Struggling with making 1200 calories....

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124

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  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
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    I went through the same thing and it gets better. People can't believe that we struggle to eat 1200 but.. when you're used to eating say.. 1 cup of 500 calorie velveeta shells and cheese and switch to 4-6 oz of lean meat, nuts, 4 cups of lettuce, 2 cups of veggies at ONE meal, it takes up a lot more space in your tummy and is a LOT more filling! Add drinking extra water and we are stuffed.
    Just add a few nuts or nut butters to your meals, they add up quick. 1/4 cup of nuts has 160 calories in it. I buy raw almonds and make homemade almond butter in my mini food processor. It's easy and it is sooo good spread on an apple or banana. And it's good for you!
    Ignore all the mean comments. If they haven't experienced this, they have no clue!

    lol thanks for understanding! i know that people don't get it and think it sounds dum and crazy to them. (shoot i woulda thought the same thing too a month ago) when i first saw the 1200 recommendation i was horrified and thought i could never do it. i thought to myself damn that is one McDonalds meal right there haha.

    Does almond milk count? lol
    I've been eating avocados and nuts here and there.
    I'd say most of the people can understand it. I thought I was quite comfortable on 1200. You only realize what you were doing to yourself after you've stopped it for a while. Then after you gather some experience and knowledge and left it in the dark, you're left wondering why you went about it that way in the first place.

    I use to go around telling people ohhh but I eat a lot of veg and I'm full...and then I had a day where I had 6 cups of salad plus other meals and thought to myself how on earth did this fill me up before. I just had 2.5 cups of stirfry and then ate a bag of mini eggs because my body was craving something fatty. Now I can absorb the nutrients in the stirfry, hurray (many nutrients in vegetables are fat soluble).

    I didn't think there were a whole lot of mean comments made? I'm not sure if you're including me in there, I'm just trying to give advice. OP seems to be listening to everyones opinions rather well.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    Your better off having a double bacon cheeseburger with some veg on the side because at least your getting fats protein and nutrients.

    QFT

    This eating healthy thing is confusing lol. I though bacon cheese burgers are bad for u unless eaten in moderation (like once or twice a week)

    The number of times per week is not what is relevant. The important part is to get enough protein, fats, and carbohydrates while not eating too many calories for your lifestyle. There is no such thing as "unhealthy food." Rather, it's your overall diet that matters. Bacon and ground beef both give the body protein and fats. Put it on a bun and add some veggies on the side for your carbs. Make sure the number of bacon slices and the size of the beef patty isn't too much. Bam! Healthy!

    Eating too little food can also be more dangerous than eating too much food because while obesity can cause long-term health problems, depriving your body of the nutrients it needs can cause internal organ failure, which can actually kill a person quicker than high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

    If you are obese now, then you aren't in immediate danger of organ failure, but you are in danger of screwing up your hormone levels (and your metabolism) which can eventually lead to health problems. It can also cause your weight loss to stall later on down the road.
  • WinnerVictorious
    WinnerVictorious Posts: 4,735 Member
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    Your better off having a double bacon cheeseburger with some veg on the side because at least your getting fats protein and nutrients.

    QFT

    This eating healthy thing is confusing lol. I though bacon cheese burgers are bad for u unless eaten in moderation (like once or twice a week)

    no food is "good" or "bad". that's a silly notion pushed onto us by orthorexics. concentrate on meeting your macro requirements daily and eating less than your TDEE and you can lose weight eating whatever you want.
  • erickita89
    erickita89 Posts: 422 Member
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    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 is what I'm wondering. Are you on a medication that messes with appetite or sedentary all day? I don't think this should be a problem. I've never really fully believed other posters when they say it's so hard to reach 1200 calories unless something is actually interfering. If you get up at a decent time (when early, metabolism starts up, I usually eat a lot more when I have a long day) and do things during the day you should be hungry enough to get 1200 calories AT LEAST.

    Also wondering if it's a mental thing. People don't like to eat when depressed sometimes or maybe since you started this diet, your attitude turned really sour towards food in general

    AND if you're overweight, you should not be having 1200 calories a day. This will slow your progress. I'm guessing you set this goal for yourself or set too high of a loss of weight weekly.

    I'm pretty sedentary all day. I program websites for work.... so i literally sit at a desk all day long behind a computer and i dont move unless its to get up use the bathroom or get something to eat. I joined a gym 3 weeks ago and am trying to go 5/d a week after work for a hr or two to combat this problem.

    My bf thinks its a mental thing as well and is constantly shoving chocolate into my face and honestly i just dont want it.
    I'm following MFP's recommendations for weight loss. It says 1200 per day, and then adds more for exersize, which i can never just eat it all. i can get to 1400 n then im really really full.

    I set it at 2lbs per week. I started at 202 lbs and am like 193 in my first 3 weeks here,
    Going to the gym 5 days a week for up to 2 hours a day is NOT sedentary AT ALL. That's quite quite quite active. More so then anyone I know. I also program all day and night on the computer. I spend about 3 hours at the gym a week, (a lot less then your up to 10hrs) and I am not sedentary. I'm less active then you, and can put down 2000 calories a day and lose weight, and look like this:
    13599033_378.jpg

    If you do not have any metabolic diseases (and likely even if you do) you would be able to eat more then me and lose weight according to the math on calculating your energy expenditure. Sounds to me you set an unrealistic goal if it gave you 1200 per day. A lot of people like myself end up doing that without realizing it. Also, if you're full on that you're eating to much of one thing, probably fiber. I use to do the 1200 calorie a day thing. After I fixed that problem I found leaps and bounds different when I thought I was doing fine.

    lol i wish i looked like that. i changed my diary to show the fiber.... i go over the recommended amt for 1200 calories but not by too much. so idk what i'm doing wrong lol.

    idk what to do to fix this lol. im so confused now. I will be eating more nuts/peanut butter and a few cheeseburgers here or there from now on. Thats all i know for now lol.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
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    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.
    And extremely worth it. Especially since this is a thread looking for ways to increase calories. I really love roasted nuts in my salads.

    And very good for the skin. I glow like star bright right after a handful of nuts. Get them fats in ya!

    I switched to almond milk to FYI (regular milk always did hurt my stomach)
    ^I just got why you mentioned that. That doesn't really count, the fat and protein in the nut is removed when almond milk is made. You're basically throwing out the good stuff. Basically it's just water and some remanence of nut lol. Nice in coffee though!
  • calewis17
    Options
    I am in the same boat. I never get 1200 calories, and I don't eat back calories earned from exercise. I am going to start adding in some more dense calories...nuts, avacodo, peanut butter with my apple.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    Oh, and it is important that you are eating foods with fat in them, otherwise your body will not be able to absorb the micronutrients in your food.


    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutrient

    http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/othernuts/omega3fa/
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    Options
    Your better off having a double bacon cheeseburger with some veg on the side because at least your getting fats protein and nutrients.

    QFT

    This eating healthy thing is confusing lol. I though bacon cheese burgers are bad for u unless eaten in moderation (like once or twice a week)
    From the beginning of my profile: "I do not believe in globally 'bad' and 'good' food, I think that depends on the rest of your nutrition". What I mean is you can eat carrots excessively and still end up malnourished because you're not getting all your nutrients or enough fat to absorb whats in the carrots. You can also eat under your energy expenditure and eat all sugar packets or take out and still be malnourished because you're not getting enough nutrients period. Eat a balance, get all your macro-nutrients and your micro-nutrients. Some of the meals I eat are about your total for the day. I wouldn't be able to eat that and call myself nourished no matter how many vegetables I ate. Not looking back now, even though I did it before and said the words.

    Edit:
    Your better off having a double bacon cheeseburger with some veg on the side because at least your getting fats protein and nutrients.

    QFT

    This eating healthy thing is confusing lol. I though bacon cheese burgers are bad for u unless eaten in moderation (like once or twice a week)

    no food is "good" or "bad". that's a silly notion pushed onto us by orthorexics. concentrate on meeting your macro requirements daily and eating less than your TDEE and you can lose weight eating whatever you want.
    ^this
  • erickita89
    erickita89 Posts: 422 Member
    Options
    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.
    And extremely worth it. Especially since this is a thread looking for ways to increase calories. I really love roasted nuts in my salads.

    And very good for the skin. I glow like star bright right after a handful of nuts. Get them fats in ya!

    I switched to almond milk to FYI (regular milk always did hurt my stomach)
    ^I just got why you mentioned that. That doesn't really count, the fat and protein in the nut is removed when almond milk is made. You're basically throwing out the good stuff. Basically it's just water and some remanence of nut lol. Nice in coffee though!
    Crap! it tastes so good though! i thought i was getting almond nutrients there. =( crap
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    Options
    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 is what I'm wondering. Are you on a medication that messes with appetite or sedentary all day? I don't think this should be a problem. I've never really fully believed other posters when they say it's so hard to reach 1200 calories unless something is actually interfering. If you get up at a decent time (when early, metabolism starts up, I usually eat a lot more when I have a long day) and do things during the day you should be hungry enough to get 1200 calories AT LEAST.

    Also wondering if it's a mental thing. People don't like to eat when depressed sometimes or maybe since you started this diet, your attitude turned really sour towards food in general

    AND if you're overweight, you should not be having 1200 calories a day. This will slow your progress. I'm guessing you set this goal for yourself or set too high of a loss of weight weekly.

    I'm pretty sedentary all day. I program websites for work.... so i literally sit at a desk all day long behind a computer and i dont move unless its to get up use the bathroom or get something to eat. I joined a gym 3 weeks ago and am trying to go 5/d a week after work for a hr or two to combat this problem.

    My bf thinks its a mental thing as well and is constantly shoving chocolate into my face and honestly i just dont want it.
    I'm following MFP's recommendations for weight loss. It says 1200 per day, and then adds more for exersize, which i can never just eat it all. i can get to 1400 n then im really really full.

    I set it at 2lbs per week. I started at 202 lbs and am like 193 in my first 3 weeks here,
    Going to the gym 5 days a week for up to 2 hours a day is NOT sedentary AT ALL. That's quite quite quite active. More so then anyone I know. I also program all day and night on the computer. I spend about 3 hours at the gym a week, (a lot less then your up to 10hrs) and I am not sedentary. I'm less active then you, and can put down 2000 calories a day and lose weight, and look like this:
    13599033_378.jpg

    If you do not have any metabolic diseases (and likely even if you do) you would be able to eat more then me and lose weight according to the math on calculating your energy expenditure. Sounds to me you set an unrealistic goal if it gave you 1200 per day. A lot of people like myself end up doing that without realizing it. Also, if you're full on that you're eating to much of one thing, probably fiber. I use to do the 1200 calorie a day thing. After I fixed that problem I found leaps and bounds different when I thought I was doing fine.

    lol i wish i looked like that. i changed my diary to show the fiber.... i go over the recommended amt for 1200 calories but not by too much. so idk what i'm doing wrong lol.

    idk what to do to fix this lol. im so confused now. I will be eating more nuts/peanut butter and a few cheeseburgers here or there from now on. Thats all i know for now lol.
    Thanks and you'll have no problem with that if you go about doing it the right way. And since you're confused it might benefit you if you try to digest this thread I made:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/637094-cinderella-s-weight-loss-knowledge
  • WinnerVictorious
    WinnerVictorious Posts: 4,735 Member
    Options
    i figured this message needed to get out to a larger audience, so...

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/887577-examples-of-healthy-food
  • erickita89
    erickita89 Posts: 422 Member
    Options
    I went through the same thing and it gets better. People can't believe that we struggle to eat 1200 but.. when you're used to eating say.. 1 cup of 500 calorie velveeta shells and cheese and switch to 4-6 oz of lean meat, nuts, 4 cups of lettuce, 2 cups of veggies at ONE meal, it takes up a lot more space in your tummy and is a LOT more filling! Add drinking extra water and we are stuffed.
    Just add a few nuts or nut butters to your meals, they add up quick. 1/4 cup of nuts has 160 calories in it. I buy raw almonds and make homemade almond butter in my mini food processor. It's easy and it is sooo good spread on an apple or banana. And it's good for you!
    Ignore all the mean comments. If they haven't experienced this, they have no clue!

    lol thanks for understanding! i know that people don't get it and think it sounds dum and crazy to them. (shoot i woulda thought the same thing too a month ago) when i first saw the 1200 recommendation i was horrified and thought i could never do it. i thought to myself damn that is one McDonalds meal right there haha.

    Does almond milk count? lol
    I've been eating avocados and nuts here and there.
    I'd say most of the people can understand it. I thought I was quite comfortable on 1200. You only realize what you were doing to yourself after you've stopped it for a while. Then after you gather some experience and knowledge and left it in the dark, you're left wondering why you went about it that way in the first place.

    I use to go around telling people ohhh but I eat a lot of veg and I'm full...and then I had a day where I had 6 cups of salad plus other meals and thought to myself how on earth did this fill me up before. I just had 2.5 cups of stirfry and then ate a bag of mini eggs because my body was craving something fatty. Now I can absorb the nutrients in the stirfry, hurray (many nutrients in vegetables are fat soluble).

    I didn't think there were a whole lot of mean comments made? I'm not sure if you're including me in there, I'm just trying to give advice. OP seems to be listening to everyones opinions rather well.

    I don't think anyone was really being mean....and if they are i asked for it. i'm just trying to be healthy here and maybe i have the wrong idea about what healthy is. Just looking for any and all advise
  • BGM325
    BGM325 Posts: 78
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    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?

    Me!!!!! It's crazy.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    Options
    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.
    And extremely worth it. Especially since this is a thread looking for ways to increase calories. I really love roasted nuts in my salads.

    And very good for the skin. I glow like star bright right after a handful of nuts. Get them fats in ya!

    I switched to almond milk to FYI (regular milk always did hurt my stomach)
    ^I just got why you mentioned that. That doesn't really count, the fat and protein in the nut is removed when almond milk is made. You're basically throwing out the good stuff. Basically it's just water and some remanence of nut lol. Nice in coffee though!
    Crap! it tastes so good though! i thought i was getting almond nutrients there. =( crap
    lol you're getting some, most of it (like fat and protein) is still in the almond. And the part that helps you absorb what you do get is still in the almond but you can fix that by eating fat and whatever else you'd miss out on. And then some fortified it with chalk so there's more calcium so it makes it look like it is comparable to dairy milk. But you're likely not absorbing it, since to absorb calcium you need vitamin D. And vitamin D supplements are kind of tricky since we do not absorb it as well in pill form like we do when we absorb it from the sun (which is why you shouldn't shower after you sun, as you can literally wash vitamin D away). Life is complicated lol. Just don't treat almond milk like a milk replacement. Make sure you get the protein fat and other nutrients you miss out on when you drop milk. You don't need to have milk in your diet (especially if it bothers your stomach) but it's an easy way to get in a lot of sources that the body needs and is more bioavailable then other versions of 'milk'
  • erickita89
    erickita89 Posts: 422 Member
    Options
    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 is what I'm wondering. Are you on a medication that messes with appetite or sedentary all day? I don't think this should be a problem. I've never really fully believed other posters when they say it's so hard to reach 1200 calories unless something is actually interfering. If you get up at a decent time (when early, metabolism starts up, I usually eat a lot more when I have a long day) and do things during the day you should be hungry enough to get 1200 calories AT LEAST.

    Also wondering if it's a mental thing. People don't like to eat when depressed sometimes or maybe since you started this diet, your attitude turned really sour towards food in general

    AND if you're overweight, you should not be having 1200 calories a day. This will slow your progress. I'm guessing you set this goal for yourself or set too high of a loss of weight weekly.

    I'm pretty sedentary all day. I program websites for work.... so i literally sit at a desk all day long behind a computer and i dont move unless its to get up use the bathroom or get something to eat. I joined a gym 3 weeks ago and am trying to go 5/d a week after work for a hr or two to combat this problem.

    My bf thinks its a mental thing as well and is constantly shoving chocolate into my face and honestly i just dont want it.
    I'm following MFP's recommendations for weight loss. It says 1200 per day, and then adds more for exersize, which i can never just eat it all. i can get to 1400 n then im really really full.

    I set it at 2lbs per week. I started at 202 lbs and am like 193 in my first 3 weeks here,
    Going to the gym 5 days a week for up to 2 hours a day is NOT sedentary AT ALL. That's quite quite quite active. More so then anyone I know. I also program all day and night on the computer. I spend about 3 hours at the gym a week, (a lot less then your up to 10hrs) and I am not sedentary. I'm less active then you, and can put down 2000 calories a day and lose weight, and look like this:
    13599033_378.jpg

    If you do not have any metabolic diseases (and likely even if you do) you would be able to eat more then me and lose weight according to the math on calculating your energy expenditure. Sounds to me you set an unrealistic goal if it gave you 1200 per day. A lot of people like myself end up doing that without realizing it. Also, if you're full on that you're eating to much of one thing, probably fiber. I use to do the 1200 calorie a day thing. After I fixed that problem I found leaps and bounds different when I thought I was doing fine.

    lol i wish i looked like that. i changed my diary to show the fiber.... i go over the recommended amt for 1200 calories but not by too much. so idk what i'm doing wrong lol.

    idk what to do to fix this lol. im so confused now. I will be eating more nuts/peanut butter and a few cheeseburgers here or there from now on. Thats all i know for now lol.
    Thanks and you'll have no problem with that if you go about doing it the right way. And since you're confused it might benefit you if you try to digest this thread I made:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/637094-cinderella-s-weight-loss-knowledge

    wow alot to take in there but im saving it for later to read over and over again for the next few days.
  • erickita89
    erickita89 Posts: 422 Member
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    THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THE REPLIES AND SHARED KNOWLEDGE! :flowerforyou:

    Srsly you guys are great i love this site.:drinker:

    now i'm off to eat a cheese burger:tongue:
  • Meganalva
    Meganalva Posts: 282 Member
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    Checked out your diary today and it looks like you're doing well so far! Yay!
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Options
    i figured this message needed to get out to a larger audience, so...

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/887577-examples-of-healthy-food

    :heart:
  • Robin_Bin
    Robin_Bin Posts: 1,046 Member
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    Didn't read the whole thread, but sudden changes to your diet can cause bloating. Especially an increase in fiber, which is a good thing overall, but a bit hard on your system when you abruptly do something like double your daily intake. Play around with the calorie dense foods that you like and a bit of balance between your old ways and a new extreme.
    Good luck!
  • healthygreek
    healthygreek Posts: 2,137 Member
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    My breakfast alone is often 686 calories.