so i think people are lying

I love food too and my calories are set at 1420, so I'd struggle with 1200. Plus if I exercise I eat some or most of my calories in order to refuel. I cant go to bed hungry either. Feeling hungry all the time cant be 'healthy', some people might find it empowering in their weight loss mission but really its can't be a permanent life style choice, can it? I guess it depends on what food you consume with your 1200. I certainly make better choices when I have a limit set! I look at the calorific value and think...I'd need to run for 40 minutes to burn that off, I don't really need it!!

They could be lying, OR they could be working their way into an eating disorder. Obviously one day of not eating 1200 is not a big deal, but readng some of these posts I see some huge red flags. Alot of people here do not have a healthy body image, or know how to do self care without food. Often it seems like they're replacing food with exercise, which sounds ok at first, but if any ONE thing rules your life there's something wrong, and in general it's not sustainable.

I have to say I am very tempted at times to say "get thee to therapy". REALLY and I don't mean that in a bad way. I mean that often people have unresolved issues that manifest as weight gain. Don't treat the symptom, treat the cause.....

As for me, I know what my problem is, I LOOOOVE food, and I struggle with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, so I'm exhausted all the time. I love being outdoors, but structured exercise is a tough sell for me. I can sleep for 14+hours a day, and my doctor and I have yet to find a good dose of levothyroxine that works for me. The funny thing is, I still love myself, I still see myself as beautiful, even at 225 pounds. Working out and counting calories isn't my life, it's a PART of my life, that's it.

I guess my point is, people need to find balance.

I think it depends on what type of food you are eating, how much you are working out and also the amount of water/liquids you are drinking.

Exactly.....

Oh my Lord there is NO way that I could eat only 1200 calories and be okay with it. My daily goal is set to 1420. I exersize on average about 6 days a week...thank goodness it alows me to eat more...lol. On the days that I have not exersized I am almost always over my calorie goal. I find that I am consistantly about 1600 to 1700 cals a day. The people on here that are okay with 1200....I just say WOW good on you! With my love for food and eating I guess I just have to workout that much longer or harder

If I don't do any exercise then I really don't need many calories. What I do it I try to ensure is good.

Several times I was over the 1200 mark, and still managed to lose weight!!!! MMMmmmmmm.

1200 calories can offer a lot of food if you're eating smart choices.... so it's all from different peoples' perspectives! If you're conscious about your carb consumption, and keep it lower and healthy, you can eat a ton! For instance, yesterday I ate:

B -
1/4 c. old fashioned oats
1/2 scoop Iso Femme protein powder
1 tsp. natural peanut butter
1 small banana

Snacks -
15 baby carrots
1/2 c. 1% cottage cheese
2 stalks celery
1 grapefruit
1 apple
12 almonds

L-
6" whole wheat Subway egg white sub, with 1 tbsp light mayo, 1 slice cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, olives, white onion, banana peppers, salt and pepper
diet coke

D-
4 oz. grilled chicken
2 c. spinach with diced cucumber, tomato, mushrooms
1 tbsp. lite salad dressing
1c. steamed broccoli
1c. steamed zucchini
1/2 c. quinoa

and I came in at 1250 calories. Wasn't hungry and felt satisfied, with energy to get through my workout.

1200 can be a lot of food if it is all home prepared - I space my meals out every 2 - 3 hours, Ive found this helps with the hunger (and boosts metabolism). I have also heard that you should feel slightly hungry at the end of the day, but not so hungry that you will tear the door off the fridge.

It really depends, because I am on a 1200 calories diet plan and have trouble eating all 1200. I usually get around 800-1000 in a day. It's just because my body has gotten used to this. I also drink A LOT of water. I drink water before every meal and I keep a bottle with me at all times. I'm also petite, though.
It depends on the person but it also depends where you get your calories. 1200 is.. a lot of food for me. An entire cup of carrot sticks is 60, a banana is 100, I can get healthy calories and feel fuller quicker!

I work out and burn at least 500 calories a day so that I can eat at least 1700 calories a day.

You also assume that evryone here has trouble with food and eat too much. It's not my case... I need to lose weight after giving birth to my 6th child. I gained 25 pounds so my weigth gaine was not excessive. I can honestly say that I feel llke I eat all day long at 1200 cals and sometime, after a long day, a rather go to bed then try to eat 300-400 more calories. I remember some night that the reason I don't want to exercice...it's because I will have to eat those darn calories LOL

It really depends, because I am on a 1200 calories diet plan and have trouble eating all 1200. I usually get around 800-1000 in a day. It's just because my body has gotten used to this. I also drink A LOT of water. I drink water before every meal and I keep a bottle with me at all times. I'm also petite, though.
It depends on the person but it also depends where you get your calories. 1200 is.. a lot of food for me. An entire cup of carrot sticks is 60, a banana is 100, I can get healthy calories and feel fuller quicker!

This is how I feel! I'm 5'9 though and it's the same way for me. I'm drinking water all day long and eat lots of fruits, veggies...stuff like that. Filling food and it's healthy/low calories. Some days it's really hard to meet my 1200 goal! Glad to see I'm not the only one!

Didn't read through all of the posts so if this is the same as someone has already replied, sorry. The beginning size/baseline of the person and their previous eating habits can affect the calorie intake their body is comfortable with when they are tracking. The amount of exercise/activity can also affect appetite. There are so many factors I think you just have to find your own comfort zone and make it work for you.I started out thinking 1200cal and then remembered when I did Jorge Cruise a few years back that he uses a graduated scale based on beginning weight so I upped my goal to 1500 for starters. Once I get to a point where I quit losing I will readjust my daily goal.

Good luck!

I think some people have been pretty rude with their comments on this thread to say the very least.

My normal calorie intake is set to 1200 a day. Because I am mostly sedentary and sit at a desk for most of the day. Unless I get up and exercise then of course I am allotted more calories. With that said, there have been a couple days where 1200 calories have felt like not enough, but when I review my foods for those days, either my fiber is low or my protein is low and I made terrible food choices. But when I pick the right foods, I am stuffed at 1200 calories if not before then. I always make my 1200 net calories when I don't exercise. My problem is when I do exercise and I need to intake more than my 1200 because my exercising upped the amount I need to eat. I find myself having a hard time getting back up to the net 1200 calories. I am absolutely stuffed right now and I have eaten 1,324 calories today but I burned 660 today exercising which makes my net calories 664 and I am honestly not hungry at all. I will eat a bit more later as I know I need more calories. But I don't think people are lying, if you pick the right foods, it is not hard to be satisfied at 1200 calories (depending on height, weight , age, activity level). My food diary is public also.