How do you people stay at 1200 a day??

How do people go over?! I'm having a hard time getting anywhere close to the calories I need. Sure I like food, but I guess I don't eat enough... :blushing:

I've been doing this for 14 months now. I've been able to lose 34 lbs. One thing you need to remember is that this is for your life time and not for an instant result. I've dieted several different times and always gained it back plus some. This time, I've made a life change. You have to take it in baby steps. Your habits didn't form over night and can't be changed over night. I looked up on some medical websites and discovered a good rule of thumb is to take your weight, example if you weigh 200 pounds, add a zero to the end and use that as your starting point for your daily intake. so you would start (weight 200lbs) at 2,000 caolories per day.(always round up to the nearest 100. This may take a few days or a few weeks to get used to. Once you find yourself thinking, this is too easy or not having the hungry growling belly then decrease it by 200 caloies and keep adjusting and before you know it you have shrank your stomach enough that 1,200 per day is nothing. I'm to the point now that it is sometimes hard for me to get in my 1,200 calories, yet I do exercise now anywhere from 500-700 calories per day. I also have changed the things I eat. I stay away from empty calories, especially sweets like candy bars. By the way the 100 calories snacks and cereal bars for 100 calories or less are a great help in trying to stay with in your calorie goal. they saved me on several different days. Keep your chin up, at least your on the right track in trying to make a difference. keep it up. If I can do this then You can too!

Some of the people who are supposedly on 1200/day arent counting the 12 cokes they drink. Others are plainly not counting whole binges. This is merely a fact of human nature. I once had a 380 pound client tell me she only ate 800 per day for 4 weeks, until her kids ended up tattling on her. (more like 3300). You can tell who these people are by the attitudes they have.
"eating 1200 but still no weight loss, is it because of the sugar???! or the fat?!?! someone help i'm a biological anomaly!!"

So aside from those people,

The ones that are doing the 1200-1800 are losing weight. You can tell from their amazing progress posts and updates. They are usually wearing big smiles and stances of self affirmation...it just gets better and better from there. They want to know more about nutrition, they are hungry to try new exercise programs. It's literally a change in lifestyle. But the things that led them there were hard to do. Very hard.

For someone starting out, unfamiliar with a severe deficit like 1200, set it higher. much higher, but be honest and stick to it. slip ups happen, but set a realistic goal where you're not crashing the weight off, but a moderate decrease. Remember, whatever you do, in the end, you're the one responsible for the good or the bad that follows! Good luck.

I've just started My Fitness Pal and I've found that Slimfasts and protein-filled meal replacement bars work for me. I've been drinking Slimfast for 2 months now. I drink 1 for breakfast, 1 for lunch, a mini snack South Beach Diet shake for afternoon (100 calories) and that usually leaves me about 600 calories for dinner, which is perfect. The protein in slimfasts keeps me full for about 3 hours.

Some of the people who are supposedly on 1200/day arent counting the 12 cokes they drink. Others are plainly not counting whole binges. This is merely a fact of human nature. I once had a 380 pound client tell me she only ate 800 per day for 4 weeks, until her kids ended up tattling on her. (more like 3300). You can tell who these people are by the attitudes they have.
"eating 1200 but still no weight loss, is it because of the sugar???! or the fat?!?! someone help i'm a biological anomaly!!"

So aside from those people,

The ones that are doing the 1200-1800 are losing weight. You can tell from their amazing progress posts and updates. They are usually wearing big smiles and stances of self affirmation...it just gets better and better from there. They want to know more about nutrition, they are hungry to try new exercise programs. It's literally a change in lifestyle. But the things that led them there were hard to do. Very hard.

For someone starting out, unfamiliar with a severe deficit like 1200, set it higher. much higher, but be honest and stick to it. slip ups happen, but set a realistic goal where you're not crashing the weight off, but a moderate decrease. Remember, whatever you do, in the end, you're the one responsible for the good or the bad that follows! Good luck.

Good post Especially this part: "eating 1200 but still no weight loss, is it because of the sugar???! or the fat?!?! someone help i'm a biological anomaly!!" You need to be honest with yourself and track everything to get anywhere

i think the OP is getting flack where it maybe isn't deserved. she said she's been at this a long time, and already lost weight.
yes there's a learning curve in understanding cc and measuring, but I applaud her effort and determination. she is hungry for ideas, recipes, workouts that work for her. I think this is a lifestyle change for her. not everyone is satisfied on radishes and carrot sticks. try green bean 'fries' they rock! i sent some links to you already. hope that helps.

We're all rooting for you. if you're having a bad, awesome, or just a gloomy day, post about it and we'll cheer you on.
that's why we're here

I eat 1100 a day (please reserve your comments on that, it is Dr supervised). You can look at my diary. I eat four times a day and do not feel hungry. The odd time at night I will have a snack after dinner. But it really is about food choices. Over time your body does adjust to and gets used to eating less than you used to, it just takes time, but after that you will find you get fuller faster and don't need to eat as much to feel full.
I do not cheat on what I record. I record everything I eat and drink, good or bad. I think that is the only way to be honest with yourself and make weight loss a success.