1200 calories seems impossible!

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  • whiskeyhut
    whiskeyhut Posts: 59 Member
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    I'm fairly new to dieting so maybe I just need time to adjust but no matter how healthy I think I'm eatting, 1200 calories a day seems impossible! This morning I had 1/2 a cup of granola cereal with 1/2 a cup of blueberrries and 1/2 a cup of almond milk and a banana and that was already almost 400 calories!!! And I've already doubled my sugar in take for the day?! Uggg this is going to be harder than I thought!!!

    I found that one flaw with MFP is it counts natural sugar...if you know the sugar is from fruit I wouldn't worry to much about that part. Try to eat a lot of veggies, they are low calorie fillers.
  • neighner9
    neighner9 Posts: 2
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    I like to have oatmeal, eggs or cereal for breakfast. Two eggs on an english muffin with 1 slice canadian bacon is about 280cals without ketchup, with about 300. Oatmeal for a serving is just 150 cals and you can add any flavor you want, I like to add some fresh fruit and cinnamon. I also like Honey Nut Cheerios and all of Special K's cereals, with Almond Milk and frozen strawberries. if I'm still hungry I add a serving of Almonds.
  • sunman00
    sunman00 Posts: 872 Member
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    can I suggest you set a sustainable calorie intake target? losing weight is one thing, keeping it off is another & requires long term lifestyle change. If you set 1500- 1800, add in a daily walk or jog which will credit you 300kcal or so then you're effectively consuming 1200-1500 net, and you should be able to keep that going long term?

    good luck
  • Jackie9950
    Jackie9950 Posts: 374 Member
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    I thought the same when I first started. I found that with a little change to what I ate some days were hard to reach that goal. For Breakfast I usually go for weight control oatmeal (It has more fiber and less than 1g of sugar and tastes pretty good.) or maybe an egg white omelet (yumm). I also have a huge addiction to peanut butter, so sometimes I will just go for peanut butter toast. and sometimes when I exercise a ton I will eat them all lol.


    I also found that finding new innovative ways to cook chicken for dinner healps out alot. I try to stick with chicken and veggies for dinner. Lunch is always a toss up. I usually stalk my friends to see what they eat and try to come up with new ideas.

    When you start exercising you will want more protien. In the receipes section of the forums there are a ton of great ways to make protien shakes.

    Basically, try as I might, eat food better for you. Stay away from processed foods, and high carb foods.

    I know this isn't easy because I myself slipped and I am just now getting back on the band wagon. If you need a friend you can always add me. I try to be supportive!

    Hope this helps. I think everyone has thier own opinions and own way of things working for them. Good luck!:happy:
  • Mrs_Fit
    Mrs_Fit Posts: 86 Member
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    Mine is 1220. For breakfast I usually eat oatmeal or some type of fruit which is usually low....I am really not a breakfast eater. I try to stay 400 calories for each meal and make sure I work out. Sometime I do go over but it is a learning process. Do what works for you. Try prelogging your food before consumption and choose if maybe you need to take something away or not. Try Lean Cuisines for lunch or some other frozen meal but make sure you watch the salt intake on it. There are some good ones with low sodium. Good luck!!
  • thevegangladiator
    thevegangladiator Posts: 33 Member
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    calorie restriction is stupid and will set you up to fail. eating under 1200 calories is anorexic. i eat unlimited calories yesterday i ate 3500 calories and have been for over a year and my weight stayed the same. my breakfast is 1200 calories lol
  • IowaJen1979
    IowaJen1979 Posts: 406 Member
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    Unfortunately, foods that we are made to believe are healthy (i.e. granola) really aren't. It stinks! If you tweak your menu you'll find it's doable. It takes extra time at first to plan out what you're going to eat but you'll catch on! Hang in there!
  • IowaJen1979
    IowaJen1979 Posts: 406 Member
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    calorie restriction is stupid and will set you up to fail. eating under 1200 calories is anorexic. i eat unlimited calories yesterday i ate 3500 calories and have been for over a year and my weight stayed the same. my breakfast is 1200 calories lol

    Thanks for being supportive and helpful! :frown:

    Not everyone can eat as much as they want, which is why they're on this website to begin with. I'm so sick of seeing judgey and rude people on these message boards when the people who post need encouragement and support.
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
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    calorie restriction is stupid and will set you up to fail. eating under 1200 calories is anorexic. i eat unlimited calories yesterday i ate 3500 calories and have been for over a year and my weight stayed the same. my breakfast is 1200 calories lol

    Thanks for being supportive and helpful! :frown:

    Not everyone can eat as much as they want, which is why they're on this website to begin with. I'm so sick of seeing judgey and rude people on these message boards when the people who post need encouragement and support.
    No kidding....wow! Nothing like gloating, right? :drinker:
  • bub_snig
    bub_snig Posts: 56
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    calorie restriction is stupid and will set you up to fail. eating under 1200 calories is anorexic. i eat unlimited calories yesterday i ate 3500 calories and have been for over a year and my weight stayed the same. my breakfast is 1200 calories lol

    Thanks for being supportive and helpful! :frown:

    Not everyone can eat as much as they want, which is why they're on this website to begin with. I'm so sick of seeing judgey and rude people on these message boards when the people who post need encouragement and support.



    So true... On the other hand I find it very had to get to 1200 cals a day (unless I eat ****). I eat heaps of stuff in a day. Check my diary if you want it's open. I am nowhere near anorexic nor do I want to be. I eat 5 meals a day and eat until I'm full.

    Try using fresh fruit and veggies and lean proteins. They are naturally lower in calories (fruit is high in sugar but its natural sugar so I don't freak out when I go over my sugar intake).

    Also a little hint I use to fill myself up is every two mouthfuls of food I have a large sip of water. It a
    So keeps you really hydrated too.
  • cmerun4
    cmerun4 Posts: 2 Member
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    Its not! I"m a busy Mom who works out at least 3-4 times a week and I find that I usually break exactly at 1200 calories though I do try to go at least a little under. Remember, if you work out, you can increase your caloric intake based on how many calories you burned in the work out. To lose weight though, you should try to 'bank" these calories and not burn them up by eating them! hope that makes sense. you are losing weight so something is working for you! Your food choices need to be thoughtful and purposefull instead of just eating "whatever looks good" so to speak. You can do it!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    calorie restriction is stupid and will set you up to fail. eating under 1200 calories is anorexic. i eat unlimited calories yesterday i ate 3500 calories and have been for over a year and my weight stayed the same. my breakfast is 1200 calories lol

    Thanks for being supportive and helpful! :frown:

    Not everyone can eat as much as they want, which is why they're on this website to begin with. I'm so sick of seeing judgey and rude people on these message boards when the people who post need encouragement and support.

    Remember, internet trolls are everywhere.
  • nicleed
    nicleed Posts: 247 Member
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    !'m 44 years old, 5'9" and my BMR is around 1450.

    I started here in August needing to lose about 20 pounds, and started on 1200 cals. Soon realised that made me hungry, tired and stabby. So starting upping cals.

    By the end of my journey, I was losing weight on about 1700 cals a day (plus exercise) and was much happier. Been maintaining on about 2000 cals since early December

    Lesson: you don't have to deprive yourself and be starving in order to lose weight
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    Unfortunately, foods that we are made to believe are healthy (i.e. granola) really aren't. It stinks! If you tweak your menu you'll find it's doable. It takes extra time at first to plan out what you're going to eat but you'll catch on! Hang in there!

    What wrong with granola? Why is it unhealthy?
  • 13Jools
    13Jools Posts: 10
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    I used to think granola was so healthy too but lots of calories so you can only have a little maybe sprinkled on top of kefir or yogurt. For cereal I like Kashi or Special K with a cup of raw milk.
  • fionadasein
    fionadasein Posts: 165 Member
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    The real secret is exercise! The more you do, the more you burn, the more you can eat while still maintaining a calorie deficit to lose weight! Start playing around with different exercises and classes, get a workout buddy, and watch how much faster you'll lose weight and how many more calories you can consume! Fancy a walk? :)
  • mfoy94
    mfoy94 Posts: 228 Member
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    1200 is my calorie goal, you can feel free to add me and check out my food diary to get some ideas. I eat a light breakfast, lunch and dinner around 400 calories, and the rest of the calories I have I use on small snacks throughout the day. Its not impossible but it certainly is a big change.
  • MzDfy
    MzDfy Posts: 14
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    That's what I thought at first, but then I soon realized that with working out, I had to increase my calorie intake to 1500 per day. At 1200, I was ALWAYS hungry and cranky. I have since increased my workouts and I think I'm going to have increase my calorie intake again. I am still tracking what I eat, but I am also changing as a person and I'm now craving "clean" foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins.

    I would also make every single calorie count for you! If a food is high in sugar, such as any processed foods, I would just stay away from them. This would also include "diet" foods, such as Splenda, because they make your body crave sugar. Eat an apple or berries.
  • wandie
    wandie Posts: 1
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    Maybe 1200 cals isn't for you then. What is your BMR? Height/weight? Did you just "plug in" that you wanted to lose 2lbs a week and it spit out 1200 cals? If so, maybe you need to evaluate your goals again, and shoot for 1lb a week.
    What is BMR?
  • Onaughmae
    Onaughmae Posts: 873 Member
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    its very do-able. I rarely go over 1200. (sometimes I do if I exercise a lot that day though). Its all about the choices you make. Low cal fruits and veggies are great fillers. Just be sure you are getting enough protein in your diet. If you find that you arent feeling well or are starving just up your calories a bit at a time and see what cut off point is good for you.

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