I discovered I eat 1200 calories in first half of day :(

I checked that BMR thing and it said I could eat 1512 calories a day. Then it said to speed up weight loss I could eat 200 - 300 calories less - and that brings me back to 1200 recommended on this site...

Was 1512 your BRM? if so you shouldn't be eating below that.

Which BRM thing?

Then up your calories until you feel it is a possible daily goal. You may not lose a pound a week, it may only be half a pound, but it will still help. Being more active will help this process speed up without you feeling hungry.

OK I put your stats in this calculator http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/ and got this

Based on this formula, your current BMR is 1452 calories.

Activity Level Daily Calories
Sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job) 1742
Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk) 1997
Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk) 2251
Very Active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk) 2505
Extremely Active (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.) 2759

So even if you do no exercise you could eat 1500 and lose weight - all be it slowly.

You shouldn't eat below BMR, You should eat below TDEE.

this is what I was told as well....
but first I was told not to eat below BMR, then I was told not to NET below BMR? Which is correct?

You shouldn't net below your BMR.

thanks.. that is the goal I have been aiming for!

Take a look at your food choices, you may be able to make some better choices. Take a look at how fast you want to lose, you may add more calories on only 1 pound a week. Most people seem to eat over 1200 calories here, although there are a few that don't. I would never make it on 1200, but my breakfast and lunch ussually run around 700 to 800 and I also add an afternoon snack.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/952996-level-obstacles-lose-weight-target-fat-easy

This is the best thing you can read. Also, change your MFP settings to 1lb loss per week (it's the recommended setting for a reason) and see what goal that gives you.

As for eating 1200 cals by lunch time, you are making the wrong food choices.
I normally consume around 700-800 calories with breakfast and lunch and I've been very successful with my weight loss.

I pretty often eat 1000-1300 calories before 2, but I set my goal for around 1550 calories a day (+exercise cal) based on my sedentary TDEE-%. I am short, female, and in my forties, but still losing on 1550+ and it is so much more sustainable than 1200.

You really have to look at your whole day in advance unless you are willing to eat super lightly for dinner. Some days I am totally OK with a bit of roast/veggies/broth for dinner (less than 300 calories), but if I am so limited for dinner that it is making me cranky I make sure to leave 600 calories the next day's dinner so I can have a bit more flexibility.

One thing I decided to do early on was add at least one veggie to every meal, period, including breakfast. If you took your breakfast bread and bacon, halving the bread/bacon but adding a big handful of spinach or a cucumber, you might find it equally satisfying but almost half the calories. I noticed that some of your salad meals were very low in protein, if you add protein to a salad meal it would be much more likely to keep you satisfied for longer.

You may have to invest some time in working on the problem of "I am going to only have 400 calories for breakfast...how can I get the taste and the bulk I need to keep me happy until lunch with that limit?" Don't limit yourself to traditional breakfast options either. And when you do find something that works, make a note of the macros involved with it, because that may make a difference for you (does relatively more protein help, or more fat?)

Good luck! :flowerforyou:

If mfp says you need 1200 calories a day to lose weight, thats what you need. I am so tired of gym boys who have bmr of 2000 because they are six feet tall harping on five foot girls saying they should eat more. At 1200 calories some women don't even lose a pound a week. I know I only lose 0.9. Makes me sad when my big guy friends eat twice as much and lose five or more a week, but that goes with being a girl doesn't it?


OP- if you are aiming for two lbs a week, scale it back a bit. Try eating healthier. And exercise for some more calories. Nuff said.

I'm a 5'2 woman and I eat 1600-1800 calories a day, everyone is different and most people can lose eating more.

Edit - you've logged food for all of 4 days in April - come back in 6 months and tell us how that 1200 calories a day is still working out for you. :noway:

You are increasing your awareness of how much you eat, and that will be good in the long run.

P.S. A generous serving of protein in the morning helps me when I find myself eating too much early in the day. For a while I was having 2 egg omelettes with spinach, tomatoes, and cheese, and that got me through until lunch.

Another thought: you may not need to be on 1200 calories a day, unless you're short in stature and only have 15 pounds or less to lose. If you can lose 1/2 to 1 pound a week on 1400 (or even more), you might consider a slower, easier-to-stick-to plan. I did 1200 calories a day (plus eating back exercise calories) for many months, and it was not particularly fun. It worked, because I'm small, and was eating above my BMR.

More protein-rich foods that work for me at breakfast: chicken sausage (the relatively healthy, uncured kind), Greek yogurt, beans, steak, fajitas, ground chicken. Sometimes I just go ahead and have a dinner food for breakfast. I'm not very hungry at night anyway, so a big breakfast works for me.

I second the person who said to eat protein in the morning. This is a great way to put a stop to hunger. I noticed that you are too low on protein. Choose eggs, chicken, lean meats. One day you had bacon listed and the sodium was through the roof on that. Processed foods contain many things that are not the healthiest for us. They load food with sodium and sugar for taste value. Try adding fruits throughout the day. You cannot go wrong with bananas, any kind of berries, melons, and apples if you need that crunch. I see that you do like to eat breads. You need to limit that and also pair it with protein.

I agree that 1200 calories is not for everyone, but as others have said, when you start eating nutrient dense food, you will find that you are satisfied with less.

Maybe you need to eat more than 1200 calories - read this to see if you could up your calories and still lose, 1200 isn't a magic number and for many people it's too low - both in calories and for them to feel satisfied. I wanted to kill people on 1200 - even when it was full of nutrient dense food :laugh:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/952996-level-obstacles-lose-weight-target-fat-easy

^^^ this

SOME of us do have to follow a 1200 cal diet. I know this is shocking for the vast majority that are physically fit, (have a moderate amount of muscle), can burn up to 1000 cals in a single work out or they are bigger/ taller and/or live active lifestyles and are very active at work.

I eat to live, I do not live to eat. My BMR is 1050 and my TDEE is 1500. The most I can burn in a work out is 200 calls and my lifestyle & job are sedentary. And it takes me TWO weeks to lose ONE lb. So, 2 1/2 months to drop 5 measly lbs.

Congrats to all of you who can "eat more to weigh less."

For those of us who do not fall in this category I'm going to offer advice for us disgusting bottom feeder 1200 cal eaters. (Trust me, if you want to make enemies just tell them you eat 1200 calls, .... friends will run like you just told them you have the plague.

*Disclaimer - I LOVE FOOD AND I'M HUNGRY!!!! I am not an anorexic, NOR DO I have any other kind of eating disorder. (Which is what ppl assume about you the min you tell them you eat 1200 calls.) That or you're undereducated about nutrition & weight loss.

SO for us 1200 cal eaters, (and by the way I did not read your comments because they are all the same once you openly admit to eating 1200 cals), BUT for us 5% that HAVE to, here's how to get through the day w/o skipping any meals.

Breakfast:
Old fashioned quaker oats with a handful of fruit or nuts; 2 egg whites & a tsp of healthy fat
(Allow yourself no more than 300 cals for this meal)

Lunch-
ham sandwich, tuna sandwich no mayo, a lean piece of meat (chicken or whatever, assuming you eat meat), and 3/4 plate of freshly steamed veggies
(Also again no more than 300 cals for this meal)

Dinner: salmon or another fish/lean meat, w/ veggies or a salad (oil & vinegar or twist of lemon)
(approx 300 cals again)

That leaves you 300 cals for snacks throughout the day and there are a bunch of snacks for under 100 calls. I suggest fruit, 94% FF snack size popcorn, juiced drinks, a protein shake or bar.

It's your cal's, budget them like you do your money on payday.

Better choices is an art that has to be played with and mistakes will be made. Forgive yourself, pick up the pieces and eat a lighter dinner on the days you've gone over. Nobody should be skipping meals. You'll probably have made up for it once you get the hang of it or by the end of the week.

Good luck!!
And in closing, .... hey I hope you do fall into the "eat more to weigh less category. Congrats if you do - TOTALLY JEALOUS!!!

For those of you who DO need to be eating 1200 cals, I recommend that you do a week at 1500, drop 100 cals per day each week until you can comfortably eat 1200, (IF that's what you should be eating)
The hunger gets less and it becomes more bare able. Starting at 1200 can be discouraging and shocking.
Best of luck to you!!!!!