Is it ok to eat under 1200 calories?

swtpotatolove

Hey all!

Has anyone had hard time consuming 1200 calories in a day?

So.. I've heard and know that females should consume at least 1200 calories daily. But, I find it hard to fill up 1200 calories on some days. My usual intake would be 700 - 800 calories a day (also depends on what I eat). But I am NOT starving myself. I am assuming it is because I eat a meal between lunch and breakfast, and so I stay full until dinner... and that is why I would eat less than 1200 calories in a day.

Should I change this habit? Should I munch on snacks through out the day to reach 1200 calorie intake even if I am already full?

My goal is to lose weight and tone up.

Thank you.

Julia

pennelope515

I AM HAVING THAT SAME PROBLEM TOO. I EAT LOW CALORIE FOODS THROUGHOUT THE DAY AND I AM LUCKY TO HIT 1,000.

Poprocket_2012

I'm guilty of 99% of the time eating much less as i find 1200 too much for just one day

sexymuffintop

Depends if you want to lose weight and keep it off? If not then yes eat less than 1200 a day....If you want long term, healthy sustainable weight loss and to keep and improve your muscle tone I'd google TDEE and read, learn and take action. Quickly.

sunman00

look up BMR (basal metabolic rate) & read about it, you could be harming your body

megsmom2

No. Eat.

Poprocket_2012

I quit smoking and developed bad eating habits

Otterluv

Here is a thread that could be of help:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/952996-level-obstacles-lose-weight-target-fat-easy

As far as reaching your calorie goals, try to eat more calorie dense foods. There are tons of options (peanut butter, using oils to cook with, etc.).

shaunap3

In the long run I would say yes. It's very hard to consume enough nutrients with that little amount of food. You would need to live on raw vegetables, raw fruits, and lean meats and probably still would be deficient somewhere in your diet.

LouMonoLou

When you eat less than 1200 calories you ARE starving yourself. I had done the same months ago and I didn't feel hunger at all. But not feeling hungry doesn't mean that you're not starving.

Restricting calories is not the ultimate solution to lose weight. The quality & nutritional value of our food is more important. It's different when you eat 200 calories of a common chocolate bar and 200 calories of apples.

Try eating more fruit and veggies so you will get the calories you need and still eat healthily. Make fruit smoothies (you can add yogurt or milk if you want) and salads with veggies,olive oil & nuts (healthy fats that are good when eaten in moderation).

What I love is avocado. I put it in salads & sandwiches. It's an excellent source of healthful fats. It's rich in fiber and that means it will keep you full.

I cannot tell you how many calories you should eat because I am not a dietitian but 1200 is too low according to me.

mockchoc

No it most probably isn't. Follow that link and you'll know for sure. Don't follow it any you could end up with serious health issues.

jimmmer

Lol. Just Lol!

A tablespoon of peanut butter on a piece of wholegrain toast with some spread on it is about 250-300 cals (depends on what bread/spread).

That's one piece of toast with a topping on it.

Other than that add a bit more to each meal you eat. Extra 15g of cheese on a meal is 60 cals. Small handful of nuts is something similar. You could easily add 60-100 cals to each of your three main meals and my peanut butter on toast as a snack/supper and you've eaten 600ish extra cals without really trying.

Time to end this nonsense now.

Francl27

I'm guilty of 99% of the time eating much less as i find 1200 too much for just one day

How on earth did you ever get overweight in the first place then If it's so hard for you to eat more than a small child does on a daily basis?

Actually no, even small children need 1400-1600 calories a day.

All you're going to do is screw up your metabolism. When it slows down to 700 a day, you won't be able to lose weight anymore.

5ftnFun

I see past posts where you asked if having only a shake for dinner was ok, and thought about a "banana diet". Now this. Stop the craziness. You don't have to eat so little to lose weight.

bnorris2013

If you need help filling your calories at the end of the day consider adding a glass or two of full fat milk to make up for the extra calories

peachfigs

It can be hard if you are eating a lot of low calorie foods. Try adding in some healthy foods that are higher in calories and essential fats, like seeds, nuts, avocado, organic peanut butter, almond butter, etc. Good luck! :flowerforyou:

fit4lifeUcan2

I eat a lot of raw greens and low calorie dense foods so at times I find it hard to reach 1200 calories but will eat some almonds or walnuts to reach my goal. I like sweets so what I did was I made my own candied walnuts. THere is a recipe on the chew.com web site for it. BUT I doubled the walnuts for the recipe so they get a lighter thinner coating. I store them in a container and weigh them out before I eat. Even when I'm full I can eat my weight in those things so I make sure to just take what I need to reach my goal and then put the container away. I also sprinkle them over my salad to get in more calories if I need to.

Do you like chocolate? Get dark chocolate bits and measure out what you need to reach your calories and eat those. If my husband hasn't eaten the entire bag and I have some dove dark chocolates left I'll have a couple of those. they're 43 calories per square. I always have room for chocolate

peachfigs

Also, sometimes you can fatten up a salad by adding seeds, nuts, lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans, or cheeses. Greek Feta cheese is really nice. Or maybe add a salad dressing to bump up the calories.

fit4lifeUcan2

I'm guilty of 99% of the time eating much less as i find 1200 too much for just one day

How on earth did you ever get overweight in the first place then If it's so hard for you to eat more than a small child does on a daily basis?

I'm sure she eats a lot differently now than she did when she put on the weight.

I used to eat a lot of high calorie salty snack foods and was on steroids for a few years but now being off the meds and changing what I eat I've lost 75 lbs.

Francl27

If you're eating low calorie, healthy foods then yes at first it will be a struggle to get to 1200.

I totally agree with this! I always end up eating 'junk' to get over 1200. But that's ok, it's what makes me stick to it, otherwise I would have binged a long time ago.

kassiebby1124

If it's a long term thing, yes. But honestly, I think it's okay to have some low days once and a while.