Do I really need to eat my recommend calories?

Try sitting down , and dividing up your total calorie goals into goals you'd like to hit for each meal . I just started doing it but I think it helps to first start hitting the small targets as each meal/snack time comes around. My daily goal is 1570 , currently I do breakfast: 270, snack 140, lunch 400, snack 130, dinner 500 snack 130. I'm sure most would say eat your biggest meal in the morning but I find even if I do that I will still want to eat more at night, so I just eat a smaller breakfast because I'm not hungry anyways.
Try having an extra serving/ half-serving of some of the healthy foods you're already enjoying . I'm sorry, I just realized I didn't even directly answer your question! There are a lot of different opinions on this, honestly I wouldn't want to net under 1200 a day. There will most likely be a debate on this thread about it but ultimately your doctor can give you the best answer.

I come up short a lot of days, too, and have been wondering the same thing. Thanks for asking. I'll be following the thread.

1200 IS pretty low. You should recalculate that here: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

I have the same problem too. In fact I've seemed to gained a steady pound since I've started my attempt to net 1200 daily. I do feel more energetic, but my stomach has never ceased being bloated. Not sure if this is just my body adapting to a new eating schedule, or if I'm actually just on the path to gaining weight.

Well at 100 lbs that's what happens when you up your calories....serious stuff.

I would try to eat your recommended calories. But if you are full, you don't have to get the calories though food. Adding a cup of juice or milk (even chocolate) can easily add 100-300 calories depending on the drink.

I sense an unhealthy relationship with food and body image.....1200 contrary to popular belief, is not a lot of calories.

Seriously? Yes, she's 100 pounds. She is also 5'2" and only 19 years old. Her metabolism is through the roof, I would imagine. When I was her age (and also 5'2") I weighed 101 pounds with a very healthy relationship with food and my body image. However, I wasn't looking to lose weight. But still.. we are here for support and not to bring each other down. Right?

I just started here on MFP and at first I thought the 1200 cal/day thing was actually pretty low. But now that I've actually started tracking my eating habits, I'm coming up way short on calories at the end of the day; especially on days I work out.

I have a very odd appetite in that I'll work all day without even the slightest bit of hunger, my blood sugar suddenly plummets to the point of getting the shakes/dizzines etc, and then ut basically reminds me I need to eat. So to combat this, I've started eating small meals through the day, even in the morning when I am not the slightest bit hungry.

I've been feeling satiated, healthy, no more blood sugar crashes, and overall just energetic.

So my question is, do I have to *make* myself eat the remaining calories? I feel like I'm wasting food (the healthy foods out here in Hawaii are pricey!) almost and I have started actually eating to the point where I feel stuffed to hit the 1200 mark in my net calories (usually at night when I notice I haven't reached it) and I feel like poo after! I *really* don't want to just scarf down empty calories to make up for the difference, but when I see that I haven't met the 1200, I pretty much always reach for a sugary treat because it's nighttime and that's always been my bad habit

Any suggestions?

Buy a food scale and weigh all of your solid food. See how accurate you really are. It's possilble you are eating more than the 1200 calories you think you are eating.

I sense an unhealthy relationship with food and body image.....1200 contrary to popular belief, is not a lot of calories.

Seriously? Yes, she's 100 pounds. She is also 5'2" and only 19 years old. Her metabolism is through the roof, I would imagine. When I was her age (and also 5'2") I weighed 101 pounds with a very healthy relationship with food and my body image. However, I wasn't looking to lose weight. But still.. we are here for support and not to bring each other down. Right?

The OP states she has a history of eating disorder and is posting that she's having trouble eating enough.

So, yes. Seriously. She needs help.

I sense an unhealthy relationship with food and body image.....1200 contrary to popular belief, is not a lot of calories.

Seriously? Yes, she's 100 pounds. She is also 5'2" and only 19 years old. Her metabolism is through the roof, I would imagine. When I was her age (and also 5'2") I weighed 101 pounds with a very healthy relationship with food and my body image. However, I wasn't looking to lose weight. But still.. we are here for support and not to bring each other down. Right?

Huh? Why are you mad again?

Blindly condoning a very low calorie diet is not being supportive - it's enabling.

Not to mention, if her metabolism is "through the roof", she should be wolfing down everything in sight, as my son was at that age.

Great point.

Try a greek yogurt protein smoothie.

I don't think one yogurt smoothie is going to help this girl overcome her issue of not wanting to eat enough calories consistently.

When I started I had a lot of questions and the more I asked the more different points of view I got which led me to confusion. I was told about a article that has a ton of references by doctors, nutritionists, etc.. It really helped me understand what I can and can't do with my calorie intake. This link is to a article that I was reading which may be helpful to you too, but on the right is a selection of articles that may answer the exact questions you have. http://evidencemag.com/fat-loss-deficit/ I hope this helps! It did me!

Yes you do need to eat your recommended calories. 1200 is already quite low, but you can kid yourself into thinking you're eating enough when you're below that level. You're not.

The reasons you need to eat your recommended calories are:

- below that level it is very difficult for your body to get sufficient vitamins and minerals for long-term health. Supplements are not a long-term solution and if you are eating very small amounts you will not be absorbing the stated amounts on the bottle. If you don't want to have to deal with your hair falling out in six months then you need to make sure you are EATING enough of the essential vitamins and minerals, not to mention protein and all the other macronutrients
- bodies can adapt to eating low amounts, to the point that you no longer feel hunger at a lower level. Your metabolism slows down after a long period of eating like this and it can be distressing to see the scale shooting up the minute you start eating a 'normal' amount. Your profile says you have anxiety issues, which can be made worse by being hungry and I imagine in your case is going to cause significant stress when you see the scale going up. Eat more now and avoid this becoming a much bigger problem later on.
- Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) will be higher than what you are eating. If you continually eat below your BMR you aren't providing your body with the nutrition it needs to do all the normal things bodies do. Eating under your BMR for long periods will cause the problem I mentioned above
- Many people your size on MFP are still losing weight eating 1200, 1300, 1400 and more calories a day. There is no reason why you won't either.
- Your profile states you want to be physically strong. The fact that you are unable to identify your hunger to the point you are getting blood sugar slumps suggests that your current eating patterns are not making you strong.

I wonder if you have just got used to not eating much and are feeling anxious when you are eating more because you are worried about your weight. This is something that you need to overcome, whether it be by making a concerted effort to reach your goal calories for the day or by seeking professional help.

I sense an unhealthy relationship with food and body image.....1200 contrary to popular belief, is not a lot of calories.

Seriously? Yes, she's 100 pounds. She is also 5'2" and only 19 years old. Her metabolism is through the roof, I would imagine. When I was her age (and also 5'2") I weighed 101 pounds with a very healthy relationship with food and my body image. However, I wasn't looking to lose weight. But still.. we are here for support and not to bring each other down. Right?

Huh? Why are you mad again?

Blindly condoning a very low calorie diet is not being supportive - it's enabling.

What? I'm not mad at all. Was just stating we are here for support.

Telling a young girl with a history of eating disorder that it's OK to eat less than the minimum recommended calories is pretty much the opposite of support.

I sense an unhealthy relationship with food and body image.....1200 contrary to popular belief, is not a lot of calories.

Seriously? Yes, she's 100 pounds. She is also 5'2" and only 19 years old. Her metabolism is through the roof, I would imagine. When I was her age (and also 5'2") I weighed 101 pounds with a very healthy relationship with food and my body image. However, I wasn't looking to lose weight. But still.. we are here for support and not to bring each other down. Right?

Huh? Why are you mad again?

Blindly condoning a very low calorie diet is not being supportive - it's enabling.

What? I'm not mad at all. Was just stating we are here for support.

Telling a young girl with a history of eating disorder that it's OK to eat less than the minimum recommended calories is pretty much the opposite of support.

Will you please quote the part for me where the OP said they had a history of eating disorderbecause I seriously missed that part.

Huh? Why are you mad again?

Blindly condoning a very low calorie diet is not being supportive - it's enabling.
[/quote]
What? I'm not mad at all. Was just stating we are here for support.
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Telling a young girl with a history of eating disorder that it's OK to eat less than the minimum recommended calories is pretty much the opposite of support.
[/quote]

Please show me where I said eating less than 1200 is ok!