People Eating 1200 a Day

hollyNhollywood

I also disagree with some of the posts on here generalizing by saying 1200 is too low.
You just need to listen to your body and take it from there. It depends on how active you are. But tracking your calories is the first step. You'll see where you are wasting your calories and can adjust. (For me, I saw how much calories, sugar and sodium I was really intaking and its all about adjusting. I've worked on calories and sugar, but still have issues some days w/ sodium)

Except for my exercise routine, I am sedentary (due to working from home, and working long hours). So 1200 works for me. (I usually try to eat 1200-1300 as I eat back some of my exercise calories).
And it doesn't mean you're starving as some people will say. You should only be starving if you're still trying to eat mainly bad foods. As your portions will be very small..
You just have to eat the right foods. The healthier foods you eat, the more you can eat. Some days when I eat really well, I even find myself looking for a way to get my calories up to 1200 as I'm not hungry. I'll make a protein shake for a snack, eat apple slices with 'better than peanut butter' spread, eat hummus with red pepper slices, add a serving of blue chips to my "taco salad", etc...
Now of course everyday isn't easy. On weekends/going out to eat, it is harder for me. But I allow myself freedom on those days. I will allow an approx 1500-1600 calorie day about once a week (but I make sure I work out those days).

Good luck!!

laurajguil

Go ahead and add me. The 1200 isn't enough for me, so I exercise and get more calories. Good Luck to you

mckmom69

bump

tasiamere

Glad to have you on board! 1200 is torture if you're eating packaged foods. I made that mistake in the beginning. But once you learn your staple foods like 4 oz chicken breast = 120cals add pretty much any seasoning you want mrs Dash is awesome and maybe 2-5 cals. 1/2 cup of white rice is normally 120-150. With staple foods you can build awesome things and still stay in line with the 1200/day. Feel free to add me! Diary sharing on other 1200/day MFPs is how I managed to not give up the first week. Good luck!

momtokgo

I eat between 1100 and 1200 a day usually, but I'm a gluten free vegan. It makes it hard to get up to 1200 at all, and unless I have something naughty (chips, pop etc) I don't go over. But I'm losing 2lbs a week and I feel good, so its working for me.

Dovekat

Hmm i don't always eat 1200 (sometimes more sometimes less) but my diary is open if you would like some ideas, it's pretty borning i suppose but it works for me. :happy:

bcattoes

I eat more than 1200 a day, but if you ignore the wine it's not much more. But you'll have to go back a couple of weeks to see my diary because I was without electricity at my house for a while and didn't log.

But I agree with other posters who have recommended preparing your own food rather than buying prepackaged "diet" meals. They are typically small portions, low in nutrition, high in sodium, and not very tasty.

I just try to eat a good mix of vegetables, some fruit, whole grains and fish, lean meat, nuts, seeds and beans. I mostly cook and dress my food with extra virgin olive oil. I'm not a big salad eater so most of my veggies are roasted, grilled or stir fried.

Whole grain wraps are a great way to make a low calorie meal that is both nutritious and delicious. Start with a dark leafy green (kale, arugula, spinach, etc.) and add chopped raw veggies of your choice and some type of protein (hummus, chicken, tuna, cheese, etc.). Sprinkle on a little vinegrette dressing, salsa or hot sauce and wrap it up. (if making a chicken wrap try Frank's Red Hot Buffalo sauce as the dressing. YUM)

momma3sweetgirls

I eat closer to 1500. You can take a look at my diary if you want.

twelker878

my diary should be open. Otherwise you can add me. SUNDAY was not a good day though. Dont look at sunday. haha

RealWomenLovePitbulls

I eat normal food, just not junk food. If you drink soda all day, or eat junk, you are not going to reach your goal.
I am not a big breakfast eater, so I have a Special K granola bar only for breakfast, which is only 90 cal.
Keep snacks under 200 cal for the day - snacks include drinks!!! Drink water!
That leaves you 910 calories to split up between lunch and dinner, and you can have a good meal for that.

good snacks are - 100 cal pks. They have SunChips, White Cheddar Popcorn, and Cheetos in those, also the little 100 cal packs of cookies and whatnot. fruit is always a good snack. I'm not a big snacker, so I usually just have one or none a day, which sometimes is one pop (or Cream Soda!) or one candy bar, but then that's it for the day.

Make sure when you make your meals, you are having plenty of good veggies, most are really low in calories. You wanna have a "green" veggie with every meal, if you are having corn and potatoes with your meat, you have 2 starches and no slow carbs, and you want to have one of each

msgremmy

I started out at 1200 calories, then I moved up to between 1500 and 1600 based on my TDEE, and now I'm back to 1200.

I find that you can still eat a lot on 1200 calories, you just have to use them wisely. My meals for today include:
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Morning snack: two Smartdogs (I crave protein sometimes)
Lunch: Arugula salad, split pea soup and triscuits
Afternoon snack: stove-popped popcorn
Dinner: Shirataki noodles with a little margarine, spinach and Gardein (fake) chicken
Nighttime snack: Almond milk and cherries.
All of this is right around 1050 calories, so I have some room if I want to add something.

Oh, my biggest tip is to pre-log your day. Each morning I log my meals. It keeps me on track and excited about all the food I can eat. I actually look at my diary and can say there's nothing else I want.

Cold_Steel

Start off with 1lb lost per week see where that puts you at.

If the calories dont change then put it to light activity lifestyle.

Then if you dont have an active lifestyle, make that happen.

runyourbunsoff

this is the nice thing about eating well... 1200 calories is actually quite a bit in healthy food! feel free to add me! i generally eat very clean but i also don't deny myself anything that i am craving. i figure it's better to eat a little bit of something than to restrict so much that eventually i end up eating an entire bag of whatever. i have a lot of nutrition experience/advice from my years of personal research for my own health!

Determinednoob

I eat a lot more than 1200 but you can still get ideas from mine as it is open to all. Not a lot of ideas though cause I eat the same things a lot

jennaworksout

I think 1200 a day is too little, your metabolism might go out of wack...i would stick to 1600 at least and try to eat 5 times a day in stead of 3 ....I find low calorie yogurt, fruits and veggies are the best to keep in check with calorie counting, I am on the 1200 a day, but I exercise burning about 700-800 calories a day which allows me to eat more.

vishk2809

Hey!
I'm 5'3 and I was 168 when I started, and started losing 1-2 pounds a week on a 1200 calorie plan with a few cardio workouts a week.
It has been going really well for me. At first, eating 1200 calories is HARD. But it's easier if, as a general rule, you don't eat food that you didn't make yourself! I only eat out 1-2 times a week.
I eat tonnnns of veggies, meats, and very few baked-type goods (bread, pasta, pastries, etc.). I eat cheese all the time because I love cheese, and it's high in protein and calcium anyway. I also drink white wine on weekends, btw, I just make sure I do a kick-a** workout on Friday nights before going out to counteract all those alcohol calories. I also eat gelato, ice cream, and dark chocolate - but the key is moderation, and to keep your other food choices healthy!

Over time you'll get used to it, you'll stop thinking about food so much, and that plate that's half salad, a chicken breast, and 1/2 a cup of brown rice will be all you need, hell, it might even be too much and make you super full.
The best thing you can do for yourself though, is to make all your own food. That way you know what's in there and you can really control what you're eating, plus keeping your sodium low (high-sodium diets = bloating = dreaded inches!!)

P.S. Seeing that scale hit 160, and knowing that the 150s were only one pound away, was 1,000,000 x MORE AMAZING than any reese's cup, bowl of kraft dinner, or late night poutine has EVER tasted. Just seeing the number go down will be all the motivation you need - just stick with 1200 calories for two weeks and you will be way more motivated!

Feel free to add me, and you can check out my food diary as well

twinmom430

I'm on a 1260 a day diet. I've lost 50 lbs in 6 months. It's hard, but doable, I've only gone over on my calories about 5 times since I started MFP in January. I added you as a friend so you can check out my diary. Good luck!

dperich1968

stfuriada is right on.

There are people here (myself included) who will recommend increasing your intake, at least a little bit, as 1200 is the lowest you should go, and that's not always healthy. However, whether you're eating 1200 or 1400 or whatever, you'll get the most bang for your caloric buck if you stick to more whole foods instead of pre-packaged ones. Fruits and vegetables, lean meats, fresh salads, etc. Eating more whole foods will also decrease your sodium intake (unless you load your food with salt), which is also healthier for most people. And you can tailor the flavor to suit your tastes just by adding spices. Homemade salad dressing is easy to make, delicious, and much lower in sugar and calories than store-bought.

DITTO, you will be amazed how much you eat when you add lots of veggies, and fresh food.

Good Luck on your ultimate goals.

scornholio

I think its common that you all surprise yourself as to what you think tastes good and what doesn't if you stick to the diet for at least 3 weeks.

Inkchick

You can add me, my diary is open and I am at 1250 a day.

JenMull44

1200 is going to slow your metabolism way down, and you will end up gaining the weight back because it's too low to sustain. It is NOT a lot of food! I would find another calculator and figure out a number that's a bit higher and more sustainable. :-)

Totally disagree, it depends on your build and activity level - agreed I wouldn't go below this but its not too low to sustain.

Yes, I also agree that in the beginning of this journey 1200 is appropriate. I started at 1200 and after I finally lost 15 lbs, I upped it too 1300.
I also work out five days a week.

Laurie1267

[/quote]

I eat a ton of food and stay at 1200, you just have to pick the right types of foods. And making generalizations about everyone's metabolism isn't the best idea.[/quote]

I totally agree - I've been on 1200 and have lost 22 pounds. My diary is open to friends, so feel free to add me

daylily2005

feel free to look at mine. I don't go anywhere near those frozen meals, either. I make all my own stuff or choose food from restaurants wisely.

JustJudy

My beachbody coach increased my calories from 1200 to 1500 and changed my macros and that broke a year plateau. I'm working on cleaning up my diet, so that said, you can add me and look at my diary. I live in Texas and can't refuse a bowl of good salsa and chips. Also during the summer I over indulge on the adult beverages. That said, the scale keeps moving down. I'm also within 5 lbs of my ideal weight now.

17ChargerGirl17

I eat around 1200 calories a day, give or take a little on different days. And I feel like I am eating enough to keep me satisfied. I also eat the Michelina Lean meals when I'm in a hurry at work. And I find some of them to be quite tasty. I usually eat Triscut crackers with them. I have continued to lose weight eating them. I think it depends on the person...
Good luck....

RealWomenLovePitbulls

is ur diary accurate!? are u eating soup and lasagna for breakfast, next to nothing for lunch, breakfast foods for dinner, and full meals as snacks?!

FatToFit12

This is day 2 for me counting calories. I'm sitting here eating a Michelinas Lean Gourmet & it is gross! Would some of you that have been eating 1200 calories for a while add me or direct me to your food diary so I can get some better meal ideas?
Thanks!

A great tip is to get some frozen mixed vegtables and add the lean cuisine to them and stir it up. The lean cuisine always has alot of sauce and little food. The sauce and meal mixes with the vegtables and makes everything taste good. Plus it will actually fill you up.

samanthakre

I eat clean, and eat approx 1200/day...never over 1500. It is a struggle to make it though! The more processed your foods, the more calories in my experience.

Cook up some turkey burgers, chicken, fish, veggies...all in 4 oz meat portions, I don't measure my veggies though - they hardly have any calories, so even if I'm off a little it's not really going to matter. You'll be surprised how much you can eat! I eat 6 meals a day and sometimes have to push to get to 1200...

soul_sista88

I believe I have done well sticking around 1200 cals. When I first started I was always below 1200. The weight was coming off though, but I didn't feel like I was starving because I ate a lot of low cal food, such as eliminating cheese and mayo and after awhile, I wasn't attracted to things such as cookies and ice cream (which I love) because I knew the calorie content. Don't get me wrong, there are some days I go over especially this past vacation. This is mainly because you will have fewer calories for the food you prepare at home. We were on the road, so my food came from fast food places, but there are still healthy choices out there. I enjoyed Subway, KFC (take the skin off, which will save you in salt and calories). Although I hung away from these goodies, that just made me even more eagered to find delicious recipes. Hence, I just made for the first time squash casserole. DELICIOUS and will be my lunch for today lol. I also would drink a lot of water that usually swerves those appetite pangs. Some delicious snacks are: lightly salted rice cake with a 1/2 or 1 spoon of nutella, fruit, graham crackers, great value three cheese baked crisps, and zucchini and chocolate chip bread. Just add me if you want.

Breakfast: Slice of whole wheat toast and fruit or small portion of meat
Snack: Great Value Honey Roasted Peanuts or Rice Cake
Lunch: Squash Casserole (leftovers)
Snack: Pear halves
Dinner: Chinese Beef and Broccoli and 2 chicken wings (no salt and msg)
Snack (If any): Great Value Crunchy Honey Oats Cereal/100 cal yogurt pretzels/1 graham cracker (has four squares anyway)

freckledrats

Some of my favorite healthy low cal tricks:

Baking skinless boneless chicken in broth, covered. Keeps it super moist. Then I dip in soy and sesame seeds while eating.

Pan-fried zucchini. I hate hate hate veggies, but this works. Chop up a zucchini, 2 tbsp olive oil in a pan, season zucchini with garlic salt.

Fish fish fish fish

I love fruit so I eat apples pretty regularly (80 cals) and they fill me up for a bit.

Cherry/grape tomatoes, cucumber salads, etc, are also nice low cal treats.

I like to pan fry pork loin plain as well. Pork loin has a lot of flavor and isn't too much higher cal than chicken.