Who here is eating 1200 calories after ...

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  • amy8400
    amy8400 Posts: 478 Member
    I ate at 1200 calories for 6 months. Sure I lost weight but it wasn't fun going to bed hungry at night and feeling deprived. At the advice of a successful MFP friend, I adjusted my daily intake to 1370. I'm so glad I did, though at first I thought she was crazy to suggest it. I lost another 12 pounds by eating more and moving more. When I didn't eat enough, I was tired and hungry most of the time. Take care of yourself and your body will respond positively.
  • esmesqualor
    esmesqualor Posts: 85 Member
    susanna9992015 wrote: »
    Try eating Shirataki noodles! House brand in the white container. They taste great and totally fill you up. !!

    Oh yeah! Thanls for reminding meow Shiritake, I totally stopped buying them. They are great! I like to make a soup with wild mushrooms, boo chou, thinly sliced leek, thinly sliced daikon, broth and shiritake. You can even sprinkle with dried bonito flakes.
  • esmesqualor
    esmesqualor Posts: 85 Member
    susan_the_machine wrote: »
    Get scanned with InBody and then do it again a month later. First of all, you learn how many calories to eat a day just breathing. It's higher than you think it is. Don't go below it.

    I had been proud of myself for using 1200 net calories a day and sticking to it.

    Today I learned that the 4 pounds I lost in 4 weeks was mostly lean body mass!!!! I feel shocked that my body is apparently in "starvation mode."

    It is possible that I may lose weight a little faster by upping my calories to my BMR (basal metabolic rate) and add more calories on days when I exercise.

    I thought a pound a week meant that I was doing well. Good balance of food types; proteins, carbs, and fat. But, I was wrong. I just wasn't eating enough!

    I want to lose weight relatively quickly. It feels right to eat less. It is going to feel really weird to set and keep a higher calorie count.

    But, I do believe the nutritionist when she tells me that my body needs enough food every day to allow it to burn fat.

    1200 calories a day may be sabotaging your weight loss. I feel stunned.

    Wow, that is so interesting! I just had my Base Metabolic rate checked (breathing method) and mine is 1354. The nutritionist at the hospital did recommend that I might be trying to keep my calories too low (1200, but usually come in closer to 1300). I didn't give it any regard since I am not losing all that quickly and my metabolism is notoriously slow to lose. But your story about measuring lean body mass 30 days apart makes me wonder. Maybe I should be eating 1350. Thanks for the info!
  • Holly_Wood_888
    Holly_Wood_888 Posts: 268 Member
    im 5'2 and just lost 23 pounds... at 1200 calories I still want to eat more because I like to eat ! however, 1200 is doable if you are eating the right foods and you know your body is getting what it needs nutrient wise.
    Try eating 5oz of lean protein, 5 oz of veggies, 5 oz of fruit for lunch and dinner ... (and then bulk up with free veggies if you are still hungry) bulk up lunch and dinner with a salad full of free veggies (bell peppers, romaine lettuce, onions, cucumber)
    Make sure you treat yourself with something yummy once on the weekend to stay on track - and do your best to move! Walk, run, go to the gym and lift - this will give you slightly more calories but Don't eat ALL of them back
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
    pandapotlovebug wrote:
    I'm on day three and I haven't stayed under 1200.
    1200 is the minimum a woman of average height should have in order to get the nutrition
    she needs. If you're very short, or older, yes, you might need to be at 1200, or even below. But
    for most people it's too aggressive of a goal.

    .
    I'm actually over today already.... and I I don't like to be hungry lol!
    Find low-calorie high-volume foods (I like popcorn), or low-cal foods which are heavy, which
    gives your stomach a feeling of fullness (veggies are good for this).

    .
    madeleadele wrote:
    My net average is 1228 for this past week.
    Yesterday you had almost 1400.
    Same with Tuesday.
    Monday you had 2000.
    Sunday 1500.
    Saturday 1650.
    Friday 2030.
    So you're consistently eating well over 1200 cal/day.
    That's a very different animal from someone who's only eating 1200 absolute/real calories.
    'Net' is worthless. Most people underestimate what they eat, and most machines (including MFP)
    overestimate calories burned.
    My dietician & doctor (weight specialist) told me just to eat at my calorie goal and treat exercise
    as a bonus toward weight loss (but important for health). It's been working well for me.

    .
    51637601.png
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
    Holly wrote:
    (then bulk up with free veggies if you are still hungry)
    bulk up lunch and dinner with a salad full of free veggies (bell peppers, romaine lettuce, onions, cucumber)
    What is this "free veggies" thing?
    They have calories.

    Read toward the middle of this post, where someone who used to do weight watchers & had the same idea
    realized it was holding her back. Once she started tracking everything, she lost weight. (It's after his explanations
    of what starvation mode isn't, and above his explanation of what starvation mode actually is.)

    She explains it here:
    all fruits and vegetables are free, meaning no points to encourage one to eat more fruits and veggies.
    So I have been eating large salads and at least three fruits every day that I don’t count for! That’s at least an
    extra 300 calories or more a day not being counted!
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    i start at 1200 and try to add half my exercise calories back.
  • Soopatt
    Soopatt Posts: 563 Member
    I have been on 1200 from the start losing 0.5kg a week, so it has not fallen off me. I have struggled with hunger but it has really helped me to eat more veggies and protein (while not banning anything). It always sounds like lame advice to say that but it really works. Drinking more water in the day also works. I do not eat back my exercise calories and weigh everything including fluids.
  • reneeconnor2015
    reneeconnor2015 Posts: 6 Member
    Trying to stick to 1200 also xx
  • Allison1385
    Allison1385 Posts: 353 Member
    I usually eat 1,000-1,200 a day and I am never hungry. I drink lots of water and eat protein bars as snacks. I also have protein shakes. I fI'll up on fruits and vegetables that have low calories. You can either have a bowl of mashed potatoes for 300 calories or a bowl of broccoli for 100. It's all in how you look at it and choose.
  • juliebowman4
    juliebowman4 Posts: 784 Member
    My diary is open, you can have a peek.
    I usually stick to 1200-ish calories.
    The first few weeks I felt as if I was starving.....but now I'm fine. And I've found ways to pack lots into my 1200 calories.
    My head simply doesn't believe all calories are equal.
    Eg- snack on a 100cal frozen yogurt treat......or a giant bowl of salad with calorie free dressing?
    On days I choose the frozen treat, I find I am less satiated than on the days I choose the salad.
  • stfuriada
    stfuriada Posts: 445 Member
    I used to eat about... 500 calories' worth of tortilla chips. If I tried to eat that much calories' worth of bulkier food (broccoli/cauliflower/vegs), I'd be full before I got to a quarter of the calories.

    It's a matter of choosing more filling food that will fall within your macros.
  • pandapotlovebug
    pandapotlovebug Posts: 59 Member
    esmesqualor wrote: »
    susanna9992015 wrote: »
    Try eating Shirataki noodles! House brand in the white container. They taste great and totally fill you up. !!

    Oh yeah! Thanls for reminding meow Shiritake, I totally stopped buying them. They are great! I like to make a soup with wild mushrooms, boo chou, thinly sliced leek, thinly sliced daikon, broth and shiritake. You can even sprinkle with dried bonito flakes.
    I'll have to try this!

  • seekingbetterme
    seekingbetterme Posts: 39 Member
    courtneylykins5 wrote: »
    I've been on 1200 for a while. The biggest thing that helps me is not drinking my calories.

    I second this! Save your calories for food! Also instead of eating 3 meals per day, I find it easiest to stick to around 1200 calories when I'm eating smaller portions frequently throughout the day instead of combining them into a few meals.
  • isthatpoisontoo
    isthatpoisontoo Posts: 21 Member
    I've been doing 1200 calories for a week now. I had two very hungry days when I didn't get my breakfast right, which were really tough. For me, I can do it as long as I have a filling, proteiny breakfast (smoothies and omelettes are working for me) and snack a lot on fruit. I have beans or lentils at every evening meal, as they're so filling, too. Then, if I'm still hungry, snacking on popcorn fills me up at a low calorie cost.

    Recognising it *is* hard helps, too.
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