feel hungry if I go for 1200 calories / day
Nidhi_jhingan
Posts: 8 Member
Hi friends, If I try to restrict myself to 1200 calories a day I keep on feeling hungry. I control my hunger when I am at my workplace but when I reaches home I just grab whatever is in front of me and keep on eating until satisfied. 
. Can you please help how should I do it.
. Can you please help how should I do it. 0
Replies
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Try upping to 1400 calories? 1200 is very hard to maintain and really if you have an active lifestyle it's probably toooo low.0
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Eat more.0
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maybe your food choices are part of the problem? However your food diary is closed so no body can advise on that part. Will you open up your diary?0
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Stock up on protein snacks, that will leave you feeling more satisfied and full for longer periods of time. Here are some great foods to snack on that will stop you from feeling hungry:
- Peanut butter on apple slices/celery/banana/etc
- Hummus with toasted tortilia wrap cut into chips (w.w tortillia)
- Boiled egg
- Nuts (limit yourself as these are high in calories and make sure they're unsalted or else you can't stop lol)
- I LOVE Silhouette Yoghurt, at 35 calories a serving you can add additional fruit in
- Frozen grapes
There are lots of other options, google healthy snack ideas and like I said, protein is your biggest friend. You should try the Fat Flush diet it's great for this.
Avoid ALL types of bread, flour, cakes, starch and sugar. Empty calories, they leave you craving more and don't satisfy you.0 -
Eat more.
Seriously?!0 -
You might have to do some trial and error.
Slowly up your calories. If you are not feeling satisfied at 1200, you are either not eating enough (most likely), or you are eating high calorie foods that don't keep you as full as foods with more nutritional value. You don't HAVE to avoid any kind of food.
Raise your calories to 1300 for a week, see how it affects your hunger and your weight loss. If you're still hungry, raise to 1400, 1450, 1500 and so on. If after a 2-3 weeks of eating at a consistent calorie goal you are gaining weight, lower your cals a bit or exercise more to create a bigger deficit.0 -
I have the same issue, but since I don't exercise everyday eating more just means I will weigh more.
Where can we find a good meal plan description. I mean something with ratios of food groups by weight or calories?0 -
I doubt your food choices are the issue 1200 calories a day just isn't enough. Sure you can mask the hunger with tons of protein but 1200 calories still doesn't leave very many people satisfied and it below most people's RMR which is what your body burns if you were in a coma and you were doing nothing. My guess is you need more then 1200 calories a day and your body naturally burns more calories in a day without any extra type of exercise. I'd say figure out a rough estimate of your BMR and eat about 100 calories above that. Personally my BMR is said to be 1150 and I eat 1350 ( only 200 less then maintenance for me) a day and I've still lost consistently but I also exercise several times a week and only eat back half my exercise calories. 1200 calories is too low for A LOT of people. You can always lower your calorie intake as you get to lower weights0
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I have the same issue, but since I don't exercise everyday eating more just means I will weigh more.
Where can we find a good meal plan description. I mean something with ratios of food groups by weight or calories?
Check out eatthismuch.com0 -
847 cals worth of food for me today, a 600 cal run & all the extra burning off. I'm full & had dinner already. Not hard to fill up if you choose right. MY dinner is enough to feed 2 people easy yet I have it all to myself.
I still have over 1900 cals I can eat today & I'm still at -602 for my Net.
I don't know why people still think 1200 is a magic number.0 -
847 cals worth of food for me today, a 600 cal run & all the extra burning off. I'm full & had dinner already. Not hard to fill up if you choose right. MY dinner is enough to feed 2 people easy yet I have it all to myself.
I still have over 1900 cals I can eat today & I'm still at -602 for my Net.
Having a negative net every once in a while? Totally fine, it happens. Consistently having a negative net/undereating? Not something to be proud of, it will catch up with you sooner or later.0 -
1200 cals is fine for a temporary amount of time whilst losing weight, ignore those that are just saying its too low. It probably is too low for their personal requirments but doesn't mean it's too low for you. Ignore the posts about starvation mode and other BS like that, it's just people regurgitating misinformation they read on the forums.
Anyway I would say make sure you are counting any exercise on top and make sure you are eating it back. If you go for a walk and burn 200 cals then eat 1400 that day to compensate.
Second advice that helped me is to pre-log and plan what you are going to eat for the day the day before. This way you can spread the cals evenly and know at a certain time you will be eating x. This way you can make mini goals to hit and should help to avoid overeating then being hungry later.
Third thing is water, most of the time when you snack, it's usually as case you need to top yourself up. Drink a pint before your main meal too.0 -
847 cals worth of food for me today, a 600 cal run & all the extra burning off. I'm full & had dinner already. Not hard to fill up if you choose right. MY dinner is enough to feed 2 people easy yet I have it all to myself.
I still have over 1900 cals I can eat today & I'm still at -602 for my Net.
I don't know why people still think 1200 is a magic number.
Not something to brag about or strive toward. In fact it is detrimental to your health, weight lost, muscle building, metabolism....there is actually NOTHING positive about this. If you've done any research you would know that. One day isn't going to kill you but I wouldn't go around preaching starvation diets. I promise you if that's what you do on a consistent basis you WILL fail. If you're luck.y
Other option is death but hopefully you come to your senses before you do any lasting damage to your body. Educate yourself. Speak to a doctor, a trainer... whatever but don't go around preaching unhealthy eating habits.
OP- Don't listen to this. It's complete and utter nonsense and NOT what you should be trying to do.0 -
1200 cals is fine for a temporary amount of time whilst losing weight
That's the thing though, how long is temporary, and what do you do when it becomes longer than short-term? A temporary diet means at the end of the time period, you will either gain or maintain, and one has to figure out the number of calories they personally require to do either of those things.0 -
847 cals worth of food for me today, a 600 cal run & all the extra burning off. I'm full & had dinner already. Not hard to fill up if you choose right. MY dinner is enough to feed 2 people easy yet I have it all to myself.
I still have over 1900 cals I can eat today & I'm still at -602 for my Net.
I don't know why people still think 1200 is a magic number.
I agree that 1,200 is not a magic number, but eating less than 1,000 calories consistently and netting a negative number is really not something that is something that anyone should be striving towards. Especially if they want do not want their hormones out of whack, to potentially eff up their metabolism, and to lose LBM as well as deal with a myriad of other issues.0 -
What did you set your activity level at and what did you set your target weight loss at when you first input your details?0
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Stock up on protein snacks, that will leave you feeling more satisfied and full for longer periods of time. Here are some great foods to snack on that will stop you from feeling hungry:
- Peanut butter on apple slices/celery/banana/etc
- Hummus with toasted tortilia wrap cut into chips (w.w tortillia)
- Boiled egg
- Nuts (limit yourself as these are high in calories and make sure they're unsalted or else you can't stop lol)
- I LOVE Silhouette Yoghurt, at 35 calories a serving you can add additional fruit in
- Frozen grapes
There are lots of other options, google healthy snack ideas and like I said, protein is your biggest friend. You should try the Fat Flush diet it's great for this.
Avoid ALL types of bread, flour, cakes, starch and sugar. Empty calories, they leave you craving more and don't satisfy you.
How are they empty calories? They provide no energy or nutrients?
They do not necessarily leave people craving more - that is a totally individual response.0 -
For me personally it was 12 weeks, then I continued maintaining at my new weight. I dropped from 168 lbs to 140 lbs when I did it this summer. I'm now at a healthy 22 BMI.1200 cals is fine for a temporary amount of time whilst losing weight
That's the thing though, how long is temporary, and what do you do when it becomes longer than short-term? A temporary diet means at the end of the time period, you will either gain or maintain, and one has to figure out the number of calories they personally require to do either of those things.
The time is going to be is personal to the persons circumstance so its impossible to give a time everyone should stick to, the key thing is to remember is to make the switch back once you have hit your goal.
Everyone needs to figure out their maintaince regardless of their deficit so I can't see how that's connected?0 -
For me personally it was 12 weeks, then I continued maintaining at my new weight. I dropped from 168 lbs to 140 lbs when I did it this summer. I'm now at a healthy 22 BMI.
The time is going to be is personal to the persons circumstance so its impossible to give a time everyone should stick to, the key thing is to remember is to make the switch back once you have hit your goal.
Everyone needs to figure out their maintaince regardless of their deficit so I can't see how that's connected?
Well, your advice is that it's OK to eat 1200 calories temporarily, but temporary is subjective to personal goals and stats, so why say that at all? If I personally ate 1200 calories consistently from the start of my weight loss until I hit goal, I would have trouble maintaining and would have lowered my metabolism.
Summary: I think your advice is bad.0 -
For me personally it was 12 weeks, then I continued maintaining at my new weight. I dropped from 168 lbs to 140 lbs when I did it this summer. I'm now at a healthy 22 BMI.
The time is going to be is personal to the persons circumstance so its impossible to give a time everyone should stick to, the key thing is to remember is to make the switch back once you have hit your goal.
Everyone needs to figure out their maintaince regardless of their deficit so I can't see how that's connected?
Well, your advice is that it's OK to eat 1200 calories temporarily, but temporary is subjective to personal goals and stats, so why say that at all? If I personally ate 1200 calories consistently from the start of my weight loss until I hit goal, I would have trouble maintaining and would have lowered my metabolism.
Summary: I think your advice is bad.
Personally i believe his advice hits an important mark. You cannot be at a deficit that low for a long period of time and expect your metabolism to continue burning calories at maximum efficiency. Weekly fluctuation of calories helps prevent the metabolism from crashing but eventually you have to return to maintenance calories to allow time for the metabolism to recover. For me 1200 would barely be enough calories per day to maintain my vital organ functions. Genetics and daily activity play a major role in how fast you can gain or lose weight. Not everyone is the same, and not everyone can have the same caloric requirements as yourself.0 -
For me personally it was 12 weeks, then I continued maintaining at my new weight. I dropped from 168 lbs to 140 lbs when I did it this summer. I'm now at a healthy 22 BMI.
The time is going to be is personal to the persons circumstance so its impossible to give a time everyone should stick to, the key thing is to remember is to make the switch back once you have hit your goal.
Everyone needs to figure out their maintaince regardless of their deficit so I can't see how that's connected?
Well, your advice is that it's OK to eat 1200 calories temporarily, but temporary is subjective to personal goals and stats, so why say that at all? If I personally ate 1200 calories consistently from the start of my weight loss until I hit goal, I would have trouble maintaining and would have lowered my metabolism.
Summary: I think your advice is bad.
it is ok to eat less than 1200 calories a day.. I believe your view on this is very myopic...
Everyone is different, everyone has different goals etc.. Saying you can't do this or that is a bit silly... The whole your metabolism slows down is a nice exaggeration that everyone LOVES to throw around. Will your metabolism slow down? Yeah...when? When your body fat percentage goes down a very large amount (usually around 5 percent)...0 -
im curious.. do most people on here think that if you don't consume "1200" calories for your vital organs to survive, you will cease to exist? Correct me if I'm wrong, but i think.... i think the body knows a magical trick of converting fat storage into energy?0
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im curious.. do most people on here think that if you don't consume "1200" calories for your vital organs to survive, you will cease to exist? Correct me if I'm wrong, but i think.... i think the body knows a magical trick of converting fat storage into energy?
At such low calorie levels, the body also knows the trick of converting lean muscle mass into energy. Considering muscle is more metabolically activa than fat, that certainly won't help with weight loss goals.0 -
im curious.. do most people on here think that if you don't consume "1200" calories for your vital organs to survive, you will cease to exist? Correct me if I'm wrong, but i think.... i think the body knows a magical trick of converting fat storage into energy?
It also knows a magical trick of slowing our metabolism and converting muscle into energy.0 -
Well, your advice is that it's OK to eat 1200 calories temporarily, but temporary is subjective to personal goals and stats, so why say that at all? If I personally ate 1200 calories consistently from the start of my weight loss until I hit goal, I would have trouble maintaining and would have lowered my metabolism.
Summary: I think your advice is bad.Personally i believe his advice hits an important mark. You cannot be at a deficit that low for a long period of time and expect your metabolism to continue burning calories at maximum efficiency. Weekly fluctuation of calories helps prevent the metabolism from crashing but eventually you have to return to maintenance calories to allow time for the metabolism to recover. For me 1200 would barely be enough calories per day to maintain my vital organ functions. Genetics and daily activity play a major role in how fast you can gain or lose weight. Not everyone is the same, and not everyone can have the same caloric requirements as yourself.
Please point out where exactly I said everyone is the same and has to eat the same amount of calories I do? That is why I said "personally".
I realize that as one loses weight, their metabolism lowers as well, as their body has less weight to move around, and therefore requires less energy to do it. I just fail to see how telling someone to "eat 1200 calories until they reach their goal" is sound advice, without knowing that individual's stats and actual goal...0 -
im curious.. do most people on here think that if you don't consume "1200" calories for your vital organs to survive, you will cease to exist? Correct me if I'm wrong, but i think.... i think the body knows a magical trick of converting fat storage into energy?
Yes, if the body in question has a lot of fat stores available. In someone with a smaller amount of body fat, the body will break down muscle mass for energy, thus reducing metabolism. Vital organs are also muscle so sooner or later these will start to shrink too. Decreased brain and heart muscle is not something I strive for.0 -
im curious.. do most people on here think that if you don't consume "1200" calories for your vital organs to survive, you will cease to exist? Correct me if I'm wrong, but i think.... i think the body knows a magical trick of converting fat storage into energy?
Yes, if the body in question has a lot of fat stores available. In someone with a smaller amount of body fat, the body will break down muscle mass for energy, thus reducing metabolism. Vital organs are also muscle so sooner or later these will start to shrink too. Decreased brain and heart muscle is not something I strive for.
Actually, it will break down muscle EVEN IF the person is overweight and has plenty of fat stores available. It's a response to starvation. The body is programmed to work that way.0 -
Well, your advice is that it's OK to eat 1200 calories temporarily, but temporary is subjective to personal goals and stats, so why say that at all? If I personally ate 1200 calories consistently from the start of my weight loss until I hit goal, I would have trouble maintaining and would have lowered my metabolism.
Summary: I think your advice is bad.Personally i believe his advice hits an important mark. You cannot be at a deficit that low for a long period of time and expect your metabolism to continue burning calories at maximum efficiency. Weekly fluctuation of calories helps prevent the metabolism from crashing but eventually you have to return to maintenance calories to allow time for the metabolism to recover. For me 1200 would barely be enough calories per day to maintain my vital organ functions. Genetics and daily activity play a major role in how fast you can gain or lose weight. Not everyone is the same, and not everyone can have the same caloric requirements as yourself.
Please point out where exactly I said everyone is the same and has to eat the same amount of calories I do? That is why I said "personally".
I realize that as one loses weight, their metabolism lowers as well, as their body has less weight to move around, and therefore requires less energy to do it. I just fail to see how telling someone to "eat 1200 calories until they reach their goal" is sound advice, without knowing that individual's stats and actual goal...
sorry i miss read your comment. my apologies
but im going to as what did you mean by "...as their body has less weight to move around, and therefore requires less energy to do it. " ?0 -
Hi,
Apologies if this post has already been suggested but a while back I got recommended this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
It works out how many calories you should be eating depending on your body fat percentage, etc. I worked it out for my information this morning and if I cut my daily calorie expenditure by 20% it says I can eat 1800 calories a day and still lose weight. MFP gave me 1200 as a goal and I found this difficult so I'm going to give 1800 a try and see if it makes any difference. 0 -
it is ok to eat less than 1200 calories a day.. I believe your view on this is very myopic...
It is for someone, but NOT for everyone, because "everyone is different, everyone has different goals etc..." See what I did there? My personal belief is that if you're going to toss out a specific number like 1200 and tell them to eat that much until they reach their goal, it would be a good idea to do the math and see if that is the appropriate number of calories for that person to eat to achieve a healthy and maintainable weight loss.Everyone is different, everyone has different goals etc.. Saying you can't do this or that is a bit silly... The whole your metabolism slows down is a nice exaggeration that everyone LOVES to throw around. Will your metabolism slow down? Yeah...when? When your body fat percentage goes down a very large amount (usually around 5 percent)...
Um, you do realize that your body's goal is to stay efficient, and as you lose weight your body is going to adjust (lower) your metabolism so that it doesn't have to exert more energy than needed, right? Basic stuff here. I'm not even a "starvation mode" alarmist, but you can't really dispute that the metabolism lowers with weight loss.0
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