so i think people are lying

I would LOVE to be able to convince myself I am not hungry.

it ain't me! lol...I'm usually trying to cut back when I'm hitting 1200 calories on most days!

It depends on what you eat--if you're cutting out carbs, it's easy to be under 1200 and still feel full. If you're like me, and you'd probably go postal without starch in your day, it's almost impossible to stay at or below 1200 and feel full.

I think it really depends on what the person is doing. Like you said, if you working out, of course you are gonna be hungry. When i work out, 1200 cals is not enuf even though my limit is 1350. I havent worked out in 2 weeks and 1350 is more than enough for me because very seldom do i finish the whole thing. But see when i work out, total different ball game cuz your metabolism is revved and you need to satisfy it

I was trying to do 1480 and I had a hard time hitting it - I figured I was setting myself up for failure considering my body was used to a good 2500 a day (or more). I raised it to 1650, which I've been more consistent with. When I'm ready to move down to 1480, I will gradually, but I can't imagine being at 1200, let alone not being hungry at 1200.

I just drink a lot of water. I usually down a 16 oz bottle of water before each meal and then I sip water all day and it keeps me full. I also it small meals and light snacks so I feel like I'm eating all day, I think that might help too. But, I usually don't feel hungry. My problem is cravings!

When I first started I thought there was no way I could stick to 1200 calories. After a few weeks my body got use to it and now I have no problems at all. I eat 3 meals a day plus snacks here and there. I actually eat a whole bag of popcorn every night! ...lol.
I just upped my calories to 1330 and I am actually having a hard time getting there, I am so use to the 1200 and I found if I went over the 1200 by much I just throw in an extra exercise and have another snack. It all evened out.

if you eat less for 2-3 weeks your stomach will shrink and you will need less to sustain yourself. At first you will be hungry all the time but conscious and regular snacking (on good foods) will keep the hunger in check and after a while you will be unable to tuck away the same ammount of food that you ate on a regular basis before.

Also... drinking a glass of water before you eat helps you avoid over-eating. 1200 calories seems like a small amount but consider this... there are about 5 calories in a large piece of celery and 110 in a boneless skinless chicken breast. If you adopted the most ill-advised diet ever, you could eat 10 chicken breasts and 20 pieces of celery a day to hit that mark.... not including exercise. You could run for 30 minutes at a 10 minute mile and take down an extra 5 chicken breasts... so the big question is where you are getting your calories from. Maybe you should carry around a cooked chicken breast and eat that whenever you feel hungry between meal times.

I think it depends on the person, I try to stay @ 1200 and I'm not hungry, if you eat 6-7 small meals a day all equal to 1200 and don't drink your cals, you will be fine. I'm 5'4 @ 145

I agree with you, I used to have a blog on a different fitness site and I left because there seemed to be a lot of "I only ate 900 calories today b/c I wasn't hungry and just couldn't do it". Unlike a lot of people I do make myself eat every few hours, even if I'm not hungry, to keep my calories up and my metabolism burning. Eating what your body needs is the best way to stay healthy while losing. Plus, you should never feel hungry to begin with, so yes I eat before the hunger pangs have a chance to appear. By the time you FEEL hungry your metabolism has already started to slow to conserve calories.

I also have to say I think the idea of water being satiating is insane. I drink 10 cups + of water in a day, at least 16 oz with every meal, and back when I WAS doing 1200 calories I still felt like I was starving all the time.

A lot of it is mental, too. I've read a few eating disorder blogs in my time and a couple of them claimed to never be hungry even though they hardly ate at all. If you're convinced you don't need it and it's going to be BAD for you then you're not going to desire it.

Of course I can't speak to other peoples theories of dieting or logging truthfully their daily nutrition. But, speaking for myself and my own diet methods, keeping a log of my daily food and exercise has allowed me to give my diet plan a strong sense of purpose.

As for not being hungry at the end of our allotted calorie count, sure, from time to time I feel exactly the way that you do. Those lingering pangs of hunger are an aggravating distraction from the goal at hand. I fight these underlying desires all the time.

I have recently found "Dannon Light and Fit" Yogurts which at 80 calories are a very useful method of stemming these underlying desires to eat food that would put me past my stated caloric intake goals.

If your hopes are to actually lose a substantial amount of weight and learn to keep this weight off over a long period of time, then it is essential to train yourself to avoid the pitfalls of succumbing to snacking or eating food that would put you outside your goals.

I know that for myself personally, that aside from my Wife and Family, there has been no greater joy in my life thus far than to have finally shed some of the unwanted pounds that will ultimately help me lead a healthier life.

I wish the very best of good fortune with your diet and the hope that you will succeed in becoming the healthier person that you are choosing to be.

I think until you get yourself in a better balanced place you will be hungry.... it's a good thing. You need to feel that especially at the beginning.... you'll get used to it.... your tummy is trying to just maintain your weight... you're trying to decrease it from what you're used to. Stick with it.... make that many calories normal.... your fat would like to feed itself... what you feel is your body eating the fat stores that you have built up and your fat does not want that to happen... it does not want to go away... but go it must!!! Also... fill yourself up with the low calorie healthy stuff... carrots... pack your tummy with those instead of soda or juice...

Yes I agree with you; 1200 calories is way too little; I could handle but would be starved to death.

In the beginning I just changed my thought process on hungry. I knew that I needed to eat less to lose weight. I figured if I was hungry than my body was turning on itself and eating my fat. I was starving for 2 or 3 weeks. Then I wasn't hungry anymore. It seriously took very little food to fill me up. I had to try to get my self hungry. Now I find myself eating when I am not very hungry because I need the calories. It very well my not sound true, but this is my truth.

Wow,,,,your weight loss is amazing.
Can I ask a question please. ?
Do you eat your exercise calories?
I keep hearing conflicting stories.
Nat from Australia.