Losing 0-10 lbs... Help....

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halama626
halama626 Posts: 16
in Motivation and Support
I am trying to lose 5-10 lbs but I am not overweight. I want to look good in my swim suit and just generally feel better about the way I look. I am only allowed to eat 1200 calories per day but I feel like I am starving all the time and then end up binge eating because I feel like I've been starving all day. Any suggestions? Does anyone have these same issues?

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  • batyamiriam
    batyamiriam Posts: 1
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    Yeah, I'm trying to lose 10-15 lbs. and am also allowed 1200 each day. Try eating more vegetables, and try make a time each night to stop eating, even if you are hungry. Eat whole grains, and go to bed on time. besides fo rtht, you just got to deal with the hunger, and you'll get used to it.
  • cortney_weiss
    cortney_weiss Posts: 57 Member
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    You should NEVER let yourself stay hungry. That puts your body into starvation mode. And 1200 calories is too little. You've gotta UP your calories to at least 1500. That's a bare minimum too. Let me know if I can help you guys!!!
  • OnDatBulk
    OnDatBulk Posts: 10
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    have you tried increasing the amount of cardio that you do a day so that you can eat a bit more? 1200 calories is pretty low, thats like what i eat for breakfast alone
  • j6o4
    j6o4 Posts: 871 Member
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    if you only want to lose 5-10 pounds you don't have to be in a big dificit. 200-400 calorie dificit from maintenance should be fine. If you try to do it to quick you might end up losing a good amount of muscle while dropping weight which will cause you to look like a smaller version of yourself but thats probably not what you want, you probably want to lean out.
  • halama626
    halama626 Posts: 16
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    I do cardio exercise a couple times a week but do not always have time... I guess I am only allowed 1200 calories because I am at a healthy weight for my age and height but I just want to tone up and get rid of my love handles that hang over my pants :( I work at a desk job so most of the day I am just sitting which makes my calories burned per day around 1600 so to loose weight you are supposed to have a 500 calorie deficit right? If I cut out 500 that would be too few because you are never supposed to eat less than 1200 but I am just confused about it because I don't want to put my body into starvation mode when I am always hungry and when I am done dieting and go back to eating normal will I just gain the weight back again? Confused...
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
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    Set your weekly weight loss goal to 0.5lbs. With so little left to lose don't go for anything too much.

    Or, since you don't have a lot to lose, eat a bit above maintenance and lift heavy weights to build muscle. Muscle building, while it will make the scale weight increase, it will cause your measurements to decrease.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Set your weekly weight loss goal to 0.5lbs. With so little left to lose don't go for anything too much.

    This, and ensure you get enough protein and lift heavy so that the majority of your loss comes from fat, not muscle.

    The less you have to lose the smaller your caloric deficit should be (eat closer to maintenance)
  • raleighgoodwins
    raleighgoodwins Posts: 68 Member
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    I also have 1200 calories allotted although I have more to lose than 5 - 10 lbs. But I find it very difficult to stay at that number so I make sure I do at least some exercise every day or nearly every day. You need to just make the time for it. Even if you just do some cardio like fast walking for 30 minutes a day you will add calories back in that you can eat and that might get you over the hump.

    I agree with the other person that said to increase the amount of fruits and vegetables. It's amazing how many of these you can eat and not rack up a lot of calories. Look for vegetables that are not too starchy - like green vegetables and leafy vegetables - these can be your best friend! Now that the summer fruits and berries are out there are a lot more choices. Also, lean meats like chicken (no skin) and fish can help; and try cutting back on carbs. Like if you have chips with a sandwich for lunch try giving up the chips or having a salad with chicken instead of a sandwich. That will help you to cut out 150 - 200 calories from the bread/chips. Diary your food every day and take a look at what you are eating and see if you can make substitutions somewhere that are filling and satisfying but not high in calores (yup - fruit again).

    Good Luck!

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