How do you maintain low calorie diet without starving?

j_wilson2012

People suggest greens and veggies, But I can say from experience, those dont fill you up. I could eat salad all day wtihout stopping. Invest in low fat, high fiber, high protein foods. Chicken, Oats, and protein bars are what I am on right now. Vegetables come as a side, and I munch on Carrots and Sunflower seeds.

As far as eating less, your body has to get used to it. It is trained to take in a certain amound of foods each day, and when you deprive it of that, it will let you know.

There will be days that you will crave anything and everything. You will splurge. Trust me, I know. I did it. The only difference you can make when that happens is what you will splurge on. I LOVE carrots and ranch, or spinach dip.

Bottom line, the more you work out, the more you can eat. Your body uses extra energy to work out, and the more you do work out, the more fuel it will need after. It is like a car. If a car goes 30 miles at 30 mph, your gas tank will be in pretty good shape, but If you go 120 mph for the same distance, the tank will be a little more empty. You gotta refill it sooner.

Oatmeal, eggs in the morning, and save room for some meat in the evening. Work out, and push yourself. Eat proteins.

j_wilson2012

Oh, and eat pasta like you would Ice cream.....sparingly. Those are CHOCK FULL of calories, sodium, and carbs.

Kristin2984

-Having a really high protein breakfast helps keep me full for the day. Try three egg whites and a serving of either cottage cheese or greek yogurt. Ill make hard boiled eggs and just eat the whites. I know it doesnt work for everyone but when I stuff myself with protein at breakfast, im so much less hungry the rest of the day.

-Water. Like a gallon a day.

-celery with a little kosher salt. it takes a while to eat and has fiber which is filling. plus almost zero calories

-Another thing that works for me is keeping busy, especially at night. Sitting on the couch watching tv makes me want to eat. Try to see the times of day or activities where you seem to find yourself hhungry and see if there is something you can adjust.

If you are really starving, adjust your calories. there is no point in trying to eat 1200 per day, failing, and beating yourself up every day. maybe up your calories to 1400 for a few weeks and let your body adjust and then try to go to 1200.

ITS_MY_CHOICE

I would say you are eating too many processed things. Im from Australia and can't recognise some of your foods.

Here are some foods in the past week I would swap out:
Cream - Half and half, 1 fl oz
Kellogg's Special K - Cereal - Strawberry - 2.5 oz Single Serving, 1 Container
Oreo - Sandwich Cookies - Golden, 2 cookies
Home Made - Home Fries, 1 cup
Bakery - Banana Nut Muffin - Large, 5.5 oz
Mcdonald's - Cheese Burger, 1 burger
Hellmann's - Real Mayonnaise 30oz Jar, 1 tbsp (13g)
Homemade - Red Velvet Cake With Buttercream Frosting, 0.5 slice
Golden Krust - Jamaican Style Spicy Beef Patties, 1 Patty
Soup - Cup Noodles Chicken Flavor, 0.1 Container (64g)

I don't know what all the olive garden stuff is, im assuming its take away.

waffleflavoredtea

Just eat as many 0 calorie foods as you can bc they dont count

Agree I like paper (shredded paper goes down easier). That keeps me full all the time.

you're hilarious. but not helpful to the OP. you come here just to troll?
She meant the famed 'zero cal veggies and fruits' which are claimed to take more calories for your body to digest the food than the foods actually contain calorie-wise.

It's a myth, but she suggested it with good intentions.

...Anyway, to the OP - I'd agree that filling up with lots of raw veggies and lower sugar fruits is great any time you get in that 'snacky' mood.

needamulligan

eat lean protein. eggs are great for a cheap calorie food that will hold you for a long time.

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

Oh, and eat pasta like you would Ice cream.....sparingly. Those are CHOCK FULL of calories, sodium, and carbs.

HUH? Sorry, no, this is just false. There is NOTHING wrong with pasta, in moderation, just as there's nothing wrong with brown rice, quinoa, or lentils. What's with the carb bashing?

maisfree

also, how filling are those beef patties?

My friend brought them from Jamaica, and I decided to have them for dinner... probably not a great idea, but they are actually quite filling. Thanks for your advice, it makes a lot of sense.

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions, I am amazed how fast you guys replied! Sadly, I don't think I would like eating shredded paper... but it seems like exercising to increase my calorie limit and choosing food wisely are my top choices. What types of carbs are low calorie yet filling? I would think brown rice, but they take so long to cook ... it's so easy to go with bread or pasta... and they seem to be not the best choices...

Anyhow, please keep the posts coming! I continue to check them

Brown rice in the rice cooker---then divvy it up into individual servings or buy the pre-cooked frozen kind

pasta is 100% fine --whole grain

bread is 100% fine---choose whole grain

sweet potatoes

lentils

quinoa

wild rice

Kristin2984

for filling/healthy carbs try quinoa. its a complete protein and cooks a lot faster than brown rice plus its more nutritious. google it for the details. its really good and has a nutty type flavor. cooks it about 15 minutes.
or bulger. you can just add water to it and in an hour (?) its ready. make it in the morning and eat it with dinner. or make big batches and eat throughout the week.

j_wilson2012

I would say you are eating too many processed things. Im from Australia and can't recognise some of your foods.

Here are some foods in the past week I would swap out:
Cream - Half and half, 1 fl oz
Kellogg's Special K - Cereal - Strawberry - 2.5 oz Single Serving, 1 Container
Oreo - Sandwich Cookies - Golden, 2 cookies
Home Made - Home Fries, 1 cup
Bakery - Banana Nut Muffin - Large, 5.5 oz
Mcdonald's - Cheese Burger, 1 burger
Hellmann's - Real Mayonnaise 30oz Jar, 1 tbsp (13g)
Homemade - Red Velvet Cake With Buttercream Frosting, 0.5 slice
Golden Krust - Jamaican Style Spicy Beef Patties, 1 Patty
Soup - Cup Noodles Chicken Flavor, 0.1 Container (64g)

I don't know what all the olive garden stuff is, im assuming its take away.

Olive Garden is Italian.....pasta.
Hey.........the Krispy Kreme diet works best, I hear. Try that
no but for reals- no more fast food. NONE. they stack up the calories, and dont make you full. A Mcdouble is like 500 calories, but I could eat 4 of them in one sitting. And that is just lunch.
Oreo's? Cmon
haha....cup noodles. That is like dorm room food. They give you the squirts, and will cause you to have High Blood Pressure.
You need to visit your local market. You save money compared to eating out all the time. Just stock up in the produce department, get healthy meats (skinless chicken is STACKED with protein). Eat regularly and you will do fine. Dont get anything that has sugar and that you will be tempted to munch on. keep working out, and you will do fine.

Ditch any of the soda. Even the calorie free stuff. It is made of sugar, even if it doesn't say so in the nutrition facts. Look at the ingredients and tell me the very first ingredient (besides carbonated water) on any soda can. and if you keep drinking that, you will never lose weight.

Try low calorie pomegranate juice. There are juices that are only about 30-50 calories per glass, and dont have very much sugar. It tastes great, too.
good luck whatever you do! I know I am losing weight, and I just quit smoking. For those who dont know, when you quit smoking, you gain weight. Well, I am winnning that battle. I feel GREAT!

maisfree

I would say you are eating too many processed things. Im from Australia and can't recognise some of your foods.

Here are some foods in the past week I would swap out:
Cream - Half and half, 1 fl oz
Kellogg's Special K - Cereal - Strawberry - 2.5 oz Single Serving, 1 Container
Oreo - Sandwich Cookies - Golden, 2 cookies
Home Made - Home Fries, 1 cup
Bakery - Banana Nut Muffin - Large, 5.5 oz
Mcdonald's - Cheese Burger, 1 burger
Hellmann's - Real Mayonnaise 30oz Jar, 1 tbsp (13g)
Homemade - Red Velvet Cake With Buttercream Frosting, 0.5 slice
Golden Krust - Jamaican Style Spicy Beef Patties, 1 Patty
Soup - Cup Noodles Chicken Flavor, 0.1 Container (64g)

I don't know what all the olive garden stuff is, im assuming its take away.

Thanks for the suggestion, I could start from swapping half and half with skim milk. Olive Garden is an italian restaurant here in the U.S., it happens to be my friends' favorite restaurant and ended up eating an entree with ~800 kcal in total. I freaked out when I saw the number. I agree with too much processed food. I used to cook a lot when I used to live with my family, but now that I live alone I stopped cooking... I guess it's time to start cooking again!

Mummyadams

Check out the Eat More to Weigh Less posts - you shouldn't feel like your starving ...

maisfree

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions, I am amazed how fast you guys replied! Sadly, I don't think I would like eating shredded paper... but it seems like exercising to increase my calorie limit and choosing food wisely are my top choices. What types of carbs are low calorie yet filling? I would think brown rice, but they take so long to cook ... it's so easy to go with bread or pasta... and they seem to be not the best choices...

Anyhow, please keep the posts coming! I continue to check them

Brown rice in the rice cooker---then divvy it up into individual servings or buy the pre-cooked frozen kind

pasta is 100% fine --whole grain

bread is 100% fine---choose whole grain

sweet potatoes

lentils

quinoa

wild rice

I'll start with swapping my carb food with whole grain stuff and try others that you suggested! Thanks

j_wilson2012

Oh, and eat pasta like you would Ice cream.....sparingly. Those are CHOCK FULL of calories, sodium, and carbs.

HUH? Sorry, no, this is just false. There is NOTHING wrong with pasta, in moderation, just as there's nothing wrong with brown rice, quinoa, or lentils. What's with the carb bashing?

Click:
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5798/2
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5784/2

Crochetluvr

I have to ask this. Are you really hungry....or do you just want to eat?

invictus8

Some people are more sensitive to carbs than others -- there's some evidence that men (and people who tend to store fat around their stomach rather than thighs/glutes) benefit more from low-carb diets. But it really depends on the person. I feel the best on a "slow" carb diet -- beans, some fiber-rich tortilla wraps, and low-fat dairy -- but others might feel better with more or less carbs. Experiment to see what works for you!

TerezaToledo

I just don't. Eat More 2 Weigh Less is the key for me ;0)

sarah6336

I'm on the 1200 calorie diet and have been losing weight steadily, even though I was on vacation for half the time I've been on mfp. I know a lot of people say to eat protein to keep full. However, protein is pretty calorie dense. I try to eat mostly fruit and vegetables through out the day. I eat some grains and some protein, but hey aren't the major components of my diet. I also drink a lot of coffee (black) and tea (straight). Try to eat a well balanced diet, exercise moderately, and try not to focus on what you are eating. If you focus on only having 1200 calories, you'll be less likely to stay on the diet.

smellyrichelley

MFP also set me to 1200, and it's very difficult for me to stay that low as well. Lately I've been working out 6days/week, and eating back my exercise calories, which puts me at 1500-1600 calories/day. It has really helped a ton.

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

Oh, and eat pasta like you would Ice cream.....sparingly. Those are CHOCK FULL of calories, sodium, and carbs.

HUH? Sorry, no, this is just false. There is NOTHING wrong with pasta, in moderation, just as there's nothing wrong with brown rice, quinoa, or lentils. What's with the carb bashing?

Click:
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5798/2
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5784/2

since when is 220 calories or 183 mg of sodium a lot?

maisfree

I would say you are eating too many processed things. Im from Australia and can't recognise some of your foods.

Here are some foods in the past week I would swap out:
Cream - Half and half, 1 fl oz
Kellogg's Special K - Cereal - Strawberry - 2.5 oz Single Serving, 1 Container
Oreo - Sandwich Cookies - Golden, 2 cookies
Home Made - Home Fries, 1 cup
Bakery - Banana Nut Muffin - Large, 5.5 oz
Mcdonald's - Cheese Burger, 1 burger
Hellmann's - Real Mayonnaise 30oz Jar, 1 tbsp (13g)
Homemade - Red Velvet Cake With Buttercream Frosting, 0.5 slice
Golden Krust - Jamaican Style Spicy Beef Patties, 1 Patty
Soup - Cup Noodles Chicken Flavor, 0.1 Container (64g)

I don't know what all the olive garden stuff is, im assuming its take away.

Olive Garden is Italian.....pasta.
Hey.........the Krispy Kreme diet works best, I hear. Try that
no but for reals- no more fast food. NONE. they stack up the calories, and dont make you full. A Mcdouble is like 500 calories, but I could eat 4 of them in one sitting. And that is just lunch.
Oreo's? Cmon
haha....cup noodles. That is like dorm room food. They give you the squirts, and will cause you to have High Blood Pressure.
You need to visit your local market. You save money compared to eating out all the time. Just stock up in the produce department, get healthy meats (skinless chicken is STACKED with protein). Eat regularly and you will do fine. Dont get anything that has sugar and that you will be tempted to munch on. keep working out, and you will do fine.

Ditch any of the soda. Even the calorie free stuff. It is made of sugar, even if it doesn't say so in the nutrition facts. Look at the ingredients and tell me the very first ingredient (besides carbonated water) on any soda can. and if you keep drinking that, you will never lose weight.

Try low calorie pomegranate juice. There are juices that are only about 30-50 calories per glass, and dont have very much sugar. It tastes great, too.
good luck whatever you do! I know I am losing weight, and I just quit smoking. For those who dont know, when you quit smoking, you gain weight. Well, I am winnning that battle. I feel GREAT!

Thanks for your advice! About that cheese burger ... I needed a quick lunch and I grabbed it from a cafeteria from my work, and I ended up choosing McDonald's cheese burger just for calorie calc... haha, silly I know... but don't worry it isn't McDouble... Same goes for the cup noodle... I ate a cup soup with 30 kcal and ended up using cup noodle to calculate for the calorie.. I know, not the best idea!

I am a grad student on a stipend and I also live alone so yes, I can't be spending a lot of money to buy fresh food/produce all the time, but I will try to find a local market! I love fresh veggies and fruit, but I've gotten used to not eating too much of them since I moved out of my parents' house...

Thank you for the encouragement too!

wheezybreezy

http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

- calculate your BMR, and then calculate your TDEE

You may find that 1200 is just too low for you. I would be so HANGRY all the time. It's not for everyone.

Sneaky__B

I eat almost no carbs (sort of paleo/primal) so I often have to have an extra snack just to get up to 1200 calories. Lots of steamed veggies which are very filling, pork tenderloin is low cal for meat, smoothies w/ frozen berries & kale & a bit of yogurt and skim milk fills me up for lunch, eggs for breakfast or even a boiled egg for a snack if I am starving (which I am not usually).

I find if I start the day off with a good breakfast that makes a big difference - I usually have a 2 egg omelette filled with a bit of grated cheese & some sauteed veggies. Then I don't even get the urge to snack until lunch time.

puddies01

try to cut down on sugar and eat protein at every meal or at least lunch and dinner. That seems to keep me fuller longer. Good luck!

Gioooo

Just eat as many 0 calorie foods as you can bc they dont count

Agree I like paper (shredded paper goes down easier). That keeps me full all the time.

Depends on the type. Photo paper is a little tricky

Gwenski

Here are some tips that helped me...
Drink lots of water.
Cut your food up into tiny pieces...and chew slowly..aim to take 1/2 hour to eat a meal
Try not to drink with meals..wait at least 30 ,invites after a meal before drinking anything
Exercise seems to curb my appetite as well.
I aim for 3 meals and 3 snacks but usually have 3 meals and 2 snacks per day.
All the best for your success being healthy!

tlblood

The key is to eat more fresh and less processed foods (others have given great ideas). As much as people say its all about calories in vs. calories out, there is so much more to it than that! You have to be getting the right kind of calories (nutrients) as well.

I've noticed in looking at other people's diaries that the people who are doing this well have very lengthy diaries because they are building meals with lots of fresh foods. People who have very short diaries are typically eating a lot of processed foods that are empty calories.

My breakfast and lunch are usually under 300 calories, and dinner is between 300-500 usually. Any extra calories and those I earned by exercising are good for snacks and dessert.

poedunk65

Loads of protien

It_never_ends

Just eat as many 0 calorie foods as you can bc they dont count

Yes they do. A calorie is a calories. What do you mean they don't count?