1200 calories is hard!

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  • WickedBean
    WickedBean Posts: 244 Member
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    You only have like 9 pounds to lose... change your goals to losing .5lbs a week and eat more food.

    Seriously. Eat. More. Food. Your body is telling you 1200 calories is not enough.
  • senyosmom
    senyosmom Posts: 613 Member
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    much on low calorie veggies and fruit (apples, berries, squash, bell & sweet peppers, carrot sticks, celery, etc) throughout the day.
  • tml224
    tml224 Posts: 19 Member
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    exercise and eat those calories back. trust me :)

    i've been doing that, and i've gained weight. and i'm not eating anything junk, processed, or any grains or sugar, all good nutritious food. so why am i gaining and not losing? it doesn't make sense.

    Find the Eat More to weigh less group on MFP and you'll find your explanation there!
  • krissyliz78
    krissyliz78 Posts: 181 Member
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    I eat 1200 calories a day. I have trouble eating over 1200 without getting full. It did take a few months to get use to it but after your stomach shrinks it is smooth sailing. Im down 24 LBS in a few months and I feel amazing!!
  • tbellamy1
    tbellamy1 Posts: 353
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    exercise and eat those calories back. trust me :)

    i've been doing that, and i've gained weight. and i'm not eating anything junk, processed, or any grains or sugar, all good nutritious food. so why am i gaining and not losing? it doesn't make sense.
    .

    You are gaining because you are eating at to high of a deficit. check out scoobysworkshop.com out your info in ther and go off of that. Set mfp to the numbers scooby gives you. When you change from VLCD to eating like a human you will gain but thats when you find your cut value which should be 10-15% of TDEE. That will gice you enough fuel to net over your BMR and still lose.
    People always say "oh I cant eat that much because I gain" its because you have been starving your body and when it realizes it getting feed it goes into over drive. Find your TDEE and BMR and cut 10-15% from TDEE. You will lose fat and gain muscle. Billions of people do it you are no different.

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
  • Jstash88
    Jstash88 Posts: 89 Member
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    EXERCISE! I am at 1200 cal per day too. It is possible, but I would much rather exercise 30 min a day and get to eat more food! Plus you get the added benefit of getting leaner and stronger!
  • happypath101
    happypath101 Posts: 534
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    I agree. I can almost never do it. I feel weak and have headaches and all sorts of stuff that tells me it's not good for me. But, I CAN do about 1400-1500 calories a day and feel awesome. This means I have to be more active and earn those calories, but that's good too. If you want to make a friend request go ahead. I keep my diary open so you look to see what might work for you.
  • Karahazen103
    Karahazen103 Posts: 14
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    1200 is difficult and I've been doing it for a good year and a half now (minus 2 extremely stressful months that I regret). What works for me is to exercise! That is the trick! You feel better, you get to eat more and you tone up! It's a total win-win situation. I don't eat all of my exercise calories but about 300 of em' works well for me. Some low cal filling things are for me anyways, chicken breast, eggs, do it yourself smoothies, and they are not so filling but they kick the cravings to the curb are the sugar free creamsicles!! Yummy and 20 cals each. (:
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
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    I eat small things throughout the morning and day: Breakfast 100 calories, Snack 100, Lunch 250, Small Snack, and then I have a decent dinner with a snack before bed.

    And a lot of days I eat some of my exercise calories back.
  • jlapey
    jlapey Posts: 1,850 Member
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    Personally, I'm confused as to why MFP thinks 1200 is good amount of calories for EVERY one. Shouldn't a man 6'4 and large framed require more than a 5' 0" girl with a small frame? Anyway, that's a whole other thread of debate. Find what best for you. I did 1200 calories for the first 3 weeks. It's doable, but for my own personal reasons I've upped to 1400. I feel this is a better number for me. AND If you exercise you can eat more.

    But if you want to stay in the 1200 calorie program, try eating mostly fruits, veggies and lean proteins. If you have carbs, don't have the 'white' processed ones. Try sweet potatoes, whole grains, legumes, wild rice, barley, quinoa...you get the picture. Drink lots of water, helps keep you feeling fuller. Definitely weigh everything. Use portion control. Make as much of your food as you can yourself. That way you know exactly what you are eating and can create the recipe in MFP to better track your calories. Homemade is generally better for you anyway. I for one, do not like to eat anything with ingredients I don't recognize or can't pronounce.

    If you need ideas, check out the food diaries of your MFP friends. Particularly the successful ones. Some of the people here are very creative.

    If 1200 still proves too difficult, go to fat2fitradio.com and calculate a better number for yourself. I've heard two other ways of determining what works.

    1) determine how many calories are required to maintain your CURRENT weight and subtract 20%.
    2) determine how many calories are required to maintain your GOAL weight and stick to that. (eat for the size you wish to be)

    I did both and ultimately chose a number between the two. As long as you eat less calories than it takes to maintain your current weight, you should lose weight. Makes sense to me.

    Good luck to you.
  • christimw
    christimw Posts: 183 Member
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    oh i'm not that concerned about it..lol i just seem to be the opposite and it doesn't make sense. since i've changed my way of eating, even though i'm not meeting 1200, i've had triple the energy i did before. i feel great, i was losing weight until i started worrying about hitting that magic number. i'm a small person, i guess i just don't require as much. instead of stuffing myself to the point of hurting, i'd much rather be between 900-1100 calories knowing its all on good, whole, nutritious food that leave me satisfied, not stuffed because i ate so much of it trying to get that number. i believe its more WHAT you eat than the numbers of what you're eating. when i lived off carbs and breads, i ate way over 1200 calories probably closer to or over 2000, yet i gained weight and was always fatigued and lethargic. i cut the bread and grains, and now i eat more meat, and more veggies than i ever have, and it seems i don't need as much when i'm eating good foods to keep me going for longer.
  • tjameyson
    tjameyson Posts: 1
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    Hey, I've been on My Fitness Pal for a month. Yes 1200 calories has been very difficult.
    Walking for an hour about 4 miles gives you and extra 345 calories. You benefit from the
    cardio and get extra calories!! Terri
  • christimw
    christimw Posts: 183 Member
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    People always say "oh I cant eat that much because I gain" its because you have been starving your body and when it realizes it getting feed it goes into over drive. Find your TDEE and BMR and cut 10-15% from TDEE. You will lose fat and gain muscle. Billions of people do it you are no different.

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    but that's just it! i'm not starving myself! i'm just TOO FULL to eat any more. i've eaten more in the past two weeks than i have in my life i think, but it's all good foods, and i was losing weight. i'm new so i don't know know all this lingo and stuff, i just know what was working for me, and when someone suggested i eat more to reach my calorie intake, painfully stuffed myself to reach it, and gained. and before anyone asks, i have never had an eating disorder of any kind. i've never tracked calories or anything, so this is all new to me.
  • Brandicaloriecountess
    Brandicaloriecountess Posts: 2,126 Member
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    That is why I eat like 1800-2000 a day ;)

    me too! i try to net 1300-1400 which means i eat 1700-1800. yay food!

    And you look freaking amazing!
  • karmeldove
    karmeldove Posts: 7
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    Girl, I am glad to know I am not the only one. I struggle everyday trying to stay at 1200 or below. I mess up between the hours of 5 pm and 7pm. I any suggestions? today I had celery with a serving of cream cheese for snack, but duirng my temptation hours I have maxed out my calories and veggies alone will not satisfy me.
  • zumba89
    zumba89 Posts: 82
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    If 1200 is not right for you then you can always play with your calories until you know what's a good number.
  • tbruegg
    tbruegg Posts: 283 Member
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    Hi I use Chris Powell's recipes and I am usually under the 1200 and I eat 5 meals a day. I know it sounds impossible but it's true...

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