OK I'm ready to ditch 1200cal

I think it depends on what it is you're doing with your 1200 calories whether you're hungry all the time or not (and obviously how hard you are working/working out too.)

Here's the day I have planned for Wednesday:

Breakfast
Egg - 1 Large, 2 egg
Cheese - Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese, 0.1 cup
C&W - Pepper Strips, 1 cup
217 calories

Lunch
Kraft Salad Dressing - Classic Ranch Dressing, 2 Tbsp
Mccormick Salad Toppings - Salad Toppers Crunchy, 1 tbsp
Tomato - on the Vine - Chopped, Raw, 0.5 Cup (90 g)
Dole Classic Iceberg Lettuce - Salad-Ice Berg Lettuce Mix With Carrots and Red Cabbage, 2 Cups
Kroger - Large Hard Boiled Egg, 1 egg (50g)
Add Food Quick Tools 233 calories

Dinner
Cheese - Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese, 0.15 cup
Tomato - on the Vine - Chopped, Raw, 0.2 Cup (90 g)
Wal-Mart - All Natural Lean Ground Beef - 93% Lean, 7% Fat, 1 oz.
Taco Bell - Fat Free Refried Beans, 1/4 Cup (130g)
Mccormick - Original Taco Seasoning Mix, 0.12 tsp (7g)
Generic - Fresh Iceberg Lettuce - Leaf, 0.25 medium leaf
Ortega - Yellow Corn Taco Shells - 25% Larger, 1 shells
La Victoria - Whole Wheat Tortillas, 1 tortilla
397 calories

Snacks
Carrots - Baby, raw, 0.5 serving
Laughing Cow - Light Garlic and Herb Cheese Wedge, 1 wedge
Celery - Raw, 0.5 serving
Orange - Large, Navel Orange, 1 orange
Jolly Time Healthy Pop Crispy White Naturally Flavored - Popcorn, 1 container (13.8 cups poppeds ea.) 275
413 calories



Totals 1,260 (I could easily eat less popcorn or skip the hard shell taco shell or something else and get it under 1200 calories.)
Your Daily Goal 1,200

It just takes practice and watching portion sizes. I also really like to eat a sweet potato with margarine and salt and pepper for lunch and that keeps me going very well.

I have lost 43 pounds in the last year (or so) and have 13 more to go!

You can do it, but it sounds like you're quite stressed at your regular job. Plan out your day ahead of time so you have less chance of eating whatever sounds good.

What job do you do?

Have you checked out this group? I think it's just what you need.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/3834-eat-more-to-weigh-less

Ditch the 1200. You will kill your metabolism and your muscles will start to digest themselves after the workouts as they don't have anything to feed of!

Up your exercises to as many as you like but eat accordingly. After exercise have a protein shake to help your muscles recover quickly. Then eat a small meal half an hour after that combined protein and carbs. You will feel well in no time, build some muscle therefore look toned and still stay slim! You may gain some weight but it will be healthy weight as it will be lean muscle and not fat!

I recommend the 'eat more 2 weigh less' group and 'in place of road map.'
Feeling great, eating well, and can workout hard.

Right there with you. I ditched it last week and am transitioning into more cals. I was at 1300 and it worked well at first, I felt great, and I thought often that I wasn't even getting hungry at that low level. I ate like a nutritionist's dream client, so no one can tell me I was doing 1200 "wrong." Lasted a couple of months, lost 11lbs or thereabouts, and then boom, plateau, hungry all. the. time, grumpy, worn out and struggling through work-outs.

I fiddled with the ipoarm/scoobie/cheat sheet calculations and was getting wildly different numbers so just decided to up my cals fairly gradually and just see what happens. Got it set at 1530/day and eating back about 2/3 of exercise cals. One week into this and I haven't lost OR gained, but the tape measure is still showing progress, so I'm pleased and think I will be upping it higher soon. I'm working out like a beast, so it's likely still too low... but I feel better already.

Good luck!

You can do it, OP. I've never needed to eat 1200/day to lose weight, and never will. There is no way I could work out at all on that little food.

Check out some of the links posted in the thread!

Best wishes. :flowerforyou:

I ve been eating 1200 for the first five days and intend to alternate between 1200 and 1600 ( to keep metabolism active) and eat my cals back on training days which are heavy weights with absolute minimal rest for the optimum 45 minutes. Not been hungry at all bar last night after a piece of chocolate cake and i wont be doing that again ! Its difficult to weigh myself as i drink well over ten cups of water a day and the body parts i train stay swolen for up to 3 days but having said that, first thing this morning i was suprised to get on the scales and see my start 84 kg drop to 82.5 so i need to start alternating cals tomorrow.
( i will be adjusting things as things progress to aim for 1.5Lb ish a week and am still eating roughly the 1g per lean mass to maintain muscle mass and the goal is 12% body fat then tweeking for proportion as i put on lean mass steadily)

I think it depends on what it is you're doing with your 1200 calories whether you're hungry all the time or not (and obviously how hard you are working/working out too.)

I dont think it does....if you need more energy you need more energy....it doesn't matter if that energy is coming from lots of fresh healthy veg and lean meat....if its not enough its STILL not enough. Eating like that might keep you fuller longer, but it wont actually provide your body with any more energy if you get what Im saying.

OP eat more....work out our TDEE etc, and how much you should actually be eating, and then do it. 1200 calories is a guideline and a poor one at that.

I agree with this response. 1200 calories of ANYTHING is simply not enough to fuel the vast majority of people out there, and especially not for those who are active and wanting to do more.

You're not doing 1200 calories wrong, OP. It's just not an appropriate amount of food for you.

You're not doing 1200 right.

Please DO NOT turn my topic into a 1200cal debate. I'm asking for alternatives to 1200cal a day, not to be told I'm doing it wrong. You don't know me, know what I'm eating or doing so do not pass judgement.

Gee some ppl p!ss me off.

Anyway moving on.

OK my BMR is around 1380. TDEE is around 2080. So according to another post I should take the difference (700), half that (350) and add to BMR so thats 1380 + 350 = 1730. Wow that seems like alot to me.

On training days do I eat my exercise calories on top of this too?

:laugh: maybe you shouldn't use baiting titles in future? just a helpful hint for you.

also your tdee - 20% is 1664.

You're not doing 1200 right.

Please DO NOT turn my topic into a 1200cal debate. I'm asking for alternatives to 1200cal a day, not to be told I'm doing it wrong. You don't know me, know what I'm eating or doing so do not pass judgement.

Gee some ppl p!ss me off.

Anyway moving on.

OK my BMR is around 1380. TDEE is around 2080. So according to another post I should take the difference (700), half that (350) and add to BMR so thats 1380 + 350 = 1730. Wow that seems like alot to me.

On training days do I eat my exercise calories on top of this too?

I would say so, you'll need the fuel on top of your general output. Whilst I don't factor in exercise calories, because I mainly strength train, I just eat more on lifting days.

If you eat calorie dense food 1730 wont seem that much. I usually have 2 eggs with smoked salmon or bacon for breakfast and half an avocado, thats around 500 calories alone. Lunch is meat or fish with the other half an avocado, veg, sometimes sweet potato-another 500-600 cals. For dinner I have meat and veg, and I also have a couple of snacks (protein shake, meat or my favourite currently....protein yoghurt....regular greek yoghurt with a scoop of protein, its around 40g of protein in one snack.) Things like avocados, nuts, whole dairy and nut butter will fill you up and up those calories easily.

Up your calories but become more active- more exercising, moving around, anything but sitting on your butt

I found I could easily eat 1700 calories, exercise 45 minutes on my elliptical on a day, and still lose a little bit of weight the next day or over a week.

I notice that I feel ****ty and tired when I stop exercising and eat 1200 calories - it's like the food just sits there in my body doing nothing.

If you eat around 1700, don't eat your exercise calories back.

If you eat 1400 or so (like me), eat your exercise calories back.

Around 1700 sounds absolutely right!!

And remember... TDEE INCLUDES your exercise.. SO do NOT "eat back" any exercise calories! Just eat 1700 cals !! And if you must eat below it, never eat below your bmr.

Enjoyyyy and thanks for taking in the info and looking at that thread I posted :flowerforyou: