Eating the "wrong" things but staying at 1200

Honestly that doesn't look that bad to me - is there any veg in the lunch? Could you swap the roll out for a couple of eggs at breakfast time? Or just add the eggs actually.

For weightloss it doesn't matter what you eat as long as you are in a calorie deficit.

thats good then

so therotically i could have 2 mars bars duos = 1200 calories and I would still lose weight

Yeah if you don't mind starving and having no energy, lol.

I'm a big fan of baby steps. You've already taken a couple huge steps by cutting back your calories and by getting more active. I wouldn't fret too much about the details at this point or you may overwhelm yourself.

That said, I'm eating like 1340 a day and I would be STARVING if I wasn't filling up on a ton of veggies and lean protein and having lots of snacks.

I am the same way. Sometimes i fell off track, and eat couple "bad" things. But as long as I eat no more than 1200 calories-I am still losing weight

Don't forget to eat back your exercise calories.

thats good then

so therotically i could have 2 mars bars duos = 1200 calories and I would still lose weight

Yes.

You might want to eat some more filling foods with nutrients, but it'll work.

If you eat fewer calories than you burn during the day, you will lose weight. At 1200 you are almost certainly eating at a deficit, and possibly at a bigger one than you need to.

For your health, you would want to be more concerned about hitting your macro goals (protein, fat, carbs) and your micro goals (fiber, vitamins, minerals, etc). It won't make the weight come off any faster, but would make the process more pleasant for you. That being said, if you need 23g of protein and would rather have a cheeseburger than a chicken breast and can afford it with your calories and fat, etc., there's no reason not to.

I think the main misconception with this topic is that there's those screaming calories in versus calories out (which I subscribe to), and those screaming about clean eating, and the problem is that they're not mutually exclusive. Yeah, eat your Mars bars and lose weight, that will work. What you eat affects how you feel **and function**, not how your weight gets distributed.

All calories are not equal in the weight loss scheme. If you eat 250 cals of veg it won't result in weight gain in the same way 250cals of chocolate would. Because one is made up of protein and fibre and some carbs, the other is sugar and fat and will be stored as suce.
I would maybe change the breakfast to a slice of grilled bacon with a couple of scrambled eggs and not have the bread. Heat up a meal but make it one you have previously cooked yourself if you can so you know what is in it. Your dinner sounds fine though, but you could add veggies to make sure you are really full if you need to

Yeah, Yeah you will still lose weight.

When I first started counting calories I didn't pay much attention to the food I was eating, I lost weight but I was cranky and irritable and always tired !!!

Since then I am still eating 1200 most days but I try fill it up with low calorie nutrient rich foods and I feel better than ever !!! SOOOO much more energy.

Also when I was simply eating 1200 calories worth of food, I often binged because the food choices I made weren't filling enough!

Now I hardly ever binge !!

Good Luck ! x

All calories are not equal in the weight loss scheme. If you eat 250 cals of veg it won't result in weight gain in the same way 250cals of chocolate would. Because one is made up of protein and fibre and some carbs, the other is sugar and fat and will be stored as suce.

Only when you go over your caloric needs will fat get turned into body fat/adipose tissue.
If you are below caloric needs, then your body will be in deficit, therefore all energy consumed will be oxidized.

You could eat 1200 calories of straight fat and lose weight but your body composition would be terrible and you'd feel terrible

Exactly! Weight loss is done through a calorie deficit, but it doesn't mean you'll like the results. "What you eat" is what gives you the body composition you desire--thus you need to also hit your macro goals! If you're going to use MFP to give you your calorie goal, then you MUST eat back your exercise calories. MFP has already calculated a calorie deficit for you, you don't want to add exercise losses on top of that. So eat back the exercise calories.

For macro, you need take in 1 gram/pound of lean body mass (LBM), which is 100-125 grams of protein/day for most women. If you are really tiny, then you may be able to get by with 90 grams/day. Fats should be 0.4 grams/kg/day and carbs are what is left over. The higher protein goal is to spare loss of LBM (muscle), while you burn fat. Throw in weigh training/resistance training & you should look good at the end of your journey.

Here's a research study showing the benefits of a higher protein goal:

http://jn.nutrition.org/content/133/2/411.full

Abstract:
"Claims about the merits or risks of carbohydrate (CHO) vs. protein for weight loss diets are extensive, yet the ideal ratio of dietary carbohydrate to protein for adult health and weight management remains unknown. This study examined the efficacy of two weight loss diets with modified CHO/protein ratios to change body composition and blood lipids in adult women. Women (n = 24; 45 to 56 y old) with body mass indices >26 kg/m2 were assigned to either a CHO Group consuming a diet with a CHO/protein ratio of 3.5 (68 g protein/d) or a Protein Group with a ratio of 1.4 (125 g protein/d). Diets were isoenergetic, providing 7100 kJ/d, and similar amounts of fat (∼50 g/d). After consuming the diets for 10 wk, the CHO Group lost 6.96 ± 1.36 kg body weight and the Protein Group lost 7.53 ± 1.44 kg. Weight loss in the Protein Group was partitioned to a significantly higher loss of fat/lean (6.3 ± 1.2 g/g) compared with the CHO Group (3.8 ± 0.9). Both groups had significant reductions in serum cholesterol (∼10%), whereas the Protein Group also had significant reductions in triacylglycerols (TAG) (21%) and the ratio of TAG/HDL cholesterol (23%). Women in the CHO Group had higher insulin responses to meals and postprandial hypoglycemia, whereas women in the Protein Group reported greater satiety. This study demonstrates that increasing the proportion of protein to carbohydrate in the diet of adult women has positive effects on body composition, blood lipids, glucose homeostasis and satiety during weight loss."

You don't have to "eat clean," but hitting your macros is important!

Just take a multi-vitamin. That will ensure you get any nutrients you may be deficient in, but your meals really don't sound that bad. Salmon and veggies for dinner is great. Add more veggies and fruit to your diet and you should be fine. Yes, whole grains and lean protein is good too, but you're at a good start. Keep going. Your diet will change naturally as you begin to become more conscious of what you are eating.

1200 calories is hard to lose weight and keep it off on.

you really need to figure out what your BMR and your TDEE is and then eat in between those 2 numbers, esp if exercising.

I found out I burn between 2600-3000 calories everyday.. It's no wonder i collapsed when I was eating under 1,000.

(yes I am set at 1200 calories, but my calories adjust automatically when I upload my exercise and i eat back my calories)

Just take a multi-vitamin. That will ensure you get any nutrients you may be deficient in, but your meals really don't sound that bad. Salmon and veggies for dinner is great. Add more veggies and fruit to your diet and you should be fine. Yes, whole grains and lean protein is good too, but you're at a good start. Keep going. Your diet will change naturally as you begin to become more conscious of what you are eating.

Definitely a multivitamin would be a good idea. But it is no replacement for healthful eating (not that you are suggesting that).