I'm struggling with this 1200 Calories a day thing...

135

Replies

  • LinDiSm26262
    LinDiSm26262 Posts: 234 Member
    How about oatmeal, black beans, turkey chili, salad with chicken, homemade soup, fruit, peanut on whole wheat bread, lean turkey on Orrowheat Sandwich thins with low fat cheese, lettuce, tomato, and avocado. There are so many foods that have calories that are good for you. Sounds like you just need to start eating. If you eat breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, and a snack I can't see how you won't reach 1200 calories. Maybe you shouldn't drink so many protein shakes and instead eat 'real' food.

    Use the Food Journal provided on this site and plan your meals. Prepare them a day in advance until you get the hang of eating normal.

    Good luck!
  • nekomo
    nekomo Posts: 3 Member
    MFP tells me to eat 1200 a day to lose weight too.
    But I keep 1200 as the net calorie so if I work out more, I can eat more :D
    So this motivates me to workout haha..
    If I burned 200 cal by working out, I eat 100 more cal
    I like to set up my meals day before and try to keep it the next day. That is why I love MFP.
    Eat lots of veggies and fruit to fill you up-!
    If I eat tuna , soy milk or chicken breast, I easily go over my daily protein need that I don't need a protein drink..



    Good luck to you and I!
  • hendinerik
    hendinerik Posts: 287 Member
    Add nuts in those shakes and you'll get there in no time!
  • I just started logging yesterday, but I try to eat every 3 hours (at least a little something)....maybe try an english muffin with some laughing cow cheese on it; that is if you are low on carbs. As for the negative comments, just ignore them, some people can't help themselves. We are all on here because we are overweight or trying to get in better shape and LEARN how to eat properly. If protein is what you are always over, try to find carbs or fat to replace them (if you need to know what counts as carbs or fat, you can google it. Good luck and don't give up (and most importantly, ignore the inconsiderate people on here):wink:
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    Look, we all know that some people are posting this to get attention. If that bothers you, Why are you giving them more attention?

    That doesn't mean that everyone just wants attention. This is a real issue for a lot of people and the belittling attitude just makes it worse. It doesn't mean there is something wrong with the person, it doesn't mean that they are lying. It just means that it sometimes takes awhile to learn to eat your calories properly. For anyone born more than a decade ago, it was drilled into us that low fat was healthy - not just diet food, but actually healthy. We need to unlearn that and incorporate the right kinds of fat into our diets.

    Furthermore, the whole "sure you can, you are fat, aren't you" encourages people to go back to bad habits. I have seen more than one poster be explicit about it: just have some junk food at the end of the day. That is not the healthy path. If it fits your macros, it will work. However, it can be a slippery slope. Many of us are trying to build healthier habits, not just eat within a calorie target. An occasional junk food is one thing, using it to fill my calories every day is not ok for all my goals.
  • RenewedRunner
    RenewedRunner Posts: 423 Member
    ...Can people please give any advice/suggestions in plain-easy to understand english?
    Peanut Butter.

    Spoon.

    Eat.

    Solved.


    You and I worship at the same altar..mmmm peanut butter!
  • Are you making your own shakes or buying them? You can buy higher calorie shakes. You may have to start making your own so you can add calories into them.
  • greasygriddle
    greasygriddle Posts: 32 Member
    i call BS. get out troll! :devil:
  • Susay2942
    Susay2942 Posts: 211 Member
    I cant believe I just posted the same thing ... I just get full so fast!
  • Eat more carbs and less protein. Protein is lower in calories and make you feel full throughout the day. Carbs are high in calories and don't last as long. A typical person on this website should do the opposite, but your case is apparently atypical.
  • NRSPAM
    NRSPAM Posts: 961 Member
    ...Can people please give any advice/suggestions in plain-easy to understand english?
    Peanut Butter.

    Spoon.

    Eat.

    Solved.

    Hahaha! Love this! N love peanut butter!!! Unfortunately, I have NO problem getting ALL my calories in!!!
  • Phany04
    Phany04 Posts: 52 Member
    ...Can people please give any advice/suggestions in plain-easy to understand english?
    Peanut Butter.

    Spoon.

    Eat.

    Solved.

    LOL!!!!! Freakin hilarious!

    Well darn OP closed her diary. Not surprising. But if you got a chance to view it before she closed it, she's eating normally around 900 calories a day.

    Lunch was something like 2 oz of steak, 0.2 cups of corn (that's like 2 tablespoons....) and 1/4 cup of something else. No breakfast, an orange for a snack, and as little for dinner as for lunch.

    That's why the 'up portion' size comment from me....and probably why Quirky is saying she probably wants to come off as 'virtuous' (which I agree with) for not being able to eat 1200 calories.

    In that case, she's probably hungry all the time!! That's the biggest mistake we make when we first start loosing weight... Going to the extreme. I have done it many times and ended giving up a couple months after. Now I'm reading a lot about nutrition. I also cook my meals. I never go hungry. I have 1400 calories per day but I'm not active right now. So that amount works for me.

    Sometimes I do have calories left. I make a hot chocolate or eat a yogurt before going to sleep. It's working for me. I lost 24 pounds in the last 3 months. So dear friend: please try to add some things that will fill you up. Try whole wheat rice, couscous, pasta, egg whites, beans....nuts, fruits to your salad. Find a page for food recipe and get some ideas of what to eat. Increase your portion to maybe 4-6 oz of steak, good luck in your journey. :)
  • Wade406
    Wade406 Posts: 269 Member
    How did you get overweight in the first place?

    This is an important question.

    Adding more calories via nut butter is stupid.

    Evaluating how you got here is valuable. Rather than choosing a temporary diet that will lead you to the "Promised Land", find the best way to eat and live. Adopt that style, be open to refinements in that "style", and be happy and healthy. Good health to you!
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    Eat more carbs and less protein. Protein is lower in calories and make you feel full throughout the day. Carbs are high in calories and don't last as long. A typical person on this website should do the opposite, but your case is apparently atypical.

    Protein and carbs have the same number of calories per gram.
  • Ultragirl2374
    Ultragirl2374 Posts: 390 Member
    Isn't everyone different?? Why do people keep saying that 1200 is barely enough to survive?? Yes, I admit for a 6'0" male this might be too little. I am 5'0", female and I don't feel like I'm starving myself with 1200. And I do eat! Trust me! Three meals and two or three snacks. No shakes. Real food. Decent portion sizes. If you are eating fresh veggies, fruits, whole grain and lean meat it can be done.
  • Me too! this is my problem I always exceed to my 1200 calories :)
  • don't stick too much to this MFP plan. Here is n interactive calculator that gives you a better picture what you should eat:
    http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/fnic/interactiveDRI/index.php
  • Wade406
    Wade406 Posts: 269 Member
    Isn't everyone different?? Why do people keep saying that 1200 is barely enough to survive?? Yes, I admit for a 6'0" male this might be too little. I am 5'0", female and I don't feel like I'm starving myself with 1200. And I do eat! Trust me! Three meals and two or three snacks. No shakes. Real food. Decent portion sizes. If you are eating fresh veggies, fruits, whole grain and lean meat it can be done.

    This is a helpful consideration... size matters.
  • Wade406
    Wade406 Posts: 269 Member
    Eat more carbs and less protein. Protein is lower in calories and make you feel full throughout the day. Carbs are high in calories and don't last as long. A typical person on this website should do the opposite, but your case is apparently atypical.

    Protein and carbs have the same number of calories per gram.

    AWESOME! So many misconceptions about protein...
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    CHEESE!
  • aelunyu
    aelunyu Posts: 486 Member
    Before reading about it on this site I had never heard the term starvation mode before, I think it was invented here.

    LOL...they're talking about the thing that fitness models run into....when you're 10% bodyfat and you wanna be 9%, and it's damn near impossible!
  • Clare0116
    Clare0116 Posts: 37 Member
    Here is a link to calculate your personal metabolic rate: http://www.diabetes.co.uk/bmr-calculator.html
    I suggest small portions and keeping in healthy snacks. Lowish (about 75) daily carbs work best for me, which allows 1 slice of bread or half a ciabatta roll and a small portion of rice, pasta or potato. The Atkins Low Carb diet needs a lot of determination and results in cravings for carbs especially in cold weather. I am only 4'9", no thyroid function and my BMI (fat level) is obese at 36.8. Cardio is limited due to heart problems, so walk 2 miles slowly a few times a week and do stretching exercises to shrink my skin and improve circulation. I need 1,375 cals a day to maintain my weight but rarely eat that much, often only 800 cals or less. I'm trying to use the hypnotherapy gastric band idea to control my portions, as my worst fault is loving food and living alone, it takes me days to use up an indulgent treat, which I now rarely buy.
  • Wade406
    Wade406 Posts: 269 Member
    CHEESE!

    Haha filling but definitely contributes to heart disease. No thanks.
  • chelseabuns88
    chelseabuns88 Posts: 77 Member
    Crazy..

    If you're consistently struggling to meet the calorie target, why not just slightly increase the portion size for each meal.. the same macro levels, higher calorie count..

    I personally cannot understand how people struggle to make it to 1200 calories.. do you really not like food that much? It can make you feel great if you give it a try!
  • trudijoy
    trudijoy Posts: 1,685 Member
    i think the thing is that some people who struggle to get to 1200 a day - and i'm one - have realised that their 'before'diet had some big things in it that as soon as you cut them out and eat better it's low. My base diet has always been essentially healthy - i love salad and vegies and chicken and things, but I let my love of other things, like corn chips and convenient takeout like pizza win last year and now that i'm not letting them win my normal diet is well under the 1200. (or in my case the suggested 1370). You people being judgemental and going 'well you got fat in the first place eating more' should be more supportive - not all people who are fat got there by not understanding nutrition.
  • trudijoy
    trudijoy Posts: 1,685 Member
    and yes, i bump mine up to within about a hundred of my target because I feel it's healthier that way. I do it with various things - avocado and cheese on crackers is a fave.
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    I net 2000 a day. I couldn't get there if I actually went by suggested serving sizes. Those suggestions have to be for toddlers or something. Especially for meats. I'll eat an 8 ounce beef tenderloin or 10 oz chicken breast with dinner. Four ounces of chicken breast is a joke.
  • MerlinWilliams
    MerlinWilliams Posts: 92 Member
    Forget the 1200 calories a day.

    I'm eating 2000 calories a day. I've been here since the day before New Year's and I'm down 12 pounds.
  • JuniperT
    JuniperT Posts: 394 Member
    ...Can people please give any advice/suggestions in plain-easy to understand english?
    Peanut Butter.

    Spoon.

    Eat.

    Solved.


    This...and/or almonds. But I also agree with the idea of eat more weigh less you just have to eat the right things and do the work.
  • LinDiSm26262
    LinDiSm26262 Posts: 234 Member
    It may be a good idea to look at other people's food journal to get an idea of what to eat.