New to MFP... 1200 calories per day

Tewmom1
Tewmom1 Posts: 9 Member
edited November 8 in Getting Started
I setup my diet/fitness profile and it shows that my target is 1200 calories per day. Is that reasonable? What does a 1200 calorie day look like? I am brand new here and need some help.

Thanks
Dianne
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Replies

  • MalineVD
    MalineVD Posts: 649 Member
    Hi Dianne,
    I'm also on 1200 kcal a day. It's doable, but hard work!
    You can add me as a friend and check out my diary if you want!
    Greets, Maline
  • fobs13
    fobs13 Posts: 1,080 Member
    I am also 1200 calories a day. Boost them with excercise. Feel it's plenty for me and don't go to bed hungry. Definitely found portion sizes important.
  • martisure
    martisure Posts: 11 Member
    Me too! Yes, add exercise and plan everything in advance so you don't fall into temptation! Please do not just look at calories, ok? be sure to include all the nutrients!
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    A typical 1200 calorie day:
    Breakfast - 1 egg, 1 egg white, scrambled with some veg (mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach) 150 cals
    Lunch - salad leaves with a tin of tuna or grilled chicken 250 cals
    Dinner- jacket potato with chicken curry or chilli 400 cals
    Snacks - string cheese, 2 rice cakes with a laughing cow triangle, a satsuma, Options hot choclate - 50 cals each.
  • lexbubbles
    lexbubbles Posts: 465 Member
    edited November 2014
    I'm also on 1200 but I make sure to get an extra bunch through exercise.

    On Mon/Wed/Fri I go to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (and also walk there and back a mile each way). MFP claims I burn 900+ on those days but I doubt it so I only eat back around 300-400. Sadly wearing a HRM during BJJ is just not feasible so I can't check.

    On Tue/Thur I walk to and from uni at a brisk pace, which is just over 5 miles round trip. I burn about 450-500 doing that, and again I can eat back 300 or so if I want (best to leave a buffer)

    Saturday or Sunday is a 3 mile+ run again with a burn of 400-500. The other weekend day I don't do anything.

    So really my 1200 calorie allowance is closer to a 1600 calorie allowance (and leaving buffers throughout the week allows me to not worry about that rest day if I go over)

    You can look at my diary, but this week has been hella weird. I've had 2 essays due and it's really messed with my food. Typically:

    Breakfast
    30g bran flakes with 125ml semi-skim milk and 30g dried dates
    OR
    50g oatmeal prepared with water with some fruit

    Lunch
    A can of tuna with half a cucumber and about 20-30g light salad cream
    OR
    About 100g cooked weight chicken breast with same
    OR
    A salmon fillet with same

    Dinner
    Some form of salad or vegetables (ex. couscous with veg) that typically contain some feta cheese with, normally, protein (ex. chicken or salmon). Sometimes a frozen veggie thing like a beetroot and goat's cheese roast.

    Snacks
    Low-fat greek yogurt (I genuinely just prefer the taste and texture of low or non-fat)
    Hard boiled egg
    One of the many varieties of low-cal cake I make
    Sometimes some toasted danish bread with low-fat soft cheese, or ryvita and goat's cheese

    Drinks
    Primarily water or green tea
    Options Hot Chocolate sachets 39cal each
    BJJ days: protein shake
    Uni days: tall skinny seasonal latte from starbucks (toffee nut at the moment)

    On Tuesdays I get a couple of vodka lime sodas after class with my coursemates.
  • lexbubbles
    lexbubbles Posts: 465 Member
    edited November 2014
    whoops double post
  • ViolaLeeBlueberry
    ViolaLeeBlueberry Posts: 182 Member
    edited November 2014
    Hi Dianne, I'm about the same age as you and doing 1200 calories too. When I first saw that number, I thought, "No way. This is insane! What does that mean? Dinner is air au gratin?" But I've actually found it's not hard at all. I cook from scratch anyway and avoid processed foods, so it's easy to control, and I even manage to fit in cheesecake and wine pretty regularly :smile:

    Typical day ... well, today's fairly typical. It's time to cook dinner on my side of the globe, and so far I'm up to only 470 calories while feeling perfectly well-fed. That's pretty usual.

    Breakfast: egg-white omelette (2 egg whites + half a yolk ... I make an omelette of 4 whites and 1 full egg to split with my husband), stuffed with greens (dill and nettle today, but sometimes omelettes are stuffed with chicken or mushrooms or whatever)

    I don't do an official "lunch," just grazing, but over the course of today that was dried strawberries, kumquats, chips with homemade guacamole, and carrot sticks with smoked trout-yogurt dip.

    Dinner will be buffalo chili with salad.

    I exercised, so I can eat up to 1643 today if I want, although I probably will stick pretty close to the 1200 anyway. And I'm not suffering :smile: You can do it! It's actually weirdly fun!!!


  • Lasmartchika
    Lasmartchika Posts: 3,440 Member
    Like you might not eat enough... Read this and it'll show you how you can lose weight without depriving yourself from food.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/3817-eat-more-2-weigh-less
  • danabpennington
    danabpennington Posts: 14 Member
    i think almost everyone is 1200 cals, but I looked my TDEE and stuff and it says I should eat 1360, so I just try to keep in the middle-ish with about 1275
  • LazyButHealthy
    LazyButHealthy Posts: 257 Member
    It assigned me 1250/day, and I was worried for a while being a lover of good food (as opposed to junk) but it's actually manageable. I exercise almost daily but try not to eat those calories unless I'm really very hungry.

    It really is manageable - they key is to track as you go throughout the day so that you can adapt your cooking or eating.
  • DanaHerro
    DanaHerro Posts: 186 Member
    How tall are you, how old are you and what do you currently weigh?
    I used the TDEE minus 20% method and NEVER had to eat 1200/day. My starting daily intake was 2100 and at its lowest was 1650. Now I'm 1850-2000 to maintain.
  • fatcity66
    fatcity66 Posts: 1,544 Member
    i think almost everyone is 1200 cals, but I looked my TDEE and stuff and it says I should eat 1360, so I just try to keep in the middle-ish with about 1275

    Most people aren't, actually. 1600+exercise calories here, to lose 1.5 lbs/wk.

  • Judyboga
    Judyboga Posts: 2 Member
    I am a returning MFP. I go a few weeks and then start slipping into old habits. I just found message board and hope to rekindle motivation by connecting with others.
  • I'm at 1520 but naturally, regularly come in around 1,200-1,300 based on my nutrition plan :) there are so many great things you can put in your body that can account for each of them... I feel like if we just try to eat as healthy and clean as possible (little chemical, little refined sugar, etc.) if you're at 1,200 or 1,300 or even 1,500 - as long as it's the right stuff, you'll make your goal, and your body will thank you for the fuel!
  • sodakat
    sodakat Posts: 1,126 Member
    1200 is doable but 1350 to 1400 is much easier, IMO. Are you trying to lose 2 lbs per week... is that why your calorie goal is so low? If so, I strongly suggest you change it to 1.5 pounds a week to give yourself a few hundred more calories.

    I often eat 300/350 for breakfast, lunch and snacks then 400+ for dinner.

    My serious suggestion to you, Diane is to begin by eating as you normally do but logging all your food so you get an idea how many calories are in each thing you eat plus understand the portions you are eating right now. You really need to buy a food scale to get the greatest benefit from calorie counting. It is nearly impossible to guess how much a piece of meat or fruit weighs, and the calorie difference between 2 ounces and 6 ounces can be the difference between you eating at a deficit, or not.

    Once you get a good grip on weighing foods and measuring liquids, and master looking stuff up in the database and making the accurate choice to log, you can begin eating portions that allow you to stay within your daily calorie goals.

    I eat "normally", enjoying breakfasts of bacon and eggs, or cereal with yogurt, or oatmeal and milk, or peanut butter toast and fruit. Lunches and dinners are just regular food I usually make from scratch and my snacks are whatever I feel like that is within my calorie goal.

    Don't make too many changes at once or you may become overwhelmed. Take it slow, figure out the calories in your normal food choices, and cut back a little where needed.

    Best of luck!

    Kathy

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  • stopdropandlose
    stopdropandlose Posts: 162 Member
    If you want, you can add me and look at my diary - I am supposed to eat 1290 a day.
  • beachinit46
    beachinit46 Posts: 7 Member
    im at 1200 also. I had always thought diet meant suffer and go without. I have struggled for many months well UNDER 1000 and in my head thinking it was too much. it has been a struggle to get up to 1200 as I love food and did not want to miss out on stuff. honestly 1200 does not have to feel like diet at all. great advice I see here. add ppl and check out the diaries for some inspiration. good luck!! you can do it
  • dejavuohlala
    dejavuohlala Posts: 1,761 Member
    Hi and welcome you have made the right decision to get onto mfp, you can get fantastic support from the right friends.

    I am on 1200 per day, mine is set up as sendatory, it will be different for different people. you may want to try at first just logging all your food and drinks on the mfp diary then see how many calories you actually consume.


    you are welcome to add me as a friend and you can them look at my diary. Sorry i can be much help just now but can help once you get more connected to us on her


    good luck on your journey
  • Hi Dianne, from another Dianne - 1200 seems difficult to begin with but it soon becomes the norm. I find if you don't eat processed foods or wheat products, you actually get a lot of food. I try to eat a couple of veggies with dinner and I love a small baked potato with just a half tsp of butter spread into it. Breakfast was the hardest for me because I used to eat a lot of breads, muffins etc for breakfast. I now have tried a few different 'pancake' recipes that i am finding filling. One of them - a ripe banana mashed with one egg and a bit of egg white, mix together and add a bit of cinnamon. Spray pan with Pam and make several small pancakes. You could top them with a bit of no sugar jam or even a tsp of maple syrup. The second one is 1/4 cup of pumpkin puree (not pie filling), mixed with one egg and some egg white and pumpkin pie spice to taste. Again cook with a bit of Pam Olive Oil spray and make several small pancakes. This is very nutritious. There are lots of tips and tricks and you will find what triggers your cravings. For me it is bread and bread products so if I stay away from them as much as possible, I find the rest okay. Also make sure you drink your water

    Good luck on this journey and don't give up if you have a bad day or days - just dig in and keep going!
  • oriole35
    oriole35 Posts: 40 Member
    I too got 1200 a day to loose just 1/2 pound per week. That is only 2 lbs per month, at that rate it will take me a couple of years to loose 30 pounds.
    Very discouraged from the start. I have exercise listed as 3 times a week. Is this taking the exercise into account in this 1200 calories?
  • I'm at 1500 cal and I'm losing for now. I may lower that in time. I also have a commitment to eat 1 protein, 1 carb, and 1 fat (1 fat is1 tablespoon) at each meal, veggies are free. It brings structure to my day and helps me from not overeating at one or more meals and then running out of calories by the end of the day. It also helps tremendously with the hunger which is the real reason I switched to that. I can't emphasize that enough. I also downloaded a 7 minute high intensity circuit training workout app for my phone. I do 2 sessions (14 minutes), 4 times a week. That burns 176 calories each time. That's not much but I can tell a huge difference in my strength and energy levels already. It also means I can then fit coffee creamer in my day without cutting my food calories. I only drink coffee on the weekends.
  • loulamb7
    loulamb7 Posts: 801 Member
    Like you might not eat enough... Read this and it'll show you how you can lose weight without depriving yourself from food.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/3817-eat-more-2-weigh-less

    Read this ^^^

    MFP's recommendations are based on your input. So if your input is off the recommendations will be off. Also these are only calculations and they may not be correct for you. Finally MFP assumes you'll be eating exercise calories back.

  • matchsetgame
    matchsetgame Posts: 11 Member
    You might need to start a little higher and then drop down once your stomach adjusts to smaller portions, but I highly suggest you start at the lower end and only eat back 1/2 your calories from fitness (add a 30 minute walk into each day to get a little bonus). When you get your fitness program going you'll get even more hungry and that's when it's REALLY tough to not eat as much.
    When I have a week where I cannot manage to get to the gym much, I typically eat around 1300-1500/day.
    Once I was working out 6-7hrs/week I could eat anything I wanted and still maintain or lose. But, once you're using to eating what you want and stop, then you're in trouble. :)
    Also, young metabolism here.
    I've found if you have time to increase exercise, do that, and then just eat healthier. I get on MFP whenever I need a food booster. (like this week I'm using it to remind myself to eat MORE protein!)
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
    edited November 2014
    sodakat wrote:
    Are you trying to lose 2 lbs per week... is that why your calorie goal is so low? If so, I strongly suggest you change it to 1.5 pounds a week to give yourself a few hundred more calories.
    With 70 lb to reach a healthy goal weight, 2 lb / week is reasonable, but you're probably eating more than 2200 cal / day now, so going to 1200 is going to be too large of a drop, hard to maintain, miserable.
    Also, unless 120 lb is a healthy goal weight for you, 1200 is probably low.
    begin by eating as you normally do but logging all your food so you get an idea how many calories are in each thing you eat plus understand the portions you are eating right now. You really need to buy a food scale to get the greatest benefit from calorie counting...
    Once you get a good grip on weighing foods and measuring liquids, and master looking stuff up in the database and making the accurate choice to log, you can begin eating portions that allow you to stay within your daily calorie goals.
    Don't make too many changes at once or you may become overwhelmed. Take it slow, figure out the calories in your normal food choices, and cut back a little where needed.
    What she said. That. All of it.

    And read these:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10012907/logging-accuracy-consistency-and-youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

    If you find out that you're currently eating 2500 cal to maintain 250 lb (just pulling a number out of the air for weight!) then cut 1000 to lose 2 lb per week, but that puts you at 1500 / day.
    Don't eat exercise calories, or at least only do it rarely.
    As you hit plateaus, nudge the calories down by 50, wait a week or two to see if you start losing again. Even if you eventually end up at 1200, it's much easier if you don't make a drastic change.

    When I started, I was at 275, so needed 2750 to maintain. I aimed for 1700 & was consistently losing 1.5 - 2 lb most weeks. When I hit a plateau I cut some calories. Now I'm at 212 and aiming for 1400 cal, and usually not eating back any of my exercise cal. (Some days I'll have a couple hundred, which is usually less than 1/3 of what the machine says I burned, and 1/5 of what MFP claims.)

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  • devakali
    devakali Posts: 9 Member
    I'm on 1200, and here's what it looks like on a typical day:

    Breakfast: Refrigerator oats ~220 cals (oats, almond milk, yogurt, applesauce, fresh fruit, chia)
    Snack: banana or single granola bar or string cheese: ~100 cal
    Lunch: (leftovers): Homemade protein and veggie soup/stew/salad + fruit ~360 cals
    Dinner: Roasted veggies ~ 90 cals, Lean (5oz) to fatty (2oz) protein ~ 200, starch (sweet potato, brown rice, rice noodles, farro) ~130
    Dessert or evening snack (fruit w/ maple syrup, or popcorn, or rice cake with shmear of apple butter or low calorie chocolate ice cream bar, or 5 dark chocolate hersheys kisses) ~100
    =1200!
  • ViolaLeeBlueberry
    ViolaLeeBlueberry Posts: 182 Member
    Hi Dianne, from another Dianne - 1200 seems difficult to begin with but it soon becomes the norm. I find if you don't eat processed foods or wheat products, you actually get a lot of food.

    I totally agree with Other Dianne about it being easier if wheat products are cut. I know lots of people do just fine without cutting wheat (or gluten or grains or however you conceive it), and I'm not super hardcore (e.g. I'll have a cake or truly good bread at a restaurant), but the thing about eating higher protein and lower carb is that it's just more filling. (For me, at least.) If I eat a bunch of carbs, I'm hungry later; if I don't, I'm really not.

    But everyone learns what works for them with their own preferences, lifestyle, body, etc. There's no "One Size Fits All." Perhaps the coolest thing about logging via MFP is that I've learned a ton about calories and nutrients. I've always eaten in the organic/unprocessed/cooking-from-scratch mode, but never gave a whole lot of thought before to getting the most bang for the calorie buck. Frankly, I've never been interested in "dieting," and even though, yeah, I want to lose weight of course, I really don't conceive of this as a "diet," either -- just a way to have a healthy lifestyle.

    Hopefully whatever we learn by doing all of this is going to be something that will stick with us even when we reach our goals and switch to "maintenance." So it's more about finding a way to eat that works for you, is realistic for the long term, and is healthy at the same time. At some point, we'll be able to up the calories for maintenance, but hopefully by then there will be some really good habits and a whole lot of knowledge established to make it lasting :smile:
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Do more exercise and eat more

    I did 1200 for the first 6 weeks or so, then 1400 and now 1600 - but I always had an extra 300 or so calories from walking more / workouts

    It's certainly doable - I still eat less than 200 calories at breakfast, 3-500 for lunch and dinner and have snacks of chips, chocolate and / or ice cream or cava / red wine
  • fenshae
    fenshae Posts: 27 Member
    My calorie limit is higher (probably because I'm taller, and also likely heavier -- you burn a lot of calories lugging around 350 pounds!) but here's something I've found that helped me a lot: I took my daily calorie limit and divided it into the number of meals I wanted.

    So think about your eating habits, and adjust accordingly. For example:
    You could do three 400-calorie meals
    Or four 300-calorie meals
    Or a 300-calorie breakfast, 300-calorie lunch, 600-calorie dinner
    Or 12 100-calorie snacks

    Whatever type of eating strategy your body is the most accustomed to. (For example...do you like to graze throughout the day? Do you like big dinners? Do you need a big breakfast to get you through the day?)

    In my case, I prefer light breakfast, snacking through lunch, a big-ish dinner and a small snack afterward. So I divided up my calories roughly into those categories. Then I got online (Pinterest is great for this) and started searching: "100 calorie snacks", "300 calorie breakfasts" etc. So I could see what exactly that looked like.

    Then I drafted up a mix-and-match meal plan using the recipes I found online.

    It's given me a lot of guidance and structure. I don't stick to it religiously, but it's a great jumping-off point when I don't know wtf to eat.

    Good luck, and welcome! Feel free to add me if you want another buddy :)
  • pinkiezoom
    pinkiezoom Posts: 409 Member
    MFP started me on 1200 and i was miserable, hungry and felt deprived, so i upped my calories, i dont eat them all most days, but mentally it has helped me, i am losing 2lbs a week still, and eat what i want, just in moderation.
  • hortensehildegarde
    hortensehildegarde Posts: 592 Member
    some people find eating 1200/day easy, some find it impossible. I think some good advice has been offered here about other alternatives other than just starting right out of the gate to eat 1200/day.

    When I first started I set my loss at .5 per week just so I could get used to logging and weighing etc. The weight came of WAY faster than 2 per week.

    I can eat 1200/day pretty easily but I lose way way too fast if I do (I still have about 70 lbs to lose to be in "normal" weight range so I have a lot to lose). MFP will tell me to eat 1200/day to lose 2 lbs a week but either I horribly overestimate the few things I do not weigh or that estimate is entirely inaccurate for me.

    One good thing about starting off slow is that you can get a sense of where you fall in terms of the estimate applying to you without having to make it more complicated than it needs to be. If you can lose 2 lbs per week by eating 1700/day wouldn't you want to do that instead?
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