Absolutely Starving

add a few of us who are doing 1200 and see how we are eating. 1200 may not be right for you esp in the beginning I didn't start out with 1200

What about exercise? Not only is it great for your mental health, it allows you to eat more. Hope this helps!

I walk 2-3 hours a day so I can eat a bit more. I eat net 1200 calories and am fine as long as I exercise.

MFP told me to eat 1200 calories at first too. Once I did a BMR and TDEE calculation -- I increased my calories to 1500 per day and I am still averaging between 1 and 2 pounds lost per week. I do not generally eat back my exercise calories, but I will if needed. I don't exercise a terrific amount -- real modest.

Eat more.

i am 5'8 180 i dont exercise i lose around 1- 1.5lbs a week. I average 1600 cals a day

I should add, you typically subtract 500-1000 calories from what your BMR calculation gives you, to lose 1-2lbs per week (but never go below 1200)

1200 calories is too low for most people, might as well start off with more calories and adjust from there if necessary.

With only 16 lbs to lose, you hopefully picked the recommended weight loss amount - 1 lb weekly.

And at 10 lbs, that should be backed off to 1/2 lb.

The fear here is you'll lose the hunger as your hormones get screwed up - you'll wonder how in the world you could ever eat as much as 1200 now - and you'll burn off enough muscle mass and lower your metabolism that you'll barely if ever screech in to goal weight, still eating 1200, as the losses slow down and stop.
So now you can't start eating more.

Confirm to you eat back exercise calories, that offsets the bare minimum for sedentary person you got.

Also be honest you are really sedentary, 60 hr desk job with little walking, long commute, butt in chair in evenings and weekends outside of exercise.

1. Agree with a lot of people on here that 1200 is a rock-bottom minimum and really only appropriate for short-term emergency weight loss. According to your ticker, your weight loss goals are quite moderate. At 1200 you're not building sustainable long-term habits, you're going hungry, plain and simple. Getting healthy is a marathon, not a sprint. Slow down, and build better everyday long-term eating habits along the way.

2. I'm not a big one for magical hand-waving about macros for weight loss, BUT here's the caveat. It's true that carb calories -- especially sugary ones -- are less satisfying than an equal amount of fat and protein calories. If you want to feel less hungry, you might want to try upping your fat and protein intake some. It will make you feel more full, and when you eat the full feeling will just last longer. Spend fewer hours of the day hungry. I'm a fan of light string cheese (only 50 calories a piece!) for a quick fix.

3. I see that you are eating at least a moderate amount of protein, which is good, and you're not afraid of cheese (high five, sister!) Consider shifting some of that protein to earlier in the day. It doesn't affect weight loss in any magical way, but again eating protein provides long-lasting satisfaction, and it's can help keep your mind clear of cravings early in the day. I'm a fan of a small smear of peanut butter on whole wheat toast, myself. An egg a few times a week. That kind of thing.

4. It's hard to be sure because you've haven't set fiber as one of your 5 nutrients to track, but I'd say more fiber is probably in order. Fiber also makes you digest food more slowly, fill up more completely on fewer calories, and level out your blood sugar (which also affects satiety). You should be getting *at least* 7 grams of fiber with each meal, 8 or 9 would be better. (If your daily fiber amount is currently less than 15 g per day, work up to it gradually to minimize, ahem, gastric distress). Whenever you're eating carbs -- grains, or fruit / veg carbs, doesn't matter -- you need to be getting significant fiber to feel full. And spread that fiber out over the course of the day; again, it will help you feel more full, and minimize gassy consequences.

5. Especially when you are on a low-calorie diet, be skeptical of protein bars and "health food bars" and "fiber bars" and the like, because they can be pretty high in calories per mouthful (at best they're often designed as a quick protein and sugar boost for people who exercise A LOT; at worst they are extremely sugary candy bars in disguise -- more calories than chocolate bars, many of them), so you're eating through your calorie budget pretty fast. Most people's brains need to spend time chewing food for satiety to register, so if your whole meal is done in 4 or 5 mouthfuls, it's hard not to just feel DISAPPOINTED when you've licked the last crumbs off your fingers and wonder how you can be done already.

6. Psych Ops. If necessary, play head games with yourself to eat more slowly, because it does take time for your brain to register that you've eaten. The first week I went on a diet, I only ate with the smallest spoons and forks in the house for instance, just to kind of "reboot" how I looked at and inhaled a small plate of food. If you eat a lot of wet, sticky food (e.g. that cheesy pasta), eat off the end of a plastic knife or a popsicle stick instead of using a fork or spoon, just for a week or so. If you eat a lot of finger food, or if you snack on dry cereal, try using chopsticks. I KNOW IT SOUNDS LIKE MADNESS but I'm not kidding, that really helps. :-)

7. Lay in snacks that cost less than 100 calories each for emergencies. The idea is that keeping your hunger monster pacified sometimes means letting it know that you respect it. It should be food you like, and when you eat the snacks of course you should log them. I've already mentioned string cheese -- cheese is my personal kryptonite. I also actually kind of love raw bell peppers. Many people eat a few almonds -- it is kind of amazing how just a couple of almonds make you feel unhungry very quickly. If sweets are your jam, fruit is best, but if you have decent willpower and can afford to keep candy in the house without being afraid you'll eat it all, individually wrapped small candies in a dish can be a very helpful morale booster. Something where eating JUST ONE won't hurt, and will calm the beast. I keep a dish of Dove chocolate "Promises" around, they're 42 calories each. I rarely eat them (like maybe 2X a week unless I have an unexpected windfall in my calorie budget), but it's weirdly comforting just to see them there on the counter.

You're probably hungry because you're not eating enough. 1200 is the minimum number MFP gives anyone based on how you input your goals. In reality, most people need to be eating more than that. If you give us your height, weight, age, and goal weight, we can help you figure out how much to eat. Or you can go here to calculate your calorie needs: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

Hey there, I just went to that site. It measures activity a bit different than MFP. I'm a teacher, so I'm on my feet a good part of the day. On here, I have my activity set at "Lightly Active" and I set a goal of exercising 3 times a week for 30 minutes. On that website, I put "1-3 hours of light exercise" with the 20% calorie reduction option. MFP says my "calories normal daily activity" is 1980 so a goal is set for 1480 for the 500 calorie deficit. The other website lists my BMR at 1502, my TDEE at 2,065, and my daily calories (based on the 20% reduction) set at 1652.

SOOOOO, should I up my calories from 1480 to 1650? I just started with a trainer and I work out at least 2 days a week for 45 minutes each time. I'm working on getting in the routine of adding a 3rd day at home. I eat my exercise calories (like I should) for a net total goal of 1480 (right now). I just don't know which number I should be going with after checking out this website!

You're probably hungry because you're not eating enough. 1200 is the minimum number MFP gives anyone based on how you input your goals. In reality, most people need to be eating more than that. If you give us your height, weight, age, and goal weight, we can help you figure out how much to eat. Or you can go here to calculate your calorie needs: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

Hey there, I just went to that site. It measures activity a bit different than MFP. I'm a teacher, so I'm on my feet a good part of the day. On here, I have my activity set at "Lightly Active" and I set a goal of exercising 3 times a week for 30 minutes. On that website, I put "1-3 hours of light exercise" with the 20% calorie reduction option. MFP says my "calories normal daily activity" is 1980 so a goal is set for 1480 for the 500 calorie deficit. The other website lists my BMR at 1502, my TDEE at 2,065, and my daily calories (based on the 20% reduction) set at 1652.

SOOOOO, should I up my calories from 1480 to 1650? I just started with a trainer and I work out at least 2 days a week for 45 minutes each time. I'm working on getting in the routine of adding a 3rd day at home. I eat my exercise calories (like I should) for a net total goal of 1480 (right now). I just don't know which number I should be going with after checking out this website!

Despite MFP asking for your exercise goals - they have no bearing with your diet goals at all. Diet goals are on the Food diary tab, exercise goals on the Exercise tab.

No exercise is assumed or accounted for on MFP until you do it and log it. That's what the 1980 is. Non-exercise maintenance.

So on non-exercise days you eat 1480. That has 500 cal deficit.
On exercise days you burn and log say 300 calories. Your real maintenance that day is now 1980 + 300 = 2280
Same 500 cal deficit means your eating goal that day is 1780.
Hence the reason MFP gives credit for actual exercise done.

That TDEE deficit method already includes your exercise, so you would eat 1650 daily, exercise or not. As long is you did what was planned by your choice of Lightly Active.

1480 x 4 days + 1780 x 3 days = 11260 total.
1650 x 7 days = 11550 total.

Works out about the same. Unless you start missing workouts and eat the same 1650 daily.

So depends on what is more encouraging to you - reward for exercise by eating more, and you can plan it and do it? Or a set goal of so much exercise and you strive to meet it?

If you want to use the rough estimate of 5 activity levels with the TDEE deficit method, might try this with your time - because 1 hr of walking is not the same as 1 hr of running.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1018770-better-rough-tdee-estimate-than-5-level-chart

My dinner was less than 300 calories and tasty as hell. Veges and chicken stirfried with lime and chilli.

1200 is less than I eat, but it's doable. As several people have said you need to focus on bulk for calories. If you're eating that little, you have to eat to feel full

On two previous occasions, I lost a lot of weight by sticking to 1200 net calories a day. I was hungry and cold all the time and by the time I reached goal I was permanently, stomach-painingly ravenous. I ended up yo-yoing both times.

This time round I took a different approach. I looked up what the net maintenance calorie requirement would be for a person of my goal weight. And for the past few months I've been aiming for an energy balance at that level. I regard it as an exercise in getting my body accustomed to eating the right amount for the person I want to be permanently. It has worked very well.

I usually have a hot chocolate before bed, by the way, because I sleep much better if I'm not hungry when I go to bed.

Oh yes, and any exercise other than walking makes me ravenous, too. I tend to eat back far more calories than I expend. After some research I gather that some people are like that - we're 'exercise over-compensators'.

But basically I'd say yes, eat more. It makes the whole process much more feasible and bearable.

not really--you will just have to adjust. A cup of hot bouillion gets me thru the rough spots. ALso Walmart carrys in their deli dept JOSEPS flax and oat bran wraps that are wonderful. ONE sheet is 100 cals, and a serving size is halt that. It is my bread replacement now. I also keep some small squares for a snack with some hot tea, AND the best part--cut them into bite size squares, spray with some olive oil and celery salt and toast in the oven on both sides. For100 cals you have a great crunchy snack for home OR the movie

Going by the TDEE, I should be eating 1580, that seems excessive!

It's not. I eat 1760, and I'm not tall and not too far from my goal weight. Most people can eat way more than they think and still lose weight!