I discovered I eat 1200 calories in first half of day :(

jadeyq1

I checked that BMR thing and it said I could eat 1512 calories a day. Then it said to speed up weight loss I could eat 200 - 300 calories less - and that brings me back to 1200 recommended on this site...

I know it sounds silly but do not pay any attention to what MFP suggests in terns of how many calories to eat. MFP told me to eat 1200 calories at the start......I then calculated my BMR USING MFP and I got a figure around the 1650 mark!

MFP literally tells you what you want to know without really asking too many questions.......if you say 'I want to lose 2lbs a week' MFP will tell you to eat the minimum amount of calories that it considers safe ie. 1200.

I did a hell of a lot of research using the MFP forums and the internet and the general consensus is to eat above your BMR and below your TDEE....basically burn more than you eat

tekwriter

Take a look at your food choices, you may be able to make some better choices. Take a look at how fast you want to lose, you may add more calories on only 1 pound a week. Most people seem to eat over 1200 calories here, although there are a few that don't. I would never make it on 1200, but my breakfast and lunch ussually run around 700 to 800 and I also add an afternoon snack.

riccoismydog

If mfp says you need 1200 calories a day to lose weight, thats what you need. I am so tired of gym boys who have bmr of 2000 because they are six feet tall harping on five foot girls saying they should eat more. At 1200 calories some women don't even lose a pound a week. I know I only lose 0.9. Makes me sad when my big guy friends eat twice as much and lose five or more a week, but that goes with being a girl doesn't it?


OP- if you are aiming for two lbs a week, scale it back a bit. Try eating healthier. And exercise for some more calories. Nuff said.

khall86790

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

This is the best thing you can read. Also, change your MFP settings to 1lb loss per week (it's the recommended setting for a reason) and see what goal that gives you.

As for eating 1200 cals by lunch time, you are making the wrong food choices.
I normally consume around 700-800 calories with breakfast and lunch and I've been very successful with my weight loss.

sunglasses_and_ocean_waves

I'm not going to repeat what everyone except the chick in the bathing suit said. but I'll tell you this. I eat the bulk of my calories before noon every day. That's just how it works out for me. Dinner, the most filling meal of the day, is surprisingly low in calories (ie: steak with broccoli is probably all of 300 calories). I guess I really need the fuel throughout the morning because I eat so much then and couldn't care less about food all afternoon until dinner.

endoftheside

I pretty often eat 1000-1300 calories before 2, but I set my goal for around 1550 calories a day (+exercise cal) based on my sedentary TDEE-%. I am short, female, and in my forties, but still losing on 1550+ and it is so much more sustainable than 1200.

You really have to look at your whole day in advance unless you are willing to eat super lightly for dinner. Some days I am totally OK with a bit of roast/veggies/broth for dinner (less than 300 calories), but if I am so limited for dinner that it is making me cranky I make sure to leave 600 calories the next day's dinner so I can have a bit more flexibility.

One thing I decided to do early on was add at least one veggie to every meal, period, including breakfast. If you took your breakfast bread and bacon, halving the bread/bacon but adding a big handful of spinach or a cucumber, you might find it equally satisfying but almost half the calories. I noticed that some of your salad meals were very low in protein, if you add protein to a salad meal it would be much more likely to keep you satisfied for longer.

You may have to invest some time in working on the problem of "I am going to only have 400 calories for breakfast...how can I get the taste and the bulk I need to keep me happy until lunch with that limit?" Don't limit yourself to traditional breakfast options either. And when you do find something that works, make a note of the macros involved with it, because that may make a difference for you (does relatively more protein help, or more fat?)

Good luck! :flowerforyou:

mclark1124

Remember that it's proably NET calories you want to shoot for. So if you really are trying to eat 1200 calories (which may be too low), but you routinely burn 250 calories doing a workout, you really can eat 1450 calories in a day.

Iron_Feline

If mfp says you need 1200 calories a day to lose weight, thats what you need. I am so tired of gym boys who have bmr of 2000 because they are six feet tall harping on five foot girls saying they should eat more. At 1200 calories some women don't even lose a pound a week. I know I only lose 0.9. Makes me sad when my big guy friends eat twice as much and lose five or more a week, but that goes with being a girl doesn't it?


OP- if you are aiming for two lbs a week, scale it back a bit. Try eating healthier. And exercise for some more calories. Nuff said.

I'm a 5'2 woman and I eat 1600-1800 calories a day, everyone is different and most people can lose eating more.

Edit - you've logged food for all of 4 days in April - come back in 6 months and tell us how that 1200 calories a day is still working out for you. :noway:

FeelingLessChubby

You are right, but I just started the diary a week ago, and I wasn't really complaining that I'm not losing weight (too soon for that), but I was just really discouraged to discover that I was eating my 1200 in the first half of the day, and I felt really discouraged by this... of course 6 months would be a much better marker, but I don't want to have the same complaint in 6 months time, that's why I thought I'd ask

lithezebra

You are increasing your awareness of how much you eat, and that will be good in the long run.

P.S. A generous serving of protein in the morning helps me when I find myself eating too much early in the day. For a while I was having 2 egg omelettes with spinach, tomatoes, and cheese, and that got me through until lunch.

SyntonicGarden

If it makes you feel better, you're not alone. I set my goal to 0 cals per day, then log what I eat.

Granted, anyone looking at my diary is going to see that I'm technically always over, but it's my diary and it makes sense to me. I calculate exercise normally. It sounds silly, but I actually feel less stressed and eat less if I don't feel all of that extra pressure.

lithezebra

Another thought: you may not need to be on 1200 calories a day, unless you're short in stature and only have 15 pounds or less to lose. If you can lose 1/2 to 1 pound a week on 1400 (or even more), you might consider a slower, easier-to-stick-to plan. I did 1200 calories a day (plus eating back exercise calories) for many months, and it was not particularly fun. It worked, because I'm small, and was eating above my BMR.

More protein-rich foods that work for me at breakfast: chicken sausage (the relatively healthy, uncured kind), Greek yogurt, beans, steak, fajitas, ground chicken. Sometimes I just go ahead and have a dinner food for breakfast. I'm not very hungry at night anyway, so a big breakfast works for me.

MelsAuntie

That is great. Eat most of your cals early and then have a light dinner. AFTER the 1200 cals. You'll do just fine.

dwalt15110

I second the person who said to eat protein in the morning. This is a great way to put a stop to hunger. I noticed that you are too low on protein. Choose eggs, chicken, lean meats. One day you had bacon listed and the sodium was through the roof on that. Processed foods contain many things that are not the healthiest for us. They load food with sodium and sugar for taste value. Try adding fruits throughout the day. You cannot go wrong with bananas, any kind of berries, melons, and apples if you need that crunch. I see that you do like to eat breads. You need to limit that and also pair it with protein.

I agree that 1200 calories is not for everyone, but as others have said, when you start eating nutrient dense food, you will find that you are satisfied with less.

CoachReddy

I checked that BMR thing and it said I could eat 1512 calories a day. Then it said to speed up weight loss I could eat 200 - 300 calories less - and that brings me back to 1200 recommended on this site...

that's not how it works. i don't know if it's been addressed, but your BMR is your starting point. From there you factor in how many calories you burn every day, and that brings you to your TDEE. Eat 20% below your TDEE and you'll be good to go.

never eat below your BMR.

neandermagnon

Maybe you need to eat more than 1200 calories - read this to see if you could up your calories and still lose, 1200 isn't a magic number and for many people it's too low - both in calories and for them to feel satisfied. I wanted to kill people on 1200 - even when it was full of nutrient dense food :laugh:

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

^^^ this

Robin_Bin

You are right, but I just started the diary a week ago, and I wasn't really complaining that I'm not losing weight (too soon for that), but I was just really discouraged to discover that I was eating my 1200 in the first half of the day, and I felt really discouraged by this... of course 6 months would be a much better marker, but I don't want to have the same complaint in 6 months time, that's why I thought I'd ask

Rather important to start by knowing how much you've been eating. The first step is deciding to be healthier. The second step is figuring out what you're doing now in preparation for changing the right things.

There are very few people who should be eating only 1,200 calories a day. Did MFP really recommend that, or did you just select it? How much weight are you trying to lose? However, if you've not very active and want to lose weight, it's unlikely that you should be eating that much in the first 1/2 of your day. If you wish to lose weight and be healthier long-term, you need to figure out what will work for you long-term, and it's extremely unlikely that a series of yo-yo dieting will be healthy or work for you. Your next step is probably to educate yourself. Learn what BMR and TDEE are. Figure out what you've been doing (track it), and what small changes you can make to begin improving your health.

I've collected a bunch of advice and links to other good guidance at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Robin_Bin/view/how-to-use-myfitnesspal-427993

jodigirl03

SOME of us do have to follow a 1200 cal diet. I know this is shocking for the vast majority that are physically fit, (have a moderate amount of muscle), can burn up to 1000 cals in a single work out or they are bigger/ taller and/or live active lifestyles and are very active at work.

I eat to live, I do not live to eat. My BMR is 1050 and my TDEE is 1500. The most I can burn in a work out is 200 calls and my lifestyle & job are sedentary. And it takes me TWO weeks to lose ONE lb. So, 2 1/2 months to drop 5 measly lbs.

Congrats to all of you who can "eat more to weigh less."

For those of us who do not fall in this category I'm going to offer advice for us disgusting bottom feeder 1200 cal eaters. (Trust me, if you want to make enemies just tell them you eat 1200 calls, .... friends will run like you just told them you have the plague.

*Disclaimer - I LOVE FOOD AND I'M HUNGRY!!!! I am not an anorexic, NOR DO I have any other kind of eating disorder. (Which is what ppl assume about you the min you tell them you eat 1200 calls.) That or you're undereducated about nutrition & weight loss.

SO for us 1200 cal eaters, (and by the way I did not read your comments because they are all the same once you openly admit to eating 1200 cals), BUT for us 5% that HAVE to, here's how to get through the day w/o skipping any meals.

Breakfast:
Old fashioned quaker oats with a handful of fruit or nuts; 2 egg whites & a tsp of healthy fat
(Allow yourself no more than 300 cals for this meal)

Lunch-
ham sandwich, tuna sandwich no mayo, a lean piece of meat (chicken or whatever, assuming you eat meat), and 3/4 plate of freshly steamed veggies
(Also again no more than 300 cals for this meal)

Dinner: salmon or another fish/lean meat, w/ veggies or a salad (oil & vinegar or twist of lemon)
(approx 300 cals again)

That leaves you 300 cals for snacks throughout the day and there are a bunch of snacks for under 100 calls. I suggest fruit, 94% FF snack size popcorn, juiced drinks, a protein shake or bar.

It's your cal's, budget them like you do your money on payday.

Better choices is an art that has to be played with and mistakes will be made. Forgive yourself, pick up the pieces and eat a lighter dinner on the days you've gone over. Nobody should be skipping meals. You'll probably have made up for it once you get the hang of it or by the end of the week.

Good luck!!
And in closing, .... hey I hope you do fall into the "eat more to weigh less category. Congrats if you do - TOTALLY JEALOUS!!!

FeelingLessChubby

Thank you all for your positive feedback!

I did the calculations.

My BMR is 1570.
My TDEE is 1735.

So should I be eating 20% less of my TDEE, is that correct?

MFP recommended the 1200 calories based on how much information I put in - I'm looking to lose 15 kilos, that is 33 pounds.

Several of you said to eat fruits - I used to start my morning with a bowl of fresh fruit, usually grapes, or frozen fruit from Aldi, with a cup of yogurt over it. This didn't sustain me until lunch, although I saw online that it's one of the better breakfasts nutrition-wise.
Someone suggested porridge - I'm sorry I really don't like porridge, it makes me want to gag, just one of the (very few) foods I can't stand.

I now try to make 2 eggs in the microwave every morning, with a little cheese added, but I find I can't have just the eggs alone. I'm making this breakfast at work by the way, so there's limited flexibility as to what I can do with the eggs, it's just terribly inconvenient. And before you ask, no I can't make it at home before I leave, I have a long commute and when I leave home it's simply too early to eat, my schedule isn't favourable to making breakfast at home in the morning.

jodigirl03

For those of you who DO need to be eating 1200 cals, I recommend that you do a week at 1500, drop 100 cals per day each week until you can comfortably eat 1200, (IF that's what you should be eating)
The hunger gets less and it becomes more bare able. Starting at 1200 can be discouraging and shocking.
Best of luck to you!!!!!