Struggling to keep calories to 1200!!

Hi, first time I tried MFP I moaned about this to my husband. He said "that's why you've got to exercise". I'm 5'1" and weighed 11 stone in February (down to 10 stone 6 now) so am also on 1200 per day but I do eat back my cardio calories!

Like you say, logging makes you realise when you're not using them so wisely (e.g. Wine!) an helps you realise what changes you can make.

Friend me if you like.

1200 is fine but you're supposed to eat exercise calories back, or it gives you a huge deficit, which is really not necessary.

Also, if you have too many calories in coffee and tea... cut what you put in them.

The 1200 calories is very difficult to stick with, and yes MFP will set you at this. It does not matter how old you are or if you only have a little or a lot to lose, it is still hard. My nutritionist who got me turned on to MFP had advised not to be so obsessed with sticking to the 1200 calories. She says that it is a guideline, and that if I was still hungry, the worst thing you can do is starve yourself. The body will start to store fat at that point and none of us wants that What she said is the most important, is that even if you stick within close reason, say 1600 or 1800, and writing down what you eat, and eating healthy, that is the most important. It's just a tool to make you more aware of what you are doing.

If you haven't a lot to lose it may be better to set to 1lb a week or even 0.5lb.

It sets you to 1200 as that is the lowest it will go. I think to actually lose 2lb a week I have to eat about 900 calories a day.
It ain't happening.

Actually on 1350 a day. I exercise for more.

I have a lot of carrots, celery, cucumber, peppers etc with salsa, lettuce, melon and berries, low fat yoghurt, crackers, seafood sticks, boiled egg, prawns, soup...I snack a lot during the day rather than have meals as I'm at work and don't always manage to have a break as such so grazing suits me.

What kind of coffee do you drink!? Didn't think it had that many calories?

naltadonna29 wrote: »

The 1200 calories is very difficult to stick with, and yes MFP will set you at this. It does not matter how old you are or if you only have a little or a lot to lose, it is still hard. My nutritionist who got me turned on to MFP had advised not to be so obsessed with sticking to the 1200 calories. She says that it is a guideline, and that if I was still hungry, the worst thing you can do is starve yourself. The body will start to store fat at that point and none of us wants that What she said is the most important, is that even if you stick within close reason, say 1600 or 1800, and writing down what you eat, and eating healthy, that is the most important. It's just a tool to make you more aware of what you are doing.

The bolded part is not true.

Also? If 1800 calories is over the amount of calories you need to eat to create a deficit for weight loss? You won't lose weight. I, for example, would not lose weight eating that many calories.

Nutritionists often spew a lot of garbage.

My cup of tea works out at 50 cals with semiskimmed milk and one sugar. Cannot STAND any fake sugar...they all taste weird to me.

naltadonna29 wrote: »

The 1200 calories is very difficult to stick with, and yes MFP will set you at this. It does not matter how old you are or if you only have a little or a lot to lose, it is still hard. My nutritionist who got me turned on to MFP had advised not to be so obsessed with sticking to the 1200 calories. She says that it is a guideline, and that if I was still hungry, the worst thing you can do is starve yourself. The body will start to store fat at that point and none of us wants that What she said is the most important, is that even if you stick within close reason, say 1600 or 1800, and writing down what you eat, and eating healthy, that is the most important. It's just a tool to make you more aware of what you are doing.

The bolded part is not true

MFP will not set you at 1200 unless you set unreasonable goals or are a very small woman. When I started I set it to 1lb a week at my stats it gave me almost 1500 a day...plus whatever I exercised.

and no your body does not hold onto fat...

I'm on the same 1200 MFP imposed calorie deficit and found it really hard to stick to when I first started. I found that not only was I NOT losing weight, but I WAS losing my sanity and will to live. Now I'm healthier and happier by either not logging tea/coffee (assuming you drink it black) or accepting that if I'm going 30 over my "allowance" it's due to tea/coffee. Also if I went over because of fruit, that is OK because yes, they are calories, but they also contain a lot of nutrients that your body NEEDS to function. I basically use MFP as a guide to help me keep track of what I'm eating and make appropriate choices. Good luck!

I'm at 1200 calories too, 5'5, losing 1.5lbs/week. (shorter girls have it tougher) I find it hard because I get bored, not because I'm actually hungry-although it took a couple weeks for my brain to actually comprehend the difference! I do best when I drink a lot of water, and snack on almonds ( I weigh an ounce and then just pop one or two at a time throughout my day at work) I work at a coffee shop so I understand your addiction to coffee however, I drink it black or occasionally do just a couple shots of espresso with a dash of cream and real maple syrup. the calories aren't too bad if you do it that way. when you have this few calories/day you most definitely don't want to be drinking them away. make sure that if you work out you eat most of those calories back. with that said.. I agree with the above posters you don't have that much to lose so it would probably be better if you adjusting your "weekly losing rate" so its easier to stick with and such.