300 cal over, like every day \ /

arezou_vancouver
arezou_vancouver Posts: 39 Member
edited September 27 in Food and Nutrition
Hello All,

I am so damn angry....I am over 1200 cal, 300-400 every single day. I am so frustrated and let down by my own lack of self control. How do you guys do 1200? I constantly crave food and want to eat. I am 5'4 and 68 kg.

disappointed,

Arez

Replies

  • misschoy
    misschoy Posts: 125 Member
    Exercise! I find that 1200 is nearly impossible for me on a daily basis without working out.
  • DanceYogaRun
    DanceYogaRun Posts: 373 Member
    It's really tough for me, too. Exercising gives me more calories to eat, so I usually do better on days that I workout more.
  • MyaPapaya75
    MyaPapaya75 Posts: 3,143 Member
    make a range on your calories like 1200-1600 ..feeling bad about yourself isnt going to help in this journey and the extra 300 you can compensate by being more active..taking stairs ,parking further in parking lots,walking on your lunch hour etc...when you are too strict I find you dont enjoy this journey which doesnt have to be miserable
  • kimberg75
    kimberg75 Posts: 412 Member
    Your body just gets used to it after awhile of doing it. Try eating things to fill you up like a serving of nuts or fruit and drink lots of water. I use fruit and grain bars and 90 calorie Special K bars as well...they are low cal and very filling.
    Good luck!
  • kimberg75
    kimberg75 Posts: 412 Member
    Exercise! I find that 1200 is nearly impossible for me on a daily basis without working out.
    Very true!! I forgot about that as well helps!
  • mauryr
    mauryr Posts: 385
    I had the same troubles at first. I found that my appetite was reduced after a good cardio workout. Also, do you drink enough water? I found that when I started drinking more water, I was less hungry. Not hungry less often, but my hunger was satisfied with less food.
  • smartmama4
    smartmama4 Posts: 30
    I have the opposite problem.... I have a hard time getting up to 1200! I drink a lot of water, so I guess I'm not hungry?? MFP told me I need to eat more? That is just way too weird! I'm trying to lose weight but I need to eat more...... I make a broccoli soup that I really like and the only thing in it that really has any calories is the Velvetta cheese so I can eat until I'm full but not consume very many calories. I guess it just takes practice....
    Hope WE can both learn to balance better!! =D
  • Erindipitous
    Erindipitous Posts: 1,234 Member
    Same issue, and I can't exercise much because I hurt my ankle. When I was exercising, it was very easy to stay under and often hard to get to 1200.
  • Avalonis
    Avalonis Posts: 1,540 Member
    There's two ways you can get to that, or a combination of both.

    1 - Change WHAT you're eating. I went with a low carb, low fat diet, and I have trouble hitting 1200 calories. I have to actively work to make it each day.

    2 - As another user said, exercise! However, no matter how much exercise you do, you are going to retain some fat if you are not changing your diet.

    The best way is a combination of BOTH tactics. Keep in mind that when you do work out, you need to keep variety going for the best burn of calories and fat. Don't get into a routine of the same workout every day, try to vary SOMETHING. You're body has the amazing ability to remember what you have previously done, and get more and more efficient at it, resulting in LESS calorie loss.

    For example, if you like jogging, vary either the speed at which you jog, or the distance you jog, or better yet, do high energy calisthenics like jumping jacks or lunges sometimes.
  • krixi
    krixi Posts: 44 Member
    I'm the same height as you, and weighed 70 kg when i started. I started with 1200 calories too. I found it very difficult unless i exercised to be able to eat more. I also found that i was losing VERY slowly. Granted i'm not THAT overweight so I can't expect to lose at same rate as someone with way more to lose. However, I needed more calories, and when I upped my calories to 1300-1350 i started losing more easily and it wasn't such a struggle staying within my calorie goal. You just have to tweak and see what works for you. maybe 1200 calories is a good goal for you, but maybe you then need to exercise more. or, you can always increase your calories and be satisfies with a smaller loss per week (however I experienced it the opposite way - losing more and eating more).
  • Toridactyl
    Toridactyl Posts: 19 Member
    make a range on your calories like 1200-1600 ..feeling bad about yourself isnt going to help in this journey and the extra 300 you can compensate by being more active..taking stairs ,parking further in parking lots,walking on your lunch hour etc...when you are too strict I find you dont enjoy this journey which doesnt have to be miserable

    I totally do the same thing - I set myself a range between 1200 and 1720. I found that when I tried to hit 1300 on the nose or be perfect about everything I was just setting myself up for failure and/or disappointment.

    I also agree with previous posts on exercise. When I was trying to stick to a strict 1360 calories... the only way I could do it without becoming a super hungry monster lady... was to exercise! Even just getting an extra 100-300 calories from exercise really helped my mood and motivation.

    Good luck out there, and remember, you're making a change for a healthier life! Remove the neurosis and love yourself on this journey. :)
  • mrsfeuer
    mrsfeuer Posts: 69 Member
    I drink a lot of water. I also find lower calorie alternatives to foods I like. Lower dressing on my salads. I eat a lot of veggies since they ae low calorie and filling too.
  • tmdugger
    tmdugger Posts: 132 Member
    For some people 1200 is way too few...If you're like me 1600 to 1700 is a good range. I lose 1lb to 1.5 lbs a week and I never feel deprived. I'm 5'8" and 188 lbs. Depending on your natural body metabolism 1200 calories can actually harm your ability to lose weight. MFP just does the math, it doesn't say if your goal is good for you. A good idea is to set your goal temporarily to maintain so you can see how many calories you need just to maintain your weight....2300 for me. So 1600 is a GREAT deficit...a 500 cal deficit a day will have you losing a pound a week. The weight didn't come one all at once, so trying to take it all off at once will be discouraging and demoralizing.
  • MochaMixAZ
    MochaMixAZ Posts: 844 Member
    I honestly didn't read through the thread for answers already posted, but maybe 1200 isn't the right goal for you if you consistently hungry and over. Maybe try 1500 - see if you lose that week, and then adjust as necessary to not feel starved, but to see a loss.
  • vspink1374
    vspink1374 Posts: 2
    I eat about 2500 calories over, so its okay you have nothing to worry about! I mean i never gain weight that often, but i excercize averagely, so I dont think that extra 300 calories would effect you! I love eating and i will not starve myself just because i am told ton eat 1200 calories a day, thats like a meal for me!

    Dont stress it, just eat what you want to eat, if youre hungry you cannot help it!
  • puggleperson
    puggleperson Posts: 740 Member
    thats okat 1400 calories is really what you should be eating every day... not 1200 so you are doing great! Keep up the good work... continue to aim for 1200 so you end up eating what you are. dont aim for 1400 you might go up to 1900 LOL
  • kacc24
    kacc24 Posts: 15 Member
    I was having the same problem until I adjusted my goals on mfp. At first I said I wanted to lose 2 lbs a week then adjusted it to 1lb a week and mfp gave me 1380 cals a day instead of 1200 and I find that I have no issues staying under my calories now.
  • 17Chan
    17Chan Posts: 10
    Protein rich foods will keep you full. Alot of vegetables. I was eating 1200 for awhile, but got stuck, so i raised to 1400 and lost 3 more lbs. I'm going back under to 1200. It's doable. If you mess up, work the calories off.
    Eat every couple of hours. Cucumbers, Carrots, etc.

    If you eat alot of vegetables or fruit and go over, then you don't have anything to worry about.
    Don't buy junk. Don't keep it in your house.
  • arezou_vancouver
    arezou_vancouver Posts: 39 Member
    I'm the same height as you, and weighed 70 kg when i started. I started with 1200 calories too. I found it very difficult unless i exercised to be able to eat more. I also found that i was losing VERY slowly. Granted i'm not THAT overweight so I can't expect to lose at same rate as someone with way more to lose. However, I needed more calories, and when I upped my calories to 1300-1350 i started losing more easily and it wasn't such a struggle staying within my calorie goal. You just have to tweak and see what works for you. maybe 1200 calories is a good goal for you, but maybe you then need to exercise more. or, you can always increase your calories and be satisfies with a smaller loss per week (however I experienced it the opposite way - losing more and eating more).

    Very Interesting :) I might have to adjust my cal intake so that I don't feel bad about it.
  • betterthanmama
    betterthanmama Posts: 57 Member
    I am a hungry monster whenever my body feels deprived. If I exercise a lot the day before, and under my calories (even after eating them back) I can get huge cravings. I end up eating a ton the next day. I think the body tries to balance it's self out in some weird way. You may be under eating too much that your body is not happy with what your doing. Upping the calories may help the cravings and weightlifting may help with giving yourself some wiggle room. I also think it's a lot harder to lose weight the closer you are to a normal bmi..
  • allroundthesun
    allroundthesun Posts: 290
    I haven't read the other responses, but 1500-1600 cal. isn't too many at all - it's a totally reasonable goal! Assuming you didn't exercise at all, you'd still have a deficit of around 500 calories/day so in theory you'd still be losing about half a kg. each week... but in my experience, it's usually closer to 1 kg. or so unless your weight is already VERY low (I mean very low as in 54 kg or less at your height) and you're just trying to lose a few kg.

    I lost 20 kg. eating between 1400-1600 and doing cardio exercise for 30-60 minutes 4-5 times/week. 1600 was my goal for the first 11ish kg. then 1500 for the next 7ish kg. and even for the last 3ish kg. to reach 52 kg. (I'm 5'2") my goal was still 1400. You can absolutely do it with a goal of 1500-1600 and a reasonable amount of exercise!

    If I were in your shoes, I think I'd just raise my goal to 1500 or 1600 and make sure that whatever I ate above 1200 was heathful. It seems like you're just going to get frustrated and discouraged if you keep struggling to stay at 1200 when you're body is telling you it needs a few hundred more calories, and that's not going to help you lose weight.

    Aside from that, do you exercise? Some form of cardio three or four times a week will burn a lot of the additonal calories, which might help ease your mind about them. If you really, really don't want to set your goal above 1200, then lots and lots of water (10-12 cups) and lots of tea (make as many pots as you want and "snack" on it all day) reduce hunger and the desire to snack for me.

    Good luck! :)
  • arezou_vancouver
    arezou_vancouver Posts: 39 Member
    I haven't read the other responses, but 1500-1600 cal. isn't too many at all - it's a totally reasonable goal! Assuming you didn't exercise at all, you'd still have a deficit of around 500 calories/day so in theory you'd still be losing about half a kg. each week... but in my experience, it's usually closer to 1 kg. or so unless your weight is already VERY low (I mean very low as in 54 kg or less at your height) and you're just trying to lose a few kg.

    I lost 20 kg. eating between 1400-1600 and doing cardio exercise for 30-60 minutes 4-5 times/week. 1600 was my goal for the first 11ish kg. then 1500 for the next 7ish kg. and even for the last 3ish kg. to reach 52 kg. (I'm 5'2") my goal was still 1400. You can absolutely do it with a goal of 1500-1600 and a reasonable amount of exercise!

    If I were in your shoes, I think I'd just raise my goal to 1500 or 1600 and make sure that whatever I ate above 1200 was heathful. It seems like you're just going to get frustrated and discouraged if you keep struggling to stay at 1200 when you're body is telling you it needs a few hundred more calories, and that's not going to help you lose weight.

    Aside from that, do you exercise? Some form of cardio three or four times a week will burn a lot of the additonal calories, which might help ease your mind about them. If you really, really don't want to set your goal above 1200, then lots and lots of water (10-12 cups) and lots of tea (make as many pots as you want and "snack" on it all day) reduce hunger and the desire to snack for me.

    Good luck! :)

    Thanks for the tips and support. My thing is....I am working fulltime, studying almost full time, and drafting a thesis for my masters degree, planning a wedding ( Sep 3, 2011 !!!) all by my self.....so I have very few hours to myself . I know I have to exercise and I truly enjoy it but haven't had the time. I am going to promise myself to do at least twice a week. By the sound of it, it would be almost impossible to do this thing without exercise.
  • allroundthesun
    allroundthesun Posts: 290
    Thanks for the tips and support. My thing is....I am working fulltime, studying almost full time, and drafting a thesis for my masters degree, planning a wedding ( Sep 3, 2011 !!!) all by my self.....so I have very few hours to myself . I know I have to exercise and I truly enjoy it but haven't had the time. I am going to promise myself to do at least twice a week. By the sound of it, it would be almost impossible to do this thing without exercise.

    Yeah, I found it very hard the first time I tried to lose weight without any exercise, and while I lost some weight I was still kind of flabby, just smaller. But I totally hear you, when you have to go go go all the time, the last thing you want to do is go some more during the little down time you have, I've been there! But it sounds like your goal for twice a week is a good one, and even 30 mins. will help, doesn't need to be crazy long. Oh, and congrats on your wedding!
  • arezou_vancouver
    arezou_vancouver Posts: 39 Member
    Thanks for the tips and support. My thing is....I am working fulltime, studying almost full time, and drafting a thesis for my masters degree, planning a wedding ( Sep 3, 2011 !!!) all by my self.....so I have very few hours to myself . I know I have to exercise and I truly enjoy it but haven't had the time. I am going to promise myself to do at least twice a week. By the sound of it, it would be almost impossible to do this thing without exercise.

    Yeah, I found it very hard the first time I tried to lose weight without any exercise, and while I lost some weight I was still kind of flabby, just smaller. But I totally hear you, when you have to go go go all the time, the last thing you want to do is go some more during the little down time you have, I've been there! But it sounds like your goal for twice a week is a good one, and even 30 mins. will help, doesn't need to be crazy long. Oh, and congrats on your wedding!

    Thanks :)
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    Hmmm, weight loss is 80% diet, and 20% at most exercise. They say you build abs in the kitchen. Sugars are poison, and excess carbs can show on your stomach.

    A few tweaks here and that can be all that's required - I look at each day's food journal and go "Right, what one thing could I have changed to make that better?"

    Why dont you have a look back over 10 days and see if you can spot any areas that could have been better?
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