1200 CAN'T be enough

cbirdso

It wasn't (and isn't) enough for me either, although many people seem to do fine on that or even less. I set my MFP goal to lose only 1/2 a pound a week (a 250 cal deficit) and lost weight continuously until I reached my goal. If I would have tried to go lower, I know I would have gotten discouraged and quit. P.S. I also eat my exercise calories.

9JANE

1200 can be enough if you eat the right foods and get enough protein. Eat your protein first and then eat your veggies and if you are still hungry eat your fruit, also use a smaller plate like a salad plate as your dinner plate and the food will fill it up and your eyes will be convinced that your meal is enough. Make sure that your protein is about4 ounces that is the amount you should be getting in one meal. If that doesn't seem like a lot remember a quarter pounder from McDonalds is 4ounces. You are used to eating more so 12oo calories is not going to fill you up at first but keep trying and your stomach will get used to the smaller amount and you will lose weight. I try to get 1200 calories a day and I cannot eat that much. I am eating the right foods and getting enough liquids and I have lost 75lbs in 11 months and feel great I go to the gym every morning and you also get extra calories when you log your exercise and that can help. JUST KEEP TRYING .

jjelizalde

I decided to start my weight loss journey today. I did great all dad and walked outside 50 minutes. I'm pretty sedentary so my calorie goal in around 1200 as the site instructed.

I'm 20. This really can't be right can it? I was still starving afterwhile so I ate more. (granted a healthy food) and I had around 1500 today.

what do you all think?

This. This is how it's done!

If you're hungry, eat.

Set your weight loss goal to half a pound a week. Exercise, and eat your calories you burn from exercise (but be careful, MFP's burn estimates are often inaccurate). Try eating more protein and fat and fewer carbs than MFP recommends, as protein and fat will help keep you feeling more satisfied. Learn to differentiate between physical hunger (stomach growling, shaky hands, etc.) and mental/emotional hunger, if you haven't already. Drink enough water to hydrate, but not too much -- just make sure your urine is almost clear. No more, no less.

You'll be fine.

dawlschic007

Nothing says you have to eat just 1200 calories. Also, you mentioned that you walked for awhile today, so you would want to eat back those calories you burned for a total NET of 1200 calories.

MzRawkqueen

You can't walk to 50 minutes girl, you gotta SWEAT! I walk over an hour a day and that's just to work and back. I also don't count that as working out. Have a solid crazy burn workout, or do the bum wiggle walk to really up that heart rate.

Also, why not lower your loss rate to .5 lbs a week and see if that helps. Or just up the cals to 1300. Starting slow is great, but remaining consistant is key.

medgirl8907

One thing I found really helps is drinking HOT beverages (preferably herbal teas if you like them) and adding splenda or another zero calorie sweetener for a bit of taste. While cold water helps to hydrate your body faster after a workout, warm/hot water stays in your stomach longer, making you feel fuller longer. Plus, getting 8 glasses of water a day helps your body to lose weight as well. This little trick can help when you have a really limited calorie budget (like I do). It will still take some time to adjust to the lower calorie amount, but be patient! You can do this!

kristakh1

I'm 5'4" and after a month wasn't losing weight on 1200. My doctor said to eat 1100 for a couple weeks, then 1000 for a couple. He said if my weight stalled to go down to 900, but not to do that for very long. I'm eating 1100 right now & am staying full.

I don't eat calories burned back. I don't eat before 9 or after 6pm. I don't snack and if I do it's about 100 calories.

Drink LOTS of water & I think if you eat 100 calories less each week, you can get your stomach adjusted to 1200.

madee25

The 1200 is your Net Calories. Which means, take what you eat and subtract what you burn (above your resting rate) and the difference should be 1200. So if you are burning 500 in exercise, you should be consuming 1700.

lehmann75

it is enough

then why am I starving?

No one here can answer either question without more info than you've given, and even then you'll get tons of conflicting advice by well meaning people who know what works for them individually.

What are you eating to get to 1200? And are you logging your exercise? Do you eat your exercise-earned calories? (You should be.)

Personally, I eat somewhere between 1200-1500 per day depending on my earned calories and it's always enough. But I'm also maximizing my calories by sticking to high quality foods that deliver the most bang for my buck. In fact, I'm pretty much eating all day. Also, on workout days, I usually end up 100-200 under my allowance. Would that work for you? I have no idea. You'll have to experiment a bit, but in my experience there isn't much fancy to it. Eat healthy. Lots of produce. Less rice, pasta and bread. Lean meats in moderation. Record everything. Get some exercise every day, even if it's just a 30 minute walk around the neighborhood, and record that too. Don't get too worked up about it right off the bat, just treat yourself right and see what happens.

transvenouspacer

I'm also on 1200 calories. When I first heard that, my reaction was WHAT?!! I thought that couldn't be enough. I'm 5'3" and was fluctuating between 175-182 pounds.

Now I've been doing this for almost 3 weeks. I have been mostly sticking to my 1200 calorie limit and to my surprise, I don't feel hungry for the most part. My diet isn't perfect but I'm working on it. If I want a chicken taco from Taco Bell, I eat it and just incorporate the calories into my limit. On the other hand, being hungry has never been my biggest problem when it comes to weight. I'm overweight due to stress and overeating as a way to compensate.

Anyway, to prevent hunger, I'm trying to adjust to eating 4-6 times a day and eating more fatty foods on days I work. For instance, on my day off it's ok to eat a salad or small sandwich for dinner, but when I'm working a 12 hour shift I'll eat a couple eggs, an english muffin and a slice of ham for breakfast and a Lean Cuisine pizza for lunch because I know it'll last me longer for the rest of my work day.

It's only your first day, just keep working on it! Practice makes perfect. And as others have said, maybe you just need more calories. Everyone's different and you just have to find what's right for you.

CanadianThunder

That's plenty enough. That's what mine was set at for the same height as you. You'll be fine. Your body will adjust.

nataliexxxx

My goal is 1200 calories a day and im always full if you eat lots of salad fruit and veg then you will be full with little calories

Wabbit05

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/680246-tdee-bmr-what-they-are-and-what-to-do-with-them

I suggest you Read it, Do your numbers, Reset your goals (most likely). Good Luck!

Michele7091

If you're hungry, eat.

THIS! I started out on the "standard 1200" as well and I was hungry all the time. So I upped my calories a bit and now I not onyl feel better but I am losing more. I say up your calories for a couple of weeks and see how you feel/lose and then go from there...you can always go back to the 1200 if you think you need to.

Good luck!! :flowerforyou:

3laine75

did you log your walk in 'exercise'. if you do this MFP will give you some extra calories so you are eating more than 1200 but only 'netting' 1200.

PNCTink

Try eating mostly fruits, vegetables (especially leafy greens), and legumes. You will struggle to hit 1200. GL!

3laine75

That BMR link wigs me out. Tells me I should be doing 2344 calories a day! I mostly struggle to hit 1200! At 5'6, 28 and 220lbs, 2344 seems insane!

I'll never get a proper grip on how this works.

Are you logging accurately? I only ask as I think it would be very difficult to get to 220lb if you struggle to eat 1200 cals, without underlying health issues.

barenda_101

Unfortunately, 1200 is the right number. If you can't manage that eating the way you are eating, you might want to consider a ketogenic diet (or at least lowering the amount of carbs in your system). This will help even out your blood sugar and reduce the surges of leptin that your body releases once you burn through a carby meal (its this hormone that makes you feel like you're starving and have to eat).

If you want to avoid the whole low carb thing, I find increasing my portions of vegetables to obscene amounts keeps me full within my a calorie limit.

HogSandwich

That BMR link wigs me out. Tells me I should be doing 2344 calories a day! I mostly struggle to hit 1200! At 5'6, 28 and 220lbs, 2344 seems insane!

I'll never get a proper grip on how this works.

Are you logging accurately? I only ask as I think it would be very difficult to get to 220lb if you struggle to eat 1200 cals, without underlying health issues.

This is what's worrying me. Worried that somehow I'm putting in items that are in reality WAY worse than I think they are - or something - though that said, if I don't exercise on a day I'll struggle to keep it UNDER 1200. Exercise seems to tip me waaaay over the line.

I got to 220lbs eating a LOT worse than I do now, a good while ago. Sadly my eating got better, but I struggled with exercise, and stayed the same weight.

RainHoward

I swear reading these forums is going to cause me to damage my brain. How many times can you pound your desk with your forehead before doing permanent damage.

I'm curios as to how much you ate before suddenly deciding to drop to 1200 calories a day. Did you log your food at all before starting to eat like you are now? Have you talked to a doctor and nutritionist about your desired weight loss at any point?

I went from taking in 5000 or more calories per day to 2400 or less. I was starving for the first few days until my stomach caught up with the change. As my stomach shrinks more I"m finding I need to eat less to feel full. I'll be dropping down to 2000 per day in another 2 weeks. If I had just up and decided to drop to 2k all of a sudden, I don't think I could have stayed with it, I'd be constantly hungry,

McGrew822

Well, it's tough to say whether 1,200 calories is enough for you as an individual. Your basal metabolic rate is a function of many factors, including age, gender, general activity level in a day, lean body mass, and weight (that's all I can think of at the moment), all in addition to the calories you burned working out. Plus, it depends upon whether you're trying to cut weight or not. For some, 1,200 is absurdly low. For others, it's just right.

Helloitsdan

First off Props to all who have linked the Road Map.

Second...

That BMR link wigs me out. Tells me I should be doing 2344 calories a day! I mostly struggle to hit 1200! At 5'6, 28 and 220lbs, 2344 seems insane!

I'll never get a proper grip on how this works.

Most people your height can burn upwards of 2600+ a day.
Your extra fat adds to this and it drops as you lose weight.
Eat 1800-2k then and be surprised!
It works!

Lets address something that I think needs to be explained.
Fat.

We hate it!
It serves a biological reason and why we have excess is due to several things.

The 4 major biological functions of fat tissue are (1) energy storage (2) toxin storage (3) protection against insulin resistance, and (4) protection against estrogen decline in women. Eliminate the functions of fat tissue also eliminates the reasons for its existence.

Now you cannot get rid of all your fat but how do you think cutting calories down to 1200 would give fat a reason not to exist?
In my eyes it primes the body to store it once you eat above TDEE if proper exercise isnt executed.

The idea behind the VLCD (1200 cals or lower) is to force the body to use fat as a means of energy.
Misery!
Or Hangry!!!!

Hormone levels get screwy.
RMR drops, I know Yarrow will post studies about how this is okay.
Lean mass drops, not a good thing to look like Gollem from LOTR.
At some point a 2lb/week calculation only equals about 1/4lb or less a week and you feel like ****.

So what happens if you return the body to a normal caloric level?
It signals certain hormones to allow fat to naturally come off.
Add to that a good strength program to break insulin resistance and you are good to go!
If you like cardio then do it empty in the morning for an even greater burn, dont over do this though.
Could lead to a plateau.
The cardio I mean.

Give fat reason not to exist.
Eat like a human should eat and move like a human should move and youll naturally lose it.
Period.