1200 calories seems impossible!

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chasingdreams99
chasingdreams99 Posts: 3
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm fairly new to dieting so maybe I just need time to adjust but no matter how healthy I think I'm eatting, 1200 calories a day seems impossible! This morning I had 1/2 a cup of granola cereal with 1/2 a cup of blueberrries and 1/2 a cup of almond milk and a banana and that was already almost 400 calories!!! And I've already doubled my sugar in take for the day?! Uggg this is going to be harder than I thought!!!
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Replies

  • ubermensch13
    ubermensch13 Posts: 824 Member
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    Maybe 1200 cals isn't for you then. What is your BMR? Height/weight? Did you just "plug in" that you wanted to lose 2lbs a week and it spit out 1200 cals? If so, maybe you need to evaluate your goals again, and shoot for 1lb a week.
  • mrseelmerfudd
    mrseelmerfudd Posts: 506 Member
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    I agree, if your struggling, work out your BMR and see what your body needs.
  • LizC27
    LizC27 Posts: 11
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    You are gonna have to eat less fruit and grains and more protein and vegetables :) Carbs always kill me when trying to hit my 1200 calories. I've noticed, the lower my carb intake, the more food I can eat for the calories allowed.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,404 MFP Moderator
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    With 20 lbs to lose, the best you can aim for is around 1/2 - 1 lb per week. Set your account to 1/2 per week and eat back 50% of your exercise calories.

    BTW, don't stress sugar. As long as carbs are moderate, then your sugar is fine unless you are diabetic.
  • jasonp_ritzert
    jasonp_ritzert Posts: 357 Member
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    Also, granola is very calorically dense for what appears to not be a lot of food to me. Try 1/2 cup of oatmeal which is 150 calories and may be more filling for less calories. Or try an egg plus two egg whites scrambled for more proteins and good fats.

    I think that is what MFP teaches us is really what we put into our bodies, but take uber's advice and maybe reassess your goals if needed.
  • AtlantaWriter
    AtlantaWriter Posts: 91 Member
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    1,200 calories does seem low. I'm on 1,400, but it's based on my current weight.

    If you exercise MFP gives you extra calories, so try to do that every day.

    As for your breakfast, high-carb foods (especially those with sugar) are high in calories. If you read the label on the foods you buy, try to get those with lower fat and carb and calories. Instead of granola (which is almost always high in sugar), try oatmeal or non-sugary cereals such as cheerios. Blueberries (as you had) are a good choice (low calories, high fiber). Both oatmeal and non sugary (high fiber) cereals have 1/2 or fewer calories than granola.

    Go low fat (skim or 1% milk, no fried foods or bacon, etc.) to save calories. Eat fruit instead of sugary desserts or snacks. Eat lots of raw veggies and that will fill you up. I dunk raw veggies like baby carrots in low-fat ranch dressing and love it.

    That said, I struggle all the time with what I eat. I have managed to lost 10 pounds in 4 months, which isn't great, without MFP, I'd probably have gained it all back over the holidays!

    Good luck, and I'm going to send you a friend request!
  • Andreinne
    Andreinne Posts: 32
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    It's not impossible, you just need a few days to figure out which foods are just better than others when it comes to "calories per amount of food", and simply make adjustments accordingly.
  • chasingdreams99
    chasingdreams99 Posts: 3
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    Thank you for all the helpfull tips! I will be rethinking my breakfast choices and maybe my goals. I also need to add exercise to my routine to earn back some of the calories! I appreaciate all the help!
  • chasingdreams99
    chasingdreams99 Posts: 3
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    BMR is 1532.9. I'm still kind of confussed what that # means though....
  • gabriellejayde
    gabriellejayde Posts: 607 Member
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    granola is notoriously high in calories and often in sugar too. you can always sprinkle a little on some plain greek yogurt. throw in some blueberries for sweetness.
    I eat 1200 cals a day and try not to go over 200 cals for breakfast, but that's what works for me.
  • purpleipod
    purpleipod Posts: 1,147 Member
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    Then eat more?
  • sweebum
    sweebum Posts: 1,060 Member
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    So don't eat 1200 calories. It's rarely necessary. Depends on how much you have to lose.
  • ubermensch13
    ubermensch13 Posts: 824 Member
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    BMR is 1532.9. I'm still kind of confussed what that # means though....

    BMR is the amount of energy(or calories) your body needs to burn to survive even when immobile.
  • sweebum
    sweebum Posts: 1,060 Member
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    BMR is 1532.9. I'm still kind of confussed what that # means though....
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    BMR is 1532.9. I'm still kind of confussed what that # means though....

    A lot of people summarize BMR as the amount of calories your body needs to keep functioning while you are in a coma (doing nothing except breathing and involuntary bodily functions).

    There's tons of well written information here:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Judging by your profile pic 2 lbs a week may be too agressive for you. You don't look like you have a whole lot of weight to lose so you should probably be at 1 lb per week. This will give you more calories.

    Also, once you enter exercise done, you will "earn" more calories to fuel the exercise. 1200 is just what you should eat if you are sedentary all day.
  • kalyn_QT
    kalyn_QT Posts: 273 Member
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    you can do it, but i'd start around bmr if i could redo things. i was eating 5 times a day and made it my calorie goals. you find ways to make things healthier and after awhile it just becomes second nature. i just upped my calories today to 1600 and still eating 5 times a day no clue how to eat all the food i have to eat to make it up that high.
  • TRIGURL01
    TRIGURL01 Posts: 1 Member
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    I agree also. But want to add that you may want to add protein to your breakfast instead. Granola typically is considered high calorie & high sugar. If you have health benefits, then you should see if dietitian is covered by your health/medical plan. A dietitian is hugh resource to help you find the best foods to eat while working on your health goals.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,404 MFP Moderator
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    BMR is 1532.9. I'm still kind of confussed what that # means though....

    It means you need to eat more.. probably more around 1700-1900 daily.. Congrats you can eat more and still lose weight. Also, concentrate on fat loss, not weight loss. If you are exercising, you should be looking to do weight training or body resistance training to improve muscle retention. Combine with cardio (more specially HIIT) and you have a recipe for success.

    To add more perspective, lets say you had a desk job and burn 300 calories during a workout. Your TDEE is

    TDEE = 1532*1.2+300 = 3138

    From here you form a deficit, 20% is a preferred method

    Caloric requirements = 3138*.8 = 1710 <-- what you should eat daily.
  • lelaspeaks
    lelaspeaks Posts: 163 Member
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    BMR is 1532.9. I'm still kind of confussed what that # means though....

    It means you should be eating at least this amount of calories everyday to have long-term, sustainable weight loss. Trust me - it took almost a year at 1200 calories before learning this lesson.

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