I seem can't meet 1200 calories a day
Replies
-
I'm 11 stone exactly (I was 12.2 last September). I ate 60g of frosted flakes with just over 125ml of milk and a big mug of coffee for breakfast at 11 am this morning, I feel so full that if I eat anything else I'll probably feel sick; I'm guessing this is where I'm going wrong. I get hungry and sick feelings mixed up all the time, after a huge meal I sometimes feel like I'm starving when I'm really just way too full; but I don't want to try eating in case I really do feel sick so I wait for my stomach to rumble or something.
I thought I just needed a suggestion on how to up my intake but now I think there's something wrong with me; going to force eat over the next couple of days.
I'm also going to buy myself some peanut butter.
You are eating breakfast at 11am? Honey, I've already had breakfast and my morning snack at this time. You need to eat earlier. I'm not trying to be mean- but you can't think that eating at 11am means you are actually having "breakfast" even though you may be eating "breakfast" foods.0 -
I suffer from acute panic attacks but I'm not sure how that would affect my appetite unless I'm actually having one.
I also used to suffer from panic attacks (still do, but they're mostly under control). I'd do the same as you -- have breakfast and then skip food for the rest of the day, get home, and not be able to eat a whole lot. It's because I was so afraid of having an attack (which would make me nauseous and scared), that I wouldn't want food in my stomach *just in case*. I lost 20 pounds -- water weight and muscle. It's not healthy to be that way (and a crappy quality of life, for sure!), so if you're still suffering from them, pleeeeeeeeeease go see someone. :flowerforyou:0 -
it might sound backwards but actually when you don't eat enough you start to feel nauseous which kind of dulls your appetite. So you end up not eating enough but feeling like you don't need to eat more because you feel queasy.
This is just like when you are really dehydrated from a night of drinking, and the one thing you need more than anything (water) sounds and tastes awful.0 -
I think there are psychological issues involved when you eat a bowl of cereal in the morning and not feel hungry until the evening. Your body is telling you it's hungry, it's just that your mind refuses to listen. Perhaps a visit with a counselor or any other mental health professional is needed.
When I'm in a period of intense stress, I often don't feel hungry either until I'm actually starved.0 -
I'm not a big eater but adding protein bars and shakes have helped increase calories, protein and energy! Hope that helps0
-
All I can think is that if you're eating things like frozen pizza, then you're probably not calculating correctly. Unless you're eating a small fraction of said pizza, not even a serving size, you're likely getting more calories from that sort of thing than you're calculating. It's VERY easy to overdo cereal and milk. A serving of cereal is rarely a full bowl of cereal so you could be eating a couple servings in the morning. You didn't say whether you put stuff in your coffee or if you use accurate measuring methods but I would bet money that you're not measuring correctly.
If that's not the case, you're in anorexia/bulimia range by burning off 500 of the 1200 calorie goal. Anything that nets under 1000, unless properly supervised as a weightloss plan by a physician, is considered "disordered" by the AMA and would be cause for significant concern.
One thing most people don't know is that a lot of times, with eating disorders, you really don't feel hungry, even when you're body is starved. If you eat this way for long enough, it will affect your body's ability to register hunger and nutrient needs, successfully slowing your metabolism to a near halt. There are only a few ways to trick yourself out of this type of "status quo" and one of the easiest is to make yourself eat, regardless of hunger, every 2 hours or so, or at least to eat the 1700 calories you should be eating. The first few days, you WILL feel stuffed. You WILL feel weird. However, after a couple days, you WILL feel extremely hungry and actually HAVE to eat more often.
You have to convince your body that you're not starving and not unable to obtain foodstuff.
I speak from experience. I ate like you, even less really, when I was in highschool. I was 6'2" at the time and significantly active. I developed a bingeing issue and gained over 100 pounds in a year because I had effectively wrecked my metabolism. I've written a lot about starvation and eating disorder issues, feel free to read my blog and/or add me.0 -
You are eating breakfast at 11am? Honey, I've already had breakfast and my morning snack at this time. You need to eat earlier. I'm not trying to be mean- but you can't think that eating at 11am means you are actually having "breakfast" even though you may be eating "breakfast" foods.
breakfast
break-fast
breaking your fast
That can be done at 5am, 11am, 5pm, or 11pm. Just make sure adequate overall nutrition weekly.0 -
You are in college, the obvious choice is beer.
:drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:0 -
try adding good fat like avocadoes and nuts...they are high in calories,great fiber,high in fat but it's good fat (just don't go too too crazy lol)....and good protein too.
Peanut butter (try to go as natural as possible) is good to add calories.
You also need to decide where you want to add your calories...Depending on your macro.... Do you want to add them in fat,carbs or protein....... they all have different ways. Easier to raise calories with fat and carbs TRUST me...but all 3 are possible.
Hope you'll reach your goal.
Take care
Ps: I eat over 2500-3000 cal a day and never bust anything in my macro so YES...it's possible...Just need to learn how.0 -
I am small, 5'2" and can eat 1400 /day to maintain. I must exercise to be able to eat back those cals just to eat what I consider a normal amount of food. One thing I do is eat my protein on a HUGE salad with only 1T balsamic vinegar (not vinagrette). I weigh out the 4-6 ounces of protein (grilled or backed). I put other veggies in salad but... eating 4 cups of chopped lettuce with your protein will fill you up for a long while. I usually go to bed a little hungry but... I have learned to enjoy that feeling as it means I am doing good on not eating too much.
I think that the feeling of hunger (unless weak and dizzy) needs to be ok.
I also like the feeling of being hungry
But I'm hypoglycemic and have to eat every 2 1/2 hours. Plus I'm a vegetarian. I have problems meeting the 1200 mark. OH WELL! 
0 -
I'm 11 stone exactly (I was 12.2 last September). I ate 60g of frosted flakes with just over 125ml of milk and a big mug of coffee for breakfast at 11 am this morning, I feel so full that if I eat anything else I'll probably feel sick; I'm guessing this is where I'm going wrong. I get hungry and sick feelings mixed up all the time, after a huge meal I sometimes feel like I'm starving when I'm really just way too full; but I don't want to try eating in case I really do feel sick so I wait for my stomach to rumble or something.
I thought I just needed a suggestion on how to up my intake but now I think there's something wrong with me; going to force eat over the next couple of days.
I'm also going to buy myself some peanut butter.
Why are you eating frosted flakes? That's a sure fire sugar spike right there.
Plus, 11am-5pm isn't some huge time span like your original post implies. Sounds like you need to get on a better schedule, maybe eating a meal at 5pm and then something else later, if you're not going to eat during that 6 hours.
Also, are you aware that 60g of Frosted Flakes is 2 servings? The cereal in your bowl alone is accounting for 280 calories. Add milk, skim milk let's say, 1 cup of skim is about 85 calories. So, in that bowl alone, you're eating 400 calories, give or take.0 -
I used to eat out of boredom, and I eat when I'm stressed (made a bunch of brownies last semester during deadlines; no one saw them but me that night) and it makes me feel guilty as it should so I don't eat when I'm not hungry.
I suffer from acute panic attacks but I'm not sure how that would affect my appetite unless I'm actually having one.
And 60g of cereal in the morning and a huge mug of coffee, I ate a few hours ago and it feels like I've just finished; so yeah it fills me up all day.
Also, student house fridges...not the best at keeping anything 'fresh' so I buy frozen veg and only have salad when I think I can afford to waste most of the stuff I buy.
I might see if I can grab a snack or something when I'm in town today, see if I can manage to eat that.
If you suffer acute panic attacks, STAY AWAY FROM COFFEE. Or any added caffeine for that matter. Please see a doctor. Yes, panic disorders disrupt your eating patterns and there are medications to help. I am going to say this in the nicest, most respectful way I possibly can... I truly feel like you need to talk to someone professionally. 600 calorie days, binging when you are stressed and panic attacks sounds like a problem to me.0 -
Although I think 1200 calories is WAY too low I'm not even going to go there at the moment. First off, your breakfast sounds like it's lacking anything nutritional besides the milk. You're basically eating sugar and milk. Not the healthiest thing IMHO. There's nothing wrong at all with cereal at breakfast but i would suggest being healthier about your choices. If breakfast is one of your bigger meals, try to eat more in the morning possible. And pick foods that are higher in calories like avocados, peanut butter, nuts full fat milk etc. like other people have said, try forcing yourself to snack during the day. You dont have to go crazy but try to get in at least a few hundred calories. For dinner try and figure out foods that can be healthy but also higher in calories. There are so many options even on campus you should be able to find a few things.
I was never able to eat breakfast in high school either and it lasted until after college. I started forcing myself to eat breakfast and it was hard at first but now I would never be able to function without it.0 -
I'm a university student which means I have live cheaply and don't have any cooking skills whatsoever (I get stressed cooking a frozen pizza), so making big meals with lots of ingredients just doesn't happen.
I always thought I'd been going way over my calorie limit when I tried calculating it myself throughout the day but then I started putting the stuff I eat on here and I realised I'd been adding at least 50 calories to the things I was eating just to be safe. This left me with well over 200 uneaten calories by the end of the day.
The easiest thing to do would be to have lunch, but I'm never hungry in the afternoon; I have cereal and coffee for breakfast and that's me full until around 5pm and then I can only just make it to 500 calories for that meal.
I also aim to burn 500 calories a day through exercise (I took a break yesterday because a new type of exercise killed my calves) so I really do need to reach 1200 calories.
Is there a way to make yourself hungry or add a few hundred calories without eating much? (this sounds like a stupid question but I can't even bring myself to have a drink of water never mind eat something after breakfast until I'm really really hungry in the evening).
If 1200 calories is what MFP gives you before exercise and you burn 500 calories from exercise then if you follow MFP you should eat 1200 calories (which is already at a deficit to lose) plus your exercise calories which means you should be eating closer to 1700 calories total. 1200 rec. Before exercise minus 500 from exercise leave you with a net of 700 calories. In this case you will still be under eating.
If you can't or won't feed your body enough to even function properly please don't add exercise on top of that. You won't be doing yourself any favors.
It makes no sense to me when people claim they can't properly fuel their body. If you aren't eating enough then eat more. If you are seriously stuffed on 600 calories you should probably see your doctor because it isn't normal and it isn't healthy.
^^ This. Couldn't have said it better.0 -
I would die.A bowl of cereal for breakfast keeps you full until 5pm? Come on now...0 -
I would die.A bowl of cereal for breakfast keeps you full until 5pm? Come on now...
people around me would die.0 -
Is there a way to make yourself hungry or add a few hundred calories without eating much?
Say hello to my little friends - the jar of peanut butter and a spoon.
Me too. I don't usually have a problem getting in my 1400 calories/day, but when I do, I go right to a jar of peanut butter and a tablespoon!0 -
:laugh: yesssss
I would die.A bowl of cereal for breakfast keeps you full until 5pm? Come on now...
people around me would die.0 -
Feeling as if you can't even have a drink of water because you're so full for six hours seems like a problem that could use more assistance than MFP.0
-
I am aware that my breakfast is 2 servings and I put that in my diet record thing on here. I also record that I have 1 sugar and milk in my coffee. I'm not eating loads and saying its a tiny portion!
And it was 11am this morning; not every morning, I slept in on my day off and I feel I shouldn't be penalised for that (but frosted flakes are cheap and yummy, so feel free to penalise me for this).
I had breakfast at 8am and had soup at 3.30pm or there abouts the day I ate just over 600 calories and I had a slice of toast at 9pm before going to bed at 10pm.
I get sleepy at 10pm and go to bed just after usually so eating dinner at 6 even with a snack after still leaves me with calories to eat.
Also I don't understand calories eaten and calories burned from exercise at all, I thought you didn't eat what you burn? Isn't it pointless if you do?0 -
I'm 11 stone exactly (I was 12.2 last September). I ate 60g of frosted flakes with just over 125ml of milk and a big mug of coffee for breakfast at 11 am this morning, I feel so full that if I eat anything else I'll probably feel sick; I'm guessing this is where I'm going wrong. I get hungry and sick feelings mixed up all the time, after a huge meal I sometimes feel like I'm starving when I'm really just way too full; but I don't want to try eating in case I really do feel sick so I wait for my stomach to rumble or something.
I thought I just needed a suggestion on how to up my intake but now I think there's something wrong with me; going to force eat over the next couple of days.
I'm also going to buy myself some peanut butter.
Makes more sense now, you not being hungry for lunch. I would say anything between 11 - 2 counts as lunch... lol
If I get up late on the weekends and don't get my coffee till 11:30 - 12, I count that as lunch. It looks like I skipped breakfast.
That being said, are you having a late breakfast because you get up late? Or have you been up for hours and are just getting around to breakfast at 11?
If it's the first, I don't see a problem with skipping "lunch" since your breakfast is basically lunch. Just make sure you have some nuts and/or fruit to snack on around 3-4 pm.
If it's the second, then you really should eat something sooner.
Also like someone else said, why frosted flakes?! That's so much sugar..... Probably not good for anxiety and/or panic attacks. Combine all that sugar with a "huge" cup of coffee...doesn't sound so good.
Like everyone else has said, have some filling and healthy snacks. Maybe have some hard boiled eggs and oatmeal instead of cereal for breakfast. Eggs are cheap and good for students on a budget. Boil a bunch one evening, and then grab a few every morning.
Also, drink more.
I know exactly what you are talking about, mixing the sick/hungry feelings up. That happens to me on the weekends sometimes because I sleep in real late and don't start eating or drinking anything till the afternoon. By the time dinner is over, I still have 500 calories to eat (I eat 1510) and I get that same sick/hungry feeling.
You know what makes it go away every time? Another glass of water and MORE FOOD.
0 -
I'm 11 stone exactly (I was 12.2 last September). I ate 60g of frosted flakes with just over 125ml of milk and a big mug of coffee for breakfast at 11 am this morning, I feel so full that if I eat anything else I'll probably feel sick; I'm guessing this is where I'm going wrong. I get hungry and sick feelings mixed up all the time, after a huge meal I sometimes feel like I'm starving when I'm really just way too full; but I don't want to try eating in case I really do feel sick so I wait for my stomach to rumble or something.
I thought I just needed a suggestion on how to up my intake but now I think there's something wrong with me; going to force eat over the next couple of days.
I'm also going to buy myself some peanut butter.
You sound stressed out. Don't stress.
First, you had your breakfast at 11am, and you're eating dinner at 5pm. Most people have breakfast at 6 or 7 and lunch at noon. This makes a lot more sense now - I think everyone was under the impression that you were going 10 or 11 hours without eating. You're a college student, so you're on a really strange, erratic schedule (at least I was), so there's probably not much consistency to your hunger. And then you were on a 1200 calorie diet before, so you probably learned then to ignore hunger signals to meet your goal and now can't really tell if you're hungry. There's nothing seriously wrong with you; your body's just confused. Schedule regular times where you eat, hungry or not, and you'll be able to read your hunger signals a lot better.
As a 20 year old in college on a diet, you have to be careful. It's very easy to undereat, replace nutritious calories with alcohol, exhaust your body with not enough food and sleep, etc. And at 20, your body's still undergoing developmental and hormonal shifts that improper nutrition can really mess up. You can still diet, but it would be a good idea to have a smaller deficit. And as has been said over and over in this thread, you need to find ways to meet your calorie goals, hungry or not. Your body needs it, and you don't want to damage your metabolism by undereating for too long.
Good luck. Message me or add me if you want support or advice.0 -
I am aware that my breakfast is 2 servings and I put that in my diet record thing on here. I also record that I have 1 sugar and milk in my coffee. I'm not eating loads and saying its a tiny portion!
And it was 11am this morning; not every morning, I slept in on my day off and I feel I shouldn't be penalised for that (but frosted flakes are cheap and yummy, so feel free to penalise me for this).
I get sleepy at 10pm and go to bed just after usually so eating dinner at 6 even with a snack after still leaves me with calories to eat.
Also I don't understand calories eaten and calories burned from exercise at all, I thought you didn't eat what you burn? Isn't it pointless if you do?
MFP already has you at a deficit, but it doesn't account for exercise. So when you exercise you are creating an even larger deficit. There are a number of reasons to keep it at a modest deficit, so MFP suggests you eat at them back.
Your body requires a certain number of calories just to survive, run your organs, etc - thats your BMR. On top of that, we move around every day and burn calories doing things like walking to the car, brushing our teeth, our job. MFP figures out how many calories that we require every day then subtracts a number from that depending on our weight loss per week goal.
So if your BMR is 1500 and with daily activity you burn another 500 just living that puts you at 2000. If you tell MFP you want to lose 1 lbs a week, they will subtract 500, and give you a goal of 1500 to eat. Now everyday, your body needs 2000 calories and you are only feeding it 1500, you lose weight. When you exercise and burn off another 500 calories, you are only leaving your body 1000 calories when it requires 2000. As I said earlier, many people recommend keeping a modest deficit. MFP suggests you eat those 500 exercise calories to bring you back up to a net of 1500.
On top of that, exercise is not pointless. There are more benefits to it than just weight loss.0 -
I am aware that my breakfast is 2 servings and I put that in my diet record thing on here. I also record that I have 1 sugar and milk in my coffee. I'm not eating loads and saying its a tiny portion!
And it was 11am this morning; not every morning, I slept in on my day off and I feel I shouldn't be penalised for that (but frosted flakes are cheap and yummy, so feel free to penalise me for this).
I had breakfast at 8am and had soup at 3.30pm or there abouts the day I ate just over 600 calories and I had a slice of toast at 9pm before going to bed at 10pm.
I get sleepy at 10pm and go to bed just after usually so eating dinner at 6 even with a snack after still leaves me with calories to eat.
Also I don't understand calories eaten and calories burned from exercise at all, I thought you didn't eat what you burn? Isn't it pointless if you do?
If you are only eating 1200 calories a day, eating back your workout calories is a MUST!! I don't eat back my workout calories because I eat at TDEE. MFP calculates your caloric intake without taking into consideration calories burned through exercise. That is why it tells you to eat them back. Please do some independent research and try to understand the damage you are doing to your body by depriving yourself of the calories it needs to live. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13 is a great place to start.0 -
*broken record alert* Just eat. You don't have to be hungry. Eat some nuts, a couple spoons on nut butter, done!0
-
Ne naw ne naw ne naw nuttella emergency call in progress!!! :happy:
0 -
You sound stressed out. Don't stress.
First, you had your breakfast at 11am, and you're eating dinner at 5pm. Most people have breakfast at 6 or 7 and lunch at noon. This makes a lot more sense now - I think everyone was under the impression that you were going 10 or 11 hours without eating. You're a college student, so you're on a really strange, erratic schedule (at least I was), so there's probably not much consistency to your hunger. And then you were on a 1200 calorie diet before, so you probably learned then to ignore hunger signals to meet your goal and now can't really tell if you're hungry. There's nothing seriously wrong with you; your body's just confused. Schedule regular times where you eat, hungry or not, and you'll be able to read your hunger signals a lot better.
As a 20 year old in college on a diet, you have to be careful. It's very easy to undereat, replace nutritious calories with alcohol, exhaust your body with not enough food and sleep, etc. And at 20, your body's still undergoing developmental and hormonal shifts that improper nutrition can really mess up. You can still diet, but it would be a good idea to have a smaller deficit. And as has been said over and over in this thread, you need to find ways to meet your calorie goals, hungry or not. Your body needs it, and you don't want to damage your metabolism by undereating for too long.
Good luck. Message me or add me if you want support or advice.
Does your school have a meal plan? Mine did, and it was the best investment I ever made. I ended up saving money and actually ate decent food on a regular basis. If I hadn't taken that route I'd have blown all of it on booze and girls and would have survived solely on the pizza and crap they offered if you showed up to group meetings and such.0 -
Lol, I always eyeroll at these threads because for some reason exceeding 1200 calories wasn't a problem before MFP.:laugh:
Short answer, add some calorie dense food.
A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
Ne naw ne naw ne naw nuttella emergency call in progress!!! :happy:
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:0 -
I was also under 1200 calories daily. But now I force myself to drink juice (Arizona, 300 calories) everyday.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.3K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.6K Fitness and Exercise
- 431 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.8K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions