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

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  • riccoismydog
    riccoismydog Posts: 319 Member
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    People do. Cut out all the crap food and it's easy! Some smaller girls like myself have to, or else I can't lose any fat. If you are tiny and doing it just to cut some surface fat, it is very very important that you don't do it too long, pay close attention to your nutrient levels, and keep the protein high. Oh ya, lift some weights so you aren't burning muscle.....
  • Elzecat
    Elzecat Posts: 2,916 Member
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    I am still losing @ 1800 calories a day btw, so you don't HAVE to eat 1200 to lose =)

    Me too. I started at 1500 calories a day when I had 50 pounds to lose, now I have 10 pounds to lose and I'm up to 1850 plus exercise calories. 1200/day works for some people, but I am not one of them.
  • mandipandi75
    mandipandi75 Posts: 6,035 Member
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    I eat less than 1200 per day and I'm not hungry. It's all in how you use your calories... fruits, veggies and lean meat is key.You should eat every couple of hours as well as drinking lots of water and exercising. I feel the only time I struggle is when I go out but there are some good things to pick from at most restaurants. The trouble is wanting what everyone else eats. You can still do that too if you plan for it and just eat less. Your body adjusts to eating less.
  • Herbalifekim
    Herbalifekim Posts: 10
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    I have been using the Herbalife protein shakes!!! OMG what a difference!
  • Nerdy_Rose
    Nerdy_Rose Posts: 1,277 Member
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    Once upon a time, I gave up on trying to lose weight and picked "sedentary maintenance" calories.
    My body was like, "Oh, that's cool" and dropped a few more pounds almost immediately.
  • sxyfitmomandwife
    sxyfitmomandwife Posts: 328 Member
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    I load up on veggies I have 3-4 different kinds per meal. with protien and with a small portion of processed carbs i.e dinner roll, baked chips, or crackers depending on the meal or fruit.
  • emg9
    emg9 Posts: 112
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    look at my diary, it's average is 1200 or less. im always full, and the things i eat are really yummy!! x
  • shoesalwaysfit
    shoesalwaysfit Posts: 48 Member
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    I find I can keep to 1200 with eating my 3 meals but having the "budget" for snacks is the hard part for me. I have been loading up on iced tea so that I am too full to snack. I would love to know what low cal stuff people are snacking on?
  • Jarnard
    Jarnard Posts: 497 Member
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    My net calories can range from 1200 - 1400 but I've eaten almost 2400 calories through out the day.. those are the days I work out hard though. Eat, be healthy, and feel good. I'm generlaly in a better mood when i eat and exercise.
  • broyletr
    broyletr Posts: 2 Member
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    I'm on week 2 of my 1200 calorie plan, and quite honestly, I never thought in a million years that I'd be full with that, but I am. I start the day with high fiber, which keeps me full most of the morning. Then, I have a healthy lunch with turkey, whole grain bread, and even throw on a slice of cheese! I have some healthy chips on the side. In between meals I have plenty of fruit! I have a nectarine, which is only 57 calories, and a fruit cup, which is only 60 calories. Then I eat dinner, which consists of grilled chicken, salad, and sometimes a small baked potato. That puts me right at my calories. I get in my cardio 4 times a week, and on those days, I have 500-600 calories leftover! It tells me I'm in starvation mode, but I can't think of anything else to eat and I'm not hungy. So that's my challenge, how to get extra calories on workout days.

    Long story short, you can do it! It's all about food choices. Find substitutes for some of your favorite things. Try sugar free jello or pudding, instead of something else sweet. Things like that really help. Hang in there, it's hard, but it will be soooo worth it!
  • jdploki70
    jdploki70 Posts: 343
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    I usually have to have an extra snack to get up over that 1200 calorie mark. My dinners are the heaviest meals, because the rest of my food is eaten on the go. Usually I'll try to have a decent dinner with a salad, which will be about 500 cal for dinner and another 100 cal for salad. I almost never "drink" my calories, because it isn't filling and doesn't add much to what my body needs. I take coffee black, drink coke zero sparingly, and water the rest of the time.

    Now my problem is getting my calories up to maintenance levels from dieting levels. I still log something like 600 calories less than I should, but as I'm still packing around an extra 20 lbs, I think I'll be okay.
  • BethB04
    BethB04 Posts: 1
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    I love food to and used to be a total carb addict. What I do is eat lots of veggies and drink tons of water, multivitamins help too. Eventually the cravings go away. Don't give up, some days are hard but it's worth it...good luck!!!!!:smile:
  • Gembott
    Gembott Posts: 1 Member
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    Here's a look at my typical day, on a 1300 calorie diet, plus I burn 500 calories in exercise per day.

    Breakfast: Half cup of oatmeal, milk and half cup strawberries
    Morning Snack: Banana and two Clementines
    Lunch: Spinach, deli chicken, 2 tbsp's walnuts, 1 tbsp cranberries, 1/4 feta
    Afternoon Snack: 1 apple, half cup greek yoghurt, 1 tbsp organic honey
    Dinner: 1 fresh salmon filet, 1 sweet potato (baked) or 1 cup broccoli.

    Perfect combination of protein, fiber, good fats etc.

    If I get hungry due to the fact that I work out a lot, then I would choose veggies or fruits to snack on. Or I would have a 2 egg, 1 egg white plus veggies omelette for breakfast. I NEVER drink soda or high calorie coffee drinks. I drink black coffee which is virtually calorie free and high in anti-oxidents. Drink lots and lots of water! And I ALWAYS prepare all my food for the day in the mornings and take it to work so I don't go to the mall at lunch and be tempted by the chinese food ;-)
  • jkimmett
    jkimmett Posts: 46 Member
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    Lean dense protein. Keeps you fuller longer.
  • InnerFatGirl
    InnerFatGirl Posts: 2,687 Member
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    Thanks everyone for your replies. Ah, I'm just at a difficult point in this journey. With moving house, being around a lot of temptation and reducing from 1650 calories, it's a struggle. I'll get over it, I'm sure.

    You're all right about the veggies etc. Need to have a look at some recipes and get creative again!
  • mandy031383
    mandy031383 Posts: 94 Member
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    Load up on proper nutrition and you should be able to stay at 1400 net. Take a peak at my diary.

    Your diary is private.
  • InnerFatGirl
    InnerFatGirl Posts: 2,687 Member
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    You've got 180 calories in your morning coffee alone. That's a couple of snacks. You could try substituting for either a regular black coffee which would be 3 calories, or 12 calories if you had it with skimmed milk.

    Also, I notice that in today's diary, you had a lot of pre-packaged stuff - try making your own lunches and dinners.

    Yeah, I had to have coffee as I was doing a morning shift (4.15am alarm). I can't function without it. I hate the taste of coffee so I wouldn't be able to have a black coffee. I can, however, have the coffee without syrup or just down a double espresso and try to ignore the horrible taste :laugh:

    As for my food, it was all cooked. As in, I prepared it all yesterday for the next few days.
  • Shannota
    Shannota Posts: 312 Member
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    Homemade (low calorie) soups also help a lot. Zucchini came into our garden in full force several weeks ago. I diced it up with a tomato, onions, and a little (very little) potato, salt and pepper to taste. It was yummy and filling. This week, I've been doing a lot of grilled veggies. Again, dice them up, put on an aluminum foil liner (or a grill basket), a little cooking spray, salt and pepper. I have been grilled zucchini, mushrooms, and onion. I even splurge most nights and have a small baked potato...love my spuds!

    Good luck on your journey!
  • InnerFatGirl
    InnerFatGirl Posts: 2,687 Member
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    Lean dense protein. Keeps you fuller longer.

    Sadly, protein doesn't seem to do anything special for my satiety.
  • InnerFatGirl
    InnerFatGirl Posts: 2,687 Member
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    Homemade (low calorie) soups also help a lot. Zucchini came into our garden in full force several weeks ago. I diced it up with a tomato, onions, and a little (very little) potato, salt and pepper to taste. It was yummy and filling. This week, I've been doing a lot of grilled veggies. Again, dice them up, put on an aluminum foil liner (or a grill basket), a little cooking spray, salt and pepper. I have been grilled zucchini, mushrooms, and onion. I even splurge most nights and have a small baked potato...love my spuds!

    Good luck on your journey!

    Oh, that sounds lovely! Thanks for the idea - I love potato too!

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