1300 calories???

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  • LittleLucy23
    LittleLucy23 Posts: 35
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    Some days it is harder than others but I am trying to stay on a 1200 calorie diet. The worst thing for me was giving up that evening cup of coffee and dessert. As others have said if you eat right items you can actually eat a lot. I write my plan in the morning and try hard not to deviate from it. I may change it a little during the day but I still try to keep within the calorie limit.
  • domgirl85
    domgirl85 Posts: 295 Member
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    It's not hard if you take the time to look up recipes and familiarize yourself with clean eating habits. I enjoy a lot of things I've always loved, I just cook them slightly different now. I have 3 meals and 2 snacks a day and am well fed. Trust me, I love food (Team Live to Eat over here) so there is no way I'd be starving. NO. WAY.

    Small changes to most recipes (or just finding healthy food blogs) keeps it enjoyable and satisfying :)

    Btw, my goal is 1300 on cardio and nonworkout days, 1400 on strength days. I upped it from 1200 when I extended my cardio workouts.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    Hardly. Once I reach my goal weight, even as a man, to keep losing from there, I have to have 1300 or less. And that's for a goal of 190lbs.

    You can still eat with a limit of 1300, but you have to eat smart, and not eat processed high-calorie, high-sugar, high-fructose corn syrup laden crap.

    For instance, just cutting out a 2 liter of soda a day means you're cutting 800+ calories out of your diet (just there).

    This morning I had cereal, oatmeal, an english muffin and still stayed under 500 calories. 2 sandwiches for lunch (both pastrami) and cheese and mustard with 35 calorie oatmeal bread, another 420 calories.

    a sensible dinner and I'll be at 1300.

    drinking alcohol on a diet is not the best idea because it dehydrates you, and in order to process food, you have to be hydrated. and the drinks add up. I used to drink molson xxx... until I plugged it into my journal here. 201 calories per beer. lol.

    whatever dude. even when i was trying to drop weight, i never ate less then 2100 calories, and always re-ate my exercise calories.

    i'm 6'3" and i'm currently at 225lbs of pure sexiness. for my height, my "ideal" weight is 205lbs, but that is just way too low for me. the lowest i got to was 215, but i had no muscle definition. and was starting to get tired eating so little.

    now a days i eat somewhere around 3200 calories, and i train 5-7 times a week. today i dead lifted 320lbs.

    oh, and i drink.
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,143 Member
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    That pretty much means you HAVE to exercise for a decent amount of time every day.

    Why? If I exercise too much, I don't lose...and I am eating 1200 a day. I eat more on the days I DO work out.
  • silviamv
    silviamv Posts: 15
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    They claim they aren't hungry, or they are "short," or have some other excuse that makes them a unique and special snowflake.

    first of all, we ARE all special snowflakes :tongue:

    some women, depending on age and height, and a dozen other factors, really truly can not lose weight without restricting to 1200-1400 calories a day. It's ok that you don't believe it, you don't have to, you do what works for you, and we'll do what works for us.

    and it's also true that one can eat at around 1200 calories and not be hungry. Do i get the munchies? sure. That's not the same as hungry.

    Agree with every single word!
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
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    My limit is set at 1310, and I don't find it difficult at all. In fact, if I've made particularly healthy food choices, some days I find myself with a little extra in the evening, and I can have a healthy snack if I want.

    If I exercise, I'm more hungry, but then I also get to eat more, so it's all good.
  • LauraRose03
    LauraRose03 Posts: 140
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    I'm at 1300 calories....it's difficult for me sometimes, but certainly doable.
  • Awkward30
    Awkward30 Posts: 1,927 Member
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    I've always thought that this was in some respects unfair. It just seems like guys have so much more wiggle room. A cheat meal will be no less than half my daily calories, but my ex? Less than a third of his.

    I guess I just assume that their body needs the calories as bad as mine, so they would be hungry still (as would I) after hitting the calorie goal if too much of their food for the day was crap.

    ETA:
    I have a bodymedia FIT, which measures my activity level throughout the day. I have a desk job, work 8 hours a day, go home and sit on my butt or exercise and then sit on my butt. When comparing MFP to my bodymedia fit, "sedentary" is too low. I think it is for most people. And for most people 1200 calories per day is below their BMR. Not healthy to eat so little every day. Yes, if you exercise, you eat more, but for a lot of women here, they are not eating those exercise calories. They claim they aren't hungry, or they are "short," or have some other excuse that makes them a unique and special snowflake. I think most women can eat 1700 calories or more and still lose weight, retain their lean body mass, have energy, and maintain their sanity. This is sustainable to me.

    The fact that we continue to perpetuate the idea that women need to eat so little and torture themselves for several months to weigh some magic number that will supposedly bring them all the happiness in the world really bothers me. It's not reality.

    I have a bodybugg (exact same product, sold by LA Fitness instead, and they have awful user interface, but that's another rant.

    My job is not sedentary, and on an average work day I'll burn 1700-1900 calories. On a weekend day where I didn't do much, I'll burn 1600. I would have to work out every day and not eat back exercise calories to have a goal of 1700. And even then, my workouts don't burn all that much, since I'm relatively small, so I would pretty much be incapable of losing more than 0.5 lb/week. Luckily, I do workout most days of the week and try to have more of the 1900 days and fewer of the 1600 days, but for me, netting 1500 is a pretty reasonable goal. And when I reach my goal weight, maintenance will be a net of 1700.

    That said, I don't think it is necessary for metabolically normal people to EAT really low amounts, but it makes sense for the net number to be somewhat low.
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
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    It's not hard if you take the time to look up recipes and familiarize yourself with clean eating habits. I enjoy a lot of things I've always loved, I just cook them slightly different now. I have 3 meals and 2 snacks a day and am well fed. Trust me, I love food (Team Live to Eat over here) so there is no way I'd be starving. NO. WAY.

    Small changes to most recipes (or just finding healthy food blogs) keeps it enjoyable and satisfying :)


    Yup - that's how it's working for me as well - sensible changes to things my family loves to eat - it's made a huge difference for me.
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,143 Member
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    They claim they aren't hungry, or they are "short," or have some other excuse that makes them a unique and special snowflake.

    first of all, we ARE all special snowflakes :tongue:

    some women, depending on age and height, and a dozen other factors, really truly can not lose weight without restricting to 1200-1400 calories a day. It's ok that you don't believe it, you don't have to, you do what works for you, and we'll do what works for us.

    and it's also true that one can eat at around 1200 calories and not be hungry. Do i get the munchies? sure. That's not the same as hungry.

    Agree with every single word!

    Same here!
  • Elzecat
    Elzecat Posts: 2,916 Member
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    1200 seems to be the magic number on this site. I eat around that most days and am usually content. When people feel they need to eat more than this they're usually doing so for emotional reasons, not actual hunger.

    I wouldn't assume that people who eat more than 1200 eat for "emotional reasons." If I only ate 1200 calories per day I would barely have the energy to move, much less be as active as I am. I'm 5'8, 160 (have lost ~40 lbs, trying to drop the last 10 after I run my next half marathon), and run 20-25 miles a week, do bootcamp fitness, body weight resistance exercises, and train for various races...I eat 1850 plus most of my exercise calories daily, and am currently maintaining (not trying to lose weight while training). Even when I was at my heaviest starting weight on MFP, I ate over 1500 calories per day...for some people, 1200 is not sustainable or healthy. I "need" more than 1200 calories per day or I'd pretty much be comatose (and very cranky lol)
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,143 Member
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    now a days i eat somewhere around 3200 calories, and i train 5-7 times a week. today i dead lifted 320lbs.

    Too bad we cant ALL do that. Its not physically possible for me. But, then, I wouldn't want to anyway. :)
  • christimw
    christimw Posts: 183 Member
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    They claim they aren't hungry, or they are "short," or have some other excuse that makes them a unique and special snowflake.

    first of all, we ARE all special snowflakes :tongue:

    some women, depending on age and height, and a dozen other factors, really truly can not lose weight without restricting to 1200-1400 calories a day. It's ok that you don't believe it, you don't have to, you do what works for you, and we'll do what works for us.

    and it's also true that one can eat at around 1200 calories and not be hungry. Do i get the munchies? sure. That's not the same as hungry.

    i have to stuff myself to get to 1200 calories. i definitely have come to realize that no one way works for everyone, and that there are many different factors to what you need. i don't eat crap food, what i eat fills me up for hours. i'm not going to stuff myself anymore eating back calories or trying to reach some magic number each day. if i get hungry, i'll eat some meat and veggies. if not, so be it, it will even out in the next few days or so. the whole "eat more weigh less" didn't work for me. it has been driving me crazy being focused on reaching a number each day, that's not a life i want to live.
  • tornado1966
    tornado1966 Posts: 3
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    For breakfast i'd eat lots of egg white omletes.You need to eat lots of fish, chicken breast and turkey breast. I also try to eat lots of green vegetables along with these. Try to steam or use fats in moderation. If I dont steam it, I'll just rub a little olive oil or canola oil on my fish, chicken breast and green veggies, like less than a tsp. Also cut down or cut out lots of high carb foods like breads,corn, potatoes, sugar drinks etc. I'm not saying these foods are bad in moderation, but if you are trying to keep under 1300 calories, it will definately be difficult eating high carb high fat foods. When I eat really strict I dont find a problem staying under 1300 cals a day with out feeling hungry or staved! Also try different seasonings that have no or very little cals in them like garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper black pepper etc. you will find it is quite easy to cut down on fat and oil intake if you find alternate sources of flavor! I hope this helps.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    now a days i eat somewhere around 3200 calories, and i train 5-7 times a week. today i dead lifted 320lbs.

    Too bad we cant ALL do that. Its not physically possible for me. But, then, I wouldn't want to anyway. :)

    Train insane our remain the same babycakes
  • ZoeLifts
    ZoeLifts Posts: 10,347 Member
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    Seems low to me, but I suppose it depends on her goals. Most people should set their activity level to lightly active, and aim to lose no more than a pound a week.

    I honestly think women (or men, I suppose) who eat less than 1200 calories per week are kidding themselves if they think it's going to be sustainable.
    I'm assuming you meant 1200 calories per day. I think it's important to enter an activity level that realistically represents your activity level. Mine is sedentary. You only need to sustain a deficit as long as you are above your goal weight. Once there, you rework your numbers to reflect maintenance which will likely add about 3500 calories per week (500/day). Now, an 1800 calorie day is certainly within reason and sustainable.

    Equally important is adding the right amount of exercise to your plan. I've seen some here go from doing absolutely nothing to a very high level of exercise while trying to lose weight. To me, that seems to be the unsustainable part. Say my caloric goal is 1310 and I add 1000 calories a day in exercise and eat 2300 calories. I'm going to lose weight. But I'm not so certain I'm going to be able to sustain that 1000 calories/day in exercise. The problem is I'm training myself to eat 2300 calories/day. The minute my exercise level drops to a more realistic amount, I'm probably going to have a problem reducing from an intake of 2300 calories. I think this is why professional athletes seem to balloon up right after retirement or during the off season. I've raised my exercise level to an easily maintained level. I will up the level only after proving that I can maintain this one.

    Yes, per day. Sorry - corrected that.

    I have a bodymedia FIT, which measures my activity level throughout the day. I have a desk job, work 8 hours a day, go home and sit on my butt or exercise and then sit on my butt. When comparing MFP to my bodymedia fit, "sedentary" is too low. I think it is for most people. And for most people 1200 calories per day is below their BMR. Not healthy to eat so little every day. Yes, if you exercise, you eat more, but for a lot of women here, they are not eating those exercise calories. They claim they aren't hungry, or they are "short," or have some other excuse that makes them a unique and special snowflake. I think most women can eat 1700 calories or more and still lose weight, retain their lean body mass, have energy, and maintain their sanity. This is sustainable to me.

    The fact that we continue to perpetuate the idea that women need to eat so little and torture themselves for several months to weigh some magic number that will supposedly bring them all the happiness in the world really bothers me. It's not reality.





    I totally agree

    ^^QFT
  • MrsBully4
    MrsBully4 Posts: 304 Member
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    wtfyousayoprah.gif
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,143 Member
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    now a days i eat somewhere around 3200 calories, and i train 5-7 times a week. today i dead lifted 320lbs.

    Too bad we cant ALL do that. Its not physically possible for me. But, then, I wouldn't want to anyway. :)

    Train insane our remain the same babycakes

    umm...ok...whatever you said. :D
  • McBully4
    McBully4 Posts: 1,270 Member
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    It's do-able if you want to lose the weight. Sacrfice! It's worth it.

    Working hard is is sacrifice you are just starving yourself that's easy.
  • sicilysclover
    sicilysclover Posts: 173 Member
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    I thought the same thing but it's not as hard as you think! Friend me and look at my diary if you'd like - Most days I am UNDER 1300 (to my disbelief) and I dont make complicated meals.

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