Starving on 1200 calories a day

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  • Jessicaisfree
    Jessicaisfree Posts: 22 Member
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    You guys are a smart bunch! I'm seriously going to use your advice. Thanks again :)
  • Jessicaisfree
    Jessicaisfree Posts: 22 Member
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    You're right, I was trying to quickly drop lbs between training cycles to see if I could qualify for Boston. It's not working this way! Looking forward to a long rung tomorrow and a few more calories. A very happy day ahead! I'll try to be patient!
  • jlecroy74
    jlecroy74 Posts: 7 Member
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    I'm doing the 1200 calories and I feel hungry a couple of hours after eating. I find drinking hot tea will make me feel full again.
  • mattbrosnan
    mattbrosnan Posts: 1 Member
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    I agree with Hapster. Your brain sends thirsty/hungry signals to you, but sometimes they are hard to distinguish. I've come to learn that when I'm feeling hungry and need a snack, all I really needed was a glass of water. Especially when you are doing so much running, you might need more water than you think :smile:
  • Original_Beauty
    Original_Beauty Posts: 180 Member
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    skinnyjessicag wrote: »
    Hi everyone. So I'm hoping to find out from you guys how hungry you are at 1.5 lb per week setting. I'm hoping to go from 160 to 125 but sticking to 1200 Cals feels brutal! I've tried upping my veggies and protein and cutting back on running (I ran a full marathon in November). I just don't know how you guys survive on this for months!

    Because 1200 calories is not enough. This should be more than surviving.

  • Josephine237
    Josephine237 Posts: 72 Member
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    I increased my protein and my fiber. If I eat more calories than 1200, I exercise off the extra. I also try to eat whole foods that are somewhat bulky like vegetables and fruit. I plan protein and fiber snacks and drink water with them. This has really helped me stick to my plan.
  • Sharon_C
    Sharon_C Posts: 2,132 Member
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    I must be a clown because I lost all my weight and have kept it off without being hungry.
  • candacefausset
    candacefausset Posts: 297 Member
    edited January 2015
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    Don't torture yourself. I eat 1200 a day but I am good and don't feel hungry. I snack and spread my meals out. And if I get really hungry I can eat a massive salad for low calories that can keep me full. It's partially about what you are eating in that 1200. But if you are eating lots of nutrient rich, non-calorie dense foods and still feel ravenous, up your intake. If you are miserable the entire time, you are bound to fail and give up or binge eat during mistakes. And a good 2000 calorie binge above your normal intake (doesn't take much calorie dense food to get there) can sabotage a weeks worth of eating right. Better to indulge a little daily so that you don't find yourself indulging a massive amount and making all your hard starving work for nothing.

    Besides, 1.5 pounds a week may be a bit aggressive for your current weight. Your body needs less fuel the less heavy you are which means you have to work twice as hard. And remember it isn't a race. It's a journey. Especially if you want to keep it off, there is no quick way to the end.

    ETA- If I want an extra splurge, I earn it with extra calories from exercise. No shame in that.
  • MoiAussi93
    MoiAussi93 Posts: 1,948 Member
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    I've been eating around 1300...1250 for a while... and am very rarely hungry. But I have been eating 30% and most recently 35% of my calories from protein. If you eat 20 or 30 grams of protein in a meal, you most likely won't be hungry for hours. I get the most I can from those calories in terms of satiety. I eat a lot of chicken, salmon, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, etc. As others said, water is great as well. But if you find you really can't make it work for you, try adding just 100 or 150 calories and see how you feel with that.
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I am surely not a clown

    I eat around 1200 and not hungry at all Except for the first 2 weeks i had 3 or 4 days that i was feeling hungry.

    I eat back a 1/4 of by exercise calories so that gives me a bit extra. I eat a very balanced diet and i eat everything i want in my calorie allowance. I make sure i eat about 5 times a day. 3 meals and 2 snacks
    And i drink about 2.5 liter water next to my 2/3 coffee and cup of tea.

    For me protein helps to fill me up.

    This is how it works for me, i cant speak for somebody else of course everybody is different. When you need more eat more, very simple.
    I eat more when i feel my body needs more fuel.

    I had a lot of weight to lose and i am doing great. Have no gravings etc.
    lost 60 pounds and have about 50 to go.
  • obscuremusicreference
    obscuremusicreference Posts: 1,320 Member
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    TheOwlhouseDesigns wrote: »
    I am surely not a clown

    I eat around 1200 and not hungry at all Except for the first 2 weeks i had 3 or 4 days that i was feeling hungry.

    I eat back a 1/4 of by exercise calories so that gives me a bit extra. I eat a very balanced diet and i eat everything i want in my calorie allowance. I make sure i eat about 5 times a day. 3 meals and 2 snacks
    And i drink about 2.5 liter water next to my 2/3 coffee and cup of tea.

    For me protein helps to fill me up.

    This is how it works for me, i cant speak for somebody else of course everybody is different. When you need more eat more, very simple.
    I eat more when i feel my body needs more fuel.

    I had a lot of weight to lose and i am doing great. Have no gravings etc.
    lost 60 pounds and have about 50 to go.
    +1, and good loss!

    I do 1200 and the only time it's ever hard is around my period, when I simply eat more calories. Lately I've fallen into a 16:8 intermittent fasting pattern (as in, pretty much everything but coffee and water are consumed in the evening).

    If 1200 is difficult for you, you've probably put in the wrong activity level or should choose a less-aggressive goal. Either way, don't beat yourself up if you eat over that number.
  • SESS10N
    SESS10N Posts: 3
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    skinnyjessicag wrote: »
    Well, I've been actually eating around 1400-ish but still feel hungry :( Is it normal to be hungry when you're losing? Kind of a stupid question, but I've heard that if you're hungry you're doing something wrong? Thanks for your feedback!

    How often are you eating?
  • myfatass78
    myfatass78 Posts: 411 Member
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    Eat more so you are not hungry and then exercise those calories away rather than the other way around. Living on 1200 calories will cause you to get sick and run down after a few months, not to mention the mental fatigue of calorie counting on that small number.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    Hungry can mean a lot of things.

    Hungry as in starving, fainting and losing hair, not good.

    Hungry as in want something to chew on because of habit, can be dealt with.

    Hungry because of not having a balanced diet, can be dealt with.

    Hungry as in anticipating next meal with joy, very good.

    The body even does things that can be mistaken for hunger cues. Rumbling stomach doesn't always mean that you need more food. It can just be the digestion of your previous meal. People who make and sell food and snacks, would want you to feel hunger as often as possible, to sell more, and may try to convince you that you should never become hungry, that being hungry is some mistake. That is not true. We are supposed to go through several hungry - eat - satiated-cycles every day, that's normal, good and healthy.
  • Linda_Darlene
    Linda_Darlene Posts: 453 Member
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    You are not doing yourself any favors there. If you are that active, there is no way you are going to survive on 1200 calories a day. 1200 calories a day is an amount for someone who is relatively sedentary. You need to eat more!
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
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    arguablysamson wrote: »
    skinnyjessicag wrote: »
    Well, I've been actually eating around 1400-ish but still feel hungry :( Is it normal to be hungry when you're losing? Kind of a stupid question, but I've heard that if you're hungry you're doing something wrong? Thanks for your feedback!

    I've done OMAD (one-meal-a-day) with around 1,200 calories to 1,650 cals per day. Took ten months to drop 173 lbs. Yes, the hunger will be there. Do not listen to any clown who tells you you won't be hungry. In time, you will adapt, though. Drop back on the exercise and your stress levels will drop, or else up the calories a bit. Otherwise, you'll release cortisol and will feel miserable.

    Speaking of clown diets...

    Context matters. Someone with 173 lbs to lose isn't going to necessarily go the same way as someone running marathons.

    If the OP is finding hunger overwhelming at 1400, it's clownish to say, "oh, look, I lost more at 1200" do less exercise.

    Do less exercise? Really? What awful advice without knowing her context.
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
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    I would be starving on 1200 calories too.. Eat more.
  • xXBabyBelleXx
    xXBabyBelleXx Posts: 110 Member
    edited January 2015
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    Everyone has their own experiences of MFP but I tired to stay on 1200 calories but for me it was too little, I was shaky, light-headed and felt ill all the time - I weigh 158ibs and only need to get to 156ibs to be in the healthy BMI . I want to get down to 133ibs though as my goal weight and be smack in the middle of the healthy BMI range.

    Personally I have now found setting MFP to 0.5ibs a week and then using Fitbit to measure my exercise has been amazing - I very rarely feel genuinely hungry and I have lost 1ib in two weeks so far.

    If it takes all year to reach my goal, it doesn't matter as I can easily live with this "diet" or healthy eating plan as I prefer to call it. :-)
  • xXBabyBelleXx
    xXBabyBelleXx Posts: 110 Member
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    segacs wrote: »
    Why do people insist on torturing themselves? (Rhetorical question, I know.)

    Look, I get that it's hard to be patient. But you didn't gain those 45 pounds overnight. They're gonna take some time to lose.

    Slow and steady is a good thing. You're trying to change your lifestyle and it needs to be something you can sustain indefinitely.

    So what if it takes a little longer? It won't feel so long when you're not hungry all the time. It'll just feel like your normal amount of food and normal daily routine, which is what you want.

    And don't cut back on the running if it's something you love. Just make sure you eat enough calories to fuel it!

    Totally agree, I have learnt this the hard way but hopefully now on the right track :-)
  • sazzyb_
    sazzyb_ Posts: 25 Member
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    eek 1200 is so low! I stick to 1500 a day and so far lost over 14lbs in 4 months (10% of my body weight). The key is to find something you can stick to long term (i.e. forever...), even if the weight loss is slower, and listen to your body. If you're hungry, EAT. Just make sure you eat the right foods, lots of protein and bulk out meals with lots of veg.

    On the odd occasion that I'm genuinely hungry having already eaten my 1500, I have 100-200 extra calories that day (extra chicken, veg, or pasta with my dinner) and it tends to sort me out for a couple of weeks until I feel the need again. Although it's important to be able to differentiate between hunger and cravings.

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