"i'm having a hard time eating 1200 calories..."

peachea

theres no secret formula. YOU NEED TO EAT MORE. That's it. Nothing else. Go figure out your BMR. Then figure in how much activity you do. Then take away 20% and that's what you should be eating.

I put your numbers in and you should be eating 2100 calories daily to lose. You are not getting enough fuel for all the exercise you do. You will see a change if you eat no more or less than that.

go to this link to see it for yourself.

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

Good luck!!

EccentricDad

Im now forcing myself to eat. Im eating more now than I have in years.

Glanced at your journal. Where's the Veggies? Where's the Fruit? Where's the Milk or milk substitute? It's not about eating more right this minute. You should start with eating right and then eating more when your body is nourished. How can you expect to be healthy if you are trying to suppress your appetite instead of nourish your body?

Treat you body like it's a pet. You wouldn't feed your pets substance because it wouldn't thrive. But you wouldn't feed it table scraps either because it would catch heart disease. Look up "clean diet" and try that; you'll be glad you did.

mycrazy8splus1

really it is not that hard to eat under 1200 calories, especially for people who were once anorexic. We don't feel hungry (or have trained our minds to not register the hungry feelings) and therfore do not eat. There was a time that I would go days without eatting and not once feel hungry. I'm sure I could do it even now but I force myself to log my food intake and eat daily. Don't judge if you have not been there.

geekyjock76

Another thing: ditch the light resistance training in favor of heavier resistance (6-10 reps until failure) and make sure you are eating a minimum of 1g of protein per lb of lean body mass to ensure you are sparing muscle tissue while dieting. If you do not do these two things, your P-value will demonstrate loss of muscle (protein) during weight loss which is what you want to avoid.

EccentricDad

Did you eat over 1200 calories a day before joining mfp? I imagine you did. Why is it so hard now? Because you are eating lower calorie foods? Eat more healthy fats. Eat more often. This is not a real problem.

it's hard to eat 1200 or below. i could eat 3000 calories in a day no problem. which IS a real problem.


thanks to everyone! i need to get better about logging too (again, i know i know) and eating at home. full time school/work/working out has been killing me - i eat a lot of salads from restaurants (wildflower, paradise bakery, etc) that can be 600 calories+. i generally burn between 500 and 1000 calories a day, but i usually eat them back. i am always hungry.
which is surprising too - i am not eating out of boredom, it's when i am physically hungry. weird.

Having a low fat diet can result in constantly being hungry too. Make sure you're getting a good amount of Omega 3 and Omega 6 fats (polyunsaturated and monunsaturated fats) because they will help you feel full longer. Also, when you eat a carb (veggies and fruits count as carbs) eat a protein with it; this combo is mandatory for hunger pains to go away. 2g carb for every 1g protein is a good ratio.

geekyjock76

really it is not that hard to eat under 1200 calories, especially for people who were once anorexic. We don't feel hungry (or have trained our minds to not register the hungry feelings) and therfore do not eat. There was a time that I would go days without eatting and not once feel hungry. I'm sure I could do it even now but I force myself to log my food intake and eat daily. Don't judge if you have not been there.

You did not feel hungry due to your leptin levels being out of whack, which is common in anorexics and others with eating disorders.

EccentricDad

Maybe I am just a pig, but I think keeping to 1200 calories is tough.

I workout hard every day. It's been a struggle lately to stay at or below 1200-1500 calories and I wonder if that is why I am not really losing. I am 5'4 138 lb right now and would love to get down to 125. I haven't missed a day of spin in nearly a month and I swim probably 3-4 days a week on top of spin and usually do light weights/push-ups/sit-ups in the morning.


What do you eat where you find it difficult to get TO 1200 calories?

Oh, another thing, if you are exercising, you shouldn't be at 1200 calories unless you mean your NET calories (the calories AFTER your exercise). Also, exercise of any type REQUIRES protein intake. I haven't looked at your journal or tried to, but make sure your protein is at 25% minimum on weeks you're swimming/spinning.

mycrazy8splus1

really it is not that hard to eat under 1200 calories, especially for people who were once anorexic. We don't feel hungry (or have trained our minds to not register the hungry feelings) and therfore do not eat. There was a time that I would go days without eatting and not once feel hungry. I'm sure I could do it even now but I force myself to log my food intake and eat daily. Don't judge if you have not been there.

You did not feel hungry due to your leptin levels being out of whack, which is common in anorexics and others with eating disorders.

this is also true.

janlee_001

I'm with you and I'm not real good at being that detailed in my caloric intake. I think 1200 is a good base point, but based on so many different physiology's one person might need more and another less.

As others stated you are exercising a lot and might need to increase your intake. Your body may be holding to weight.

The other thing is not all calories are equal how many are coming from fat vs carbs?

jroselive2012

theres no secret formula. YOU NEED TO EAT MORE. That's it. Nothing else. Go figure out your BMR. Then figure in how much activity you do. Then take away 20% and that's what you should be eating.

I put your numbers in and you should be eating 2100 calories daily to lose. You are not getting enough fuel for all the exercise you do. You will see a change if you eat no more or less than that.

go to this link to see it for yourself.

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

Good luck!!

^^^^THIS!!

I felt like i was dying when i tried doing 1200 cals, only to find out that it was just way too little for my activity level. Then I upped my cals in a healthy way according to that formula and lost 4 lbs last week. i know not every week will be a 4lb week (plus that's not healthy) but i feel much better and can tell my body is already slimming down. good luck to you!

ebony__

[/quote]

Glanced at your journal. Where's the Veggies? Where's the Fruit? Where's the Milk or milk substitute? It's not about eating more right this minute. You should start with eating right and then eating more when your body is nourished. How can you expect to be healthy if you are trying to suppress your appetite instead of nourish your body?

.
[/quote]

This.
And pretty much everything else this guy has said!

katie81smith

I think i got a lot of GREAT information. Thank you everyone for your information and advice. I did not realize how few vegetables and I was eating and zero fruit. along with that, I want to say thankyou for not bashing me and helping me in my weight loss. I look forward to many many pounds shed espically with this kind of support. I can not thank you enough. I have had blood work done to find out about my thyroid and possibly being diabetic. also going to show my doc my food journal so that she can take a look at it as well. I go back to the doc on Sept 10th and will update you with the results. I plan on going shopping tomorrow to increase my fresh fruit and vegetable supply. Thank you again.