Struggling with making 1200 calories....

erickita89
erickita89 Posts: 422 Member
in Food and Nutrition
i ate 1150 calories today and I feel disgustingly full. I don't feel like this is healthy or normal especially considering that i used to consume 3000+ calories easily everyday about a month prior to this.


I'm trying to make 1200-1400 everyday but I'm finding that most days i have to force myself to eat dinner. i see people here saying that 1200 is way too low of an intake.... and i believe it and it worries me.

i dont know what to make of this.... People are telling me because i'm eating a lot of fruits and veggies that i'm going to feel fuller for longer but this is just insane to me. I never though in a million years i could eat 1200 calories and be fine.

Is there anyone out there like me?
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Replies

  • FunnyBunnyHunny
    FunnyBunnyHunny Posts: 102 Member
    I don't know why..but things such as quinoa and baby spinach make me feel so full i can barely make it through each meal. If i eat clean, its extremely hard for me to make it even over 1000 cals. I try to include higher calorie things such as avacado, peanut butter, or almonds so dont have to eat such a huge quantity and feel overstuffed to get my cals in.
  • erickita89
    erickita89 Posts: 422 Member
    Yea i've been eating a ton of spinach
  • getup25
    getup25 Posts: 119 Member
    Add some healthy oils. It's what I just started to do. I had the same problem that I couldn't eat my 1200 calories.
  • Aviva92
    Aviva92 Posts: 2,333 Member
    Is there anyone out there like me?

    I'd say that 20% of the threads at on this forum are about this exact topic.
  • CaffeinatedConfectionist
    CaffeinatedConfectionist Posts: 1,046 Member
    I can't see your diary so I'm not sure what you tend to eat, but as another person said, you can always try adding in small, calorie-dense foods, especially things that are high in good fats - nuts/nut butters, avocados, full fat dairy (chocolate milk, mmmm), dark chocolate. A cup of full fat greek yogurt with some peanut butter and honey can be around ~300 calories and is a pretty delicious snack or dessert.
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
    Google calorie dense foods. I now do 1700 normally and had to include calorie dense foods to get there.

    Nuts
    Hummous
    Olive oil (good fats)
    Avacado if you like it (I dont)
    Real butter
    BACON. Just coz its awesome! Lol.

    500 calorie breakfast... 2 eggs, 2 bacon and 1 toast with butter. You can then max out on your veggies at lunch and dinner. This is just an example.

    Know there's loads more!
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    Often we try to go straight by hitting traditional "diet" foods - veggies and lean proteins - and avoiding anything with fat in it. You need the fats for your body to function properly. Add olive oil when making salads or cooking; have some peanut butter with an apple, a handful of nuts here or there....
  • FitnessWithaTwist
    FitnessWithaTwist Posts: 31
    sounds like anorexia...good luck! food is food..stop worrying whats what and eat
  • Ashley_Megan
    Ashley_Megan Posts: 14 Member
    I'm in the exact same boat. I heard you're supposed to eat back what you burned off...which would bring me back up to 1700 cal approx but I have trouble just getting to 1200 sometimes. It's frustrating ;(
  • valeriebelle2
    valeriebelle2 Posts: 6 Member
    I have learned that fast foods and pleasure foods (hambugers, fries, soda, pizza, burritos, ice cream) contain a large amount of calories per serving. Im on a 1300 cal diet and one burger at mcdonalds is almost my whole days intake. eating foods that give your body nutrition contain less calories per serving and you have to eat more. i hope this helps. :) Try more whole grains. brown rice, beans, whole grain bread. I try to have a searving of protein, fiber, and vegetable per meal. This is around 400-500 calories times 3.
  • taryn_09
    taryn_09 Posts: 196 Member
    when i was struggling to figure out how to up my calories to that much i hit the same problem. my stomach was so small that i felt nauseous all the time when i consumed a bunch. now i am able to hit 1800 easily.
    things that worked for me :

    peanut butter
    shakes (protein powder can be 150 easily, & yogurt & pb & flax seed)
    use oils for cooking (healthy ones)
    more calorie dense food!

    its a work in progress, but its not impossible <3
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Often we try to go straight by hitting traditional "diet" foods - veggies and lean proteins - and avoiding anything with fat in it. You need the fats for your body to function properly. Add olive oil when making salads or cooking; have some peanut butter with an apple, a handful of nuts here or there....

    This.

    And use your food diary to plan your meals instead of just to record. Enter everything you're going to eat early in the day, or even the day before, and if you fall short, see where you can tweak it. It's a lot easier to add 100 calories to each meal than it is to add 300 calories at the end of the day. Check your macro (protein, carbs, fat) settings to see what's missing. If you're low on fat, add stuff like avocado, nuts or nut butters, dairy. If you're low on protein, make your servings of your protein source a little bigger. An extra ounce of chicken or fish at dinner, some jerky as a snack, two more slices of lunchmeat on a sandwish, protein bars or shakes, etc. If it's carbs that are low, make sure you're getting your recommended amounts of fruit and veg first, but if you're otherwise getting all your nutrition... eat whatever you want.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    Often we try to go straight by hitting traditional "diet" foods - veggies and lean proteins - and avoiding anything with fat in it. You need the fats for your body to function properly. Add olive oil when making salads or cooking; have some peanut butter with an apple, a handful of nuts here or there....

    This.

    And use your food diary to plan your meals instead of just to record. Enter everything you're going to eat early in the day, or even the day before, and if you fall short, see where you can tweak it. It's a lot easier to add 100 calories to each meal than it is to add 300 calories at the end of the day. Check your macro (protein, carbs, fat) settings to see what's missing. If you're low on fat, add stuff like avocado, nuts or nut butters, dairy. If you're low on protein, make your servings of your protein source a little bigger. An extra ounce of chicken or fish at dinner, some jerky as a snack, two more slices of lunchmeat on a sandwish, protein bars or shakes, etc. If it's carbs that are low, make sure you're getting your recommended amounts of fruit and veg first, but if you're otherwise getting all your nutrition... eat whatever you want.
  • mandyneedtolose
    mandyneedtolose Posts: 398 Member
    Eat a burger.

    or ice cream.



    Pu ... You always have an answer!! :) You're awesome!!
  • erickita89
    erickita89 Posts: 422 Member
    I only cook with olive oil :)
  • erickita89
    erickita89 Posts: 422 Member
    I can't see your diary so I'm not sure what you tend to eat, but as another person said, you can always try adding in small, calorie-dense foods, especially things that are high in good fats - nuts/nut butters, avocados, full fat dairy (chocolate milk, mmmm), dark chocolate. A cup of full fat greek yogurt with some peanut butter and honey can be around ~300 calories and is a pretty delicious snack or dessert.
    I opened my diary to the public i eat avocados and nuts from time to time.
  • Ultragirl2374
    Ultragirl2374 Posts: 390 Member
    The first few weeks eating at 1200 I was like that but then I started upping my activity levels and all of a sudden I got hungrier. Maybe that would help???
  • mandyneedtolose
    mandyneedtolose Posts: 398 Member
    Healthy fats, such as olive oil while cooking works, nuts such as cashews, peanuts, almonds help with calories. Also you can make a home made hummus that has low salt, and higher calories ( low sodium chickpeas, olive oil, garlic, dill - mashed up)!
  • erickita89
    erickita89 Posts: 422 Member
    sounds like anorexia...good luck! food is food..stop worrying whats what and eat
    lol im no where near anorexic buddy! im 194 lbs lol and i love food. Its just that im never in the mood to eat anymore. it feels like a chore. i feel like i should only be eating when im hungry, but if i do that, then i will slow down my metabolism and be eating one meal a day probably :(
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    I only cook with olive oil :)
    Thats a terrible idea unless you only eat things that require low heat only. Olive oil companies are good at advertising but I don't really care. If Im making something yummy and hot Im not going to do it with something that smokes at 191 degrees C.
  • erickita89
    erickita89 Posts: 422 Member
    I only cook with olive oil :)
    Thats a terrible idea unless you only eat things that require low heat only. Olive oil companies are good at advertising but I don't really care. If Im making something yummy and hot Im not going to do it with something that smokes at 191 degrees C.

    What would you recommend then? I'm new to this. I switched from corn to olive oil. and have been only cooking with it for the past 2 months.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    sounds like anorexia...good luck! food is food..stop worrying whats what and eat
    lol im no where near anorexic buddy! im 194 lbs lol and i love food. Its just that im never in the mood to eat anymore. it feels like a chore. i feel like i should only be eating when im hungry, but if i do that, then i will slow down my metabolism and be eating one meal a day probably :(
    Anorexic does not equal under weight 100% of the time. And people that love things do not usually find them to be a chore and are usually in the mood for it. Hence they love it.
  • erickita89
    erickita89 Posts: 422 Member
    Eat a burger.

    or ice cream.

    lol hmm maybe i will today
  • My0WNinspiration
    My0WNinspiration Posts: 1,146 Member
    If you are having problems reaching 1200 then how or why do you need to lose weight? I can easily eat 1200 in ONE meal. Add nuts, fatty meats and full fat dairy to your diet. Problem solved!
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    I only cook with olive oil :)
    Thats a terrible idea unless you only eat things that require low heat only. Olive oil companies are good at advertising but I don't really care. If Im making something yummy and hot Im not going to do it with something that smokes at 191 degrees C.

    What would you recommend then? I'm new to this. I switched from corn to olive oil. and have been only cooking with it for the past 2 months.
    Don't get me wrong I eat a lot of olive oil in salads and such, but for higher heats I use any of the oils with a higher smoke point. You can look them up online. Im a fan of coconut oil if the smoke point is right. Yay medium chain fatty acids. For the extra calorie boost I'll add avocado. Mmm peanuts eggs avocado and chocolate protein. Makes a mean pancake in an avocado hole.
  • jst1986
    jst1986 Posts: 204 Member
    It's not great. My BMR is up around 2600 which is hard to do healthily the and that's before adding another 750-1000 exercise calories in top!
  • My0WNinspiration
    My0WNinspiration Posts: 1,146 Member
    If you are having problems reaching 1200 then how or why do you need to lose weight? I can easily eat 1200 in ONE meal. Add nuts, fatty meats and full fat dairy to your diet. Problem solved!

    This usually happens when people think "I need to eat "HEALTHY"" So they eat very low calorie foods.

    Question to the OP: Who is healthier... a person who weighs 700lbs eating "healthy" or a person at a healthy weight eating junk?
    Just eat "normal" food and lose weight.

    I see. Nuts are healthy but extremely high in cals.
  • WinnerVictorious
    WinnerVictorious Posts: 4,733 Member
    1) grab tablespoon
    2) dip it into jar of peanut butter until mouth of spoon is submerged
    3) take it out
    4) put it in your mouth
    5) enjoy
    6) repeat steps 1) through 5) one more time

    190 calories. right there. just doing that. nothing more.

    peanut butter has protein and good fats. as long as you are not allergic to peanuts, it's perfectly fine to eat a couple of spoonfuls of peanut butter a day!

    peanut-butter-spoon.jpg
  • Thisisnotadiet
    Thisisnotadiet Posts: 89 Member
    Take a look in my diary (especially breakfast) for high calorie food idea. Also, I am 5.2 and my BMR is over 1300. Why are you eating less than this?

    Drink whole milk, and don't eat any of the fat free stuff. Eat regular food, full fat. This is how I finally started to loose weight this week.
  • Lady_Bane
    Lady_Bane Posts: 720 Member
    I never wanna be back in the 1200 calorie a day boat. I thought I was going to pass out the whole 4 months I was doing it.

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