Tips on adjusting to 1200 calories per day?

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malavika413
malavika413 Posts: 474 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I haven't been losing any weight, so I'm considering cutting my calories to 1200 (and possibly not eating exercise calories, because that seems to be messing me up). But I tend to get really hungry when I cut my calories low (I know I'm supposed to be a bit hungry, but not too hungry). Do y'all have any tips to feel satisfied on fewer calories? Any particularly filling foods you can recommend? I don't like popcorn so that's out, haha. Also, I don't have the funds to eat meat too often, so I can't do much with that.
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Replies

  • rubyandmani
    rubyandmani Posts: 31 Member
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    my food diary is open and I do eat around 1200. xx
  • malavika413
    malavika413 Posts: 474 Member
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    rubyandmani wrote: »
    my food diary is open and I do eat around 1200. xx

    I checked and I don't think your diary is open. :)
  • TheVirgoddess
    TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
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    malavika413 wrote: »
    I haven't been losing any weight, so I'm considering cutting my calories to 1200 (and possibly not eating exercise calories, because that seems to be messing me up). But I tend to get really hungry when I cut my calories low (I know I'm supposed to be a bit hungry, but not too hungry). Do y'all have any tips to feel satisfied on fewer calories? Any particularly filling foods you can recommend? I don't like popcorn so that's out, haha. Also, I don't have the funds to eat meat too often, so I can't do much with that.

    IMO, don't do both.

    What are your stats? Age/height/weight/goal weight? How long have you been trying to lose with no success? Do you weigh your food on a scale?
  • malavika413
    malavika413 Posts: 474 Member
    edited June 2015
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    I'm 20/63 inches/149 pounds/120 pounds at most. It's been pretty off and on, but I've been trying to commit seriously for the past few months and since I don't weigh my food I use exercise calories as a buffer.
  • TheVirgoddess
    TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
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    My first recommendation is to log - everything - for a few weeks. Get an idea of what you're actually eating, and then you can figure out where you should be.

    If you do decide to drop down to 1200 (unnecessary, IMO) - eat your exercise calories back.
  • amr32r
    amr32r Posts: 245 Member
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    Im on 1200 and am actually thinking abt going to 1400 because im doing insanity will see how i do this week....im rambling sorry lol....i eat fish, boneless skinless chicken, salads, it can get boring so i have been going on pinterest for ideas...i also eat quinoa, avocado, oatmeal, veggies,veggies and more veggies...try to split your meals up to 400 cal each meal or if you do snacks 300 so you have room for snacks..i do pretty well on not going over ..i was eating egg whites with veggies most of the time for breakfast but noticed i do better eating oatmeal mixed with flaxseed with cinnamon and cut up apple.hope this helps a little
  • johnnylakis
    johnnylakis Posts: 812 Member
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    Exercise will make you hungry. I actually stopped going to the gym when I cut to 1,200 calories and lost more weight than I ever did going to the gym
  • malavika413
    malavika413 Posts: 474 Member
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    TheVirgoddess wrote: »
    My first recommendation is to log - everything - for a few weeks. Get an idea of what you're actually eating, and then you can figure out where you should be.

    If you do decide to drop down to 1200 (unnecessary, IMO) - eat your exercise calories back.

    I did log everything for over a month, no loss. And I burn off quite a few exercise calories (on vacation now, but on the average day I walk about 4 miles), so I feel like eating those back wouldn't help much.
  • malavika413
    malavika413 Posts: 474 Member
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    johnnylakis wrote: »
    Exercise will make you hungry. I actually stopped going to the gym when I cut to 1,200 calories and lost more weight than I ever did going to the gym

    My only exercise is walking, and that's just to get from place to place, about 4 miles a day.
  • malavika413
    malavika413 Posts: 474 Member
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    amr32r wrote: »
    Im on 1200 and am actually thinking abt going to 1400 because im doing insanity will see how i do this week....im rambling sorry lol....i eat fish, boneless skinless chicken, salads, it can get boring so i have been going on pinterest for ideas...i also eat quinoa, avocado, oatmeal, veggies,veggies and more veggies...try to split your meals up to 400 cal each meal or if you do snacks 300 so you have room for snacks..i do pretty well on not going over ..i was eating egg whites with veggies most of the time for breakfast but noticed i do better eating oatmeal mixed with flaxseed with cinnamon and cut up apple.hope this helps a little

    Thanks, I'll see if I can pick up some of those foods.
  • debubbie
    debubbie Posts: 767 Member
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    If you are not weighing your foods, then you definitely should be! You may be eating more than you think you are and this could be why you are not seeing a weight loss.
  • urloved33
    urloved33 Posts: 3,325 Member
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    drink a lot of water
  • malavika413
    malavika413 Posts: 474 Member
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    debubbie wrote: »
    If you are not weighing your foods, then you definitely should be! You may be eating more than you think you are and this could be why you are not seeing a weight loss.

    I can't really weigh any of my foods because when I tried, my roommates tried to have an intervention with me. They thought I was going into disordered eating. So I'm using my exercise calories as a buffer. Sometimes I eat those (I'm at 1300 calories on an average day, and I get pretty hungry), but I try to hold off if I can.
  • malavika413
    malavika413 Posts: 474 Member
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    urloved33 wrote: »
    drink a lot of water

    I've been working on that, but I guess I could always use more. Thanks!
  • TheVirgoddess
    TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
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    malavika413 wrote: »
    TheVirgoddess wrote: »
    My first recommendation is to log - everything - for a few weeks. Get an idea of what you're actually eating, and then you can figure out where you should be.

    If you do decide to drop down to 1200 (unnecessary, IMO) - eat your exercise calories back.

    I did log everything for over a month, no loss. And I burn off quite a few exercise calories (on vacation now, but on the average day I walk about 4 miles), so I feel like eating those back wouldn't help much.

    Then my next suggestion is to weigh your food.
  • arv51862
    arv51862 Posts: 115 Member
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    I do the 1200 thing & I choose to not add exercise calories back in unless or until I'm meeting or exceeding my goal of 2 pounds per week. That said, MFP has 1200 has the minimum # for men, so I'll add 20-50 exercise calories / day just to give myself a caloric target window to hit each day, but without really effecting my food intake. My diary is open.
  • malavika413
    malavika413 Posts: 474 Member
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    TheVirgoddess wrote: »
    malavika413 wrote: »
    TheVirgoddess wrote: »
    My first recommendation is to log - everything - for a few weeks. Get an idea of what you're actually eating, and then you can figure out where you should be.

    If you do decide to drop down to 1200 (unnecessary, IMO) - eat your exercise calories back.

    I did log everything for over a month, no loss. And I burn off quite a few exercise calories (on vacation now, but on the average day I walk about 4 miles), so I feel like eating those back wouldn't help much.

    Then my next suggestion is to weigh your food.

    I really don't want my roommates to try and stage an intervention again. Would being more strict about not eating back exercise calories not work?
  • gothicfires
    gothicfires Posts: 240 Member
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    I eat around 1200 calories a day. I split my meals into 4, 300 calories each. The secret to making it easy is protein and fiber. 4 ozs of baked chicken, 1/2 cups of rice and 3/4cups of mixed veggies in a typical meal. I have plenty of energy and am never hungry.
  • malavika413
    malavika413 Posts: 474 Member
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    arv51862 wrote: »
    I do the 1200 thing & I choose to not add exercise calories back in unless or until I'm meeting or exceeding my goal of 2 pounds per week. That said, MFP has 1200 has the minimum # for men, so I'll add 20-50 exercise calories / day just to give myself a caloric target window to hit each day, but without really effecting my food intake. My diary is open.

    Thanks. Though, as a man, don't you find you get hungry? I thought 1200 was the minimum for women?
  • BioQueen
    BioQueen Posts: 694 Member
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    I agree - weigh your food. I understand it is tricky with roommates, but if you want to know if you are consuming too much you have to weigh. Plus it will also be important so that you don't UNDER eat. For a while I was giving myself smaller portions than what I should have been eating because I wasn't weighing.

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