I am STARVING!!

If you've got as much as 80lbs to lose you need to take it slower than jumping straight into 1200 cals per day. No wonder you're hungry! Could you open your diary, please? Also, are you exercising? If you give us some more detail perhaps we'll be able to help you...

Even using the high end of your calorie estimates, you are still only hitting 1100 calories. What are your stats, height, weight, activity level?

Most responses will be "eat more" and I would follow that. Most people can reasonably lose on 1500 calories or more depending on activity level. You don't need to be hungry. Also, adding more protein and fat will help with the fullness factor.

I feel like I shouldn't be hungry but I am! I am eating around 1200 calories daily.

Well there's your problem.

Hit your goal, hit your protein macro.. then fat.. then worry about filling out the rest with delicious carbs.

Stats? 1200 is probably too low for you. But, just some quick suggestions...
- There are instant oatmeal packs that are only 100 cals. Make one of those with water. You could either add 1/2 a banana or a bunch of berries. Or, you could bank the 40 cals.
- Get plain vanilla greek yogurt. You get a full 8 oz for 130 cals (more protein). Sweeten with stevia or add some honey or fruit (can use the 40 cals you saved from the oatmeal)
- Lunch needs a major overhaul. There are many better things you could spend 250-300 cals on that will fill out up more. La Tortilla factory sells 50 cal high fiber/low carb tortillas. Fill a couple of those (100) with an oz each of deli meat (50 cal for 2 oz of turkey), and lots of veggies (probably less than 15 cals). can use mustard as a condiment or I would sometimes split a laughing cow between the two. That all is less than 200 cals. For another 150 you could make yourself a very large sized salad with some lower calorie (45 cals per 2 tbls) dressing. There are a lot out there that fit this bill. 100 cals of veggies is a large amount of food. You could even throw some beans on there to help keep you fuller longer. Or, a smaller salad and add a piece of fruit. When I was on lower calorie budget I ate some variation of this most days for lunch.
- For dinner try swapping out the brown rice for some squash. It lets you eat a large amount of food for a lot less calories and it feels like a starchy side to complement your meal.
- The cereal snack is not going to fill you up much at all. eat more greek yogurt or cook yourself an egg white omlet. You can make a huge one with veggies for like 60 cals. Throw in a piece of lower calorie bread (50 cals) and you have a snack that has staying power for around 100 calories. Try this for breakfast too if you have time to make it.

Um, no WONDER you are starving! You aren't eating enough!!

MFP is quite notorious for setting calorie goals FAR too low, regardless of height and weight. For example, it told me to eat 1200, and my BMR (the bare amount of calories I need to LIVE) is 1280. And I am extremely tiny, only 5 feet. So unless you are smaller than me, or bedridden, it is almost a CERTAINTY that you are eating too little. (This can result in lean muscle loss, chronic fatigue, metabolism damage, and bingeing due to over-restriction.)

Go to

http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

and enter your height/weight/activity level.

Subtract 10-20% from the number it calculates for you, and that is the number of calories you should be eating a day in order to lose weight.

I have cut down what I eat and am trying to eat more healthy. I need to loose around 80 pounds. However, I find that I am constantly starving!! I have also just recently cut out Mountain Dew and was wondering if this is just my bodies way of dealing with that change. Any tips on what to do to stay full on a low calorie diet? Here is an example of what my day looks like:
*Breakfast 5:30am - Quaker Instant Oatmeal packet (140 cal)
*Snack 7am - vanilla greek yogurt (120 cal & 12 grams protein)
*Lunch 11am - a frozen lean cuisine or weight watchers meal (around 250-300 cal & 8-15 grams of protein)
*Snack 1pm- beef jerky (100 CAL)
*Dinner 5pm- grilled chicken breast, carrots, and broccoli w/ brown rice and terakihi sauce (around 350-400 cal)'
*snack 8-9pm- special k cereal w/ 1% milk (140 cal)
*water to drink all day. I sometimes may have a 1/2 apple juice.
I feel like I shouldn't be hungry but I am! I am eating around 1200 calories daily.

Eat more. Start your day with more protein. skip the cereal.

Eat more protein and fat. For your carbohydrates, look for complex carbs high in fiber (fruit and veggies, beans, whole wheat bread and pasta, brown rice). Instant oatmeal packets, flavored yogurt, and frozen meals are going to be high in simple carbs, so you won't feel sated from it even though it's a reasonable number of calories. I'm not against eating these things, but make sure you're hitting your protein and fat macros in doing so or expect to be hungry.

Also, eat more. 1500-1800 calories would be a much more reasonable target, and you'll still lose weight.

Stats? 1200 is probably too low for you. But, just some quick suggestions...
- There are instant oatmeal packs that are only 100 cals. Make one of those with water. You could either add 1/2 a banana or a bunch of berries. Or, you could bank the 40 cals.
- Get plain vanilla greek yogurt. You get a full 8 oz for 130 cals (more protein). Sweeten with stevia or add some honey or fruit (can use the 40 cals you saved from the oatmeal)
- Lunch needs a major overhaul. There are many better things you could spend 250-300 cals on that will fill out up more. La Tortilla factory sells 50 cal high fiber/low carb tortillas. Fill a couple of those (100) with an oz each of deli meat (50 cal for 2 oz of turkey), and lots of veggies (probably less than 15 cals). can use mustard as a condiment or I would sometimes split a laughing cow between the two. That all is less than 200 cals. For another 150 you could make yourself a very large sized salad with some lower calorie (45 cals per 2 tbls) dressing. There are a lot out there that fit this bill. 100 cals of veggies is a large amount of food. You could even throw some beans on there to help keep you fuller longer. Or, a smaller salad and add a piece of fruit. When I was on lower calorie budget I ate some variation of this most days for lunch.
- For dinner try swapping out the brown rice for some squash. It lets you eat a large amount of food for a lot less calories and it feels like a starchy side to complement your meal.
- The cereal snack is not going to fill you up much at all. eat more greek yogurt or cook yourself an egg white omlet. You can make a huge one with veggies for like 60 cals. Throw in a piece of lower calorie bread (50 cals) and you have a snack that has staying power for around 100 calories. Try this for breakfast too if you have time to make it.

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I have cut down what I eat and am trying to eat more healthy. I need to loose around 80 pounds. However, I find that I am constantly starving!! I have also just recently cut out Mountain Dew and was wondering if this is just my bodies way of dealing with that change. Any tips on what to do to stay full on a low calorie diet? Here is an example of what my day looks like:
*Breakfast 5:30am - Quaker Instant Oatmeal packet (140 cal)
*Snack 7am - vanilla greek yogurt (120 cal & 12 grams protein)
*Lunch 11am - a frozen lean cuisine or weight watchers meal (around 250-300 cal & 8-15 grams of protein)
*Snack 1pm- beef jerky (100 CAL)
*Dinner 5pm- grilled chicken breast, carrots, and broccoli w/ brown rice and terakihi sauce (around 350-400 cal)'
*snack 8-9pm- special k cereal w/ 1% milk (140 cal)
*water to drink all day. I sometimes may have a 1/2 apple juice.
I feel like I shouldn't be hungry but I am! I am eating around 1200 calories daily.

Eat a more filling breakfast. Try eggs or something with your oatmeal. 140 cal is not a meal
Stop eating the frozen meals, they are full if sodium and not filling at all

I am 5'4 and weigh 237 pounds. I have never had a weight issue before now, my original weight is 110 pounds. I have four kids and done really well loosing weight with all but my last one. That's why I have this weight to loose.

So you gained over 100 lb with one pregnancy? Why was that one different?

Bottom line: you need to eat more. You have 80 pounds to lose, which means you can eat more ans still lose weight.

I'll bet if you eat 1500 or 1600 calories you will modernist fine.

Where did you come up with a diet of 1000 calories?

I feel like I'm talking to my 2009 self. These were the foods I used to eat constantly. Diet foods. Packaged foods. Sodium filled foods. Non-food foods. Full of CARBS foods.

First of all, you can eat more than that! 1600-1800 calories easily. But ditch the cereals and the lean cuisines...you can eat a massive salad filled with veggies and lean protein for such a lower cal hit than a lean cuisine. And less sodium...healthier....the cereals are just processed carbs that will spike your blood sugar and make you more hungry. And check your greek yogurt. They aren't equal. Many are very, very high in sugar and carbs...and not the good kind. Check the sugar content!

Clean it up. Real food. Protein. fresh veggies. Cut way back on the packaged stuff...it will equal MORE food...yay! And less starving. yay!

This changed my world...and I was the special K, Vanilla Chobani, Lean Cuisine QUEEN!

This may sound odd, but for me: If I eat oats for breakfast I am hungry ALL day. It doesnt matter how much I eat for the rest of the day, if I start on oats I feel hollow all day and just want to eat, eat, eat. I just thought Id mention it in case Im not alone on this, it took me a few times to work it out. I dont know why, thats just the way it is for me

Yes! Same with me. I thought I was abnormal coz the packets all say you will be full until lunch time but I am always starving by 2nd breakfast at 7.00 unless I have a protein based breakfast.

Agree..eat more. At the very least add some protein and fat to your breakfast...you'll be satisfied much longer. You're low on everything but sodium with the menu you're on...eat more, eat real food.