Meeting the calories

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alicew789
alicew789 Posts: 8
in Food and Nutrition
So I joined this site Monday night. I'm supposed to consume 1200 calories per day and even without exercising I'm having a tough time meeting the calories. Admittedly I'm focusing more on my lunch and dinner than I am on breakfast and snacks but I didn't really think 1200 was hard to meet. It's kind of a bummer, it's like two extremes for me going from excessive calories to not being able to meeet them when I consciously try to eat right. I'm hoping that it's just because I've only done this for 3 days and that as I go along it will get easier to meet my calories...but does anyone else find it hard to meet their calories? I have a lot of weight to lose but I don't want to be unhealthy about that weight loss. I want to eat right and exercise consistantly. Exercising is the easy part for me believe it or not, it's the food I have a hard time with. Packing enough to eat throughout the day. Who'd've thunk it'd be so hard to meet 1200 calories?

Replies

  • yazmatazz
    yazmatazz Posts: 5
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    Hi Alice!! Welcome! One trick I've learned by viewing the boards is to plan the next day the night before. Try to map out what you're going to eat the next day while checking the calories. It's easier than going through the day without a plan. Good luck!!

    Jim
  • BassBoneBabe
    BassBoneBabe Posts: 226 Member
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    It is extremely hard for me to meet the calorie goals. But I'm the weight I am because I was a starver and then would go overboard. I am trying really hard to at least make the 1200 eating. I so feel your pain. I'm sure the longer I'm here the more I will learn and the easier it will be to eat. Good luck to you! We can do it!

    You can add me as a friend if you would like. :-)
  • sarahspeace
    sarahspeace Posts: 19
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    yeah i notice when i'm not exercising it is easier for me to stay under my calorie goal because i'm not burning as much. but when i exercise, i'm hungrier and want to eat more. so i would say for me, i have a harder time trying to not go over my calories as opposed to not getting enough calories! i've heard that if you don't eat enough calories though, your body goes into starvation mode and holds on to everything and it makes it harder to lose weight. so it's probably a good idea to eat at least 1200 calories. good luck! :o)
  • justdoingit
    justdoingit Posts: 185 Member
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    You should really think about making sure you are eating breakfast; it wakes up your metabolism and helps you burn more throughout the day. This will also help you meet your calorie goals. If you don't eat enough, you won't loose as much or as quickly because your body will want to hold on to the fat you have (starvation mode) and you will actually loose muscel mass, which you don't want to do..

    Good luck!!
  • breckmc
    breckmc Posts: 30
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    How far off are you from your goal? If it's just a hundred or so have glass of milk before bed or add a piece of fruit. I often don't meet my calorie goals M-F because I'm working out heavy and eating clean. Then I hit maintenance on the weekends with the lack of exercise and some eating out. Some people are against 'saving' calories in this manner but quite a few of the books I have read advocate the re-feed to keep your metabolism guessing to prevent starvation mode. I suggest experimenting and seeing what works for you.
  • adguertin
    adguertin Posts: 1
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    Hi Alice,

    I don't meet all my calories either, but my goal is 1890 so it's def higher than yours! I usually eat between 1500-1600 a day. You should DEFINITELY not go below 1200, since a very active woman should be around 2000 a day, probably a bit more. Make sure you eat high protein meals, that will help!

    Best of luck,
    Amanda
  • lisawest
    lisawest Posts: 798 Member
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    Some great ideas have been given already. A "Well DUH!" moment I had recently was that I CAN eat regular food! If you're having a tough time hitting calories, ditch the skim milk for 2%, skip the fat free stuff (sour cream, cheese, etc) in favor of the regular. You still want to watch your serving sizes, and be sure you're logging the correct stuff, but it's a fairly simple way to add some of those calories back in! (I don't remember exactly who brought this possibility to me, but it was on one of these boards. So you are in the right place!)

    Welcome!

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