I have 1200 calories/day & set to sedentary 2 lb loss per week - food ideas??

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  • ladyrixx
    ladyrixx Posts: 12 Member
    My husband and I "eat" the Wal-Mart brand diet shakes a lot. We don't have much money either, and it's almost cheaper than living off ramen.

    Otherwise, we really like the Belvita breakfast biscuits, they're tasty, high in fibre, and have a pretty good shelf life. (I really don't like to cook for breakfast/lunch)
  • ambersanford204
    ambersanford204 Posts: 37 Member
    Thank you Lavender. I honestly think it is just from the drastic change I've made in my activity level since I started. I haven't been super consistent logging in because I am very busy, but logging makes me very thoughtful about what I am putting in my mouth. I have good days and bad days like anybody else and I am very pleased with the loss despite the scale not always being reliable. I feel better and I think I look better so that is what truly matters. I am definitely proud and you're right, I don't want to set myself up for failure so maybe I will look into manually upping 150 calories to give me a little more per day.

    I really appreciate your helpfulness and positivity. :)
  • keosech
    keosech Posts: 1 Member
    edited July 2015
    Myfitnesspal suggest a 1200 caloric intake for me as well. In reality I eat about 1400-1500 per day but I try to work out on the days that I go over 1200 and burn about 400-500 calories so I still stay under my net 1200 calories. I have a very simple diet. The key is exercising!!!

    Sample diet:
    Breakfast: Coffee w/ creamer, Half a whole wheat tortilla wrap with 1/4 cup of skinless chicken and .5 oz cheese ~ 200 calories
    Lunch: 3 cups of greens (spinach, argula, etc), 1 cup of chicken, dressing ~ 220 calories
    Dinner: 1-1.5 cups of white rice, with ground chicken or skinless chicken ~ remainder of my calories
    Snack: 1 serving of Pretzels, protein shake (usu 130 cal), even beer, and whatever else I can eat that allows me to stay under my calories. Drink water throughout the day (I manage to drink about 48 ounces)

    I've found that snacking throughout the day puts me in danger of overeating and indulging. I've only found myself hungry after breakfast around 10am so I try to have an early lunch between 11:30-11:45. Then during the night (8-10pm), my mind tries to tell me that I'm hungry but I know I'm not because I just ate a couple of hours prior. So I do my best to fight through those hunger thoughts! LOL.

    If you work out, you can definitely eat more than 1200 calories and most likely won't find yourself hungry if you truly listen to your body! You'll do great!
  • LavenderLeaves
    LavenderLeaves Posts: 195 Member
    Not a problem, Amber! I'm glad you're upping your calories a bit, I think you'll find it makes it MUCH easier.

    I'd also suggest If you get a little wrapped up in the numbers on the scale but know you're eating accurately, I would suggest trying to make sure you don't weigh yourself more than once a week, as well. I'm far heavier than you, but as an example, I notice that my weight fluxes a lot even at weekly weigh ins. I only weigh myself every 3 weeks now, as a result, because I would often get frustrated at seeing a lack of loss after 7 days sometimes, even though I was eating fine. I pushed my weigh times further apart because I knew there was no way I was eating at a surplus or even maintenance, and *always* see better results now because of waiting longer between weigh times.

    I will, however, make a few recipe ideas. I cook a lot and notice certain recipes of mine tend to be wonderfully low calorie and insanely filling. Days I have those at hand I often tend to end up at a larger calorie deficit without even trying.

    Potatoes: boiled or steamed, I know it sounds crazy, but plain potatoes are actually super low calorie. Four ounces of cooked potatoes only has 100 calories!. I like to make a large batch at once and just cut them up and keep them in the fridge, so I always have a quick side if I want it. Little bit of salt and pepper, or hot sauce and they do not need butter or to be fried or anything like that. Potatoes rate very high on the satiety scale, as well. Super filling and satisfying! Also yum.

    Lentils: Lentils are one of my favorites as well. While making them they can take a bit of work, but it's so worth it since I make a giant batch of them and freeze individual portions of up to 10-15 portions depending on how much I make. I saute chopped celery, onions, and carrots until softened in a little bit of olive oil(measured, of course), then add chicken or veggie stock with the lentils with a ratio of 1:1. I add lots of garlic, either fresh or powdered, and a can of tomatoes, couple bay leaves, stir everything up and bring it to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cover. Cook them to your preference, anywhere from 20-60m depending on how soft you like them. The easy calorie counting comes in when you weigh the total amount once it's done cooking, put everything you used in the recipe builder, and then put however many ounces the total was as total servings. I find it easiest to write down how many ounces I put in each bag before I freeze them. They microwave wonderfully.

    Using veggies as fillers, and spices are your friend: Sounds obvious...but it really makes a huge difference. A 2 egg omelet becomes a monster meal with some diced onions, mushrooms, and broccoli. 2 oz of dry pasta can seem like not a lot...but with lots of mushrooms, tomatoes, broccoli, and just barely wilted spinach tossed in it can be a big, wonderful meal. Also, use spices you love, they'll make the food that much more satisfying to you. Garlic is my bestie. No joke. Chicken breast is such a neutral flavor meat, but I love it because I often just will pre-marinade it with spices before cooking it. Eating lower calorie than we're used to can be tough but doesn't need to be tasteless!


  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Add exercise. The 1200 calories that MFP gave you is net. That means zero exercise was factored in. I exercise for snacks..........
  • never2late2loseweight
    never2late2loseweight Posts: 15 Member
    edited July 2015
    Im at 1274 calories. Have you done your macronutrients?
  • planetbk
    planetbk Posts: 5 Member
    Lavender, that lentil recipe looks awesome! Trying it tomorrow when I get off work :)
    Amber, keep up the good work. I found 1200 calories/day almost impossible to maintain. I added in exercise initially to earn back extra food. Now I've found out I like it so much, the calories are just an extra perk! But, I truly can't imagine staying at 1200 calories WITH activity, I'd be too fatigued and hungry. Seems like it might be a better idea to add back some extra calories than try to game the system as a sedentary person if you're not. Just my experience, you may be able to do it. Whatever way you choose, stay strong! And enjoy your time with your Dad- he doesn't care whether or not you're overweight.
  • roselemonade
    roselemonade Posts: 53 Member
    I like low-calorie (well, lower-calorie) flatbreads/wraps from Aldi (they're at other stores too, but for more money) to make wraps (obviously) but also a simple personal pizza for less than 200 calories (with one oz shredded mozzarella and a couple tbsp sauce.)
    Soup is also good and pretty easy to make--once a week I make a batch of soup with some soup base (Better Than Bouillon,) a bag of frozen kale, and whatever other vegetables I have floating around. Add whatever spices you want. I add just a little oil, and it comes out to something like 50 cal/cup.
    For snacks, I buy baby carrots, portion out ~150g or so into snack ziploc bags, and grab one when I want to feel more full--170g baby carrots is enough to make me almost uncomfortably full on about 60 calories, and with a couple tbsp hummus (or whatever) on the side as a dip it's a pretty tasty/cheap/satisfying snack.
    You can make tuna salad (or chicken, salmon, etc) with some lowfat or nonfat yogurt (or full-fat, I'm not your mom) for a cheap protein. I also really like chickpea salad (mash up chickpeas, treat it like tuna) for a good protein/fiber combo that's really easy. Bean salads in general are good--chop up some onion, bell pepper, rinse and drain a can of black beans, add some Southwest-style dressing (or just lime, cumin, a little oil) for a good side dish or filling for burritos.
  • LavenderLeaves
    LavenderLeaves Posts: 195 Member
    planetbk wrote: »
    Lavender, that lentil recipe looks awesome! Trying it tomorrow when I get off work :)

    Let me know how you like it! They're fantastic with hot sauce!