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

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  • DonniesGirl69
    DonniesGirl69 Posts: 644 Member
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    Exercise is always a good idea, and the days that I DO go over and hit 1400 or even 1600....those are days I have some "earned" calories. :)

    Also, I waste almost zero calories on beverages. I drink black coffee with no sugar and water all day, every day. (with the occasional exception like the Corona I've already logged because I'm going out with a friend tonight) lol

    Yes, the wasted calories on beverages. Ugh, I was doing so well with that. I work at Starbucks so it was a real struggle for me to avoid getting drinks on my breaks/before/after my shifts. I feel obligated to get one every time. I managed to go a while not getting any, or just getting a tea, but I'm slipping a bit. I also find I need to have a coffee before my opening shifts. I hate the taste of coffee to tend to get syrup in it to sweeten it up. I will have to just stick with a double espresso downed before my tastebuds can protest ;)

    We have a new drink that is only 53 calories in a tall, so I guess that can be my treat if my diary permits.

    Unsweetened tea or green tea with a little lemon....more pallatable for some than black coffee and still has a caffiene punch. :)
  • InnerFatGirl
    InnerFatGirl Posts: 2,687 Member
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    I just had a look at a few days of your diet and your eating far too much sugar which will make you hungry. Ditch the low fat for full fat and eat a lot more fruit and veg and home made foods. A lot of what you eat is also high in salt that you need to reduce.

    FAT DOES NOT MAKE YOU FAT

    SUGAR MAKES YOU FAT.

    if you do a little exercise each day you can eat more preventing you from getting hungry.

    Sadly your diet does not seem to be very nutritionally sound. You need more vitamins and minerals from fruits and veggies also nuts should not be your only source of protein, you just variety.

    Goos luck.

    I do not believe a particular macro makes you fat. I have lost 30.5lbs by eating whatever I like, and that includes sugar.

    The issue right now is not getting fat, it's just knowing how to cope with a reduced calorie intake.
  • BeckiCharlotte13x
    BeckiCharlotte13x Posts: 259 Member
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    I manage fine. I don't feel like I'm hungry all the time either, and not tired/lacking energy...

    Its all about portion control.

    Toast x2 for breakfast.
    Sandwich or something for lunch.
    Dinner, say, roast...
    inc. 2 small potato's, slice or two of meat and lots and lots of veggies.
  • InnerFatGirl
    InnerFatGirl Posts: 2,687 Member
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    The closer you get, the more you can eat, generally. You're on the right track. Don't give up now!

    Say what?! You can eat MORE?!

    And thank you! I'm gonna have to hold on REALLY tight and just stay strong. It'd be a shame to give up now.
  • AmyB_1992
    AmyB_1992 Posts: 32
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    I was on 1450. I feel like I am starving to death. There doesn't seem to be enough choices to fit into 1450 a day. I've just bumped them up to 1550. Sigh. It sure gets harder the closer you get, huh? I'm about ready to give up. Seriously.

    I'm meant to eat 1200 cals per day but I actually eat up to 850 cals per day because what I eat fills me up and I don't get that hungry any more.
  • bsix3
    bsix3 Posts: 291
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    i'm taking in 1300 a day but it wasn't easy getting my body used to it. I'll add about 300 calories to fuel my bike rides 3 times a week.
  • InnerFatGirl
    InnerFatGirl Posts: 2,687 Member
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    I am still losing @ 1800 calories a day btw, so you don't HAVE to eat 1200 to lose =)

    I was on 1650 and losing great. Then, once I got to about 170, I stopped losing. My BMR is 1590, I believe. I wish I could lose on 1800 a day :(
  • InnerFatGirl
    InnerFatGirl Posts: 2,687 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.

    You're giving me ideas :laugh:
  • InnerFatGirl
    InnerFatGirl Posts: 2,687 Member
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    It's feasible, with a bit of planning. If you cut out bread, pasta, rice and potatoes, and watch your portion sizes, it's certainly doable.

    300 cal breakfast - eggs, smoked fish, porridge with berries, natural yoghurt, cottage cheese
    300 cal lunch - salad with a carefully chosen dressing - lemon juice and a teensy drizzle of good olive oil, or salsa
    300 cal dinner - lean grilled meat or fish with a pile of steamed veg
    3 lots of 100 cal snacks

    Minus the meat, good ideas :)

    I haven't tried cottage cheese yet, though. I'm a bit scared!
  • moparpat
    moparpat Posts: 30
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    I was on 1450. I feel like I am starving to death. There doesn't seem to be enough choices to fit into 1450 a day. I've just bumped them up to 1550. Sigh. It sure gets harder the closer you get, huh? I'm about ready to give up. Seriously.

    Yea I feel the same way sometimes, but DON"T....It's hard I know. You have to think/see how your going to look and feel when this hard/bad part is over, and it will be over, it just does not look/feel like it will end sometime soon. Keep up the good work, try different foods that fill you up faster and longer. You can experiment with the right foods that will eventually work....Good luck!!!!!!!
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
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    Doesn't *$ have calorie-free syrups?

    No one HAS TO eat 1200 calories (for the "I eat 1800 and lose" crowd) but some of us would lose a lb. a month at 1800 and we'd rather not take things that slow.
  • DanrobinD
    DanrobinD Posts: 2 Member
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    Eat every two hours something under 200 calories, then you still should have some calories left over to eat more for dinner. Make one of your meal more. For example, dinner eat 400 calories or 500 calories. Eat more veggie and fruits because there less in calories. My calories in take are 1900 but starting in Sept I will be 1500. It not hard if you plan your meal for every day or even weekly.
  • Natihilator
    Natihilator Posts: 1,778 Member
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    The closer you get, the more you can eat, generally. You're on the right track. Don't give up now!

    It's my understanding that as you lose weight, you slowly decrease your calorie intake, and once you're at goal you increase (in increments) up to your maintenance calorie intake...is that right? I have no idea as I've a long way til I reach goal.
  • InnerFatGirl
    InnerFatGirl Posts: 2,687 Member
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    Oh, just wanted to mention to those looking at my diary - please don't take it as indicitave of my normal eating habits. I have been off track for 2 weeks (and yes, I have gained). Today was the first day of really getting back on track, but I am trying to use up my food in my fridge. And, yes, I have been cooking.

    I usually cook a lot of quinoa, lentils, quorn and have natural yogurt and banana for breakfast. So my current diary isn't really a good representation. Still figuring out how to get back on my feet.
  • InnerFatGirl
    InnerFatGirl Posts: 2,687 Member
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    Doesn't *$ have calorie-free syrups?

    No one HAS TO eat 1200 calories (for the "I eat 1800 and lose" crowd) but some of us would lose a lb. a month at 1800 and we'd rather not take things that slow.

    Yeah, we do, but they taste like cleaning chemicals :sick:

    I'm being bad. I shouldn't be drinking our drinks. They're full of sugar and the sugar makes my teeth feel coated.
  • InnerFatGirl
    InnerFatGirl Posts: 2,687 Member
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    The first day I logged my foods, I wanted to lose weight as quickly as possible so I set my goal at 1200 calories per day. Trouble was, I was halfway through the day when I decided to start and had already put away 1100 calories by 3 or 4 o'clock. (I ate TONS of bread, cereal, and fruit, which although not necessarily junk food, adds up the calories quickly).

    So, I had 100 calories left for dinner. Lucky for me, my husband wasn't home that night so he couldn't make fun of my dinner. I made scrambled egg whites and had like 9 large shrimp, cold. I went 50 calories over so I hopped on the treadmill until the readout reached 50 calories (I understand that the readout is not always accurate, but hey, points for trying right?).

    Anyways, the best way to stay within 1200 is to cut out most grains. I know, that's not popular around here, but most breads, cereals, and pastas pack a LOT of calories. Have eggs for breakfast with fruit or veggies. For lunch, have salads with chicken or shrimp (I think a 3 oz chicken breast is around 100 calories. It's totally bland, but it's food, right?). For snacks, have carrots and celery and if you use any kind of dip/hummus, just put a tiny speck on each vegetable. I eat asparagus, squash, and zucchini cold and plain every day. For fruits, try to stick to berries and citrus instead of apples and bananas, which are like 100 calories each. A can of tuna is only like 100 calories- I have that for lunch a lot. I also have scrambled eggs for dinner every time my husband works late or is out so he won't make fun of me. Sweet potatoes with cinnamon are also a great, filling snack.

    If you stick to just lean proteins (tuna, chicken, turkey, shrimp, egg whites) and vegetables and just 1-2 servings of fruit a day, you can eat a LOT and still be under your calories. I think one egg's worth of whites are like 20 calories. A cup of broccoli is 33 calories. 9 large shrimp is around 100 calories. A cup of strawberries is around 50 calories. It's doable.

    What;s zuccnici?

    And you're damn right about the grains. It pains me how much calories bread is.
  • InnerFatGirl
    InnerFatGirl Posts: 2,687 Member
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    I was on 1450. I feel like I am starving to death. There doesn't seem to be enough choices to fit into 1450 a day. I've just bumped them up to 1550. Sigh. It sure gets harder the closer you get, huh? I'm about ready to give up. Seriously.

    Yea I feel the same way sometimes, but DON"T....It's hard I know. You have to think/see how your going to look and feel when this hard/bad part is over, and it will be over, it just does not look/feel like it will end sometime soon. Keep up the good work, try different foods that fill you up faster and longer. You can experiment with the right foods that will eventually work....Good luck!!!!!!!

    Thank you :heart:
  • InnerFatGirl
    InnerFatGirl Posts: 2,687 Member
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    First off inner fat girl...I love your user name! I say all the time that I'm 500 pounds at heart. Secondly, I commend you for wanting to eat more than 1200 calories and not restricting yourself as much. However, you should really increase your protein. By doing that you may feel full longer.

    Thank you :)

    As for protein, I was eating a lot of it before! About 100g a day. I didn't really notice anything markably different in my satiety levels, only that I was less hungry because I was eating more frequently, as I had more calories to play with. I think I just need to find a clever way to eat more often with less calories.
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
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    The low/no cal syrups taste good over time. You get used to them. :laugh:

    Don't give up. Aim for 1200 and if you hit 1500, call it a WIN. You don't have to lose 2 lbs/week. Shoot for 2, lose 1, carry on. I figure every day I don't eat at a surplus is a win. :happy:
  • InTheInbetween
    InTheInbetween Posts: 192 Member
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    I eat all day long on 1200-1400 a day. I just eat fruits, vegetables, salad with or without chicken, low fat/low cal dressings, I eat almonds, raisins, mixed nuts, fish, popcorn, just stuff that tastes good and is healthy. It also helps that I don't get bored with eating the same things daily lol. And I'll never deny myself a snack if I'm craving one, I'll just have a little snack, like low fat frozen yogurt.

    How do you manage to eat nuts? I love nuts but just 30g of almonds is like 200 calories :/
    Blue Diamond 100 calorie pack almonds, 1/4 of a medium sized bag of Wonderful pistachios for 160 cals, and 1 box of Sunmaid raisins for 90 cals. I make my own trail mix too! Fills me up no problem!

    ^^ Yesssssss! Works for me too! :drinker:

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