1200cal day impossible.. Help

Jgirl8242
Jgirl8242 Posts: 3
in Health and Weight Loss
I started eating clean.. well cleaner but I am having a really hard time getting 1200cal a day. I've never been a big eater but I'm wondering if there are any tips and tricks out there. I don't want to be harming my body by too few calories but I cant eat all day long lol.. please if anyone has some ideas or suggestions it would be greatly appriciated.
I use a Protein shake after a workout as well as a fibre supplement and multivitamin. Thanks so much

Replies

  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    Nuts, avocado, cheese.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    A glass of milk is several hundred calories. Cheese is 100 calories per cubic inch.

    A piece of bread is 150 calories. A bagel is 300 calories.

    Nuts or figs or dates: a palm-ful is 100 calories.

    A cup of beans is 200 calories.

    Basically anything that a culture has built a cuisine around is calorie dense and fairly nutritious. Add some cheese to a sandwich. Have a glass of milk. Eat a spoonful of peanut butter or a handful of cashews. Then you can eat all the lean meat and veggies you want.

    If you're really stuck add a little olive oil or butter to your veggies.

    It's easy to hit 1200.
  • Aaliyae
    Aaliyae Posts: 7 Member
    Personally I don't think you absolutely have to hit that 1200 calorie mark (although of course I'm no expert), I just try to make sure I'm getting plenty of fruits, vegetables and meats in my three main meals for the day as well as eating whenever I feel truly hungry.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    Nuts, seeds, avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, butter, peanut butter, bananas, eggs, cheese.....1200 calories is easy.

    Opening your diary so others could see what you're currently eating would make it easier to offer advice. :smile:
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
    Nuts, avocado, cheese.

    +1

    Coconut, nut butters (peanutbutter, almond butter ect) quinoa, sweet potatoes full fat and calorie greek yogurt.
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    You have 2 lbs left to go and you're eating 1200 a day? Why?
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
    You have 2 lbs left to go and you're eating 1200 a day? Why?



    1200 is too low, you need to set your weight loss to .5 lbs a week.
  • krabak
    krabak Posts: 2
    1200kcal is pretty low so dunno if it is necessary for you to actually go that low, might do more harm (in form of lean body mass loss) than good even. It's usually more beneficial to adjust the equation by increasing exercise than eating less since although both induce calorie deficit, exercise also boosts your metabolic rate and helps you to preserve muscle mass and burn (mostly) fat, whereas very low calorie diet burns both fat and muscle.
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
    Certainly possible...but why? Eat real food...in sufficient amounts. Most people really can lose efficiently eating a lot more. I lost all this weight eating over 1600...plus my burns.
  • foxruddellc1
    foxruddellc1 Posts: 65 Member
    Congrats on eating cleaner!!! But yes, what a few others have said, avocado, nuts, peanut butter, evoo, are all great fats.

    Could you add 2 tbs of peanut or almond butter to your shake and make it with full fat milk? Or is this right after a workout and you are not at home? That could easily add 300 calories to a 200 calorie shake.
  • Jgirl8242
    Jgirl8242 Posts: 3
    It's not so much about losing the couple pounds, Im trying to get in shape and take better care of my body :) and I find eating clean I can only hit about 800 calories, but if I eat junk then I have no problem hitting the 1200 mark. But I worry that it wont help me gain and muscle or tone anything up :s
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    What's your definition of "clean"? There are a ton of healthy ways to get 400cal. I have a hard time believing you're only able to eat 800cal of healthy food a day.
  • TX_Rhon
    TX_Rhon Posts: 1,549 Member
    You have 2 lbs left to go and you're eating 1200 a day? Why?



    1200 is too low, you need to set your weight loss to .5 lbs a week.

    This!!!
  • LH85DC
    LH85DC Posts: 231 Member
    Personally I don't think you absolutely have to hit that 1200 calorie mark (although of course I'm no expert), I just try to make sure I'm getting plenty of fruits, vegetables and meats in my three main meals for the day as well as eating whenever I feel truly hungry.

    I wouldn't take this advice, she appears to be under eating pretty significantly, if her logs are correct. Unless you are extremely short, quite inactive and have a lot of weight to lose, 1200 calories is probably too low for you. Try to set your goal to be a little less aggressive- 1 or .5 lbs/week rather than 2. Setting a goal that you can't stick to (i.e.1200) will make it more likely that you'll binge or quit, a more reasonable goal will make things easier and more enjoyable!
  • LH85DC
    LH85DC Posts: 231 Member
    It's not so much about losing the couple pounds, Im trying to get in shape and take better care of my body :) and I find eating clean I can only hit about 800 calories, but if I eat junk then I have no problem hitting the 1200 mark. But I worry that it wont help me gain and muscle or tone anything up :s

    Nuts, avocados and nut butters are still healthy foods. That said, as long as your protein goal is high enough, a little bit of 'unclean' (not sure what your definition is, I don't think of foods as clean/unclean) won't hurt anything. Consistently not eating enough food can be harmful though.
  • salkaabi1000
    salkaabi1000 Posts: 24
    1200 is good amount, I did manage to eat 1200 for like 3.5 months. And I lose over 16kg

    Some days I eat less than 1000 and I feel satisfy

    Ofcource some days I eat more but never pass 1700 in worest case, and that is rare

    My food skimmed milk with spcial K for breakfast or white egg only which igs just 17 cal
    With low fat cheese and brown bread sliced

    I drink 3 cup of green tea

    And for dinner/lunch usually turkey low fat with low fat cheese and brown bread

    I do start lately drink protein as drink insteaf of juice with my meal

    Or on pharmacy they do sell blackberry or apple/redberry flavor for 1.5lt of water which it has only 2 cal per 100ml

    Between meals sometime I eat snacks with max 120 caloeies

    I use fitbit to track my daily activities and add it as extra
  • DanaHerro
    DanaHerro Posts: 186 Member
    Peanut Butter. Delicious and an easy way to get calories.
    1200 is SO low as it is, please don't go under that.
  • healthygreek
    healthygreek Posts: 2,137 Member
    I'm sorry, I will never get this type of post.
    I eat very well and have no problem reaching my goal.
    Unless you are just eating steamed veggies, you should have no problem whatsoever eating 1200 calories!
    Just eat!
    Veggies with butter or olive oil.
    Nuts and nut butters.
    Bananas and avocados
    Rice and pasta
    Eggs
    Beans
    Fish, poultry, pork, lamb or beef.
    Whole grain bread.
    Olives
    Ice cream.
    Chocolate.
    Yoghurt.
    Honey.
    Fruit.
    Seeds.
    Why, we even had fried crickets in Mexico and snails in Greece.
  • RunMyOregonBunsOff
    RunMyOregonBunsOff Posts: 862 Member
    Add in some brown rice or other whole grains. You could do brown rice with a little olive oil or add in some coconut oil to some of your foods.
  • alibee88
    alibee88 Posts: 31
    If you're trying to gain muscle as your second post suggests, you need to be eating way way way more than that. I would be eating at maintenance and using exercise to do some body recomposition, slowly losing fat and building a bit of muscle.

    With 3lb to go, you're basically at the right weight so eating at 1200 calories is IMO only going to lose you lean muscle tissue.
  • pammypurple
    pammypurple Posts: 27 Member
    Sometimes the boards just make me sad and annoyed.
  • JessLov67
    JessLov67 Posts: 27
    You're eating 1200 calories a day? That isn't near enough if you want to get lean.
  • sloth3toes
    sloth3toes Posts: 2,212 Member
    It's not so much about losing the couple pounds, Im trying to get in shape and take better care of my body :) and I find eating clean I can only hit about 800 calories, but if I eat junk then I have no problem hitting the 1200 mark. But I worry that it wont help me gain and muscle or tone anything up :s

    Have you had any issues with eating disorders, by any chance?
  • lizzyclatworthy
    lizzyclatworthy Posts: 296 Member
    I managed to live on 1200 calories for months. It was stupid and pointless and unsustainable. I am indebted to those who talked me out of it. Listen to these people. They know what they're talking about!

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