Hard to eat 1200 Calories

yaaah your def not starving yourself. did you just start this 1200/day cal thing? bc i know when i first start its actually pretty easy and i never need the full 1200 cals i mean it lasts for like 2-3 days then im like in psycho hunger mode. so i dont know if thats just me.. but anyway be happy your not tearing heads because youre hungry..haha

If you've been eating very little for a long time, your body adjusts and you find you don't feel hungry for more...that doesn't mean you shouldn't be eating more. Sometimes "hunger" isn't the best indicator. Try upping your calories slowly - aim for 900 or 1000/day for a week, then 1100, then 1200, etc.

If you log your exercise on MFP, you'll notice it adds your calories to your food log - you are supposed to eat at least some of your exercise calories. If you're having trouble reaching 1200 cal (plus some of your exercise calories) - try eating high-calorie, healthy foods like nuts, avacado, milk (not too high calorie, but I find liquids don't fill me up as much), etc. Most of those have healthy fats, which you need. High protein foods are especially good post-work out. Sometimes I'll make a fruit smoothie with a milk base. The calories can really add up with the smoothies and it's super healthy.

This is a little beside the point, but it sounds like you're not eating many fresh veggies/fruits - the veggies won't help fill you up too much, but they are essential for healthy eating.

I think that is great that you aren't hungry and okay if you are only 839 calories for the day because this probably won't happen everyday. As long as you don't consume too little everyday because then you risk slowing your metabolism down which then makes it harder to lose weight because your body tries to hold on to calories because it thinks your starving. I wish I had this problem. I keep going over my daily caloric intake each day. I'd love to hear what you are eating that helps you feel "not hungry" because I need to intake less.

Read this post and it will let you know why you aren't eating enough: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/108362-eating-to-fuel-your-body-very-long

Here are some other "classic" posts for new users:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6556-the-answers-to-the-questions

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/9433-expectations

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

I can never understand how people have a hard time getting to 1200. I can barely stick to my 1700.... Why don't you add more bulk to your meals? You could use peanut butter or something to top english muffins. If your using lower calorie bread or regular, maybe look into another brand of wholewheat bread that is better and higher calorie. There are a lot of little things you can do to your meals that won't make it feel like too much to eat but will give you more calories.

Bumping for later

I just saw my nutritionist last week and she said 1200 is the absolute minimum anyone should be taking in. She reviewed my food diary day-by-day. I had a few days that were just on either side of 1100 and she said my body will go into a hypo-metabolic state and reduce my metabolism thereby reducing my daily caloric needs. If you're exercising, you should be eating a little extra, as well.

The recommendations given to me were:

5-6 servings grains
1 fruit
2 milk
4 non-starchy vegetable
4 meat or meat substitute
3 fat

And each meal should be relatively balanced. Therefore, no more pasta fests at Macaroni Grill or Olive Garden. I need to add at least a side salad and a protein and decrease the amount of pasta I eat....bring some home. :-)

Good Luck!!