How do you maintain low calorie diet without starving?

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  • j_wilson2012
    j_wilson2012 Posts: 293
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    I would say you are eating too many processed things. Im from Australia and can't recognise some of your foods.

    Here are some foods in the past week I would swap out:
    Cream - Half and half, 1 fl oz
    Kellogg's Special K - Cereal - Strawberry - 2.5 oz Single Serving, 1 Container
    Oreo - Sandwich Cookies - Golden, 2 cookies
    Home Made - Home Fries, 1 cup
    Bakery - Banana Nut Muffin - Large, 5.5 oz
    Mcdonald's - Cheese Burger, 1 burger
    Hellmann's - Real Mayonnaise 30oz Jar, 1 tbsp (13g)
    Homemade - Red Velvet Cake With Buttercream Frosting, 0.5 slice
    Golden Krust - Jamaican Style Spicy Beef Patties, 1 Patty
    Soup - Cup Noodles Chicken Flavor, 0.1 Container (64g)

    I don't know what all the olive garden stuff is, im assuming its take away.

    Olive Garden is Italian.....pasta.
    Hey.........the Krispy Kreme diet works best, I hear. Try that
    no but for reals- no more fast food. NONE. they stack up the calories, and dont make you full. A Mcdouble is like 500 calories, but I could eat 4 of them in one sitting. And that is just lunch.
    Oreo's? Cmon
    haha....cup noodles. That is like dorm room food. They give you the squirts, and will cause you to have High Blood Pressure.
    You need to visit your local market. You save money compared to eating out all the time. Just stock up in the produce department, get healthy meats (skinless chicken is STACKED with protein). Eat regularly and you will do fine. Dont get anything that has sugar and that you will be tempted to munch on. keep working out, and you will do fine.

    Ditch any of the soda. Even the calorie free stuff. It is made of sugar, even if it doesn't say so in the nutrition facts. Look at the ingredients and tell me the very first ingredient (besides carbonated water) on any soda can. and if you keep drinking that, you will never lose weight.

    Try low calorie pomegranate juice. There are juices that are only about 30-50 calories per glass, and dont have very much sugar. It tastes great, too.
    good luck whatever you do! I know I am losing weight, and I just quit smoking. For those who dont know, when you quit smoking, you gain weight. Well, I am winnning that battle. I feel GREAT!
  • maisfree
    maisfree Posts: 12 Member
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    I would say you are eating too many processed things. Im from Australia and can't recognise some of your foods.

    Here are some foods in the past week I would swap out:
    Cream - Half and half, 1 fl oz
    Kellogg's Special K - Cereal - Strawberry - 2.5 oz Single Serving, 1 Container
    Oreo - Sandwich Cookies - Golden, 2 cookies
    Home Made - Home Fries, 1 cup
    Bakery - Banana Nut Muffin - Large, 5.5 oz
    Mcdonald's - Cheese Burger, 1 burger
    Hellmann's - Real Mayonnaise 30oz Jar, 1 tbsp (13g)
    Homemade - Red Velvet Cake With Buttercream Frosting, 0.5 slice
    Golden Krust - Jamaican Style Spicy Beef Patties, 1 Patty
    Soup - Cup Noodles Chicken Flavor, 0.1 Container (64g)

    I don't know what all the olive garden stuff is, im assuming its take away.

    Thanks for the suggestion, I could start from swapping half and half with skim milk. Olive Garden is an italian restaurant here in the U.S., it happens to be my friends' favorite restaurant and ended up eating an entree with ~800 kcal in total. I freaked out when I saw the number. I agree with too much processed food. I used to cook a lot when I used to live with my family, but now that I live alone I stopped cooking... I guess it's time to start cooking again!
  • Mummyadams
    Mummyadams Posts: 1,125 Member
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    Check out the Eat More to Weigh Less posts - you shouldn't feel like your starving ...
  • maisfree
    maisfree Posts: 12 Member
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    Thanks everyone for all the suggestions, I am amazed how fast you guys replied! Sadly, I don't think I would like eating shredded paper... ;) but it seems like exercising to increase my calorie limit and choosing food wisely are my top choices. What types of carbs are low calorie yet filling? I would think brown rice, but they take so long to cook ... :( it's so easy to go with bread or pasta... and they seem to be not the best choices...

    Anyhow, please keep the posts coming! I continue to check them =)

    Brown rice in the rice cooker---then divvy it up into individual servings or buy the pre-cooked frozen kind

    pasta is 100% fine --whole grain

    bread is 100% fine---choose whole grain

    sweet potatoes

    lentils

    quinoa

    wild rice

    I'll start with swapping my carb food with whole grain stuff and try others that you suggested! Thanks =)
  • j_wilson2012
    j_wilson2012 Posts: 293
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    Oh, and eat pasta like you would Ice cream.....sparingly. Those are CHOCK FULL of calories, sodium, and carbs.

    HUH? Sorry, no, this is just false. There is NOTHING wrong with pasta, in moderation, just as there's nothing wrong with brown rice, quinoa, or lentils. What's with the carb bashing?

    Click:
    http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5798/2
    http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5784/2
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,143 Member
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    I have to ask this. Are you really hungry....or do you just want to eat?
  • invictus8
    invictus8 Posts: 258 Member
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    Some people are more sensitive to carbs than others -- there's some evidence that men (and people who tend to store fat around their stomach rather than thighs/glutes) benefit more from low-carb diets. But it really depends on the person. I feel the best on a "slow" carb diet -- beans, some fiber-rich tortilla wraps, and low-fat dairy -- but others might feel better with more or less carbs. Experiment to see what works for you!
  • TerezaToledo
    TerezaToledo Posts: 613 Member
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    I just don't. Eat More 2 Weigh Less is the key for me ;0)
  • sarah6336
    sarah6336 Posts: 108 Member
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    I'm on the 1200 calorie diet and have been losing weight steadily, even though I was on vacation for half the time I've been on mfp. I know a lot of people say to eat protein to keep full. However, protein is pretty calorie dense. I try to eat mostly fruit and vegetables through out the day. I eat some grains and some protein, but hey aren't the major components of my diet. I also drink a lot of coffee (black) and tea (straight). Try to eat a well balanced diet, exercise moderately, and try not to focus on what you are eating. If you focus on only having 1200 calories, you'll be less likely to stay on the diet.
  • smellyrichelley
    smellyrichelley Posts: 28 Member
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    MFP also set me to 1200, and it's very difficult for me to stay that low as well. Lately I've been working out 6days/week, and eating back my exercise calories, which puts me at 1500-1600 calories/day. It has really helped a ton.
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
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    Oh, and eat pasta like you would Ice cream.....sparingly. Those are CHOCK FULL of calories, sodium, and carbs.

    HUH? Sorry, no, this is just false. There is NOTHING wrong with pasta, in moderation, just as there's nothing wrong with brown rice, quinoa, or lentils. What's with the carb bashing?

    Click:
    http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5798/2
    http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5784/2

    since when is 220 calories or 183 mg of sodium a lot?
  • maisfree
    maisfree Posts: 12 Member
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    I would say you are eating too many processed things. Im from Australia and can't recognise some of your foods.

    Here are some foods in the past week I would swap out:
    Cream - Half and half, 1 fl oz
    Kellogg's Special K - Cereal - Strawberry - 2.5 oz Single Serving, 1 Container
    Oreo - Sandwich Cookies - Golden, 2 cookies
    Home Made - Home Fries, 1 cup
    Bakery - Banana Nut Muffin - Large, 5.5 oz
    Mcdonald's - Cheese Burger, 1 burger
    Hellmann's - Real Mayonnaise 30oz Jar, 1 tbsp (13g)
    Homemade - Red Velvet Cake With Buttercream Frosting, 0.5 slice
    Golden Krust - Jamaican Style Spicy Beef Patties, 1 Patty
    Soup - Cup Noodles Chicken Flavor, 0.1 Container (64g)

    I don't know what all the olive garden stuff is, im assuming its take away.

    Olive Garden is Italian.....pasta.
    Hey.........the Krispy Kreme diet works best, I hear. Try that
    no but for reals- no more fast food. NONE. they stack up the calories, and dont make you full. A Mcdouble is like 500 calories, but I could eat 4 of them in one sitting. And that is just lunch.
    Oreo's? Cmon
    haha....cup noodles. That is like dorm room food. They give you the squirts, and will cause you to have High Blood Pressure.
    You need to visit your local market. You save money compared to eating out all the time. Just stock up in the produce department, get healthy meats (skinless chicken is STACKED with protein). Eat regularly and you will do fine. Dont get anything that has sugar and that you will be tempted to munch on. keep working out, and you will do fine.

    Ditch any of the soda. Even the calorie free stuff. It is made of sugar, even if it doesn't say so in the nutrition facts. Look at the ingredients and tell me the very first ingredient (besides carbonated water) on any soda can. and if you keep drinking that, you will never lose weight.

    Try low calorie pomegranate juice. There are juices that are only about 30-50 calories per glass, and dont have very much sugar. It tastes great, too.
    good luck whatever you do! I know I am losing weight, and I just quit smoking. For those who dont know, when you quit smoking, you gain weight. Well, I am winnning that battle. I feel GREAT!

    Thanks for your advice! About that cheese burger ... I needed a quick lunch and I grabbed it from a cafeteria from my work, and I ended up choosing McDonald's cheese burger just for calorie calc... haha, silly I know... but don't worry it isn't McDouble... Same goes for the cup noodle... I ate a cup soup with 30 kcal and ended up using cup noodle to calculate for the calorie.. I know, not the best idea!

    I am a grad student on a stipend and I also live alone so yes, I can't be spending a lot of money to buy fresh food/produce all the time, but I will try to find a local market! I love fresh veggies and fruit, but I've gotten used to not eating too much of them since I moved out of my parents' house...

    Thank you for the encouragement too! =)
  • wheezybreezy
    wheezybreezy Posts: 315 Member
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    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

    - calculate your BMR, and then calculate your TDEE

    You may find that 1200 is just too low for you. I would be so HANGRY all the time. It's not for everyone.
  • Sneaky__B
    Sneaky__B Posts: 13 Member
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    I eat almost no carbs (sort of paleo/primal) so I often have to have an extra snack just to get up to 1200 calories. Lots of steamed veggies which are very filling, pork tenderloin is low cal for meat, smoothies w/ frozen berries & kale & a bit of yogurt and skim milk fills me up for lunch, eggs for breakfast or even a boiled egg for a snack if I am starving (which I am not usually).

    I find if I start the day off with a good breakfast that makes a big difference - I usually have a 2 egg omelette filled with a bit of grated cheese & some sauteed veggies. Then I don't even get the urge to snack until lunch time.
  • puddies01
    puddies01 Posts: 17
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    try to cut down on sugar and eat protein at every meal or at least lunch and dinner. That seems to keep me fuller longer. Good luck! :)
  • Gioooo
    Gioooo Posts: 301 Member
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    Just eat as many 0 calorie foods as you can bc they dont count

    Agree I like paper (shredded paper goes down easier). That keeps me full all the time.

    Depends on the type. Photo paper is a little tricky
  • Gwenski
    Gwenski Posts: 348 Member
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    Here are some tips that helped me...
    Drink lots of water.
    Cut your food up into tiny pieces...and chew slowly..aim to take 1/2 hour to eat a meal
    Try not to drink with meals..wait at least 30 ,invites after a meal before drinking anything
    Exercise seems to curb my appetite as well.
    I aim for 3 meals and 3 snacks but usually have 3 meals and 2 snacks per day.
    All the best for your success being healthy!
  • tlblood
    tlblood Posts: 473 Member
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    The key is to eat more fresh and less processed foods (others have given great ideas). As much as people say its all about calories in vs. calories out, there is so much more to it than that! You have to be getting the right kind of calories (nutrients) as well.

    I've noticed in looking at other people's diaries that the people who are doing this well have very lengthy diaries because they are building meals with lots of fresh foods. People who have very short diaries are typically eating a lot of processed foods that are empty calories.

    My breakfast and lunch are usually under 300 calories, and dinner is between 300-500 usually. Any extra calories and those I earned by exercising are good for snacks and dessert.
  • poedunk65
    poedunk65 Posts: 1,336 Member
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    Loads of protien
  • It_never_ends
    It_never_ends Posts: 105 Member
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    Just eat as many 0 calorie foods as you can bc they dont count
    Yes they do. A calorie is a calories. What do you mean they don't count?

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