I'm starving!! What am I doing wrong?

Are you eating back exercise calories?

MFP is just making some guesses. Your real feedback is telling you 1200 is too low. YOu may have set the loss too aggressively as Malibu stated. Honestly, you are much better off losing slowly and doing it than losing fast for 3 days and quitting. Even if you have to set it in maintenance to get used to logging accurately you are getting ahead of going hard and quitting.

Besides adjusting your calorie goals, you may also look at filling, nutrient dense but calorie light foods. Foods with high fiber and water content can fill you up without packing the calories. I am way more full from 200 calories of veggies than 200 calories of mashed potatoes. Protein also helps.

Also when I first started... I worked out for 6 weeks before I tried to dial in my diet. Willpower is a refilling... yet finite resource. It now takes very little willpower to log calories, measure or go to the gym. But if I tried to start that all at once I woulda said screw it this it too hard.

If you are hungry, eat! You can eat healthy foods and go over your calories. If you go over your calories with healthy food it is better than going over with junk food. Make sure you are meeting your protein goal and are doing weight training as well as cardio. Protein and fiber should help keep you full. But at your height and weight, you are not obese and not even technically overweight. So there is no rush to lose weight. You can lose weight slowly by making changes that are sustainable and you can keep up for a long time. I am also on a 1200 a day calorie diet but I will eat extra if I work out. The first couple of weeks was difficult and I did not keep my calories low enough as consistently. But when I started eating more protein, it was easier. However, I am in a hurry to lose weight as I am 31 and my doctor suggested losing weight in order to have a better chance at conceiving a baby. I want to have two children and 35 is considered advanced age for childbearing so I feel like I have a limited time. If I were not in a hurry to lose weight, I would not be trying to lose weight as fast. I also work out with a personal trainer.

Look at including foods that are higher in protein with less calories. Turkey, kangaroo and chicken are the popular ones. Spinach is low in calories but high in macros so get a few handfulls in your meals. Take note of how much essential fats your are having at every meal to aid digestion and release amino acids. e.g 10-15gms of almonds or walnuts with every meal.

jennyklizzyp wrote: »

I've been trying to use myfiynesspal pal for years now and rarely can I get past day three because I'm so hungry I sabotage the whole program. I'm female 5'7" and 150 lbs. If I put sedentary for activity level I only get 1200 calories per day. At light activity level, I get just over 1400. I'm on day 3 now and my metabolism has kicked in from all the exercise in recent days. I'm so hungry I feel light headed, weak and angry. What am I doing wrong?

With only 20 lbs to lose, set your goal for 1 lb or even 1/2 lb per week, that will give you a more reasonable calorie goal. Plus you should eat back @ half of your exercise calories. Also different macros help different people feel full. For me it's protein. Make sure you are getting enough protein and fat. Good luck :drinker:

Ok, here is what I do since I have the same problem. I eat 1600 calories a day and THEN exercise the calories away so my NET calories should be 1200. You don't need to starve yourself or eat just 1200 calories.

jennyklizzyp wrote: »

I've been trying to use myfiynesspal pal for years now and rarely can I get past day three because I'm so hungry I sabotage the whole program. I'm female 5'7" and 150 lbs. If I put sedentary for activity level I only get 1200 calories per day. At light activity level, I get just over 1400. I'm on day 3 now and my metabolism has kicked in from all the exercise in recent days. I'm so hungry I feel light headed, weak and angry. What am I doing wrong?

Counting calories is good but you have to make sure that those calories are nutritiously rich.

If you find yourself hungry more often, adjust WHAT you are eating not the quantity.

Foods high in fiber & lean proteins will make you feel fuller longer. See sample list HERE

The light headed sounds like you may need some carbs - personally I get VERY fatigued if I don't consume enough carbs. Choose whole wheat or other complex carbs. See sample list HERE

If you are eating well (healthy & balanced) you shouldn't experience any of the symptoms you mentioned. And I know there is an on going debate that 'a calorie is a calorie' but I personally don't subscribe to that line of thinking.

If Person A is eating 1400 calories of quinoa, whole wheat English muffin, eggs, chicken, turkey, & deep green veggies they will feel fuller longer, have energy, & genuinely feel 'healthy.'

If Person B is eating 1400 calories of sugary cereal, bagels, heavy lettuce salads drowning in dressing, white bread, rice, pasta, then yes technically within calorie allotment but the body is starving because those foods are nutritious poor offering the body VERY little fuel to accommodate any new fitness regiment.

I'd strongly suggest a look at WHAT you are eating, read food labels (just because something states it's whole wheat or multi grain doesn't mean it is. (A lot of times it is still white processed flour with some wheat flour tossed in. SO make sure the ingredient list actually states WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR as the first ingredient), and continuously adjust your foods as needed.

And in the off chance you are already eating healthy but is still symptomatic you should go see you physician ASAP. It could be anemia, or low blood sugar, or any other number of ailments which can cause the list of symptoms you are experiencing.

Best of luck to you!