What kind of diet am I on and always hungry and angry?

My daily calorie intake is 1200 and goes up to about 1500-1600 when I exercise. Why is it that im always hungry? Is it im not eating the right food? I normally eat 2 boiled eggs in the morning with 1 peice of toast. Lunch is normally 1 piece of bread with mustard, and one slice of Oscar Myer Turkey that is my sandwhich. I will also eat a cucumber salad for lunch with my sandwhich and my total salad is one cup with cucumbers only and a little ranch. My dinner normally is a full dinner equal to a serving size of a 1 year old. Please help I am hungry with head aches on a regular. I feel like I am starving myself.
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Replies

  • jess135177
    jess135177 Posts: 186 Member
    You only have 7 lbs to go? EAT MORE! Set your goal to .5 lbs a week so you can actually eat. Your lunch would make me so hangry. If you are miserable and have headaches you need to eat more!
  • kshadows
    kshadows Posts: 1,315 Member
    You need to eat WAY more than that. How tall are you and how much do you weigh??

    Your BMR is likely higher than 1200 calories a day so in essence, you probably are starving yourself.
  • jessspurr
    jessspurr Posts: 258 Member
    I'm not sure what your stats are (would be helpful to know), but if I ate only what you listed every day I would feel exactly the same way!
  • Dougf90
    Dougf90 Posts: 95 Member
    Could you set your diary to public so we could take a look? Also, are you set to lose 2lbs/wk? Since you have 7bs to go, maybe you could change it to 1lb/wk?
  • rides4sanity
    rides4sanity Posts: 1,269 Member
    Sound like you body needs more. Try upping your calories by a few hundred. You only have 7lbs left to lose. What calories does MFP put you at if you wnat to lose 0.5 - 1lb per week? I'm really short, and it tells me 1350'ish... Good luck!
  • just35lbstogo
    just35lbstogo Posts: 53 Member
    That doesn't sound like 1200 or 1500-1600 cals to me... Are you tracking properly? This sounds like more around the 500-700 calorie range depending on what you eat for dinner. Eggs and toast are probably only 200 cals (if that). Lunch around 200 or less. Dinner... I have no idea but by the portion size it doesn't sound like much.
  • fatbitt
    fatbitt Posts: 24
    Based on what you said you eat for breakfast and lunch, that together barely adds up to 500 calories, if that. That would leave you with a solid 700 calories for dinner, which if you're doing it right is plenty of food to fill you up and more than a toddler sized portion. Yes, you most likely should be eating more, but as for the 1200 calories, you shouldn't feel that hungry if you're eating the nutrient dense foods!
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    Sounds ridiculously low, especially with only 7 lbs to go. Change your settings to .5 lbs /week and eat more, be happier.
  • davepearson86
    davepearson86 Posts: 158 Member
    If I was only eating 1200 calories I would probably skip bread just makes me more hungry.
  • fatbitt
    fatbitt Posts: 24
    That doesn't sound like 1200 or 1500-1600 cals to me... Are you tracking properly? This sounds like more around the 500-700 calorie range depending on what you eat for dinner. Eggs and toast are probably only 200 cals (if that). Lunch around 200 or less. Dinner... I have no idea but by the portion size it doesn't sound like much.

    Jinx. My thoughts exactly. 1200 might not be much, but it's way more than what the OP seems to be eating.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Could you set your diary to public so we could take a look? Also, are you set to lose 2lbs/wk? Since you have 7bs to go, maybe you could change it to 1lb/wk?

    OP, you're getting good advice above. If you are comfortable setting your diary to public for us you can go to Settings > Diary Settings > Public and hit Save. It really does help if we can take a look.
  • Waggoner83
    Waggoner83 Posts: 112 Member
    I am 5"7 and weigh 157lbs.
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
    My daily calorie intake is 1200 and goes up to about 1500-1600 when I exercise. Why is it that im always hungry? Is it im not eating the right food? I normally eat 2 boiled eggs in the morning with 1 peice of toast. Lunch is normally 1 piece of bread with mustard, and one slice of Oscar Myer Turkey that is my sandwhich. I will also eat a cucumber salad for lunch with my sandwhich and my total salad is one cup with cucumbers only and a little ranch. My dinner normally is a full dinner equal to a serving size of a 1 year old. Please help I am hungry with head aches on a regular. I feel like I am starving myself.
    That doesn't sound like 1200-1500 cal?
  • Waggoner83
    Waggoner83 Posts: 112 Member
    My diary is now public.
  • JLervold86
    JLervold86 Posts: 93 Member
    Take the bread out and up your protein and get some good healthy fats in there, they keep you fuller longer.
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
    You're ridiculously low on fats and protein, which is what helps keep you satiated. I'd be hungry too.
  • When you eat complex carbohydrates (aka bread) you spike your insulin levels for about an hour after eating it, and then crash. Your body is designed to want to keep its insulin levels consistent, so you get hungry, usually for breads/sugars and the like. This is totally what happened with me when I ate bread for breakfast and lunch. Add protein, and though it sounds counter intuitive, some healthy fats (think avocado or nuts) and take the bread out, or cut it in half. These foods keep you fuller waaaaay longer, and don't spike your insulin levels like bread will!
  • crystalflame
    crystalflame Posts: 1,049 Member
    There's a lot of quick added calories in your diary. Are these estimates of things you're eating? Why not find them in the database?

    From what I can see that you're eating, it's a lot of bread and not enough protein or fat. Add about 4 more slices of turkey onto that sandwich and some avocado and see how you feel. And yeah, with everyone who says to up your calorie intake... I'm 5'5" and 125 lbs, and I eat 1500 calories a day at least to lose weight.
  • just35lbstogo
    just35lbstogo Posts: 53 Member
    That doesn't sound like 1200 or 1500-1600 cals to me... Are you tracking properly? This sounds like more around the 500-700 calorie range depending on what you eat for dinner. Eggs and toast are probably only 200 cals (if that). Lunch around 200 or less. Dinner... I have no idea but by the portion size it doesn't sound like much.

    Jinx. My thoughts exactly. 1200 might not be much, but it's way more than what the OP seems to be eating.

    Oh yeah! I'm at 1200 per day and on top of that I workout and usually burn 400-500c. Even if I only eat 1200 I'm not usually hungry and I eat a heck of a lot more than the OP. I would be angry and hungry too. haha
  • It's kind of hard to tell what's going on with so many "quick add" items in your diary.

    Two things that are questionable. First, are you actually getting 1200 calories net per day? Maybe spend a couple days measuring accurately and fully tracking everything.

    Second, is that even the right target? I think not. You're probably in or getting close to in the healthy weight range. When you're there, you just can't consistently lose 1 or 2 pounds per week anymore.
  • nedtoloseme
    nedtoloseme Posts: 98 Member
    When you eat complex carbohydrates (aka bread) you spike your insulin levels for about an hour after eating it, and then crash. Your body is designed to want to keep its insulin levels consistent, so you get hungry, usually for breads/sugars and the like. This is totally what happened with me when I ate bread for breakfast and lunch. Add protein, and though it sounds counter intuitive, some healthy fats (think avocado or nuts) and take the bread out, or cut it in half. These foods keep you fuller waaaaay longer, and don't spike your insulin levels like bread will!

    Agree completely. I began eating more protein and am trying to cut back on the carbs. It does keep you fuller longer. Just another suggestion - you may want to drink more water and find foods with less sodium in it. I'm learning that what we're doing is all about making adjustments. You're almost there - congratulations gurl!
  • Waggoner83
    Waggoner83 Posts: 112 Member
    It's kind of hard to tell what's going on with so many "quick add" items in your diary.

    Two things that are questionable. First, are you actually getting 1200 calories net per day? Maybe spend a couple days measuring accurately and fully tracking everything.

    Second, is that even the right target? I think not. You're probably in or getting close to in the healthy weight range. When you're there, you just can't consistently lose 1 or 2 pounds per week anymore.
  • Waggoner83
    Waggoner83 Posts: 112 Member
    I changed my settings to loose 0.5 a week now. I hope this help. I am new to all of this so be patient with me. The quick adds is because are accurate meals I just do not have time to scan the product or enter it.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    I changed my settings to loose 0.5 a week now. I hope this help. I am new to all of this so be patient with me. The quick adds is because are accurate meals I just do not have time to scan the product or enter it.

    Good job! Also watch your macros (carbs/protein/fats). You need a good balance of these. MFP sets protein very low, so you can up that if you want. 1g protein/ lb of lean body mass is a good rule of thumb. It will also keep you full for longer.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    This looks a lot more reasonable with setting it to .5 a pound a week.

    Agree, get more protein, though it is hard to tell with all the quick adds what your macros look like. I personally would cut down on the amount of calories I was drinking. There are plenty of zero calorie options for beverages. For alcohol I switched to Vodka, with a zero calorie mixer.
  • nicoleduo
    nicoleduo Posts: 27 Member
    Eat more, eat healthy, good quality food that is filling, like fruit and vegetables, lean meat, whole grain pasta and bread, foods high in fiber. watch out for foods high in sodium. limit sweets, crackers, desserts! drink more water.
  • Waggoner83
    Waggoner83 Posts: 112 Member
    Eat more, eat healthy, good quality food that is filling, like fruit and vegetables, lean meat, whole grain pasta and bread, foods high in fiber. watch out for foods high in sodium. limit sweets, crackers, desserts! drink more water.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    with 7 Lbs to go, you should really dial your deficit down to about 1/2 Lb per week...it's kind of like bringing a plane in for a landing...you don't want to bring it in going 100 miles and hour and then have to slam on the breaks.

    I'd recommend slowly increasing your calories until you are at a 1/2 Lb per week loss goal. It will make the transition to maintenance infinity smoother.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    OP you need to eat way way way more protien 3-4 times what you have been. with only 7 lbs to go and a larger deficit than you should have you are at great risk for a large % of your loss coking from lean muscle.

    Changing your goal to lose 0.5lbs/week, getting 100+ grams of protein/day, and strength training will help reduce the amount of muscle you will lose.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    That doesn't sound like 1200 or 1500-1600 cals to me... Are you tracking properly? This sounds like more around the 500-700 calorie range depending on what you eat for dinner. Eggs and toast are probably only 200 cals (if that). Lunch around 200 or less. Dinner... I have no idea but by the portion size it doesn't sound like much.

    This is what I was thinking. I'm currently set to 1,320 cal per day and there are days that I do not get exercise so actually eat around 1300. What you described doesn't even sound like close to 1200.