1200 and still hungary?

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Replies

  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    This link helped me immensely! (After thinking low calorie = better, for more years than I care to admit.) http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    After I figured out my numbers (BMR - Base Metabolic Rate, and my TDEE - Total Daily Energy Expenditures) it became much simpler.

    Best of luck on your journey.

    ^^^ THIS!!!

    I think that for most people, 1200 is not enough. After reading the above link and doing the math, I upped my calories to 1800 and have found that it's plenty, and I'm still averaging 2 pound per week. I even fit in a dessert on most nights.
  • Prettylittlelotus
    Prettylittlelotus Posts: 239 Member
    This link helped me immensely! (After thinking low calorie = better, for more years than I care to admit.) http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    After I figured out my numbers (BMR - Base Metabolic Rate, and my TDEE - Total Daily Energy Expenditures) it became much simpler.

    Best of luck on your journey.

    ^This.

    MFP sets pretty much everyone up on a 1200 calorie diet, the problem is that not everyone will benefit from so few calories. You need to figure out YOUR numbers, and then experiment. How fast you lose weight, or build muscle, is going to vary based on YOUR metabolism and genetic makeup. Calories in vs. calories out will help you lose weight, but figuring out your numbers will help you lose weight, or build muscle, at maximum efficiency.

    Good Luck!
  • DontStopB_Leakin
    DontStopB_Leakin Posts: 3,863 Member
    Eat when you're hungry.


    Problem solved.
  • Cliffslosinit
    Cliffslosinit Posts: 5,044 Member
    Eat *****
  • sandrahulleman
    sandrahulleman Posts: 31
    Hi there, I am on 1430 calories per day, but more importantly, approximately 170 net carbs per day (net carbs are carbs minus fibre). There are some days when I am more hungry than others. Yesterday was one of them. I think some of it is emotional because there are some days when I can't eat 1430 calories because I'm not hungry.

    I wouldn't go anything under my 1430 because then you get into a starvation mode - at least that's what my dietician said and well, she helped me through the first 12 pounds.

    Good luck - add me as a friend if you need to!!
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
    I am kinda new to this site (about 1 month) and I have read a lot of posts about people saying it is a struggle to eat 1200 calories and no disrespect meant at all to them but I'm wondering if any one else finds they are still hungry (not starving just peakish) after 1200 calories or is it just me?

    Well it really depends on your RMR. This is usually driven mainly by height. I'm very tiny so 1200 really isn't much of a deficit for me, it is barely below my RMR. The taller you are the more of a deficit that is. So it really depends on how tall you are.

    Also, feeling hunger is part of the process of losing weight. Think of the excess fat on your body as a mortgage debt you have accumulated. It's not fun to pay off the debt, you feel hunger because you need to eat at a deficit in order to burn off the fat stores. Someone sitting next to you who is the same height but not fat can eat more because he is debt free.

    It's hard. Sometimes you might have to take a break from the deficit and just eat at maintenance for a short time, gather your resolve and mental strength, then go back at the deficit. This is not a bad strategy because maintaining is not going backwards, as opposed to binging is going backwards.

    I didn't take a break. I wanted it bad enough to feel the hunger for two years until I reached my goal. Every time I ate a delicious meal and wanted to keep eating I'd tell myself I can have more tomorrow and I would look forward to it.

    Losing weight is hard. My story here http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/740340-i-lost-60-lbs-at-age-51-anyone-can-any-workout
  • NJL13500
    NJL13500 Posts: 433 Member
    I've been doing 1200 calories a day for 8 months now and on days when I can't exercise to earn more it's definitely a stretch to feel full and satisfied. I find that most days I need around 1400-1500, but exercise to "earn" the extra cushion.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    Thank you all for your advice, and comments on both Hungary and being hungry.
    I'm glad to hear it is not just me:smile:

    (Hooray! A new person who doesn't get all defensive when someone makes a joke about her typo/spelling error.

    You're going to do just fine here. Welcome to MFP.)


    But yeah, consider bumping that up. I'm a big fan of finding the largest daily calories where you are still progressing towards your goal at a reasonable rate. Treating it like a race to your goal weight by trying to maximize loss from the very beginning *can be* a recipe for failure (long-term) for many. Making progress while eating more will help make the process less miserable (if miserable at all) and will increase the likelihood of you getting more vitamins/minerals/micronutrients/etc. from your food.
  • DialecticalBrain
    DialecticalBrain Posts: 26 Member
    I find that if I go below 1200 I usually feel weak and tired. But some days it doesn't bother me at all. Most days this is the case though.

    I also can't stick to 1200 if I exercise that day, it's tough to do.
  • danasings
    danasings Posts: 8,218 Member
    It depends on what you eat as well.

    If you eat mostly whole foods (e.g. oats for breakfast, lots of fresh veg and fruit, wholegrains, healthy fats like nuts and avocado) you can eat quite a lot before hitting your calorie goal. These foods also keep you fuller longer than some other things (e.g. are you using up calories by having high calorie drinks?).

    Nuts and avocado are healthy fats, yes, but they have a lot of calories in small amounts. I'm not trying to be argumentative, I'm just saying that you can't really eat them in large quantities when you stay at 1200 calories.

    "1200 calories a day" is an arbitrary number that gets tossed around like its gospel. Everyone has different caloric needs based on things like BMR and TDEE. If you exercise, chances are your body needs more fuel. There are some good suggestions on here to re-evaluate your calorie intake. You can probably increase your calories by a few hundred each day and still show great weight loss results. Best of luck!! :)
  • Jeneba
    Jeneba Posts: 699 Member
    My BMR is 991..... There is a limit to all these calculations & mathematical schemes when you are smaller. I am 5'1" and weigh 101lbs but a caliper test shows that I am still 24% fat!!! I work out really heavy for my size and don't overdo the aerobics.... Soooooooo, this is What It Is and I just need to make Peace with it! I don't really look so awful for soon-to-be-56.... :grumble:
  • Robin628
    Robin628 Posts: 102 Member
    This link helped me immensely! (After thinking low calorie = better, for more years than I care to admit.) http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    After I figured out my numbers (BMR - Base Metabolic Rate, and my TDEE - Total Daily Energy Expenditures) it became much simpler.

    Best of luck on your journey.

    BUMPing this^^^ because the original link is now locked. :-( I read through the calculations but I need to save and re-read another time when I am bright-eyed and bushy-tailed again. Right now I am feeling a lot like a cat with ADHD.

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