's 2100 calories, which is a much more do-able number, and I'm losing weight. My nutritionist also confirmed that yes, this is perfectly healthy and much better than the 1375.
  • linder4866
    linder4866 Posts: 11,165 Member
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    If the problem is being full, check out shirataki noodles :smile: I just ordered some, so I can't vouch totally for them, but I'm hearing good things so far.

    ^^
    I got some of these from NoOodle and they are wonderful. Rinse them under cold water quite thoroughly; dry fry; add a bit of tomato sauce or whatever you like. The entire package is ZERO calories. But really don't skip on the rinsing and dry fry. I have these at least once a week.
  • viscumin
    viscumin Posts: 12 Member
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    I'm on 1200 calories also. I find that Starting my day with protein really helps. Breakfast is usually 2% cottage cheese with berries or pineapple. Or sometime I do eggs instead. I usually keep lunch light. And dinner is usually around 400-500 cal I make meals from magazines like Clean Eating magazine. They have great recipes. I also cook from weight watchers cookbooks. If bread is a big downfall for you try making "Cloud bread" search for it in Google, it can be found at food.com, it's a "bread" that's basically just an egg meringue but has the consistency of bread. Good luck!
  • LadiDeeJay10
    LadiDeeJay10 Posts: 19
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    What is BMR and TDEE? I hope I got the letters right.
  • kylTKe
    kylTKe Posts: 146 Member
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    Salad, no dressing.

    BMR (basal metabolic rate?) - calories needed in a day for your body to simply function (breathe, pump blood, etc...)

    TDEE (total daily energy expenditure?) - total calories expended in a day, basically BMR + whatever you burn in a day doing stuff.
  • sweetnlow30
    sweetnlow30 Posts: 497 Member
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    I'm on 1200 calories also. I find that Starting my day with protein really helps. Breakfast is usually 2% cottage cheese with berries or pineapple. Or sometime I do eggs instead. I usually keep lunch light. And dinner is usually around 400-500 cal I make meals from magazines like Clean Eating magazine. They have great recipes. I also cook from weight watchers cookbooks. If bread is a big downfall for you try making "Cloud bread" search for it in Google, it can be found at food.com, it's a "bread" that's basically just an egg meringue but has the consistency of bread. Good luck!

    Thanks for the "cloud bread" tip. I Googled it and it looks like something I would like to try :)
  • Lolitasboss
    Lolitasboss Posts: 60 Member
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    I like broths, and I just throw spinach leaves in it.. very low calorie ! Also , if you like sushi , roasted seaweed is a really great , satisfying , low-cal snack !
  • ShellyShuey
    ShellyShuey Posts: 162
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    Yes, but... I have read that it should be your weight x 10. I weigh 153 so I should eat 1530/day (to lose)... but you should go by MFP I suppose bc I don't want you mad at me if you don't lose, LOL.
  • themommie
    themommie Posts: 5,021 Member
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    oatmeal, soups, salads, popcorn, mini rice cakes, fruit, vegetables, chicken, skinny cow ice cream bars, baked sweet potatoes, cream of wheat, you can have a look at my diary if you want I usually eat under 1290 cals

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