I can't get to 1200 calories

ladybug1620

No offense, but I'm getting really tired of seeing this type of post. Getting to 1200 calories is infinitely easy, and I don't understand why people can't figure this one out for themselves. Just one of the thousands of ways to make getting to 1200 easy: a 22 ounce Mcdonald's chocolate shake is 870 calories. Problem solved.

Agreed. I don't understand this problem. Nobody here got fat eating less than 1200 cals per day. 1200 cals is nothing. Eat nuts, peanut butter, avocado, switch back to full fat instead of low fat or fat free items, etc. Drink protein shakes.

Meg_78

No offense, but I'm getting really tired of seeing this type of post. Getting to 1200 calories is infinitely easy, and I don't understand why people can't figure this one out for themselves. Just one of the thousands of ways to make getting to 1200 easy: a 22 ounce Mcdonald's chocolate shake is 870 calories. Problem solved.

I have to agree. Even eating very healthy foods, 1200 is a walk in the park, and I find it really sad when people say they can meet it.
There are tons of healthy calorie dense choices, Avocados, olive and coconut oils, nuts and seeds being the most basic, obvious and easy to add.

graelwyn

No offense, but I'm getting really tired of seeing this type of post. Getting to 1200 calories is infinitely easy, and I don't understand why people can't figure this one out for themselves. Just one of the thousands of ways to make getting to 1200 easy: a 22 ounce Mcdonald's chocolate shake is 870 calories. Problem solved.

Agreed. I don't understand this problem. Nobody here got fat eating less than 1200 cals per day. 1200 cals is nothing. Eat nuts, peanut butter, avocado, switch back to full fat instead of low fat or fat free items, etc. Drink protein shakes.

Have to admit, I feel the same way. Even eating healthy, it isn't rocket science, especially given a simple search of this forum will bring up dozens of topics on the same thing. Even a search in google would reveal the best foods to eat when struggling to eat enough. I have an underactive thyroid and have never had issues with not being hungry, so I don't really understand that issue, personally. Unless living purely on fruit and vegetables, I cannot see how reaching 1200 is difficult. Just 25g of nuts adds up to 150 or more calories, a tbsp peanut butter is around 100, large banana i over 100, a 200g portion of salmon is around 260, medium sized sweet potato is about 160, piece of cheese can add another 90-100 and an avocado is around 190 per 100g. You can easily hit 1200 eating healthy, and not having to consume a lot of food. A glass of full milk is another way, this low fat thing still seems to be hanging around, there is nothing wrong with eating healthy fats!

LaDennaP

I had that same problem, but in the last 3 months my son has lost 30+ # and I wasn't losing and he kept telling me I wasn't eating enough which I thought was weird. Anyway, I started eating a bigger breakfast like cereal with walnuts and half of a banana, lunch of chicken, baked potato (sweet or white) and lots of veggies. I try to eat a 100 calorie snack in the afternoon and a lettuce salad and chicken for dinner. And then maybe 100 calorie popcorn while watching TV. Anyway, when I eat at least 1200 calories I do much better. I am also on a low sodium diet which makes it pretty hard, but MFP has been a huge help to me. You will just have to find the food that you enjoy without going over your calories.

Before I was put on the low sodium diet I would eat a Weight Watchers or Lean Cuisine dinner for lunch along with a salad.

Good luck. We could be friends on here if you like.

jessicak0614

You can try to use more calorie-dense foods (avocado, et al) rather than volume.

I was just about to say this. I had no issues getting to 1200 UNTIL I'm actually counting my calories and then for some reason I was only getting like 1050. I'm finally getting the hang of it. I love avocado and walnuts for some added calories but that are also healthy!

redhousecat

OP, I, too, have trouble meeting my minimum daily caloric intake of 1260. When I exercise, I certainly don't meet my daily caloric intake. I wouldn't worry *too much about it right now. Just make sure you are eating enough to maintain energy to exercise.

What most folks commenting may not understand is that eating high calorie junk food may be difficult. At least it is for me. I can barely choke the stuff down. BUT, I do opt for higher calorie whole foods and healthy oils. This may be an option for you, in addition to higher calorie energy bars and drinks.

You just need to make sure you are maintaining energy levels sufficient for your workout needs.

Meg_78

What most folks commenting may not understand is that eating high calorie junk food may be difficult. At least it is for me. I can barely choke the stuff down. BUT, I do opt for higher calorie whole foods and healthy oils. This may be an option for you, in addition to higher calorie energy bars and drinks.

I don't believe any of us said anything about Junk food, we all pretty much recommend calorie dense healthy choices.

redhousecat

I don't believe any of us said anything about Junk food, we all pretty much recommend calorie dense healthy choices.

McD is pretty unhealthy the last time I checked. Of course, I could be wrong. I was simply adding my two cents. But I guess things got misconstrued. Carry on.

hesn92

I don't understand how it could possibly be hard to eat 1200 calories.... makes no sense to me. I eat over 2000 calories a day and sometimes I'm still hungry. Add more olive oil when you're cooking. Put regular mayo on a sandwich. Put avocado on whatever you're eating. Drink whole milk. Eat lots of watermelon lol. It doesn't fill you up at all. make a smoothie. Put peanut butter in it.

CajunNino

I don't believe any of us said anything about Junk food, we all pretty much recommend calorie dense healthy choices.

McD is pretty unhealthy the last time I checked. Of course, I could be wrong. I was simply adding my two cents. But I guess things got misconstrued. Carry on.

Yeah, I also read something about a Mickey D's shake. I was like, "huh?"

Meg_78

I don't believe any of us said anything about Junk food, we all pretty much recommend calorie dense healthy choices.

McD is pretty unhealthy the last time I checked. Of course, I could be wrong. I was simply adding my two cents. But I guess things got misconstrued. Carry on.

Ah yes, one person said an unhealthy option, which I took as sarcastic to be honest, Because like I said 1200 to me is a walk in the park. funny that you zoned in on that one.

I will revise...
The Majority of us who respond to this post Suggested nothing but healthy options to help make one's calorie intake higher, except for one person, whom several of us quoted, as they have the general gist of how some of us feel about a person's inability to meet 1200 calories a day.

wftiger

Bacon. Seriously, though, nuts, PB, cheese, proteins, protein shakes a snickers bar (okay not serious again on that last one).

FlaxMilk

Here's a recipe:

Milk of choice-1 cup (90 calories or more)
2 T Peanut Butter (180-200 calories)
Frozen Cherries-1 Cup (90 calories)
Protein Powder (130 calories)
Spinach or Kale (10 calories)
Emergen-C Vitamin Packet (25 calories)
2 T Chia Seeds (60 calories)

Minimum of 585 calories. You could even add in a banana and a bit more milk for another 150 easy calories. Then you can sip your calories.

Also, a teeny tray of Amy's gluten free vegan macaroni and cheese has 520 calories. I'm not saying eat that every day, but it is nearly half your calories on a day you don't feel like dealing with food.