1200 Calorie People... How do you do it and stick with it?

Options
24

Replies

  • mjs3974
    mjs3974 Posts: 21 Member
    Options
    I have a lapband that's how I do 1200 calories a day.
  • keepongoingnmw
    keepongoingnmw Posts: 371 Member
    Options
    I eat lots of protein and relatively low carb. It fills me up and I have no trouble staying at or below 1200.

    ^this, I eat my exercise calories back though. I also prefer to break it up into 300c for breakie, 400 for lunch, and 500 for dinner. I pass on the snacks. I try and make things I enjoy so I am more satisfied too.
  • amysj303
    amysj303 Posts: 5,086 Member
    Options
    You might want to try cycling, I found that if I averaged 1200 a day on weekly basis I was better able to stick to it. So basically I could eat more on days I exercised but on rest days I fasted til lunch and only did 900 cals on those days. It takes some planning but there are websites with 300-cal meals, I found soup to be a good one (turkey chili!), but even eating breakfast style is pretty good at 300 cals you can have an egg with egg whites and veggie omelet, two slices of bacon and toast for 300. so the plan looked like this:
    Sunday: fast til lunch-900 cals
    Monday: 1200 cals
    Tuesday: eat 1500 cals
    Wednesday: fast til lunch-eat 900 cals
    Thursday: eat 1400 cals
    Friday: eat 1500 cals
    Saturday: eat 1500 cals

    That avergaes 1271 per day. You can pick the days you want high/low, I did it that way so I could go out on Friday and Saturday and have a couple drinks. Sometimes I would do dinner-to-dinner fasts on Sundays.
    I got the idea from Eat-stop-eat, I think.
  • Numbah_5x
    Numbah_5x Posts: 8
    Options
    Hi,

    Seriously. It's easier now that I weigh less but I don't stick to 1200 calories everyday. If you workout i.e. do some cardio you can increase the amount you eat. I ride my stationary bike sometimes for an hour (that adds about 400 calories) to my diet.

    Your body doesn't isn't on 1200 calories a day schedule. You are setting that limit and that is an estimated limit at that. If you overeat a couple hundred calories one day you can make it up the next. Make sure the calories you eat are from high quality foods no high sodium, starchy white flour or greasy fatty food. Fats in food is not your enemy. Avocados, olive oil and other fats are satiating and good for you too.

    Green coffee and or the raspberry ketones tablets worked wonders for me. Definitely helped curbed my appetite. Make sure you check out Dr. OZ show website on how to take them and read the labels because not all brands meet the criteria he suggests.

    Good luck :-)
  • H_Factor
    H_Factor Posts: 1,722 Member
    Options
    you eat fewer calories by sticking with foods that digest slowly and keep you satiated longer. That would be lean protein, carbs with a low glycemic index value, and healthy fats (i.e., basically clean eating). When you start eating processed foods and sugars, they metabolize faster causing you to get hungry sooner....plus, you usually don't get as much substance for the same number of calories.
  • ApocalypticFae
    ApocalypticFae Posts: 217 Member
    Options
    Lots of water. Lots of veggies. Lots of fruit. Plenty of protein.
  • sjchem
    sjchem Posts: 1
    Options
    Have a major veggy fest: try this: 1 celery stick, 1 courgette, 50g each of green beans, tenderstem broccoli, asparagus, an onion, 50g of mushrooms, a chilli ( add to taste), a good 1/2 inch of ginger grated, stir fry the lot in spray oil, then at the very end add soy sauce and a tsb of sweet chilli sauce. serve with 40g uncooked weight of basmati rice all for about 300/350 cals and very very filling thats meant to be for one but i always end up having some left for lunch the following day.

    variations- add 1 tsbp of thai curry paste and a little stock - finish off with a tbsp of low fat natural yoghurt, can do the same with indian curry pastes.

    enjoy and good luck.

    i lost 3 and half stone last time i stuck to this took me 9 months though, had a break for three years - gained 1 stone back so i'm shifting it once more! so just under two weeks in and i remember why i enjoyed it the first time round :) - veggy fest all the way
  • emilyruthbarnes
    emilyruthbarnes Posts: 1 Member
    Options
    Hey,

    Pick your favourite meal of the day - mine is dinner, and try to leave about 600 calories for that meal.

    I'm not a morning person so I tend to force feed myself a yoghurt ( http://www.tesco.com/groceries/Product/Details/?id=268805156 ) before I dash for the train. I drink a lot, whether its tea, diet coke or just water. Lunch is soup (http://www.tesco.com/groceries/Product/Details/?id=258147391) or a really low calorie sandwich (http://www.urbaneat.co.uk/products/everyday-sandwiches-wraps/gammon-ham-tomato-salad)

    Which leaves me half my allowance for dinner, which usually consists of protein and salad or roast veg. Prawns are fantastic.

    You really have to plan ahead - I like to do my grocery shopping after some exercise, that way I'm still buzzing and don't really want the good stuff (ie chocolate or CAKE)

    Also, if I get a craving for something yummy after dinner I eat yoomoo frozen yoghurt ( http://www.yoomoo.com/the-yoomoo-famooly/devilmoo-home/ ). They average about 150 calories a pot and man are they worth it.

    It involves a lot of packet reading and maths but you can do it :)

    Exercise is once a day for twenty minutes cardio based - do it in the morning, you aren't going to want to do it after work! Rise and grind!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,392 MFP Moderator
    Options
    Hi everyone.

    I know 1200 calories is quite low for some people. However, I have found that the ONLY way I can lose weight is to cut my calories down to 1200. I also exercise daily. I have tried upping to 1400, 1600 and 1700 for periods of time but they have just not given me results.

    That being said, I also find sticking to 1200 calories difficult sometimes! Some people on here really do stick with there 1200 calorie allotment even with exercise.

    Are there any tips? What is the best to eat? How much do you exercise?

    Thanks!

    BTW, out of curiosity, how long did you try 1400,1600,1700 calories. But if you lose at 1200 calories, it's almost impossible to not lose at 1400 calories, it would defy thermodynamics unless you were only losing 1/4 lb per week. But if you are a normal 18 year old, you should be able to pack around 2000 calories without issue and still lose weight. Are there any medical conditions like PCOS or hypothyroidism? And any chance you have an intolerance to a certain food group?
  • latinpr
    latinpr Posts: 33 Member
    Options
    What I did was cut out the junk food, white bread, white rice, and pasta altogether and found a salad dressing I love to replace it with. It was a HUGE eye opener when I had some mega stuff oreo's once and saw the numbers in MFP app. 4 cookies was 800+ freaking calories. Needless to say I threw out the rest of the package and wasted the money.

    If I want a cookie I'll have one regular chips ahoy cookie to kill the sweet tooth craving. If I want something salty I'll have a few chips. I'm not as strict as some but it's the only way I can stick to it.

    Plus replacing carbs with protein will give you the same calorie count but protein digests much slower so you wont feel as hungry, and therefore eat less.
  • alyhuggan
    alyhuggan Posts: 717 Member
    Options
    When you HAVE to do it, it's much harder. When you don't, it's easier. I am allowed to eat way more than I do but I barely break 1,200 on most days when I don't focus on food. On Saturday I ate no solid foods despite 2 hours of cardio and lifting for about 25 mins. Not very healthy but didn't have an appetite. To me it's all mental. When you deprive yourself you will want it more. When you don't, you want it less.
    Not very healthy but didn't have an appetite.
    Pretty sure I've seen a program about an anorexic who had that as an excuse for not eating...
  • apothecarist
    apothecarist Posts: 193
    Options
    I'm on 1100-1200/day and my food intake consists of lots of salads with some chicken, tuna, even hotdogs thrown in. I do make sure to eat my almond and/or peanut butter every day...just make room for it in the caloric count, plus I eat chocolate and whip cream and Stacy's pita chips on a daily basis. For me it's just about cutting down on portion sizes and has been working really well.
  • smoofinator
    smoofinator Posts: 635 Member
    Options
    Eggs white have saved me! Hardboiled especially because it's a lot of food for a small amount of calories. Also, my super secret squirrel trick is to mix a tbsp chicken boullion with a cup of very hot water. Eat the broth like you're eating soup and it really feels like you've had a small meal (and it's only 10 calories!). High in sodium so I wouldn't do it all the time but if you've breezed through your calorie allotment for the day it's a good way to feel full for a few measly calories.
  • J2mazou
    J2mazou Posts: 13 Member
    Options
    I've found that the easiest way to reduce calories is to pre-plan a healthy dinner. Most evenings I have a fish fillet with broccoli and asparagus. I also try to avoid snacking, and if I really must, then I try to make it a fruit.

    But then, I think a little of what you fancy does you good - if I deny myself, I just end up wanting more, and eventually giving in. So if I have a slice of cake, I'll just walk home from the train station to burn it off! Compromise :o)
  • rhiannon737
    rhiannon737 Posts: 32 Member
    Options
    for me its not really hard at all as long as i cut out mindless snacking. ive just been making sure i log everything so i cant delude myself into thinking i can eat more and more. once you know what your eating and you make sure youve got enough calories left for some snacks and maybe even a low calorie meal if you feel really hungry that day. im not overly strict at least one day a week where it doesnt bother me too much if i go over because my calories are lower than my target most days anyway.
    Admittedly i havent been doing this that long and it might get harder as time goes on but it works for me as long as i keep myself busy as its normally when im really bored that i wonder to the kitchen and start grabbing things without realising what im doing :noway:
  • jillianbeeee
    jillianbeeee Posts: 345 Member
    Options
    I am at 1200 a day and am rarely hungry. My food dairy is open if you want to take a peak.
  • MindyG150
    MindyG150 Posts: 1,296 Member
    Options
    I work out so I can have more :)
  • cwaters120
    cwaters120 Posts: 354 Member
    Options
    Lots of water. Lots of veggies. Lots of fruit. Plenty of protein.

    ^^ this. Also, making lower calorie versions of my favorite foods for the occasional treat.
  • hottamolly00
    hottamolly00 Posts: 334 Member
    Options
    Preparation, although I don't eat like that anymore. But when I did, it was all about preparing my meals, bringing plenty of snacks wherever I go (so I don't feel the need to stop at a gas station or fast food restaurant), and eating mostly veggies, fruits, and lean protein.
  • abbyrmichel
    abbyrmichel Posts: 36
    Options
    I have only been doing this for about a month but I commonly stick to 1200-1300 calories a day whether I work out or not. I almost always eat egg whites and spinach omelette for breakfast, it is less than 100 calories, full of protein and filling! Also, throwing in a chicken salad with little or no dressing usually is a good lunch, but I by no means have that everyday. If you try to cut down on the white grains and replace them with veggies, for example a taco salad instead of a taco, you will see that eating 1200 calories is fairly easy!

Categories