1200 calories

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heather19th
heather19th Posts: 48
in Food and Nutrition
Should I be doing more than 1200 calories? But I sit at a computer all day and I'm trying to get walks in on my 15 min breaks, and also trying to get some excercise at home as well! But I feel like I'm always hungry, but I'm also doing portion control, so I think that is my biggest down fall that I was eating way too much. I eat and never feel like I'm full, how do I take care of this?

Replies

  • melsy78
    melsy78 Posts: 65
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    Eat more filling foods?
    Look for food that is filling but lower in calories - choose whole grains over white, etc
  • StarryEyedGirl
    StarryEyedGirl Posts: 585
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    eat more fiber... I wonder this myself, I have done a google search to find where I need to be in order to lost what I want to lost and I have gotten 3 different amounts one as high as 1700 and as low as 1320 but I am too doing the 1200 recommendation from MFP.

    Google "how many calories to lose weight" and see what you get. Email me if you want I am curious to see if yours differs as much as mine
  • mmccurrach
    mmccurrach Posts: 50 Member
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    How long have you been at this? Once your body gets use to only 1200 calories you won't be as hungry as often. I'm generally not that hungry, but if I am, I eat something that will make me feel better for the moment.
  • CasperO
    CasperO Posts: 2,913 Member
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    There are some foods, like butter or candy, where just a little bit of food that won't fill your tummy has a jillion calories. They're called "calorie dense" foods, and you want to avoid them. Then there are other foods where a big old huge "fill you up" serving has very few calories. Green stuff is great for this,,, cabbage, lettuce&tomato, some fruits are pretty good. Lean meats are actually surprisingly good.

    Anyways,,, the way to beat your problem is to try to get more of the lower density foods and less of the higher density foods, and that way your 1200 calories is a whole lotta chow and you're full and satisfied and not miserable.



    Here's my standard "welcome aboard" post:

    welcome aboard! You can do this,,, just choose to do it, and do it.

    This is easy - here's all ya' gotta do:

    Cook smart, lotsa good filling stuff. Some fruits, lotsa veggies, some grains-cereals, some starchy stuff, some lean meat. Almost nothing fried (and certainly nothing batter dipped & deep fried), and very very little pastry/cakey stuff.

    Count your calories accurately with the food guide here, and stay as close to your calorie allowance as you reasonably can. If you cook properly you shouldn't be too uncomfortable on the calorie allowance MFP will give you.

    Get some exercise - work that gym, walk a little every day, something - that's a huge help. Remember to log your exercise and eat at least some (I eat most) of your exercise calories. Exercise is a self-feeding phenomenon. If you push yourself to do just a little today (it's supposed to be hard,,, it's exercise ) then you'll feel better about it and it'll be easier to do it again tomorrow. Then in a week you'll be able to do more, and it'll start to get fun. In a year you might be running 10k's,,, it's up to you.

    And drink your water!

    That's it, piece o' cake. Wife and I have been doing it for about a year now and we've done well. Lost about 130 pounds between us, and we're in much better shape. You can do it too.

    "Do - or do not. There is no 'try"
    Yoda.
  • arfletcher
    arfletcher Posts: 143
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    try eating snacks with raw veggies to fill you up and protien/fiber to keep you full - when I am feeling extra hungry I make more steamed veggies for my meals - less calories and they do fill you up. Also try to eat protien every time you eat and for each snack - I eat 10-15 almonds or some hummus with my morning and afternoon snack along with about a cup of different veggies each time and I am far from hungry most days :laugh:
  • pennyk78
    pennyk78 Posts: 19
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    I think I often used to only stop eating when I was full instead of when I wasn't hungry any more. I've learnt that I don't need to feel full to be ok, as long as I don't feel physically hungry. That make any sense? Leave food for when you feel hungry...
  • nikkie40
    nikkie40 Posts: 1
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    Hi everyone,

    I have a trainer and I'm actually following the diet from Kerry Glassman's book O2. It's a 1200 calorie diet per day. And you're right, once your body gets used to it, you don't feel hungry anymore. I did it religiously for 5 days and lost 3 lbs. My problem is when I get home (because of the kids) and on the weekends....ugh!
  • jennylynn84
    jennylynn84 Posts: 659
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    There are some foods, like butter or candy, where just a little bit of food that won't fill your tummy has a jillion calories. They're called "calorie dense" foods, and you want to avoid them. Then there are other foods where a big old huge "fill you up" serving has very few calories. Green stuff is great for this,,, cabbage, lettuce&tomato, some fruits are pretty good. Lean meats are actually surprisingly good.

    Anyways,,, the way to beat your problem is to try to get more of the lower density foods and less of the higher density foods, and that way your 1200 calories is a whole lotta chow and you're full and satisfied and not miserable.

    Sooooo true.

    I make these truly gigantic salads for lunch and they usually come in around 330 calories or less - less than a quarter of what I can have for the day. And OMG, they are very filling. I find I'm not as hungry by 3:00 or even 4:00 when I have these.

    I use 1.5-2 cups of american salad mix and 4 oz of chicken tenders (grilled or boiled) then I basically add whatever fruits and veg I would like. The first time I made it I worried that it wouldn't be enough to keep me full (thinking "it's just a salad!") then I needed a mixing bowl to eat out of. LOL. I look crazy, or like a complete pig when I walk out of the kitchen with a mixing bowl and a fork, but I don't care, every bite is worth it.
  • DawnOf1969
    DawnOf1969 Posts: 726 Member
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    You should calculate your BMR and don't eat below that amount. My wellness coach told me this so I increased my calories from 1200 to just over 1500 and I started losing again. Your BMR is what you need just to live day -to-day. MFP has a BMR calculator under the "tools" tab.
  • candessb
    candessb Posts: 52 Member
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    Drinking a lot of tea and water helps me. Plus no one metioned this yet...eat consistantly. I eat every 3 hours (300 calories) which puts me at 1500 a day. I also work out pretty vigorously, which curbs apetite. Up your calories or you may get to famished and end up gorging. Try 1300-1350. Or 1200 most days, but days that you are especially hungry (because hormones and metabolism change everyday) eat an extra 200. That will also keep your metabolism stronger if you mix it up.
  • EternalLife
    EternalLife Posts: 31 Member
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    I've been following 1200 calories too, though I only have a reasonably small amount of weight to lose, and I find that it's largely about my attitude. About a year ago, I realised I was in physical pain every time my stomach was empty...for a long time I thought that everyone felt this way, then it got worse and worse so I saw a doctor. It turns out I had a stomach ulcer, and I was doing what they call "feeding the ulcer", to stop the pain. It's taken me a long time to stop worrying that if I didn't eat often I would be in a lot of pain, and so overeating, but now the ulcer is under control I find it much easier.

    I think once you get used to 1200 it's much easier, and I love being able to eat a lot of vegetables for few calories. I usually team a lot of steamed veg with two Quorn chicken style fillets and a few olives and feel stuffed! I can honestly say I'm rarely hungry nowadays.
  • heather19th
    heather19th Posts: 48
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    OMG...thank you so much everyone for the input. I have been doing this for 10 days now and today it really seems to be bothering me that I'm really hungry and that I could just go have a big old mt dew and some chocolate, I don't want to but if someone put it in from of me I would bc I'm really hungry today.
  • StephanieJ82
    StephanieJ82 Posts: 233
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    Same as one poster said, eat constantly. I am doing 1200 cals and I

    drink a slimfast at 6am
    eat an apple at 9 am
    have a big low cal lunch like a really big salas or a low cal soup. at 11:30
    I eat yogurt with bran buds at 2
    then I eat dinner at 5
    If I have cals left I may have a jello or some sort of snack but never after 8

    AND DRINK LOTS OF WATER!!!

    I find If I am hungry I drink a full glass of water and the hunger goes away. Remember Mind Over Matter. You can do it!
  • CasperO
    CasperO Posts: 2,913 Member
    Options
    ...there are other foods where a big old huge "fill you up" serving has very few calories. Green stuff is great for this,,,
    Sooooo true.

    I make these truly gigantic salads for lunch and they usually come in around 330 calories or less - less than a quarter of what I can have for the day. And OMG, they are very filling. I find I'm not as hungry by 3:00 or even 4:00 when I have these.

    I use 1.5-2 cups of american salad mix and 4 oz of chicken tenders (grilled or boiled) then I basically add whatever fruits and veg I would like. The first time I made it I worried that it wouldn't be enough to keep me full (thinking "it's just a salad!") then I needed a mixing bowl to eat out of. LOL. I look crazy, or like a complete pig when I walk out of the kitchen with a mixing bowl and a fork, but I don't care, every bite is worth it.
    I do this too! Make a HUGE salad, a whole head of lettuce, tonsa tomatoes. Green pepper, mushrooms, spinach leaves. Free Italian dressing. And just eat 'til you're stuffed. It's a good thing.

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