I can't stay under my calories...HELP!!!

Maybe adjust your goals to lose less per week so you can eat more. Then after you get used to it drop down a bit more. Try eating several smaller meals so you feel like you're eating more often/a lot. High protein snacks can help hold off cravings. Hard boiled egg whites? Almonds? Good luck!!!

yes. I would suggest water, hot unsweet teas, and most especially raw fruits and veggies. I would also not stress about going over fiber and protein, the suggestions on this site are rather low. If you find you are going over sugar, sodium and carbs, that would be a red flag for me...
pack a baggie with carrots, grapes, asian pear, apples, bell peppers, celery, any combo you really like!! low cal and filling.

i get chocolate cravings, i buy the 100 calorie packs to help when i have those, otherwise i eat a lot of fruits and veggies throughout the day, i also have a 1200 cal goal

Make sure that you are not drinking wasted calories like: soda, juice, and subsitute with water which is ZEO Cals, if you have to flavor with Lemon or line or Crystal Light. Milk is another if not eaten with cereal. Try oatmeal plain and get some agave nector, it's natural and only 60 per tbsp. Drink lots of water throughout the day that helps me..

for me, it's psychosymatic. Since I know I can't eat anymore, it makes me want to eat that much more. But I find edamame is relatively filling and since it's a llittle tedious to eat, it's a distraction from the hunger. Always eat whole wheat and like pinkissheek is hinting at, drink a looooot of water. It flushes your system and fills you up for the time being. Plus, you may want to eat salad with dressing on the side as an appetizer for lunch and dinner to help stay within your calorie goal. That takes away from the hunger so you don't eat as much of the entree. I also find bananas and peanut butter are filling. There's tons of tricks to eating right and staying within reccomended calories. And the good news is, once your inner stomach gets used to eating so little, it will shrink. And it will no longer be a hard task to eat 1200 calories a day.

MFP generally doesn't recommend you eat under 1200 calories. And not to mention, if you are hungry, there is a reason for that! Like, that your body needs fuel...

I'm curious what it is going on. So can you give us some more details? What does MFP say your goal is and what amount of weight do you have it set for you to lose? And why are you trying to stay under your calories? Sounds like you are trying to starve yourself.

Also, the point about empty calories is a good one.

I don't know if this is within your budget (they're rather expensive) but someone gave us a package of Miracle Noodles. They are like Japanese celophane noodles, but they're O calories. I eat them with a teaspoon of Brummel and Brown spread and salt, or a half cup of tomato sauce and it fills my craving for carbs. 1 package is a decent sized serving for 1 person. Just a thought.

Best of luck. One of the things my dietician recommended was to watch portion sizes and to eat more often in smaller quantities.

Also if hungry is a problem, I find green tea sweetened with Stevia helps.

Hit the gym lady! I try to burn about 1000 calories a day that is pretty high but it allows me to eat 2200 calories and still lose weight the more you work out the more you can eat with out going over! Good luck

I just changed my thing to lose a pound per week and that upped my calories to 1620 which seems way more realistic to me and like something I can do. Thanks so much!!!!

There you go!

Way too many people think they have to starve or that the best way is lots all at once. Good luck! And I bet you'll feel tons better now.

No matter how few calories you eat, you won't lose the weight if you can't be consistent over the long haul. So please if it's that difficult, it's better for you to slow down and eat more. You didn't put on the weight by eating a few hundred calories over 1200, you put it on most probably by eating a few thousand calories over 1200. You may have been eating between 2500-3000 calories before (I know that seems huge know but you'd be surprised how many calories are in the everyday fast food/starbucks coffee, processed foods diet).

So relax, slow it down, find a good middle to start with and avoid anything that has a high amount of sugar + fat. Either way, whether you're eating 1200 cals/day, or 1500 cals/day you won't see results immediately, so don't be in too much of a rush thinking somehow eating at 1200 cals will get you THERE sooner. Most likely it will get you to give up sooner.

Also, if you're gonna hit the gym, I'd suggest it's better for you to take long walks, high intensity activity will make you hungrier and you'll probably end up eating back the calories you've burned. Something low like a walk will still burn cals and won't hit your appetite as hard.

Exactly what everyone else said. Lose the weight a little more gradually. Also try to remember how badly you want to lose weight. You will no doubt have days when you are surround by bad choices, and you feel hungry and you just want to eat something. It happens to all of us all the time.

Just last night, I was at the girlfriends who insisted that we go out at 10 p.m and buy toll house cookies, because she needed them oh so badly. Of course, I couldn't stop her.. But I did stop myself form eating any. It just comes down to how badly you want it. Do you want the cookie more then the weight loss?

Be prepared to ask yourself those questions often.


P.S remember, the more healthy food you eat, the more food you can have during the day. For example 8oz of baked chicken is 280 calories. So that means you could eat a POUND of chicken for 560 calories! Which I do every day

I've taken to making homemade soups and eating wheat bread (together are only about 200 calories). Having that for lunch and a fibre packed breakfast (weetabix anyone?) comes to about 400 calories so far. The cereal keeps you less hungry throughout the day (and not constantly needing the loo after drinking so much water) and low calorie soups with a bread roll fill you up! I don't usually need to eat again until about 8pm If anyone would like some recipes drop me a message!