How can I stay under 1200 calories w/out being so hungry?

It helps me if I drink a lot of water. Usually over 12 cups a day, and I eat fruit at home when I get hungry. Do you spread your meals out during the day? I usually eat 5 times a day and am not really all that hungry. How long have you been staying under 1200 calories? Almost forgot, are you tracking how many calories you are buring during your work outs? I

Is your goal too aggressive? Which is why you were given 1200 calories?

Edited for spelling

Hello, I think that when you want to lose weight all you think about is food therefore you are always hungry. This time last week I was focused on losing weight so smaller meals/ snacks didn't bother me. Today I wanted to eat everything in sight lol. Drink water whenever you fell hungry this does help sometimes :-). Or should I say it takes the edge off.

If you are starving at your calorie intake it is not enough food. Any "diet" you can not sustain long term is pointless. Yes you may lose weight, but will gain it back and then some when you go off of it. Let's not even talk about the metabolic damage. Focus less on how little to eat and more on eating nutritionally dense foods. ie REAL food. Also, are you working out? If so that increases your calorie expenditure.

I don't know why 1200 is the magical MFP number. It's far too low for most people to maintain without compromising muscle mass and health. We are large organisms by nature (say compared to an amoeba, or even a cat) and it takes a lot to fuel our bodies. I recommend raising your daily intake.

You should really eat over 1200 calories in nutrient dense foods. Your body is trying to tell you that through hunger.

When I'm staying under 1200 calories, I'm starving. What am I doing wrong?

trying to stay under 1200 calories

Did you do the scooby calculator given to you by the helpful 2nd poster?

So you're new here. How bout some generic tips in general. Some of these apply directly:

here ya go:

1. don't trust the initial setup that MFP provides. If you put in the wrong/inaccurate information, it'll tell you to eat an amount that may not be applicable.
2. Make sure you eat enough.
3. Figure out what works for you and is sustainable/healthy/long term.
4. avoid fads. don't buy in to any "Hey, try the twinkie and vodka diet"
5. Don't cut out anything now that you don't plan on literally giving up forever.
6. GET A FOOD SCALE. Weigh everything. No, seriously.
7. Get an HRM with a chest strap. You'll at least have a better idea of what you're burning. It'll be more accurate than the generic info in the exercise database.. and even more than the cardio machines. This is great for steady state cardio (run/walk/etc)
8. Don't go balls out. You'll burn out. I see 300 lb people show up here, instantly start working out and cutting their intake SEVERELY... trying to cut out all of their carbs at once.. whatever. Take it slow. Figure out how much you need to eat FIRST in order to lose.. then incorporate exercise.
9. Don't cardio yourself to death.
10. Take the information on the forums with a grain of salt. A lot of people that have been here for a while.. and have been successful, may seem jaded. They give out GREAT advice day after day, only to be met with people that refuse to listen.
11. Eat real food. Not diet food. Not "low fat, sugar free, now without X." It's easier to get/find/count.
12. don't set time restrictions.
13. measure yourself weekly. Don't just weigh. Measure and take pictures.
14 BE PATIENT.
15. Avoid forum topics that have "1200" in the title. It's just full of butthurt. Lots of it.
16. This isn't a game, it's about changing your lifestyle. Do that.

pretty much that.

...and don't fall into the "1200 calorie" vertigo of suck because of:

the typical MFP users does this:
1. I wanna lose weight, let's try MFP.
2. OH! Wow, it tells me I can lose 2 lbs a WEEK? AWESOME!
3. I just sit at a desk when I'm not working out, I guess I'm sedentary.
4. MFP tells them 1200 calories, and they don't even eat that.. then they work out on top of it.. creating an even bigger deficit.
5. Lose a lot, fast, brag about 1200 calorie success.
6. Come back in a few months trying to figure out why they're dizzy, tired, not losing weight.
7. Get on the forums, ask why they aren't losing.
8. Get two responses (I eat 1200 and lose) (I eat 2200 and lose)
9. Argument ensues about who is right.

Now. That being said. These threads happen hundreds of times per day. Most times, and I mean really.. seriously.. 95% of the time.. people get the 1200 number because they don't put the right information in when they set up the account. There are a great number of people that are trying to help. I'm one of 'em.

I'm a hardcore advocate of actually finding out what works for the individual.. by means of other calculators, averages, time, practice, and patience.

Blanket prescriptions of 1200 calories "because it worked for me" is more harmful to the generic new user than the "figure out what you need to eat." Unfortunately, one is a LOT easier to type.

Find out what you need: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/
Take the tips, links, and info above and make the cart more manageable.

I’ll give you a “for instance” to illustrate why your 1200 calories is possibly too low a number to maintain healthy body function.

When I weighed 221 pounds (30.7% body fat measured by a Bod Pod), my estimated Resting Metabolic Rate was 1884 kcal/day. That is to say if I did nothing but lay in bed I would need that many calories to maintain my weight. My estimated TEE for a sedentary lifestyle was 2412 kcal/day.

Fast forward to now weighing 192 pounds (20.5% fat measured in the Bod Pod). My RMR went up slightly because I gained lean mass (about 3 pounds). My estimated TEE for a sedentary lifestyle is now 2378 kcal/day.

Even if I’m still trying to lose weight and pick a healthy 500 calorie deficit I’m still above 1800 kcal day without even considering additional caloric needs due to exercise. If I tried for a 1000 calorie deficit I would not only be hungry, but I’d also be very tired. I think you may need to relook you numbers to make sure you’re not being too aggressive.

Just a thought.

So you're new here. How bout some generic tips in general. Some of these apply directly:

here ya go:

1. don't trust the initial setup that MFP provides. If you put in the wrong/inaccurate information, it'll tell you to eat an amount that may not be applicable.
2. Make sure you eat enough.
3. Figure out what works for you and is sustainable/healthy/long term.
4. avoid fads. don't buy in to any "Hey, try the twinkie and vodka diet"
5. Don't cut out anything now that you don't plan on literally giving up forever.
6. GET A FOOD SCALE. Weigh everything. No, seriously.
7. Get an HRM with a chest strap. You'll at least have a better idea of what you're burning. It'll be more accurate than the generic info in the exercise database.. and even more than the cardio machines. This is great for steady state cardio (run/walk/etc)
8. Don't go balls out. You'll burn out. I see 300 lb people show up here, instantly start working out and cutting their intake SEVERELY... trying to cut out all of their carbs at once.. whatever. Take it slow. Figure out how much you need to eat FIRST in order to lose.. then incorporate exercise.
9. Don't cardio yourself to death.
10. Take the information on the forums with a grain of salt. A lot of people that have been here for a while.. and have been successful, may seem jaded. They give out GREAT advice day after day, only to be met with people that refuse to listen.
11. Eat real food. Not diet food. Not "low fat, sugar free, now without X." It's easier to get/find/count.
12. don't set time restrictions.
13. measure yourself weekly. Don't just weigh. Measure and take pictures.
14 BE PATIENT.
15. Avoid forum topics that have "1200" in the title. It's just full of butthurt. Lots of it.
16. This isn't a game, it's about changing your lifestyle. Do that.

pretty much that.

...and don't fall into the "1200 calorie" vertigo of suck because of:

the typical MFP users does this:
1. I wanna lose weight, let's try MFP.
2. OH! Wow, it tells me I can lose 2 lbs a WEEK? AWESOME!
3. I just sit at a desk when I'm not working out, I guess I'm sedentary.
4. MFP tells them 1200 calories, and they don't even eat that.. then they work out on top of it.. creating an even bigger deficit.
5. Lose a lot, fast, brag about 1200 calorie success.
6. Come back in a few months trying to figure out why they're dizzy, tired, not losing weight.
7. Get on the forums, ask why they aren't losing.
8. Get two responses (I eat 1200 and lose) (I eat 2200 and lose)
9. Argument ensues about who is right.

Now. That being said. These threads happen hundreds of times per day. Most times, and I mean really.. seriously.. 95% of the time.. people get the 1200 number because they don't put the right information in when they set up the account. There are a great number of people that are trying to help. I'm one of 'em.

I'm a hardcore advocate of actually finding out what works for the individual.. by means of other calculators, averages, time, practice, and patience.

Blanket prescriptions of 1200 calories "because it worked for me" is more harmful to the generic new user than the "figure out what you need to eat." Unfortunately, one is a LOT easier to type.

Find out what you need: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/
Take the tips, links, and info above and make the cart more manageable.

Ding ding ding!!! We have a winner!!! Listen to this guy.

Too little calories, no kidding you are hungry.

I'm barely eating and working my body out and I'm so hungry... Gee I wonder why?


Don't worry so much about eating less, I eat more/ move more and still losing at least 1lb a week. You can easily add a couple hundred more calories to your diet and reap the benefits of weight loss.

I eat 1200 as my base calories. If I work out, I eat back the calories I burned to net at least 1200. To combat hunger, I find that if I cycle my calories I do best (and lose more consistently). For instance, two days in a row I'll eat 1200. Then 1700. Then back down. Also, eat more proteins and veggies. If you try to eat too many carbs, you won't be able to eat as much "filling" food. If you eat 1200 calories of lean meat, eggs, oatmeal, and veggies, you'll be able to eat plenty to feel full all day.

the typical MFP users does this:
1. I wanna lose weight, let's try MFP.
2. OH! Wow, it tells me I can lose 2 lbs a WEEK? AWESOME!
3. I just sit at a desk when I'm not working out, I guess I'm sedentary.
4. MFP tells them 1200 calories, and they don't even eat that.. then they work out on top of it.. creating an even bigger deficit.
5. Lose a lot, fast, brag about 1200 calorie success.
6. Come back in a few months trying to figure out why they're dizzy, tired, not losing weight.
7. Get on the forums, ask why they aren't losing.
8. Get two responses (I eat 1200 and lose) (I eat 2200 and lose)
9. Argument ensues about who is right.

I think this is a great synopsis, but question: How is MFP dishing out 1200 calorie targets? It's got me at 1640 and I weigh 264 and have it set at sedentary male age 43.

...because it's just a calculator. Unfortunately, it allows people to put in unrealistic goals. I've asked the developers to change how the signup / account creation works, but no response to the thread. Oh wells.