1200.. and Im starving! lol

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jwebb086
jwebb086 Posts: 8
in Food and Nutrition
Hello, Im new to the myfitnesspal website ( I fell in love with your app for the ipod!). It is recommending that I eat 1200 calories daily. Up until now I havent really been paying too much attention on how I ate, I do enjoy lifting heavy weights and I have been just recently including cardio. I noticed I can lose a lot of weight (10 lbs in a month) but it would have been strictly from weight training and if something came up at work to where I couldnt get back in the gym, I thinnk the weight would come back in a matter of a week or two lol! Dieting isn't easy for me simply because I dont know where to start. I am very egar to try new things and make this work! I'd also like to add I have done a 'guestemate' on how many calories I am consuming right now and I'll say anywhere from 2500-3000. Im a female currently at 5'1 and 190 lbs help!). My goal weight is 140 lbs and my half way point is 165 lbs! I can tell you right now (and I've done this muliple times) if i start at 1200 calories I WILL overeat on something lol But If I have to push through and make it I will try harder! I just feel that by going from eating at the most 3000 cal to 1200 is a drastic change.

Replies

  • believetoachieve
    believetoachieve Posts: 675 Member
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    You can definitely eat more than 1200 calories, especially at your weight/height/fitness level! I eat 1350, and I'm 5'4, 153lbs, and I lift weights 5x a week. I started this journey at 190lbs :smile:
  • NYCDutchess
    NYCDutchess Posts: 622 Member
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    I eat every 2-3 hrs small meals.
    You can eat more if you work out...
  • oshmom
    oshmom Posts: 78 Member
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    Remember, you can EAT your workout calories. So if you are at 1200 now, and earn 400 with exercise, you need to eat those 400. Also, you can change your goal to one pound per week or less and get more calories.

    Good Luck! You CAN do this!
  • Runner_mick
    Runner_mick Posts: 115 Member
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    I would put you at 1500 to 1600 cals and incorporate some cardio and lifting into your schedule. 1200 cals is if you are sedentary, but if you exercise as part of your weight loss journey then you can eat a little more and still drop the lbs. If you are hungry, drink water, still hungry then get a healthy snack. Your body still needs fuel. Just make sure its the right amount and the right choice. Starting a heavy restricting diet is just going to make you feel unsatisfied and you will end up cheating,
  • jwebb086
    jwebb086 Posts: 8
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    thank u very much! to be honest i would like to start at 1600 cal a day, I weight train 5x a week doing an upper lower body split and try to get cardio in if im not sleepy or on the days im really sore just to mix it up a bit! thank u very much!
  • beelouise5
    beelouise5 Posts: 19
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    Adding your activity to the activity log is a great way to add more calories to your daily goal! My basal expenditure level is low like that too- there are FEW days when that feels like enough food. Usually by the time I enter in my activities for the day, though, there are plenty of extra calories! (Or, if my tummy's rumbling and I'm over my goal, I just eat something and then find a fun activity to add to the log and even everything out) It's life's funny way of bribing us to be active... :)
  • acknan
    acknan Posts: 261 Member
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    Are you trying to lose 2 lbs a week? If you try to do too much, you don't get to eat much. Plan to lose 1 pound a week and you will get to eat more. If you make the diet too restrictive, you are much more likely to over eat and feel guilty. take it slowly and do it well rather than struggling to do it fast. good luck!
  • ekbwk
    ekbwk Posts: 13
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    Listen to your body.
    I eat 1500 calories a day. Work out 5 days a week. I tried to eat 1200, and I had NO energy and was starving. ALL THE TIME. I went back up to 1500, have tons of workout energy and am doing amazing in my progress! This site has helped so much cause it actually makes me visualize what I'm eating so I know what I"m taking in and such!

    Goood luck!
  • greeneyed84
    greeneyed84 Posts: 427 Member
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    I started out at 1200cals, lost my first 10lbs that way. But I had to up my calories because I stopped losing. If you don't eat enough your body will hold on to fat b/c it doesn't know when more energy will come in.
    I'm eating between 1500 and 1700 calories now depending on my workout. I'm 5.4 feet
  • bparr
    bparr Posts: 246 Member
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    Set your goal to lose a half a pound a week. That would give you more calories and allow you to get adjusted to the program. After a month or two, you can adjust your goals to something different.
  • Mommyof3texans
    Mommyof3texans Posts: 347
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    If you eat healhier foods, you'll be able to eat a lot in 1200 calories, trust me! Take a look at the food diaries of others around that have them public (mine too) and get some ideas.
  • zannagail
    zannagail Posts: 1 Member
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    Yes! make sure you track your exercise so you know how many calories you "earned" Also make sure you are eating filling foods for the calories, you can feel full on 1200 calories if you are eating the right foods!
  • ocsurfmama
    ocsurfmama Posts: 127
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    Like others have mentioned you earn calories with all your work outs. Make sure you eat at least 80 percent of those you earn through exercise because your body needs them. I have found that smaller meals but eating more than three times a day really helps. When I list some things under snacks they are actually my mini healthy foods between lunch and dinner. It's great that you do strength training because it firms you and is a much better indicator when you take your body measurements and see inches lost, instead of just relying on the scale weight. After losing 12 lbs so far I am at your starting weight now and 5'3" so we are at about the same place. Feel free to friend me if you'd like. :) Good luck and I'm rooting for you! Donna
  • Moonbeamlissie
    Moonbeamlissie Posts: 504 Member
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    You are about the same size as I am. I try to stay at 1200 but sometimes I do go over. Just workout so you can eat more . I try to look for things that are a fair amount of food that I can eat for a little bit of calories. Like I can eat a whole lot of green beans compared to corn because green beans are lower in calories. I do not drink any of my calories either.....I would rather eat them!
  • TabiHerbalifeCoach
    TabiHerbalifeCoach Posts: 691 Member
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    1200 calories is the very basic for sustaining life, when eating that few calories you need to eat at least some of your calories back, you maybe consuming 1200 calories but your body is probably only receiving 7-900 depending n how much you are working out 1500 has worked out well for me. i'm 5'3"
  • jwebb086
    jwebb086 Posts: 8
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    thank you for all of your support and guidance! It was really helpful and tomorrow begins a new day! I will start at 1600 and research some more of the food logs on this site!
  • BombolinaM
    BombolinaM Posts: 561 Member
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    I know how you feel. I was starving last week (my 1st week). My calories were at 1250. Since I started Zumba I up'd the calories to 1360. But today I've been starving. I think it takes time to adjust to lowering your calorie count,
  • Mamoonie
    Mamoonie Posts: 328
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    Hey,

    You say you don't know how many calories you consume right now, but are scared to be hungry when you stick with 1200.

    My advice would be: find out how many calories you consume, log your food for a week, and you'll see. If that number really is 2500 - 3000, then gradually lower it like 500 calories less per week. That would make you a maximum of 2500 the first week, a maximum or 2000 the second week, a maximum or 1500 the third week and then 1200 the fourth one.
    This way, your body / stomach has time to adjust to the new lower quantities. You won't be as much hungry as if you'd gone from 3000 to 1200 in one step.
    It might not bring as much success right away, but it sure keeps you from giving up after 3 days just because you're fed up of being hungry all the time.

    That's the way I'd do it. :-)

    MM
  • stacimusmax
    stacimusmax Posts: 172 Member
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    Check out my food log if you like. I also have a 1200 calorie goal. However, my exercise usually raises it 400-800 calories a day. I usually consume around 1500 calories a day. I work night shift so some days my food is a little off. I am never hungry. However, I drink plenty of water (don't always log it though). I think cardio is the key to a low calorie goal. It gives you flexibility with your diet. It is working for me.
    Stacy
  • hellen72
    hellen72 Posts: 144 Member
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    If you are not sure of calories then maybe you could just try to cut down a little
    Perhaps diff targets every few days like reduce pasta helpings or chop out a pudding
    Every little helps. Even if you just reduce a few 100 it will help
    Then when u realize you can manage with fruit instead of pudding or 2 less potatoes you can think about other changes

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