Tips on adjusting to 1200 calories per day?
Options
Replies
-
gothicfires wrote: »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.
Okay, thanks! I'll see if I can find any substitutes for that amount of chicken. I eat chicken maybe once or twice a week.0 -
I don't eat 1200 a day, but I had to deal with a lot of hunger when I stopped training and had to cut my calories in half just to maintain (3500 calories to 1750), and now I'm trying to net under 1500 which for me is difficult.
I find sweet potatoes and broccoli to be the most filling foods for me, by calorie. I add a small amount of fat (maybe 50-100 calories worth) to keep the hunger from coming back too quickly.
Big vegetable soups before and between meals help, too.
I usually eat a lot of berries and beans, which are high in fibre and help with the hunger. Strawberries, raspberries and blueberries are very low in calories, too.0 -
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.
I'll see if I can do it in secret or something. I'm definitely not undereating, there's plenty of foods I can cut. I'm just trying to see if there are filling/cheap foods I can substitute with.0 -
MakePeasNotWar wrote: »I don't eat 1200 a day, but I had to deal with a lot of hunger when I stopped training and had to cut my calories in half just to maintain (3500 calories to 1750), and now I'm trying to net under 1500 which for me is difficult.
I find sweet potatoes and broccoli to be the most filling foods for me, by calorie. I add a small amount of fat (maybe 50-100 calories worth) to keep the hunger from coming back too quickly.
Big vegetable soups before and between meals help, too.
I usually eat a lot of berries and beans, which are high in fibre and help with the hunger. Strawberries, raspberries and blueberries are very low in calories, too.
Berries are a good idea, I can probably buy a frozen bag so they'll keep. I don't really like soup, but I'll try eating more beans and broccoli.0 -
Embrace the hunger. Hold it closely and savor its warmth.0
-
How many calories do you think you are eating now?
The fact that your roommates staged an intervention makes me think there is more going on than we are aware of.
One of my roommates has an ED history which began with food weighing, so she gets a bit paranoid about that sort of thing. And after the summer I'll be back to eating college dining hall food, so weighing isn't the most practical option at this time.
My goal is currently 1300 but when I get really hungry I eat back my exercise calories. I know that to make up for not weighing I shouldn't eat them, but the food I eat only lasts me till lunch if I stick to 1300. There are foods I can cut, I just want to know what I should substitute them with.
0 -
0
-
malavika413 wrote: »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?
You had an intervention? Yikes.
You can not eat your exercise calories back - but I'd not do that and drop your calories down. I'd pick one or the other. But knowing exactly what you're eating really is going to be the best way to gauge your success.
Here's why:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjKPIcI51lU 0 -
I'm concerned about you having roommates controlling you. You take care of what you want when you want. Don't allow them to have that kind of power over ANY PART of your life. A scale is very important lol. My family thinks I'm nuts but hey I'm looking good.0
-
TheVirgoddess wrote: »malavika413 wrote: »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?
You had an intervention? Yikes.
You can not eat your exercise calories back - but I'd not do that and drop your calories down. I'd pick one or the other. But knowing exactly what you're eating really is going to be the best way to gauge your success.
Here's why:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjKPIcI51lU
I'll check that video out later. By "intervention" they sat down with me and expressed their worries. One of my roommates has an ED history so she was especially distraught.
0 -
Amber_hanson27 wrote: »I'm concerned about you having roommates controlling you. You take care of what you want when you want. Don't allow them to have that kind of power over ANY PART of your life. A scale is very important lol. My family thinks I'm nuts but hey I'm looking good.
I understand their concern though. And in the long run, since I eat at a college dining hall during the school year, weighing won't be practical. I can't exactly take the scale around the buffet without looking like a crazy person.
0 -
I'd suggest weighing your food, too. If your roommate grumbles, say it's to make sure you're eating enough, just as well as not too much. At your young age, you shouldn't need to drop calories that low to lose. Unless your not logging it accurately. And if your not weighing your food, you're probably not. Once you have a good idea what a serving size looks like, it won't be as necessary.
Also, if your walking is "getting from place to place," include that in your daily activity not as extra exercise. Have your settings at lightly active instead of sedentary.0 -
malavika413 wrote: »It's been pretty off and on
and since I don't weigh my food I use exercise calories as a buffer.
I wouldn't recommend making adjustments till you consistently log, which I think you said you have the past month
And weigh your food. How do you know how much your eating right now?
0 -
The practical difference between 1200 calories per day and 1300 isn't a heck of a lot.
If you do not want to open your diary....what kind of foods on average are you eating now? It would be easier for people to give your practical advice if you opened up your diary for people to take a peek.
Her diary is open.0 -
Timorous_Beastie wrote: »I'd suggest weighing your food, too. If your roommate grumbles, say it's to make sure you're eating enough, just as well as not too much. At your young age, you shouldn't need to drop calories that low to lose. Unless your not logging it accurately. And if your not weighing your food, you're probably not. Once you have a good idea what a serving size looks like, it won't be as necessary.
Also, if your walking is "getting from place to place," include that in your daily activity not as extra exercise. Have your settings at lightly active instead of sedentary.
I have a fitbit so it calculates calories that way.0 -
KisforKrista wrote: »i was eating 1200 but i bumped it up to 1350.
I am getting minor headaches around the afternoon so i think 1200 is too low.
Although oddly if MFP didn't have a no lower then 1200 rule i think my calories per day would of been lower since my deficit wasn't 1000 calories after i put my stats in and put it to lose 2lbs per week.
Anyway i set it to 1.5lbs per week and it spit out 1450 or something to that regard but i think 1350 should be just fine.
I'm only trying to lose 1 pound per week, that put me at just under 1300 calories.0 -
The practical difference between 1200 calories per day and 1300 isn't a heck of a lot.
If you do not want to open your diary....what kind of foods on average are you eating now? It would be easier for people to give your practical advice if you opened up your diary for people to take a peek.
Diary's open. I'm on vacation now, but I usually eat bread, eggs, cereal, some veggies, etc.
Also, I'm planning to eat 1200 without eating back any exercise calories.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 397 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.3K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 934 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions