struggling to eat 1200 calories

bgonzalez1120
bgonzalez1120 Posts: 5 Member
edited December 18 in Food and Nutrition
Alright.... pretty sure I'm about to get yelled at by strangers here but I have an honest question. I'm 26 weigh 166 lbs and I'm 5'3. I currently am not excerising but cooking my own meals and meal planning. I have found that with eating every 2-3-4 hours I have a hard time reaching the 1200 calorie goal. I never eat less than 1000 but usually bounce between that and 1150 and i'm honestly not starving at all. Do I force myself to eat the extra 150-200 calories? even if that means a snack right before bed? I am loosing weight doing what i've been doing but i'm scared of long term concequences of not eating the 1200 calories. Thank for your help!!!
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Replies

  • dancingnut
    dancingnut Posts: 1 Member
    I wouldn't push yourself to eat more, your body isn't telling you that it need more. Everyone's metabolism is different I think if you added some exercise in you would find yourself feeling more hungry.
  • Iron_Lotus
    Iron_Lotus Posts: 2,295 Member
    1200 calories is my breakfast
  • minijuggernaut
    minijuggernaut Posts: 98 Member
    Lol, I eat 1200 calories for breakfast. Womp @ me.

    How 100% positive are you that you're REALLY eating 1200 calories? Do you weigh everything you eat on a food scale?

    I find people who have this problem, 9 times out of 10, are eating a lot more than they think.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Personally, yes, I would eat more. It's not tough to bump your meals up by 50-100 calories with a little planning. Add in some calorie dense foods to your diet. Olive oil, cheese, full fat dairy, Greek yogurt, nuts, peanut butter, dark chocolate, avocado, etc.
  • Escape_Artist
    Escape_Artist Posts: 1,155 Member
    If you're struggling to eat 1200 and losing weight, how did you end up with weight to lose? Honest question.

    ^^ wondering as well o-O
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
    In for the fun.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    Stop eating "diet" food. Problem solved.
  • KenosFeoh
    KenosFeoh Posts: 1,837 Member
    I wouldn't eat something late in the day just to bump the calories up unless I was hungry. Nothing wrong with a bedtime snack! What I would prefer to do is add a little something earlier in the day, like switch from skim milk to 2% milk or add a tablespoon of chopped nuts to my oatmeal or cereal. Switch from diet salad dressing to regular, or add a little shredded cheese to lunch. Things like that.
  • bpotts44
    bpotts44 Posts: 1,066 Member
    Eat some coconut oil.
  • bgonzalez1120
    bgonzalez1120 Posts: 5 Member
    If you're struggling to eat 1200 and losing weight, how did you end up with weight to lose? Honest question.


    well about 2 weeks ago I was eating whatever I wanted whenever I wanted and how ever much of it I wanted :) I just recently started paying attention to what I eat.
  • AshatanViz
    AshatanViz Posts: 34 Member
    You might be underestimating how many calories you're actually taking in. I made that mistake a lot when I started using this site. You really have to weigh and measure to know for sure how much you have consumed.
  • NatureChik1985
    NatureChik1985 Posts: 79
    Can't see your diary so I don't what kind of foods you eat. If might help you get better feedback if you made your diary public.

    My lunch today was over 1200 calories. I can't imagine not starving on 1000 calories.
  • blgerig
    blgerig Posts: 174 Member
    Look, do whatever is working for you. Definitely if you start working out or become more active you will want to eat more, I can't imagine working out eating that little. In the mean time, if you are getting at least close to 1200 and are honestly full, do what works for you.
  • lawtechie
    lawtechie Posts: 708 Member
    What are you eating? Here's my day so far and I'm at 1200 already (w/ Twizzlers snack indulgence)

    Breakfast: 2 eggs, 1 piece toast, 2 cups blueberries, 1.5 cups skim milk --- over 500 calories
    Lunch: breaded cod , various cold veggies, wild long grain rice -- over 400 calories

    Are you getting protein, veggies, starch, fruit at most meals? Are you hitting your macros (fat, protein, carbs?) Perhaps don't focus so much on calories, but getting those macros and vitamins in. Food should fill you up! Watch the sodium if you have high blood pressure.

    I think my diary is open, so feel free to look at past few days. Before that, I was not tracking since early March.
  • TheBitSlinger
    TheBitSlinger Posts: 621 Member
    Do I force myself to eat the extra 150-200 calories?

    Re-read your question. Never force yourself to eat. Pay attention to your body. It will tell you what to do. I noticed a funny thing about my body (well, lots of funny things, but let's not go there)... the closer I get to a meal, the hungrier I get. :tongue:
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
    If you're struggling to eat 1200 and losing weight, how did you end up with weight to lose? Honest question.


    well about 2 weeks ago I was eating whatever I wanted whenever I wanted and how ever much of it I wanted :) I just recently started paying attention to what I eat.

    1) Start by finding out your true BMR as well as your TDEE here:
    http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/
    http://iifym.com/bmr-calculator/

    2) Eat what you want as long as it fits into those numbers.
    3) Lose weight

    Calories in, calories out.
  • jamiesillimandunn
    jamiesillimandunn Posts: 270 Member
    If you're struggling to eat 1200 and losing weight, how did you end up with weight to lose? Honest question.







    Do you realize you ask this in EVERY low calorie question forum ?? Is it really honest , is my honest question !
  • kiramaniac
    kiramaniac Posts: 800 Member
    You're going to hurt your metabolism if you maintain this.

    Google the "Minnesota Starvation Experiment".
    A good summary is located here: http://eatmore2weighless.com/the-starvation-experiment/
  • VorJoshigan
    VorJoshigan Posts: 1,106 Member
    If you're struggling to eat 1200 and losing weight, how did you end up with weight to lose? Honest question.

    Not just this question, but ask yourself - What's different now that you are eating less?
  • toutmonpossible
    toutmonpossible Posts: 1,580 Member
    Alright.... pretty sure I'm about to get yelled at by strangers here but I have an honest question. I'm 26 weigh 166 lbs and I'm 5'3. I currently am not excerising but cooking my own meals and meal planning. I have found that with eating every 2-3-4 hours I have a hard time reaching the 1200 calorie goal. I never eat less than 1000 but usually bounce between that and 1150 and i'm honestly not starving at all. Do I force myself to eat the extra 150-200 calories? even if that means a snack right before bed? I am loosing weight doing what i've been doing but i'm scared of long term concequences of not eating the 1200 calories. Thank for your help!!!

    To paraphrase what people have said in the past in response to posts like this, if you're 166 pounds, you've had a lot of practice eating much more than 1,200 calories a day. But if the food is healthy, 1,000 or 1150 is fine. There will be no long term consequences other than your losing weight.
  • jamiesillimandunn
    jamiesillimandunn Posts: 270 Member
    Alright.... pretty sure I'm about to get yelled at by strangers here but I have an honest question. I'm 26 weigh 166 lbs and I'm 5'3. I currently am not excerising but cooking my own meals and meal planning. I have found that with eating every 2-3-4 hours I have a hard time reaching the 1200 calorie goal. I never eat less than 1000 but usually bounce between that and 1150 and i'm honestly not starving at all. Do I force myself to eat the extra 150-200 calories? even if that means a snack right before bed? I am loosing weight doing what i've been doing but i'm scared of long term concequences of not eating the 1200 calories. Thank for your help!!!




    I had trouble getting upto 1200 in the beginning too ..but I am excersicing with INSANITY so I had to get my calories up just to do the workouts I was averaging 800 a day and burning about 600 a day leaving me with a whopping 200 for the rest of the day , now I eat 1700 and burn 500-600 ish , being that you don't workout means you arent expending much extra calories than what you need in a day , it is reccomended by many drs and nutritionists to eat 1200 because that is wha the average body needs to operate life functions ! You could calculate your Tdee to find yours ....you may be losing now and that's great just keep in mind when you do hit a plateau that then will be the time to up your calories :) good luck !!
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,323 Member
    are you accurately logging?

    weighing...measuring...

    EVERYTHING?
  • Trechechus
    Trechechus Posts: 2,819 Member
    Pick more calorie dense foods. Granola bars, nuts, peanut butter, potatoes, avocados, ice cream
  • bgonzalez1120
    bgonzalez1120 Posts: 5 Member
    I made my diary public... sorry I didnt realize that was a setting.
  • bethfartman
    bethfartman Posts: 363 Member
    I looked at your diary, you seem to be eating well to me. Personally, I wouldn't worry about it. Once you feel like eating more, go ahead and eat more. I ate around 1000 calories a day when I first started loosing weight too, wasn't starving, and I've never 'plateaued' or anything. I eat more now because I exercise tons, but I still try to stick to 1500 or less. If it's working for you, just do it. No sense in forcing yourself to eat more right now.
  • ashleyisgreat
    ashleyisgreat Posts: 586 Member
    Obviously you haven't seen the thread about drinking a whole cup of heavy cream. That's one way to do it. :wink:
  • nack49
    nack49 Posts: 5 Member
    I have most of the time come short of my 1200 daily goal calories also. HOWEVER, it's because I try to exercise at least 35 minutes a day. Mainly walking, swimming , water aerobics. Nothing crazy. basic stuff that you can do in your own home or neighborhood.
    Once you get into a routine , you won't want to stop...
    Try it. What have you got to lose? Just weight, right?
    Good luck
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