Anyone find it hard to eat at least 1200 cals a day?

da_bears10089

seriously? i could eat 1200 by breakfast if i wasn't careful i usually eat 1200 by about 1pm!! i usually eat 1600-2000 daily or more if I exercise more and I'm losing weight and only about 10 pounds off my goal weight. check out my diary and profile

i'm right there with you! i'm so much happier now too that i'm eating more throughout the day. I have energy for my workouts. OP, you need to look for more calorie dense foods. the PB suggestion is one of my favorites, calorie dense and healthy fats.

da_bears10089

I see posts like this all the time, & it's like...how?? How do you "struggle" to make only 1200 a day? Not just a "oh, you must be so hungry!" thing, but ya know, it's not that hard to get up to 1200 even eating well.

I don't mean to pick on the OP, it's just mind-boggling to me. To the OP---I think your plan on eating back all your calories on some days, & not on others, is okay. I also have around 10 pounds to lose, so do you mind if I friend you

I think the struggle is how to do it healthfully. While eating nothing but Big Macs & french fries may not be the healthiest way to go, you don't have to exist on fish and salad with low fat dressing either. I eat salads, vegetables and fruits, but I also eat hamburgers, pork chops, bacon, and sweets like cookies. I think if more people understood HOW to eat their favorite foods while incorporating nutrient dense foods like fruits & veggies, they'd be a lot happier and more successful. It's that whole moderation thing. It doesn't come easy for everyone.

Totally agree, its difficult for some people to eat thing in modiration, for instance its a bit like allowing yourself 1 square of chocolate a day! AS IF I WOULD STOP AT ONE PIECE! lol

better than denying yourself altogether, and then binging on a whole container of chocolate in an hour.

Katrinadionne1808

I was thinking the exact same thing today.

It has been recommended to me by MFP that I consume 1200 cals a day. Generally I do achieve this and in some cases I tend to go over slightly. My issues are the days where I have done exercise and trying to find healthy ways to make up those calories.

I'll give today as an example.

Hit the gym this AM and burnt 393 cals
Had breakfast x2 weetabix, semi skimmed milk and a banana - 304 cal
Snacked on a Granny Smith Apple - 85cals
For lunch I had a chicken salad, this was a fairly decent size and included lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, avocado and a dressing (not low fat) total 331 cal.
Had some wotsits - 96 cals
I plan to have a King Prawn linguine for my evening meal and even upping what the pack serving size recommends this takes me to 409 cals
I will then no doubt have a small slice of homemade chocolate beetroot cake - cals worked out at 76

I drink green tea which is 0 cals and add a dilute juice to my water which is 2 cals per serving.

In total my cals come to 1326 (it would be less if I left out the crisps and chocolate cake) but I still have another 267 cals remaining due to the exercise. But I can't see me wanting to eat that today. I went over yesterday and will probably go over a little tomorrow as I won't be going to they gym, so I am hoping that if I don't meet my calorie intake then it balances itself out.

I need healthy filling meal ideas that will help me leave out the sweet stuff!

Missellaneous02

You are too lean for a 1lb loss per week.

Please read this forum before continuing your journey.
It will answer all your questions and hopefully explain why 1200 probably isnt right for you.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10665-newbies-please-read-me-2nd-edition

PS: If you understand the term "skinny-fat" and you are okay weighing less but having a higher body fat% then continue what you are doing.

This guy might be right. I THINK I am in the same boat you are. When I started here I was about 10lbs overweight and just out of shape. I'm not sure how much fitness knowledge you have but I know coming to this website I had none. Based on all my inputs into MFP they recommended 1200 calories for me as well. I had the opposite problem because I actually found it a little difficult to not go over 1200. Regardless, I read some posts on the message boards and articles people shared about 1200 calorie diets and how they are not for everyone. I figured out that I actually should have been eating way more than 1200 cals. I figured out my BMI and TDEE and I should really be eating around 1400 a day. I was hesitant but a lot of people said this would work and that it was healthier, so I switched to 1400. After switching I didn't notice any lag in my weight loss. I am still losing about a 1lb or less a week (sometimes it fluctuates and I gain), but I haven't really been stagnant and I haven’t gotten back up to my original weight.

RunHardBeStrong

You are too lean for a 1lb loss per week.

Please read this forum before continuing your journey.
It will answer all your questions and hopefully explain why 1200 probably isnt right for you.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10665-newbies-please-read-me-2nd-edition

PS: If you understand the term "skinny-fat" and you are okay weighing less but having a higher body fat% then continue what you are doing.

This x 1000. And you can eat MORE and still eat WELL. I eat 2000+ and its not junk! You don't have to limit yourself to fruit and veggies; there's plenty of other calorie dense food out there that is healthy!

This! I eat 1800-2000 cals/day and it is rarely any junk or fast food. There are plenty of calorie dense healthy foods to choose from.

magerum

I ate 1200 calories in girl scout cookies last night, immediately, before bed. So, no I dont find it hard to eat 1200.

SadKitty27

this never ceases to amaze me. people who are trying to lose weight struggling to eat enough to lose weight properly.

how did they get overweight in the first place? it can be done without eating junk. a big spoonful of peanut butter can easily contain 400 calories.

Easy, some people just haven't realized how bad they were truly eating and got a much needed wake-up call. As a result they started to eat healthy, and now that they've gotten used to their life style change, they realize they're not as hungry after making better choices.

I personally had that problem. I didn't realize that I was eating so poorly until I took a good hard look at what I was eating. All I knew at the time was that I always felt hungry, and wasn't eating all that much. Now that I've made some healthier changes I find that I'm seldom hungry and I'm losing weight / feeling better.



Here are some examples of what I'm talking about:

_______

Breakfast:
_______


There are roughly 198 calories in a single serving of Kellogg strawberry pop tarts.... Pop tarts, aren't exactly as filling as let's say:

6 tablespoons of egg whites, a cup of fresh raw spinach and one ounce each of fresh mushrooms and onion topped with an ounce of Cracker Barrel's cheddar cheese which equates to roughly 161 calories.

_______

lunch:
_______

There are roughly 320 calories in a subway club, and 147 calories in a single helping of lays potato chips (total 467 calories)...which isn't exactly as filling as:

A 4 ounce serving of Purdue brand boneless skinless chicken breast, one cup of steamed broccoli, and a cup of fresh green beans (total calories 182)

Etc...Etc...

You get the idea.

HMVOL7409

this never ceases to amaze me. people who are trying to lose weight struggling to eat enough to lose weight properly.

how did they get overweight in the first place? it can be done without eating junk. a big spoonful of peanut butter can easily contain 400 calories.

Easy, some people just haven't realized how bad they were truly eating and got a much needed wake-up call. As a result they started to eat healthy, and now that they've gotten used to their life style change, they realize they're not as hungry after making better choices.

I personally had that problem. I didn't realize that I was eating so poorly until I took a good hard look at what I was eating. All I knew at the time was that I always felt hungry, and wasn't eating all that much. Now that I've made some healthier changes I find that I'm seldom hungry and I'm losing weight / feeling better.



Here are some examples of what I'm talking about:

_______

Breakfast:
_______


There are roughly 198 calories in a single serving of Kellogg strawberry pop tarts.... Pop tarts, aren't exactly as filling as let's say:

6 tablespoons of egg whites, a cup of fresh raw spinach and one ounce each of fresh mushrooms and onion topped with an ounce of Cracker Barrel's cheddar cheese which equates to roughly 161 calories.

_______

lunch:
_______

There are roughly 320 calories in a subway club, and 147 calories in a single helping of lays potato chips (total 467 calories)...which isn't exactly as filling as:

A 4 ounce serving of Purdue brand boneless skinless chicken breast, one cup of steamed broccoli, and a cup of fresh green beans (total calories 182)

Etc...Etc...

You get the idea.

Yes most get the general idea however your meal ideas also miss out a major food group, whole grains. What's wrong with those? Also a Greek yogurt, peanut butter, nuts etc all good for you are almost more calories per serving than your meals combined. Add in those!