1200 calories is hard!

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24

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  • mstifb
    mstifb Posts: 230
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    Exercise more so you'll have more calories to eat! I try to stick around 1200 myself. :smile:
  • corgihugger
    corgihugger Posts: 41
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    It gets easier :smile:
  • mamagooskie
    mamagooskie Posts: 2,964 Member
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    an apple a day keeps the calories away .... ;)
    do negative calorie foods like celery and cabbages ... it fills you before a meal and actually burns calories!

    Negative calorie foods are a myth. If it's true, then you can eat apples all day and be thin by tomorrow.

    To the OP: 1,200 calories is wrong for a lot of people. You should go up to goals and where it says "Calories burned through daily activities" take away 20% from that number. That's how many calories you should eat.

    I agree!!
  • IIIusion
    IIIusion Posts: 5
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    1. If you exercise, then you can eat more than the 1200 calories allowance.
    2. Also make cabbage soup and eat it with your meals, it will will you up. Serve your food in medium-small size plate and have the soup and salad with the meal.
    3. Snack on fruits.

    I've been doing this for awhile and this helped me maintain my sexy figure as you can see.
  • sportybrewerschick
    sportybrewerschick Posts: 170 Member
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    an apple a day keeps the calories away .... ;)
    do negative calorie foods like celery and cabbages ... it fills you before a meal and actually burns calories!

    no such thing as negative calorie foods.. sorry!
  • misspersimmon
    misspersimmon Posts: 29
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    I don't really think it's healthy to stay under 1200, honestly. Many people on here eat in the 1200-1500 range and it is easier on their bodies, easier to stick to, and they still lose. Maybe give that a try, as intimidating as it might be. In the long run it might help you stick to your plan.
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
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    If you only have 10 pounds to lose, 2 lbs/week is not a wise rate of loss choice. Go with 0.5/lbs per week. Much more sustainable.

    The closer you are to goal weight (within 10-15 lbs) the slower weight loss is.

    Short story: Eat more. 1,200 is really quite low.

    I'm 5'2" ~125 lbs, I maintain by eating 1800-2000+ per day.

    1500/day + exercise calories = weight loss for me.
    This is why I do not like these massive deficits. It's too aggressive and when they think about one day returning to maintenance calories, they freak out because their Resting Metabolic Rate has slowed down considerably to where their current TDEE becomes basically the 1200 calories..
  • littlemermaid1048
    littlemermaid1048 Posts: 55
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    an apple a day keeps the calories away .... ;)
    do negative calorie foods like celery and cabbages ... it fills you before a meal and actually burns calories!

    WRONG!!!
    Do you mind to explain why is it WRONG? Just the word "WRONG" doesn't help here!
  • jen350z
    jen350z Posts: 48
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    I have a hard time even meeting 1200. My fridge is full of "fat free" "low fat" "0 calories" etc food. I find a healthy substitute for everything. It cuts down your calories a lot!! I eat multiple times a day a little at a time so I never feel hungry.

    Example:
    Oil tbsp = 120 VS Olive oil spray 0-10 calories a second
    Regular Ceaser = 180 VS Light Ceaser = 80
    Regular tortillas 210 VS Whole wheat 100

    You can save a lot if you just shop smart. Its important to throw away things that aren't good because you will eat it one day when your not supposed to. If you need soda get diet.. its 0 cal. If you must have sweets get the fiber one sweet 90 calories.
  • LadonnaFunk
    LadonnaFunk Posts: 15 Member
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    Veggies, whole grain carbohydrates (like rice, oatmeal, quinoa, etc.)

    My calorie allotment is just a bit higher than yours, but I find that I need to exercise regularly to burn some extra calories so I can eat a few treats :)
  • ginaquinn2
    ginaquinn2 Posts: 136 Member
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    Egg whites in the carton.....hard boil eggs and eat only the white, that is a 17 calorie snack,.........oscar meyer bacon bits are
    only 25 calories a tablespoon and a tablespoon has a lot of flavor. I myself love spinach I buy it frozen and add 1 oz cheese
    and 1tbs of bacon bits to it. Good luck I am not looking forward to when I only have 1,200 calories. Sounds very hard to me. :drinker:
  • mccbabe1
    mccbabe1 Posts: 737 Member
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    if you have 50+ pounds to loose then u can prob up your cals... i do and i did the 1200 a day for almost a month and i felt a bit deprived... and i upped the chart to loose 1 1/2#'s a wk vs 2 and get 1380 a day now! that 180 cals felt like christmas, LOL..and gives me more flex room since almost 200 more cals.. and i actually lost more wt when i switched..!!!
    but having light healthy stuff with things you like.. for example if u love a certain sandwich (high is cals) and norm have chips and stuff with it.. instead have a fresh sliced tomatoe.. or carrots or snapped peas... for crunch.. ways to 'stretch' the cals!
    i also eat like all the time.. I NEVER go more then 4hrs.. w/out eating... i eat like 6 times a day.. boosts the metabolism...
    try to always have a balance bar or something in your purse for on the go...
    oh and YES eat your exercise cals back!!! theres a reason there added to your daily cals 'left' .. ur body needs fuel! :bigsmile:
  • triciab79
    triciab79 Posts: 1,713 Member
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    There are a lot of great low calorie replacements for foods you like. Some of my favorites are Flat out Wraps (sandwiches and for pizza crust) Smart and Delicious tortillas (tacos) Butterball crispy turkey bacon (yes you can get it crispy). Arctic Zero icecream 150 calories a PINT. Special K cracker chips (taste like pringles) Almond Milk (replace normal milk for recipes at about 1/3 the calories) Eating Right Yogurt dressings (Ranch and Blue cheese are 45 calories for 2tbs and tasty) Walden Farms products are zero calories and they have salad dressings, chocolate, carmel and strawberry sauces, bbq sauce, and even peanut butter. All of which should be eaten with something cause they only resemble the flavors. Fresh berries and watermelon are great for sweet tooth. There is 45 cal a slice bread if you just can't give that up. There are 45 calorie turkey hot dogs by Ball Park that taste really good. Use cooking spray everywhere that calls for oil to saute, use country crock or apple sauce to replace butter in baking recipes and leave the butter out completely if you are making any pasta, potato or rice dish that comes out of a box. There is 40 calorie pasta if you live near an Asian market ( it smells funny but that goes away if you rinse it and nuke it for a minute) I use it to make mac and cheese and just add a single serving of real (Smart Taste 170cal) pasta to bulk it up. There is fat free cheddar, italian, and pepperjack cheese 45 cal for 1/4 cup. Fat free sour cream 20 cal for 2 tbsp. Kay's Natural makes chips and cereals that are decently low calorie and have huge amounts of protein and fiber (keep you full longer). Look at the Diabetic section of your grocery store and read labels. Also check your local health food store.
  • lilacsun
    lilacsun Posts: 204 Member
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    I honestly don't get the replies. They're all saying "HOW TO" eat 1,200 calories a day. Is this a eating disorder support thread? 1,200 calories is wrong 95% of the time. Go do a forum search for "plateau" and see how many calories most people are eating. 1,200. Here's why a copy from one of my topics
    A plateaus is when the body reaches homeostasis, meaning you're burning as many calories as you're consuming. Someone might ask, "I am exercising a lot and eating very little and I am not losing weight, that statement makes no sense." This statement is correct, your metabolism has declined so much you're burning very few calories a day. This is a very common debate, "Well the starving people in Africa are losing weight, so starvation mode does exist" Yes they are losing weight, because despite everything their food consumption is so low, they are still eating below their daily calorie burn, even if their calorie burn is 500 calories a day.

    There are 3 things that cause metabolic decline,

    1. Loss of weight
    2. Loss of muscle mass
    3. Impaired hormonal functions.

    1. As you lose weight, you will weigh less and burn less calories when you move.
    2. Muscle mass burns more calories per minute than fat, if you lose muscle mass you're also impairing your calorie burn abilities.
    3. When you eat low amount of calories, thyroid function(which controls metabolic rate) Gets impaired. (not going to discuss leptin here)

    You can't do anything about losing weight and slowed down metabolic rate. I mean that's most of our goals here to lose weight, and as we weigh less we burn less calories. There is something you can do about loss of muscle mass, and impaired thyroid functions.

    A person should have a deficit of 15-20%. The leaner you are, the smaller the deficit should be, people around 10% bodyfat should have about a 10% deficit. Why? Because if your calorie deficit is to great you can easily suffer from loss of muscle mass (slows down your metabolism) and impaired thyroid functions(slows down your metabolism).

    So lets say I am a woman burning 1700 calories a day. You know what 20% of 1700 is? 340 calories. So if you have a metabolic rate of 1700 calories, you should eat 1360 calories. BUT MFP has you eat 1200 calories, because it only has the option to lose 1lbs a week or 2 lbs a week.

    You have to burn about 500 calories a day to lose 1lbs a week. 1700-500 = 1200(this is what MFP will put you at). This is a deficit of .29.5%. WHICH IS EXTREMELY HIGH, for smaller people.


    Very informative! Ive been at 1200 and I am sure it is too low. Thank you.
  • YamadaSan
    YamadaSan Posts: 39 Member
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    Very interested in meeting my 1200 limit! Add me up. :D
  • Growtinymusclesgrow
    Growtinymusclesgrow Posts: 152 Member
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    Hey guys!

    I just started using My Fitness pal in the last few days...I have yet to stay under 1200 calories, but it's getting a bit better each day so I am learning!

    Any advice on the best filling low cal foods?

    Jenna
    Rochester, MN
    WORKING ALL NIGHT

    I would be fairly careful when approaching the 1200 calorie area. Some people can pull of 1200 or even 1100 calories a day without it adversely affecting your weight loss goals. I would pick one or two days and go over...even around 1400 or more. It will keep your body from realizing you are not trying to starve it. I would be sure to add a good multivitamin and follow a 40/30/30 for your daily goals. If you notice that you are not losing weight or putting it back on, up your daily caloric intake slightly.

    I eat around 1200-1700 calories per day. If I want to cut, I am able to go to around 1150ish as long as I cut it from the right spot! I would advise to do your own research, play around and figure out what works for you! God Bless and wishing you much success in reaching all of your fitness goals.
  • Growtinymusclesgrow
    Growtinymusclesgrow Posts: 152 Member
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    I honestly don't get the replies. They're all saying "HOW TO" eat 1,200 calories a day. Is this a eating disorder support thread? 1,200 calories is wrong 95% of the time. Go do a forum search for "plateau" and see how many calories most people are eating. 1,200. Here's why a copy from one of my topics
    A plateaus is when the body reaches homeostasis, meaning you're burning as many calories as you're consuming. Someone might ask, "I am exercising a lot and eating very little and I am not losing weight, that statement makes no sense." This statement is correct, your metabolism has declined so much you're burning very few calories a day. This is a very common debate, "Well the starving people in Africa are losing weight, so starvation mode does exist" Yes they are losing weight, because despite everything their food consumption is so low, they are still eating below their daily calorie burn, even if their calorie burn is 500 calories a day.

    There are 3 things that cause metabolic decline,

    1. Loss of weight
    2. Loss of muscle mass
    3. Impaired hormonal functions.

    1. As you lose weight, you will weigh less and burn less calories when you move.
    2. Muscle mass burns more calories per minute than fat, if you lose muscle mass you're also impairing your calorie burn abilities.
    3. When you eat low amount of calories, thyroid function(which controls metabolic rate) Gets impaired. (not going to discuss leptin here)

    You can't do anything about losing weight and slowed down metabolic rate. I mean that's most of our goals here to lose weight, and as we weigh less we burn less calories. There is something you can do about loss of muscle mass, and impaired thyroid functions.

    A person should have a deficit of 15-20%. The leaner you are, the smaller the deficit should be, people around 10% bodyfat should have about a 10% deficit. Why? Because if your calorie deficit is to great you can easily suffer from loss of muscle mass (slows down your metabolism) and impaired thyroid functions(slows down your metabolism).

    So lets say I am a woman burning 1700 calories a day. You know what 20% of 1700 is? 340 calories. So if you have a metabolic rate of 1700 calories, you should eat 1360 calories. BUT MFP has you eat 1200 calories, because it only has the option to lose 1lbs a week or 2 lbs a week.

    You have to burn about 500 calories a day to lose 1lbs a week. 1700-500 = 1200(this is what MFP will put you at). This is a deficit of .29.5%. WHICH IS EXTREMELY HIGH, for smaller people.


    Very informative! Ive been at 1200 and I am sure it is too low. Thank you.

    Great information! To add just a bit of good information, our bodies are able to turn lean muscle into energy easier than stored fat. So if you are starving yourself and still losing weight, it is because you are losing lean muscle mass.
  • Cheri_Moves
    Cheri_Moves Posts: 625 Member
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    OP, please listen to PU_239 and the others! 1200 is too low for the majority of people... I know first hand the damage that can be done my eating too little (1200) for too long... I have been fighting a plateau for 6 months. I am working on a metabolic reset, have been for months and I will most likely have another 6 months of "work" to do before I will be able to loose the last of my weight to get to goal.

    This is serious. IMO, MFP is seriously irresponsible for setting people at this when they don't know the consequences.

    Do your own research; learn your BMR, your TDEE and your cut value. It will pay off hugely in the end. And just incase someone else hadn't posted it yet, check this out:

    www.scoobysworkshop.com
    www.fat2fitradio.com
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    Well, yes, starving yourself usually is hard, survival instinct and all that...
  • iciaramirez
    iciaramirez Posts: 22 Member
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    I usually eat around 900-1200 calories a day! It'll be a lot easier if you cook your own food trust me.

    -Wheat bread, just 1 slice. Toast and cut them into 4 pieces.
    -Make your own Tuna spread just by mixing: Tuna and water with plain yogurt (add cayenne pepper or green peas if desired) Super low calorie
    -try baking squash! Super good! Just add in some white chicken meat :)

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