Staying under 1300

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NetflixAndChocolate
NetflixAndChocolate Posts: 57 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am finding it harder and harder as the days go on to stay under my goal.
Just looking for tips, meal plans, whatever has worked for you! :)
Thanks in advance

Replies

  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    your goal is too low…how did you come up with 1300 calories a day?
  • amcook4
    amcook4 Posts: 561 Member
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    ndj1979 wrote: »
    your goal is too low…how did you come up with 1300 calories a day?

    This. Your body is telling you it needs more energy, 1300 is very low.
  • emsems27
    emsems27 Posts: 8 Member
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    Hi Netflix,

    My goal is 5,400kj (just over 1,300 cals) following a plan that my nutritionist set out for me which is mainly low GI, with 3 main meals, morning tea and afternoon tea. I am usually on par, sometimes a little over on weekends or if I eat out and I allow myself extra kjs if I exercise.

    I find my main problem is mindless snacking, so at the start of the week I cut up a heap of carrot and celery sticks to have with some hommus or tzatziki if I feel like snacking, and also choosing lower GI options with fruit and grains (eg, berries, grainy bread, basmati rice).

    It's working for me without having to make too many adjustments to my lifestyle, in saying that though my nutritionist mentioned that we will most likely increase my kj intake slightly once I lose the first 10kg, so I am not sure where you're at.

    Feel free to add me, I have my food diary open to friends.

    Em
  • Eaving1
    Eaving1 Posts: 40
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    amcook4 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    your goal is too low…how did you come up with 1300 calories a day?

    This. Your body is telling you it needs more energy, 1300 is very low.

    Curious, why is it too low? MFP always seems to want to put mine at 1200, I figured that was the average intake needed to lose weight.

  • amcook4
    amcook4 Posts: 561 Member
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    Eaving1 wrote: »
    amcook4 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    your goal is too low…how did you come up with 1300 calories a day?

    This. Your body is telling you it needs more energy, 1300 is very low.

    Curious, why is it too low? MFP always seems to want to put mine at 1200, I figured that was the average intake needed to lose weight.

    MFP puts a lot of people too low. Since they let you chose how many pounds you want to lose in a week, a lot of people who don't have much to lose, will chose 2 pounds (which makes sense, get the weight off faster) but in reality, that is too big of a deficit when someone doesn't have much to lose.

    I'm not saying people can't eat 1200-1300 calories a day, I'm just saying is isn't the best option for MOST (note I said most, not all) and is a lot harder to sustain for long term success.
  • lolly715
    lolly715 Posts: 106
    edited October 2014
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    Assuming 1300 is the correct value... which it may be depending on her stats, although I do agree that most people probably can eat more than this.

    Anyway, you need to look at calorie density if you're finding ANY calorie limit too hard to stick to. I couldn't live on 1300 if I was eating nothing but french fries, but couldn't physically eat enough plain salad leaves to meet that goal. Just as a random example.

    What do you eat in a typical day? Do you have any high calorie foods that you could swap for lower calorie options? That doesn't necessarily have to mean switching to "diet" food. Again to use french fries as an example, 100g typically has around 300 calories. If you had boiled/steamed new potatoes instead, you still get the carbs but save over 200 calories.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    opening your diary would help
  • bevmcarthur
    bevmcarthur Posts: 341 Member
    edited October 2014
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    OP why are you only eating 1200 a day ? MFP always puts people on the lower side of things. Are you working out? Do you eat your Calories back ?What kind of food are you eating? Have you did your TDEE ? How tall are you ?
  • Boccellin
    Boccellin Posts: 137 Member
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    I recently lowered my goal from 1600 a day to 1200 a day. However, 1200 a day is my net goal, not my actual goal. Today, for example, I'm eating over 2000 calories, but my net is still only 1200 because I burned over 800 calories in exercise. Some days I do not burn that much, therefore I do not get to eat that much, but it's almost always over 1200, except on my off day. So add in some exercise and eat those calories back!
  • rivka_m
    rivka_m Posts: 1,007 Member
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    I'm at 1200 for 1 lb/week (I'm 40, short and sedentary) and I have to exercise so I can eat more. So exercising & eating back calories is my suggestion. However if you can eat more - say, set to lose 1 or 1.5 lb/week - why not do so?
  • tiffany5446
    tiffany5446 Posts: 20 Member
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    I don't think 1200 is too low on days that you aren't exercising and if you have a sedentary job. On the days you exercise, you should eat your calories back. I have been dieting long enough so it's not too hard to stay in my goal range. I find cooking your meals is the key because you control exactly what goes in. The only thing to watch for when you do this is portion size. Also, get protein and fiber at every meal. These things really help you feel full. These are the things that have worked for me. Hope it helps.
  • TheVirgoddess
    TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
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    I have 30 more pounds to lose and MFP has me at 1370 (1lb/week). I don't think that's super low or anything.

    I don't really feel hungry, luckily - but you should make sure you're getting enough protein, and if you're exercising, eat those calories back. I generally eat breakfast, then several small snacks (instead of lunch), then dinner.
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
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    We don't know her height or weight, how does anybody here know if that's too low for her? It's likely that it is a little low for her but you can't say yes or no with the information at-hand.
  • Basilin
    Basilin Posts: 360 Member
    edited October 2014
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    tiffany5446 wrote: »
    I don't think 1200 is too low on days that you aren't exercising and if you have a sedentary job. On the days you exercise, you should eat your calories back. I have been dieting long enough so it's not too hard to stay in my goal range. I find cooking your meals is the key because you control exactly what goes in. The only thing to watch for when you do this is portion size. Also, get protein and fiber at every meal. These things really help you feel full. These are the things that have worked for me. Hope it helps.

    This is a great suggestion.

    I tend to stay around 1200 cal a day. You're free to look at my diary if you want. A lot of it is portion control, eating a lot of foods that are nutrient dense such as yogurt and peanut butter and lean meats (few "empty carbs"). This is of course, on days I don't exercise. When I do, I eat more (like 1400 to 1600 cal).

    If you tend to eat more to begin with, assuming 1200 is a good amount for you, exercising to burn off those cals could help you reach your goal.

  • ithrowconfetti
    ithrowconfetti Posts: 451 Member
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    If 1300 kcal is ideal for your stats, then some meal plans could be:
    Traditional rolled oats (with an egg white beaten in for protein) topped with fresh fruit
    Low-sugar cereals like Weetbix (107 calories, 3 grams of sugar for 2 biscuits)
    Eggs and salmon on wholemeal bread
    Lean meats like fish, turkey and chicken with grilled vegetables like aubergines and asparagus
    Low-fat, low-sugar, plain or greek yoghurt
    Wholegrain pasta with mushrooms and tomato sauce (cream-based sauces have more calories)

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