I'm struggling with this 1200 Calories a day thing...

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  • aelunyu
    aelunyu Posts: 486 Member
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    Before reading about it on this site I had never heard the term starvation mode before, I think it was invented here.

    LOL...they're talking about the thing that fitness models run into....when you're 10% bodyfat and you wanna be 9%, and it's damn near impossible!
  • Clare0116
    Clare0116 Posts: 37 Member
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    Here is a link to calculate your personal metabolic rate: http://www.diabetes.co.uk/bmr-calculator.html
    I suggest small portions and keeping in healthy snacks. Lowish (about 75) daily carbs work best for me, which allows 1 slice of bread or half a ciabatta roll and a small portion of rice, pasta or potato. The Atkins Low Carb diet needs a lot of determination and results in cravings for carbs especially in cold weather. I am only 4'9", no thyroid function and my BMI (fat level) is obese at 36.8. Cardio is limited due to heart problems, so walk 2 miles slowly a few times a week and do stretching exercises to shrink my skin and improve circulation. I need 1,375 cals a day to maintain my weight but rarely eat that much, often only 800 cals or less. I'm trying to use the hypnotherapy gastric band idea to control my portions, as my worst fault is loving food and living alone, it takes me days to use up an indulgent treat, which I now rarely buy.
  • Wade406
    Wade406 Posts: 272 Member
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    CHEESE!

    Haha filling but definitely contributes to heart disease. No thanks.
  • chelseabuns88
    chelseabuns88 Posts: 77 Member
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    Crazy..

    If you're consistently struggling to meet the calorie target, why not just slightly increase the portion size for each meal.. the same macro levels, higher calorie count..

    I personally cannot understand how people struggle to make it to 1200 calories.. do you really not like food that much? It can make you feel great if you give it a try!
  • trudijoy
    trudijoy Posts: 1,685 Member
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    i think the thing is that some people who struggle to get to 1200 a day - and i'm one - have realised that their 'before'diet had some big things in it that as soon as you cut them out and eat better it's low. My base diet has always been essentially healthy - i love salad and vegies and chicken and things, but I let my love of other things, like corn chips and convenient takeout like pizza win last year and now that i'm not letting them win my normal diet is well under the 1200. (or in my case the suggested 1370). You people being judgemental and going 'well you got fat in the first place eating more' should be more supportive - not all people who are fat got there by not understanding nutrition.
  • trudijoy
    trudijoy Posts: 1,685 Member
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    and yes, i bump mine up to within about a hundred of my target because I feel it's healthier that way. I do it with various things - avocado and cheese on crackers is a fave.
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
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    I net 2000 a day. I couldn't get there if I actually went by suggested serving sizes. Those suggestions have to be for toddlers or something. Especially for meats. I'll eat an 8 ounce beef tenderloin or 10 oz chicken breast with dinner. Four ounces of chicken breast is a joke.
  • MerlinWilliams
    MerlinWilliams Posts: 92 Member
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    Forget the 1200 calories a day.

    I'm eating 2000 calories a day. I've been here since the day before New Year's and I'm down 12 pounds.
  • JuniperT
    JuniperT Posts: 394 Member
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    ...Can people please give any advice/suggestions in plain-easy to understand english?
    Peanut Butter.

    Spoon.

    Eat.

    Solved.


    This...and/or almonds. But I also agree with the idea of eat more weigh less you just have to eat the right things and do the work.
  • LinDiSm26262
    LinDiSm26262 Posts: 234 Member
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    It may be a good idea to look at other people's food journal to get an idea of what to eat.
  • Ultragirl2374
    Ultragirl2374 Posts: 390 Member
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    .......And trust me, I can easily double 1200 if not triple it. But that's what got me in this situation in the first place. :smile:
  • leopardjunkie
    leopardjunkie Posts: 149
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    try adding in some low salt broth with your protien source, like egg drop soup :) Easy to make adds in some calories :) great protien and easy :)

    and I agree cutting back on excessive protien and adding more balance would be good.

    If I had extra calories it would be bread and butter, ice cream, wine a peice of chocolate all in moderation of course.
  • skileong
    skileong Posts: 1
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    I follow a rough 1200 calories/day plan - sometimes more, sometimes less. Although I stick to around 1200 calories per day, I don't feel hungry. You need to learn how to manage your diet and be careful of what you eat.

    Eggs and lean meat (fish, chicken) keeps you full.
    Vegetables like broccoli and other dark greens are guilt free for me.
    Recently, sweet potatoes are my favourites - low in calories, healthy carbs
    Cutting simple carbs like rice, noodles, and pasta also help reduce your caloric intake.

    Don't beat yourself up for one bad day. Best of luck!
  • gypsyrose64
    gypsyrose64 Posts: 271 Member
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    First off, I'd suggest using this easy calculator to get your BMR and TDEE:
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    It's easy and does all the math for you. For what it's worth, I started at 1200, stalled out and couldn't budge the scale until I bumped my daily intake up some. If you find that happening, consider doing that.

    As for getting to 1200, I'd consider grazing. I try to eat something light every 2-3 hrs, and feel 100x better since I been hovering around 1400-1600/day. My weight is dropping again since I started doing this.

    Things I like to keep handy for those extra calories that aren't overly filling:

    Cheese
    Milk with ovaltine
    Peanut butter (a tablespoon)
    Almonds
    Fruit ( I love me some fruit!)
    Wheat pita and hummus
    Boiled egg
    Greek yogurt
    Fiber One 90 cal brownies (they are SO good)
  • Idris42
    Idris42 Posts: 17 Member
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    Before reading about it on this site I had never heard the term starvation mode before, I think it was invented here.

    LOL...they're talking about the thing that fitness models run into....when you're 10% bodyfat and you wanna be 9%, and it's damn near impossible!
    No, starvation mode is where you don't feed your body enough calories, so it thinks it's starving and slows your metabolism way down.
  • trudijoy
    trudijoy Posts: 1,685 Member
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    Before reading about it on this site I had never heard the term starvation mode before, I think it was invented here.

    LOL...they're talking about the thing that fitness models run into....when you're 10% bodyfat and you wanna be 9%, and it's damn near impossible!
    No, starvation mode is where you don't feed your body enough calories, so it think it's starving and slows your metabolism way down.

    an'd it's especially a factor when you have a metabolic disorder as you can totally bring your entire metabolism crashing and make yourself very very ill....while losing no weight (she says, speaking from experience)
  • lissaloue
    lissaloue Posts: 34 Member
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    tumblr_m1jxvtaAyS1r4sak0o1_500_zps6d977704.gif

    That would be me if I ate at that much calories.....
  • Aviva92
    Aviva92 Posts: 2,333 Member
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    so many condescending posts in this thread just like every other thread where people claim they can't eat more than 1200 calories.
  • Aviva92
    Aviva92 Posts: 2,333 Member
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    No....no attacking overweight people. Just stupid people.

    My almost 5 year old, who weighs 36 pounds eats about 1200 calories a day. He's 40 some inches tall.

    I don't believe an adult woman who's more than likely over 5 ft tall, and not having a health issue, is 'having problems' eating more calories than a 5 yr old.

    All it takes is upping portion sizes.


    And note: My 5 year old does not drink soda, does not drink fruit juices (except maybe once a month), does not eat chips or fried foods (again, except maybe once a month) and eats an amazing variety of veggies, fruits, nuts and meats (we don't feed him many processed foods). He asks for chocolate or ice cream maybe once a week.

    Wow! Just realized after looking at height weight charts, the boy is 50% percentile for height, 10% for weight.....man. Kid's gotta eat more! Or run around less.

    you think that people who claim that they can't eat more than 1200 calories are stupid? what a rude post.
  • yvnursechick
    yvnursechick Posts: 94 Member
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    I went to eatthismuch.com and it suggested i eat 1755 cal. Don't want my body to go into starvation mode. I struggle with this amountgo luck to all on the 1200.

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