How do people cope on 1200 calories p/d?!

kashmirdreamer

Honestly, just fill up on better things. I can make it on about 900. Find low-calorie and low sugar/carb food (if you eat sugar and carbs in the morning it will make you hungrier!) and eat a lot of that, with snacks of string cheese or almonds in between. If you eat a bunch of green beans with light smart balance (butter substitute) and a smaller amount of meat and potato, the green beans will fill you up and the meat and potatoes will help your taste buds be satisfied. Especially if it's a healthier sweet potato!

Also read the South Beach diet book, it has a lot of information on how to eat healthy food daily and how food affects your body. The creator was a cardiologist so it isn't simply fad diet type of info. Hope that helps!

I love the South Beach spinach/veggie cups. Made with egg whites/substitute and frozen veggies. They are an easy and filling snack/meal!

krytonyteavenger

When it comes to calories you have to find what works for you. Feeling starved is not what should work for anyone. However it is all about what you choose to eat or drink. If you waste all of your calories at Starbucks then yeah you feel hungry because you drank all of that. My advice would be to not drink your calories but to eat them. If you see this as starving yourself you won't stay where you want to be when you get there.

Koldnomore

Nobody should be eating only 1200 calories a day! It may work in the beginning, but over time will slow the metabolism & actually make a person store fat! If you are eating the proper way, than you can eat up to 1800 calories a day and still lose. The main key to that is exercise! I have done figure competitions and can bring myself from 17% bodyfat to 8% with a diet of 1500 - 1800 calories made up of the right macronutrients!

Not everyone is 'you' . I'm 5'6 and currently about 212, I have basically a desk job, don't work out and I'm on 1200, I walk to work and back - takes about 20 - 30 min round trip. I try to walk as fast as I can I normally get a couple hundred more calories to play with and I'm getting better at eating them back. I eat normal food. no exotic things, no artificial sweeteners, no half fat 'skinny' stuff. I don't subscribe to eating egg 'whites' for the rest of my life , or having to hunt for 45 calorie bread. My diary is public, look if you wish .

Amyaustin90

lots of veggies, i switched to low fat and fat free cheeses. limit junk food to once a week, and watch what you drink. its easy to consume hundreds of cals in drinks alone. i also go to bed hungry sometimes, esp on days with lots of physical activity. also try drinking a large glass of water before you eat each meal.

dianasmith6

I eat maximum 1200 calories a day ,but Im also 5 ft, and 123 pounds. I eat when Im hungry ,and I watch what I eat. Instead of choosing 2 pieces of toast for breakfeast (140 calories but not that filling) I eat 1 piece of wheat toast with 1 hard boiled egg ,and that gets me through until lunch.
I eat 1 small meal, 1 medium meal, and 1 large meal.
Small - 200 or less
Medium- 400 or less
Large - 600 or less
You can check my food diary (its public) for more information.

chloepatszig

I'm at 1200 per day and sometimes I only reach 1000. It's like, whenever I start eating less, I dont feel hungry anymore...

Kimbella73

Don't give up. You just have to go from day to day. Do the best you can and yes that is a very small amount of calories to intake a day depending on your weight. If your very heavy thats really not enough I would do 1500 and make sure you get that excercise in daily b/c that helps alot!!! Dont give up...I feel the same as you at times but I have to get this weight off. If you mess up one day get right back on it the next. You can do it.

siwelh

It's hard at first but after a while you realise how much food you eat out of bordem/greed rather then what your body actually needs

I agree. I also say lots of protein, little sugar, reduced carbs and a ton of water. And like Bob Harper says, I always go to bed hungry.

SamanthaAnnM

I tend to eat a lot of low calorie but still filling foods and drink a lot of water. I also try not to eat unless I'm sure I'm really hungry, not just bored or craving a certain food. Making it to 1200 some days is a challenge!! But when I'm eating a lot of unhealthy food or food from restaurants, I can do it no problem :P

shaynak112

So easy to eat 1200 cals (or less) for me. In fact, it's really difficult for me to eat that MUCH, unless I'm eating like a slice of pizza or something like that, then I'm close to my calorie goal. Unfortunately I've been eating around 800 cals a day, and I feel fine like that, but I guess that isn't too healthy so I've been trying to boost it up a bit.

Buy seriously - veggies!! Beans. Fruit. Soup.
I don't eat meat. Or fast food (much). Or drink pop. Or eat many cookies, chips, etc.

onyxgirl17

smaller stomach capacity... eating low density foods?

gemmalouise85

Portion control and if im really hungry I have ALOT more eg on my plate than potatoes etc..

Ive replace mash most time with mash swede and carrots which is 1/4 of calories and just as filling, Have that with lots of veg and steamed fish and thats really filling and about 400 cals for a plate full!
I use my snack cals on raw veg and fruit rather than 'treats'

my mainly day is
fruit n fibre for breakfast
cherries and muller lite for snack
sandwich for lucch
fruit or raw vg for afternoon snack
the a dinner like i descibed above for tea

that usually comes to 1212 cals

mandipandi75

Fingernails have no calories...

torpina

Have you thought of eating paleo? I eat paleo and count calories and I am not always starving like I used to. Basically no grains (aka sugar), processed foods, other sugars, dairy. For me, cutting out rice and bread made me less hungry!

Kathy535

I had to rethink the way I ate to lie within 1200 calories. So, now, I drink black coffee, ginger or mint tea, water and the occasional diet coke - no Starbucks with syrup anymore. I don't add sugar to cereal or drinks, eat more protein (I try but it's not so easy!) and I've upped my fruit and veg intake to fill me up. I use the calculator to help me plan ahead and make choices - if i want a takeaway for dinner what should i have for my lunch that's lower in calories? Can I fit in a swim or exercise class to earn some calories? I've been doing this for about 10 days and it's getting easier, I'm not as hungry anymore although my tummy is still growling incredibly noisily.

Bjwolff51

<a href="http://www.myfitnesspal.com"><img src="http://badges.myfitnesspal.com/badges/show/2234/5369/22345369.weight-lost-md.gif&quot; border="0"></a><p style="text-align: center;width:152px;"><small>MyFitnessPal -

I am on the HMR (Health Management Resources) plan, and it is actually amazing how full I stay on under 1200 cals a day. The secret is three shakes a day plus two entrees, with an extra shake as an option if I am still hungry. I've lost 35 lbs since mid-April on this! But whatever plan you follow, remember that volume and weight are the key factors to feeling full.

Michellereducf

Some days it seems like it's impossible to keep under my 1250 per day, sometimes it's easy. Like everything else in life there are good/bad days.

nikkitodhunter

I used to be on 1200, I thought that was fair enough because I'm small and fairly light and just assumed that was my BMR.

I struggled to stay under and would always go over by about 150, which just made me feel guilty.
Then I started eating back my excersize calories.

It wasn't doing anything for me, so I went away, did my own calculations, worked out my BMR and my TDEE, now I aim for 1300-400 (BMR is 1295 ) and set my mfp goals manually to what I wanted.

Now I actually often am nearer 1200 , but that allows me to have a little treat or snack every day, and makes planning my meals easier. That extra 100 cals makes all the difference, and now I'm much more aware of what my exact calorie deficit is every day too I add up the numbers over the week and do a little running total, and so satisfying and makes me way more motivated!

People on 1200 should probably reconsider whether that's really best for them - 1200 is too little for me, and I'm a teeny 5"1-2ish, and 100lbs. If I can't survive on 1200 a day, you probably can't!

EmilyPamEastman

It takes time and you've gotta be careful. I started at 1500 and flip flopped between that and 1300 then 1300 and 1200.

Then I was down to 1000 and under every day for half a year.
Diagnosed with anorexia then put in recovery. I lose around 30-40 lbs
So starting weight (height: 5' 6") 148lbs ending weight was 111lbs. right noq im around 113lbs.
I need to be at 120... at the minimum

phildawson75

I've just started using MFP and I'm on the 1200 cals a day and losing ~3 pound a week on avg. I've found MFP to be a huge help in not having to guess or remember what I've had and help to plan my food for the week.

I've found actually eating ~1700 cals and doing ~500 cals exercise each day has worked for me. Apart from just cutting down on choc, cakes, sweets, takeaways and beer, I haven't really had to alter my eating habits that much. The only real change is drinking a lot more water throughout the day. I need about 2000 to maintain so reducing to ~1700 isn't noticeable and I don't feel as sluggish now.

Doing 500 cals of exercise each day isn't for everyone and can take up a lot of free time, but I've found going for long fast walks in the fresh air makes me feel much better though.