not able to reach 1200cals/day

Hi there...i am 29yrs old single with 5'6'' height and 137 weight...my problem is i dont feel like eating anything nowadays...its been a month and i hardly reached 1200cals for few days while most of the days , i end up at 900-1000cals...I knw these are too low and a female should eat minimum 1200cals..So, kindly suggest me what should i do so that i reach upto 1200cals a day (atleast, if not more)

Replies

  • eblakes93
    eblakes93 Posts: 372 Member
    You said you don't feel like eating anything? Do you not want to eat because you're not hungry, or is there something else going on (fatigue, sadness, stress, etc.)?

    Try eating more calorie dense foods, like full fat yogurt, nuts, nut butters, avocados, full-fat milk instead of skim. Replace your 'diet' foods with regular whole foods (ie instead of getting light wheat bread get 100% whole grain bread.)
  • If you find yourself under by the end of the day, maybe have a calorie dense "treat". I really like dipping sliced apples in almond butter (170 calories for 2 tbsp). It's calorie dense and full of good fats.
  • Cindyinpg
    Cindyinpg Posts: 3,902 Member
    Peanut butter is the answer. Peanut butter is ALWAYS the answer. Unless the answer is bacon or ice cream. :bigsmile:
  • EHisCDN
    EHisCDN Posts: 480 Member
    In my experience this stage will pass. For me it was about 6 or 8 weeks in that my weight loss stalled on 1200/day and my appetite returned. I started using the TDEE method then.

    Is it really because you're not hungry or are you telling yourself you shouldn't be eating. When you first start out it's hard to think of possibly eating more! In any case, like others have suggested, try eating more calorie dense foods. I like chocolate! Nuts, avocados, oils are all great ways to get a lot of calories without needing to eat a lot.
  • ntatbeeq
    ntatbeeq Posts: 150 Member
    You said you don't feel like eating anything? Do you not want to eat because you're not hungry, or is there something else going on (fatigue, sadness, stress, etc.)?

    Try eating more calorie dense foods, like full fat yogurt, nuts, nut butters, avocados, full-fat milk instead of skim. Replace your 'diet' foods with regular whole foods (ie instead of getting light wheat bread get 100% whole grain bread.)

    I dont feel like anything but i dnt feel myself hungry....if you view my diary, you'll notice i dnt take low fat dairy. but still couldn;t cross even a minimum of 1200cals :(
  • I have the same problem but allergic to nuts so looking forward to the answers you get.
  • ntatbeeq
    ntatbeeq Posts: 150 Member
    In my experience this stage will pass. For me it was about 6 or 8 weeks in that my weight loss stalled on 1200/day and my appetite returned. I started using the TDEE method then.

    Is it really because you're not hungry or are you telling yourself you shouldn't be eating. When you first start out it's hard to think of possibly eating more! In any case, like others have suggested, try eating more calorie dense foods. I like chocolate! Nuts, avocados, oils are all great ways to get a lot of calories without needing to eat a lot.

    Actually i am suffering from PCOS, so i can't eat sweets like others and because of that i am lacking in my daily cals quota :(
  • SmangeDiggs
    SmangeDiggs Posts: 238 Member
    At some point you must of been able to eat more than 1200 cals otherwise you wouldn't need to be on this site.
    Think about what type of higher calorie foods you can eat and do that.
  • berry83sweet
    berry83sweet Posts: 44 Member
    That's not true.
  • ntatbeeq
    ntatbeeq Posts: 150 Member
    That's not true.

    whts not true Berry??
  • Really?
  • jenifr818
    jenifr818 Posts: 805 Member
    In my experience this stage will pass. For me it was about 6 or 8 weeks in that my weight loss stalled on 1200/day and my appetite returned. I started using the TDEE method then.

    Is it really because you're not hungry or are you telling yourself you shouldn't be eating. When you first start out it's hard to think of possibly eating more! In any case, like others have suggested, try eating more calorie dense foods. I like chocolate! Nuts, avocados, oils are all great ways to get a lot of calories without needing to eat a lot.

    Actually i am suffering from PCOS, so i can't eat sweets like others and because of that i am lacking in my daily cals quota :(

    I feel your pain when it comes to PCOS. Protein and fats are your friend. I noticed you're using olive oil, which is good. Do you like cheese? If so, cheese can help you ... most swiss and cheddar cheeses will give you about 70-100 calories per slice. Greek yogurt is good for a protein boost.
  • Booschmoop
    Booschmoop Posts: 12 Member
    I think you can would get to 1200 if you add some protein and more calorie dense veggies and fruits. Add a banana, some greek yogurt, nuts or nut spreads or beans. They are all higher in calories and a small amount of them to your meals will bump up the calorie counts enough to get you there.
  • RaineyLaney
    RaineyLaney Posts: 605 Member
    Well, I looked at a few of your days in your diary. I see you eat 0.6 of a large egg ??? How do you not eat a whole egg?. You had 8g of carrots, is that like 2 super thin slices? 0.8 of a cucumber??? What?? You list an apple, but only 42g. A smaller apple is around 156g. so what did you do, eat one small wedge?

    You could hit 1200 easily if you would eat the whole food.. 1 egg, 1 apple, 1 carrot, etc
  • TigerBite
    TigerBite Posts: 611 Member
    I have the same problem but allergic to nuts so looking forward to the answers you get.


    Go to the Specialty cheese counter at Whole Foods (or Wegman's, though, I don't know how liberal their sampling policy is) ... ask to sample some different chesses, find ones you like, buy them, eat them ... Problem solved ...
  • berry83sweet
    berry83sweet Posts: 44 Member
    At some point you must of been able to eat more than 1200 cals otherwise you wouldn't need to be on this site.
    Think about what type of higher calorie foods you can eat and do that.

    I don't usually comment on these boards so I didn't quote correctly. She is wrong. Not everyone who comes here has a problem with calories consumed. Some people have health problems. She is a rude member and wrong to assume
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    At some point you must of been able to eat more than 1200 cals otherwise you wouldn't need to be on this site.
    Think about what type of higher calorie foods you can eat and do that.

    I don't usually comment on these boards so I didn't quote correctly. She is wrong. Not everyone who comes here has a problem with calories consumed. Some people have health problems. She is a rude member and wrong to assume
    So she's rude because she doesn't have the same opinion as you? Sorry to disagree it's a fairly reasonable assumption. Those with health problems leading to weight gain are a very small minority in all likelihood less than 1%. Most people are within normal ranges and it just comes down to calories in and calories out.
  • astartig
    astartig Posts: 549 Member
    you have a really healthy diet. add a little more oil and you'll have your calories. really it's about the nutrients and I don't see a lot of junk taking up calories.
  • SuperCrsa
    SuperCrsa Posts: 790 Member
    Peanut butter is the answer. Peanut butter is ALWAYS the answer. Unless the answer is bacon or ice cream. :bigsmile:

    Ah amen to this!
  • how? i eat 1200 for breakfast.
  • soldiergrl_101
    soldiergrl_101 Posts: 2,205 Member
    Don't feel bad it's hard for me to meet that goal to. After switching to clean foods my body feels much fuller on a lot less
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
    I also eat mostly clean and cook almost all my meals. I weight my food so I know what I am eating and it's hard to eat enough sometimes.

    You just have to make it a goal everyday to eat a certain number of calories. I used to eat 800 or less everyday. Now i have eaten that much before dinner usually (still have some days where i'm really low though). How about overnight oats for breakfast? Add in a shake or have some PB on toast or celery or apple. Cook with olive oil or add it to salads. Healthy fats are important.

    Add in 1 or 2 things a day until you hit it everyday. Then bump it up (because 1200 isn't really enough food for anyone!)

    don't be afraid to have a whole serving of grapes, instead of just 3.

    I eat protein bars and shakes too though, but I hit the gym hard and need the protein boost. if you don't lift heavy you don't need as high protein.

    Pre-logging/planning my days really helped me get here. I would prep my foods on Sundays and then just grab them in the morning and go to work. I had already logged it so I only had to adjust if I ate something else or switched it up for some reason (Don't do this in the beginning) Pre planning and pre logging will help you get to your goal. Then hold yourself accountable to stick to it. or get some friend who will hold you to it. You can do it. It just takes effort and determination.
  • kenzietate
    kenzietate Posts: 399 Member
    In my experience this stage will pass. For me it was about 6 or 8 weeks in that my weight loss stalled on 1200/day and my appetite returned. I started using the TDEE method then.

    Is it really because you're not hungry or are you telling yourself you shouldn't be eating. When you first start out it's hard to think of possibly eating more! In any case, like others have suggested, try eating more calorie dense foods. I like chocolate! Nuts, avocados, oils are all great ways to get a lot of calories without needing to eat a lot.

    Actually i am suffering from PCOS, so i can't eat sweets like others and because of that i am lacking in my daily cals quota :(

    I have PCOS also and have had this issue for years! I finally (after years of struggling with it and still gaining weight) figured out that the reason I didn't want to eat was because I felt horrible afterwards. That sounds crazy that I didn't realize that I felt bad but to me it had just become commonplace. I always just wanted to fall asleep or take a nap after I ate, I would feel sick after also.

    Once I realized why I didn't want to eat ever, I actually started to experiment to find what what foods caused it more than others. For me it was any carb really. I see that you already have your carbs pretty low compared to most so it might be different for you, or it might be a certain carb. I know that even though it happens with any carb, bread and fruit are the worst for me. I immediately want to go to sleep and I don't want to eat for the rest of the day when I eat either. I actually normally eat a ketogenic diet because my reactions were so severe to carbs and for the first time I truly realized that not wanting to eat and feeling horrible after eating is not normal and can be avoided. At the moment (actually thanks to the keto diet) I am pregnant and having to eat more carbs according to my doctor but I will start eating keto again as soon after pregnancy as I can.
  • kenzietate
    kenzietate Posts: 399 Member
    At some point you must of been able to eat more than 1200 cals otherwise you wouldn't need to be on this site.
    Think about what type of higher calorie foods you can eat and do that.

    I don't usually comment on these boards so I didn't quote correctly. She is wrong. Not everyone who comes here has a problem with calories consumed. Some people have health problems. She is a rude member and wrong to assume
    So she's rude because she doesn't have the same opinion as you? Sorry to disagree it's a fairly reasonable assumption. Those with health problems leading to weight gain are a very small minority in all likelihood less than 1%. Most people are within normal ranges and it just comes down to calories in and calories out.

    I will say here that this woman is very possibly one of the ones that has a health issue that leads to weight gain. I have PCOS as well and PCOS women suffer from very slowed metabolism and are also very sensitive to carbs. I have never eaten nearly as much as anyone else in my family (they are all very fit and thin) and I have always been one of the most active and I still gained weight. One doctor I went to had me on a 1000 calorie diet that was according to the national food guidelines and because I was sensitive to carbs (didn't know that at the time) I gained 30lbs in the 6 months I was on it. Before you say, you didn't track right, you weren't moving enough etc. I was weighing/measuring everything I put into my mouth and tracking it, I was running a 5k 3 times per week, I was using home exercise DVD's 3 days a week and I was walking to school 1.5 miles each way 5-6 days per week plus working in a construction lab. Yes, it was not nearly enough fuel, I finally got so lethargic that I didn't even want to move and I couldn't focus in class. That was when I changed doctors. Just this past year I finally found out about my carb sensitivity and finally started being able to lose weight until I got pregnant.

    Though for most people you would be correct, they over ate to get here, it is very frustrating to fight the battle every day to get to 1200 calories and still gain weight. So having those types of comments is not helpful when this truly can be the case. To the original poster in this comment, maybe just ask next time instead of accusing.
  • Followingsea
    Followingsea Posts: 407 Member
    Hi there...i am 29yrs old single with 5'6'' height and 137 weight...my problem is i dont feel like eating anything nowadays...its been a month and i hardly reached 1200cals for few days while most of the days , i end up at 900-1000cals...I knw these are too low and a female should eat minimum 1200cals..So, kindly suggest me what should i do so that i reach upto 1200cals a day (atleast, if not more)

    I've had appetite crashes like this before, and it's awful when you know you need to eat something but nothing ever sounds good. Does the general distaste for food extend to drinks for you too? If not, what about smoothies? Full fat milk (or yogurt), some fruits, maybe some protein powder?
  • ntatbeeq
    ntatbeeq Posts: 150 Member
    Hi there...i am 29yrs old single with 5'6'' height and 137 weight...my problem is i dont feel like eating anything nowadays...its been a month and i hardly reached 1200cals for few days while most of the days , i end up at 900-1000cals...I knw these are too low and a female should eat minimum 1200cals..So, kindly suggest me what should i do so that i reach upto 1200cals a day (atleast, if not more)

    I've had appetite crashes like this before, and it's awful when you know you need to eat something but nothing ever sounds good. Does the general distaste for food extend to drinks for you too? If not, what about smoothies? Full fat milk (or yogurt), some fruits, maybe some protein powder?

    Actually i am suffering from PCOS and my problem is, i cant eat fruits or consume dairy products like other non-PCOS sufferers due to insuline resistance :(
  • Showcase_Brodown
    Showcase_Brodown Posts: 919 Member
    1200 is basically a small meal for me. But I usually only eat twice a day and I intentionally eat a little over maintenance to gain some weight.

    Reach for a few more foods that are a little more calorie dense, which usually means they have more fat. You could drink whole milk, or eat bacon, or yummy pizza. Fat will get you to your goal very fast.

    Sometimes after a workout when I know I will need to eat a lot later, I'll pick up a chocolate milk made with whole milk. It's a delicious treat and racks up those calories quickly.
  • jenifr818
    jenifr818 Posts: 805 Member
    Hi there...i am 29yrs old single with 5'6'' height and 137 weight...my problem is i dont feel like eating anything nowadays...its been a month and i hardly reached 1200cals for few days while most of the days , i end up at 900-1000cals...I knw these are too low and a female should eat minimum 1200cals..So, kindly suggest me what should i do so that i reach upto 1200cals a day (atleast, if not more)

    I've had appetite crashes like this before, and it's awful when you know you need to eat something but nothing ever sounds good. Does the general distaste for food extend to drinks for you too? If not, what about smoothies? Full fat milk (or yogurt), some fruits, maybe some protein powder?

    Actually i am suffering from PCOS and my problem is, i cant eat fruits or consume dairy products like other non-PCOS sufferers due to insuline resistance :(

    Barring a dairy allergy or lactose intolerance, dairy products are perfectly acceptable for those with PCOS. Fruit is so-so .. you CAN eat some, but just not as much. If your insulin resistance is so awful that you can't have ANY fruits, you might want to talk to your doctor again, because that seems a little ... eh, off.