Eating healthily yet struggling to eat 1200 cals a day

Dobbleton

I have only been using myfitnesspal for 3 days now however I'd like some help with something.

First and foremost, I am eating healthily and frequently (3 meals a day with 1 or 2 snacks). I eat when I am hungry and I don't eat when I am not. I'm trying to drink 2 litres (8 cups) of water a day but I'm only really managing 1 litre on average. I am 20 years old, 5'3, 128.42 lbs, female.

However I am finding it quite hard to intake 1200 calories apart from if I stay up very late and have to have a snack. My meals are relatively low in calories and I'm not sure how to make them higher in calories without making them horrendously unhealthy.

Yesterday I managed to get my calorie intake up to 1383 but I burnt 721 through exercise which only left 662 calories as my net.

I guess my question is, is this normal and okay, or am I am entering starvation mode despite not feeling hungry between my meals, and if I am, what can I do to improve this? I don't like force feeding myself when I feel satisfied.

Any answers will be very much appreciated! Thank you

jetlag

First of all, you don't have to drink 2 litres of water a day. It's a myth.

Perhaps post an example of your daily diet? Are you getting enough fat in your diet, for example?

GauchoMark

So you are eating 4-5 times per day and can't hit 1200 calories? Are you sure you are estimating your portions properly and logging everything?

I agree with the previous poster - open your diary so we can see what you are eating.

auddii

People seem to go to the extreme of "I can't eat anything bad for me", and so they cut so much out of their diet that they end up under eating. Try adding back in some healthier but high calorie items. Cook with olive oil, eat avocados, nuts, peanut butter, and make sure you eat plenty of lean meat. You should be eating back your exercise calories because your deficit is already calculated by MFP. Try getting more calorie dense items. (That also means if you want a pizza one night and it fits in your calories, go for it!)

witchy_wife

Nuts and using a drizzle of olive oil to cook with or in a salad are great ways to up calories but healthily.

Try using full fat versions of things such as milk or cheese if you are using low fat ones, some fat really doesn't hurt and will raise your calories.

witchy_wife

People seem to go to the extreme of "I can't eat anything bad for me", and so they cut so much out of their diet that they end up under eating. Try adding back in some healthier but high calorie items. Cook with olive oil, eat avocados, nuts, peanut butter, and make sure you eat plenty of lean meat. You should be eating back your exercise calories because your deficit is already calculated by MFP. Try getting more calorie dense items. (That also means if you want a pizza one night and it fits in your calories, go for it!)

Yep, exactly this!

seekingstrengthX2

With only 10-15 pounds to lose (just guessing...not sure what your goal is); your diet really needs to b spot on. Netting 600-700 calories a day is going to make it very difficult to be successful. Try eating foods that are healthy but have a higher calorie content: whole eggs, almonds, avocado, almond butter, etc...

LoraF83

People seem to go to the extreme of "I can't eat anything bad for me", and so they cut so much out of their diet that they end up under eating. Try adding back in some healthier but high calorie items. Cook with olive oil, eat avocados, nuts, peanut butter, and make sure you eat plenty of lean meat. You should be eating back your exercise calories because your deficit is already calculated by MFP. Try getting more calorie dense items. (That also means if you want a pizza one night and it fits in your calories, go for it!)

So agree.

This doesn't have to be about extremes.

Dobbleton

I'll use Monday as an example then.

I had 335 cal for breakfast, which was porridge some strawberry jam and a small banana
263 cal for lunch, which was a chicken breast sandwich on a brown bread roll with some margarine
440 for dinner, which was a meat and potato pie (which I am quite sure isn't healthy but I had yet to go shopping), sliced beetroot and carrots, broccoli and cauliflower

So that was 1038.

I DID however end up eating 2 satsumas and a yogurt which brought me up to 1254 but this was only because I stayed up late and it is very important to me that I start going to sleep a lot earlier than I did on Monday. If I am in sleep by 11 as I hope then I wouldn't have eaten those snacks.

My calorie breakdown for that day was 51/55% for carbs, 30/30% fat and 19/15% for protein.

krystina_letitia9

People seem to go to the extreme of "I can't eat anything bad for me", and so they cut so much out of their diet that they end up under eating. Try adding back in some healthier but high calorie items. Cook with olive oil, eat avocados, nuts, peanut butter, and make sure you eat plenty of lean meat. You should be eating back your exercise calories because your deficit is already calculated by MFP. Try getting more calorie dense items. (That also means if you want a pizza one night and it fits in your calories, go for it!)

Yep, exactly this!

I never understand what's so hard about this. When I ate 1200 cals, I had a harder time figuring out how to "fit" everything into 1200 cals. Scoop some PB onto some bread, eat a few extra pieces of fruit. Drink a glass of milk.

massage_gal

You should NOT be eating back the exercise calories, they are what make you lose weight. Eating 1200 cal a day with exercise shouldn't be too hard when you think like that.

ahefner33

I second the nuts and nut butters. My exercise usually comes later in the day and usually my workouts aren't pre planned cause I like to do random activities. But I will just eat something like almond butter (personal preference) and you can hit calories easily

ninerbuff

You should NOT be eating back the exercise calories, they are what make you lose weight. Eating 1200 cal a day with exercise shouldn't be too hard when you think like that.

Calorie deficit is what helps you lose weight. Extreme deficits slow down your metabolic rate which will discourage weight loss. MFP is set already to the calories you need to eat for weight loss. That doesn't take into account, the exercise calories.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

monjacq1964

I'll use Monday as an example then.

I had 335 cal for breakfast, which was porridge some strawberry jam and a small banana
263 cal for lunch, which was a chicken breast sandwich on a brown bread roll with some margarine
440 for dinner, which was a meat and potato pie (which I am quite sure isn't healthy but I had yet to go shopping), sliced beetroot and carrots, broccoli and cauliflower

So that was 1038.

I DID however end up eating 2 satsumas and a yogurt which brought me up to 1254 but this was only because I stayed up late and it is very important to me that I start going to sleep a lot earlier than I did on Monday. If I am in sleep by 11 as I hope then I wouldn't have eaten those snacks.

My calorie breakdown for that day was 51/55% for carbs, 30/30% fat and 19/15% for protein.

I would add more protein to your breakfast.

Dobbleton

People seem to go to the extreme of "I can't eat anything bad for me", and so they cut so much out of their diet that they end up under eating. Try adding back in some healthier but high calorie items. Cook with olive oil, eat avocados, nuts, peanut butter, and make sure you eat plenty of lean meat. You should be eating back your exercise calories because your deficit is already calculated by MFP. Try getting more calorie dense items. (That also means if you want a pizza one night and it fits in your calories, go for it!)

I've actually started eating peanut butter recently. I HATE nuts but I find I can stomach peanut butter and I put it in my porridge this morning along with some jam which boosted my breakfast to 422 calories. Meat is a little bit harder for me to eat because I'm a student and meat tends to quite expensive but I have a some chicken breasts in at the moment at the gracious generosity of my parents . I was thinking of having one small unhealthy food item (chocolate bar for an example) and one bigger unhealthy food item a week (like pizza maybe), I just haven't got around to it yet, this week.

FitbeTMF

Not all calories are created equal. Avocados are high in GOOD calories, Sweet potatoes, grains etc

FitbeTMF

Also, planning in advance helps ya. Do you have a meal planning day?

hamiltonba

Are you sure the amount of calories burned through exercise is correct? What are you using to get this? Since your weight is not high, you would have to exercise crazy and for long periods of time to burn that many calories.

da1128

Same thing here. I can munch all day and rarely hit 1200 calories. I munch on fresh fruit, veggies, nuts, peanut butter, and I love my Morningstar Farms veggie products. I 'do' cook with olive oil and I certainly don't pass on a slice of pizza and a baby Coke. String cheese is a good friend.

I eat very little meat. (I have a phobia about eating anything that ever had a mother or a face!) So, although I don't often hit that 1200 calorie count, I am still 'full' and I'm absolutely not starving.

foleyshirley

You should NOT be eating back the exercise calories, they are what make you lose weight. Eating 1200 cal a day with exercise shouldn't be too hard when you think like that.

This is very bad advice for a 20 year old who is only 128 pounds. 1200 is too low as it is. Telling her to not eat her exercise calories is even worse.

Dobbleton

Nuts and using a drizzle of olive oil to cook with or in a salad are great ways to up calories but healthily.

Try using full fat versions of things such as milk or cheese if you are using low fat ones, some fat really doesn't hurt and will raise your calories.

Hmmm, I could switch to full fat milk, thank you! I don't really eat much cheese however. I've bought some Philadelphia cheese which is the normal stuff, not the light version, but I'll probably only eat that with crackers if I'm peckish.

cbrrabbit25

You should NOT be eating back the exercise calories, they are what make you lose weight. Eating 1200 cal a day with exercise shouldn't be too hard when you think like that.

NOT TRUE!

JesterMFP

You should NOT be eating back the exercise calories, they are what make you lose weight. Eating 1200 cal a day with exercise shouldn't be too hard when you think like that.

This is incorrect. MFP gives you a calorie goal with a built in deficit. Why would a calorie counting website ask you if you want to lose weight, and then encourage you to eat back calories that would eliminate your deficit?

OP - perhaps rethink your definition of "healthy food" and aim to get more calorie-dense foods. Foods that are higher in fat will help you here - nuts, cheese, full fat milk, full fat yoghurt, peanut butter, olive oil, avocados etc etc. You can also drink your calories in smoothies, milk, nut milk, protein shakes etc.

Also consider how accurate your estimation of calorie burn is, and if it's accurate - do you need to be burning 700+ calories a day through exercise? Fitness is important, but if you are doing that much exercise purely for the calorie burn, it might be helpful to cut back on some of that. You're already well within the healthy weight range for your height, and having too large of a calorie deficit is not going to do you any favours at this point.

Dobbleton

With only 10-15 pounds to lose (just guessing...not sure what your goal is); your diet really needs to b spot on. Netting 600-700 calories a day is going to make it very difficult to be successful. Try eating foods that are healthy but have a higher calorie content: whole eggs, almonds, avocado, almond butter, etc...

I love eggs but I don't like nuts. I've never tried an avocado though... Maybe I should. What do you eat them with?

TheRealParisLove

You'll start feeling hungry soon. Give it a couple of weeks and your body will adjust to your new eating plan. Just don't go bonkers when you start waking up in the middle of the night just famished.

Just know when the hunger pains return it is your body making up for lost time and have some healthy snacks on hand to satisfy your hunger.

beachlover317

You should NOT be eating back the exercise calories, they are what make you lose weight. Eating 1200 cal a day with exercise shouldn't be too hard when you think like that.

This is just NOT true. MPF already has your cals set at a deficit to accomodate the amount of weight you chose to lose each week. If you exercise, you push that deficit even lower. I know you CAN lose a lot of weight fast (at first) by having an outrageous deficit - but why in heaven's name would you put your body through that? You're going to lose lean body mass - not just fat. You're going to lose bone density. You're going to cause your body to choose fueling your body or the workout. The biggest negative in eating a VLCD is that you set yourself up to yo yo for the rest of your life. VLCDs are notorious for causing regain of weight and more.

Be smart. Do some research on how the body works. IF you want fast and unhealthy? Keep restricting your cals. to below what your 20 year old body needs.

JesterMFP

People seem to go to the extreme of "I can't eat anything bad for me", and so they cut so much out of their diet that they end up under eating. Try adding back in some healthier but high calorie items. Cook with olive oil, eat avocados, nuts, peanut butter, and make sure you eat plenty of lean meat. You should be eating back your exercise calories because your deficit is already calculated by MFP. Try getting more calorie dense items. (That also means if you want a pizza one night and it fits in your calories, go for it!)

I've actually started eating peanut butter recently. I HATE nuts but I find I can stomach peanut butter and I put it in my porridge this morning along with some jam which boosted my breakfast to 422 calories. Meat is a little bit harder for me to eat because I'm a student and meat tends to quite expensive but I have a some chicken breasts in at the moment at the gracious generosity of my parents . I was thinking of having one small unhealthy food item (chocolate bar for an example) and one bigger unhealthy food item a week (like pizza maybe), I just haven't got around to it yet, this week.

Try not to look at food as "good" or "bad", but try looking at the overall nutritional content of your whole diet. Why is pizza "unhealthy"? It's worth avoiding if you can't fit it into your calories, but you don't have that problem. Pizza can be very nutritious, depending on what's on it, and even the kinds with the least nutritional value can easily fit into a balanced diet.

myofibril

My meals are relatively low in calories and I'm not sure how to make them higher in calories without making them horrendously unhealthy.

You could just increase your portion sizes then?

Absonthebrain

With only 10-15 pounds to lose (just guessing...not sure what your goal is); your diet really needs to b spot on. Netting 600-700 calories a day is going to make it very difficult to be successful. Try eating foods that are healthy but have a higher calorie content: whole eggs, almonds, avocado, almond butter, etc...

I love eggs but I don't like nuts. I've never tried an avocado though... Maybe I should. What do you eat them with?

I eat avocados with wheat bread or with pita crackers. I can also eat it with salad or even plain with pepper, you can also mash it up and make it as a dip. So tasty!

Dobbleton

Also, planning in advance helps ya. Do you have a meal planning day?

Ah, unfortunately no. I was thinking of eating some fish cakes, spinach and egg for my lunch, but I don't really think further than that!

amy1612

Use whole milk in your porridge, add some sliced avocado to your sandwich.