Need Help Staying Within 1200 Calories

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annemartin777
annemartin777 Posts: 5
in Introduce Yourself
Hi . I am a 43 yr old mom who just joined here a couple of days ago. I was given 1200 calorie limit to consume per day to reach my goal. I seem to be always eating over my limit. I don't know what are the low calorie foods to eat. Please help. I need to lose 25 pounds. Thank you.
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  • mgreen10
    mgreen10 Posts: 229 Member
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    Don't go by that 1200 number. Do your TDEE calculation instead - use this link http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,324 Member
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    Hi . I am a 43 yr old mom who just joined here a couple of days ago. I was given 1200 calorie limit to consume per day to reach my goal. I seem to be always eating over my limit. I don't know what are the low calorie foods to eat. Please help. I need to lose 25 pounds. Thank you.

    1200 is likely too little for you.

    please go here http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html and figure out your TDEE.
    people have found great success eating at 80% of that number.
  • BGoodz22
    BGoodz22 Posts: 55 Member
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    with only 25 lbs to lose, you might want to select 1 lb per week instead of 1.5/2 lbs a week. It would be much more sustainable that way.

    Just remember its not a race, its a marathon.
  • LaurenEileen74
    LaurenEileen74 Posts: 142 Member
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    It can be so tough...eating little snacks throughout the day in between meals helps keep the hunger away. I love the little 100 calorie almond packs from Blue Diamond...also some of my other snacks include string cheese, yogurt, granola bars, etc...

    Good Luck, mama...I'm a 38 year old mom :)
  • MyM0wM0w
    MyM0wM0w Posts: 2,008 Member
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    What the others said. Go TDEE -20%. If you eat too little your setting yourself up for failure.
  • Beewallows
    Beewallows Posts: 110 Member
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    Hi, welcome! I would recommend eating A LOT of vegetables (very low in calories) and lean protein. Also, if you exercise, that will technically give you more calories (the net will remain at 1200, but you'll be able to eat more). I also find cutting out stuff like cream, butter, sauces helps me stay on track.
  • Mrs_Bones
    Mrs_Bones Posts: 195 Member
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    Or add in strength training and eat more!!!
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
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    with only 25 lbs to lose, you might want to select 1 lb per week instead of 1.5/2 lbs a week. It would be much more sustainable that way.

    Just remember its not a race, its a marathon.

    Yes, and slow means you are more likely to keep the weight off and also not get stretch marks along the way!
  • Barbellerella
    Barbellerella Posts: 1,838 Member
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    Did you tell MFP you want to lose 2#s a week? You only have 20 pounds to lose, set your goal to something a little more moderate, like .5-1# per week, then exercise and eat back most of your workout calories. This will be much more feasible and sustainable for you in the long run.
  • slt1214
    slt1214 Posts: 2
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    When you exercise you can add more calories to your day. Make sure you calculate your workouts. Even if it's a short walk every bit helps! Good luck!
  • Commander_Keen
    Commander_Keen Posts: 1,181 Member
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    What ever it is your going over, just walk it off
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,324 Member
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    Just remember its not a race, its a marathon.

    isnt a marathon a race?
  • lisajsund
    lisajsund Posts: 366 Member
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    It will depend on your height and weight. Also, eat more protein - try for 25% of your total calories. It will help you feel fuller for longer amounts of time.
  • annemartin777
    annemartin777 Posts: 5
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    Thank you so much for all the advice. It really helped me. I appreciate it.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
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    Don't go by that 1200 number. Do your TDEE calculation instead - use this link http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/


    THIS!!! ^^^


    I'm 5'2 and eat between 1700-2000 calories and lost a lot of weight!! (see below)

    Losing the weight slowly will keep it off in the future!!!
  • Juliane_
    Juliane_ Posts: 373 Member
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    I have always found I was starving while on a low calorie diet...UNTIL....I started eating more fat and reducing my carbs. My advice if you don't want to be hungry, read Primal Blueprint also watch the movie Fat Head. Don't starve yourself. If you control your blood sugar levels you will be LESS hungry and you'll be more likely to meet your lower calorie levels.

    But don't take my word for it. Test it, read the information, inform yourself and then make a decision as to how you are going to approach the problem of hunger while cutting your calories. May I also suggest the book, Why we Get Fat.
  • mwarner57
    mwarner57 Posts: 1
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    That's gonna be tough. Are you exercising at all? If so, you can add calories to your limit which will help. For example, a 45-minute run will burn almost 900 calories. Cycling is also a good way to burn off some calories. I burned almost 3000 calories yesterday on a 3 1/2 hour ride. That was a bit extreme, but you get the idea. Try and increase your fresh fruit and veg. intake and reduce the carbs. Check out www.cookinglight.com for some good recipes. Good luck!
  • Nyoei
    Nyoei Posts: 8
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    I am with Beegood on this. You should be aiming for the 1lb a week at most really. It is the healthiest and most sustainable way. I know it can be hard as hell to be patient with weight loss (I have more to lose than I even want to think about:P) but it will be worth it. I have changed my relationship with food thanks to myfitnesspal and see myself eating in this way as a lifelong thing. I think if you give it some time, you might feel the same way in the end:)
  • GLady1980
    GLady1980 Posts: 50 Member
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    I am also a 1200 cal/day person and sometimes it can be hard but if you eat lots of fruit, veggies and protien you should be alright and yes the more you exercise the more you can eat. I find I eat the most during breakfast which helps keep me full during the day. :flowerforyou:
  • emmabooth32
    emmabooth32 Posts: 10 Member
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    Hi I'm a mum too so appreciate its difficult when you're trying to make tea for the family and lose weight. I find it best to just amend my meals slightly - usually by just cutting out the bread or potatoes. Some meals we've had this past week are:
    Lean burgers - they had a bun and chips, I had no bun and salad
    Pizza - I had 2 slices and lots of salad
    Grilled salmon, veg and boiled potatoes - I upped my veg and had just 2 small potatoes
    Egg and bacon - they had toast and beans as well

    I have mine set at 1200 so I aim for that but most days its more like 1500. I aim for 1200 then it doesn't matter if say I want an ice lolly with the kids or a glass of wine on a friday.

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