having a hard time with 1200 calorie goal

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Just started 3 days ago and it's really difficult. It feels like i'm starving myself. Anyone who can share me their experiences under 1200 calories?
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  • BlackPup
    BlackPup Posts: 242 Member
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    I can't do 1200 or under so I make sure I do some exercise then eat back 1/2 the exercise calories. I also set my weight loss to 1/2 a kilo per week so it's more sustainable in the long run.

    If I was to do 1200 I'd do a VLCD protein shake for breakfast. Fruit and veg for morning and afternoon tea. A salad wrap for lunch. A small meat dinner with lots of veggies.
  • Carnhot
    Carnhot Posts: 367 Member
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    I do 1200 net. I know it is unsustainable per se, but I set it that low in order to force me into exercise. I will open up my diary for a bit so you can see how it works for me.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
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    I've never lasted more than a week on 1200 calories. It's really very little. Consider upping your goal with a slightly slower rate of loss, it sure makes the whole process a lot easier to stick to.
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
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    Then dont do 1200. The key is to pick a deficit you can sustain. Have a smaller deficit i.e 1lb a week is maintenance -500 and then maybe do some exercise, which as an additional bonus will let you eat a bit extra. A 1500 cal a day is much easier than 1200.
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
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    I can't do 1200 but 1500 works for me. I won't lose weight as quickly but I'm much happier overall and that's more important.
  • dinia07
    dinia07 Posts: 17 Member
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    Maybe I should do 1500 cal. Thanks everyone. I think i shouldn't rush in losing 25 lbs excess weight. Anyway I just gave birth to my twins 8 weeks ago. Too tired and starving. :(
  • KrisiAnnH
    KrisiAnnH Posts: 352 Member
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    I'm on 1280 currently (for a 1.5lb loss) and have been on 1200 for the last 2 months or so. My diary is open if you'd like to have a look for any ideas. I do go over every now and again but make sure it's only once a week and I stick to maintenance cals. I found it difficult to start with, so I exercised a lot and ate back 1/2 the calories, but as I'm a lot busier recently I havent had as much time to workout.

    It's probably best for you to up your calories a tiny bit so you have a few more to play with, your rate of loss will be slower but not by much, you're much less likely to binge and you'll be happier :)
  • oh_happy_day
    oh_happy_day Posts: 1,138 Member
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    dinia07 wrote: »
    Maybe I should do 1500 cal. Thanks everyone. I think i shouldn't rush in losing 25 lbs excess weight. Anyway I just gave birth to my twins 8 weeks ago. Too tired and starving. :(

    Definitely! Please don't be so tough on yourself especially when you're still recently post-partum. Your body is still healing and I can't even imagine how much work 8 week old twins are! You need to fuel your body. If you restrict yourself too much it will quickly become unsustainable and miserable. If you can lose on 1500 (or even higher) than do it. Make sure you set your profile to a small weekly loss rather than aiming for 1-2lbs a week and to reflect if you're breast feeding/pumping because that requires more calories. It's great to be motivated to lose weight but you also need to be gentle with yourself - you just grew two people!
  • michelepiper940
    michelepiper940 Posts: 29 Member
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    I usually eat a little over my calorie goal and exercise 6 days a week. I always have a deficit on those 6 days.
  • CherylanneCorsini
    CherylanneCorsini Posts: 50 Member
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    Hi, I'm trying to lose 25 as well and had to up my calories from 1200 to 1500. I'll be maintaining for the rest of my life so wanted a diet\life style that I would stick to. It's working out great. You can try doing 1200 for 2 days out of the week and see how that goes. I was losing 2 lbs every 7 days on the 1200, it does work IF you can do it. I'm sure you will find a plan that works for you, just tweak it to suit yourself.
    Best Wishes!!
    Cheryl
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,874 Member
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    When I started MFP put me at about 1250. Then after I had lost about 10 kg, MFP dropped me to 1200 cal ... I tried that for a few days, and just couldn't do it. So I manually upped it to 1250 again.

    BUT ....

    That's NET 1250 cal.

    In other words ...

    If I do no exercise, I eat 1250 cal.

    If I walk for 1 hour and burn 200 cal, I can eat 1450 cal ... but I usually only ate about 1350.

    If I cycle for 1 hour and burn 400 cal, I can eat 1650 ... but I usually only at about 1450.

    ~~~~~~

    I hit my goal ... 15 kg lost in 16 weeks :) ... took a break for about a month ... and now I'm continuing to see if I can hit a new low. But this time I'm on NET 1330 cal. I'll see how that goes, and will adjust in a month if necessary.
  • ajc1309
    ajc1309 Posts: 255 Member
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    I've been doing 1200 cals for 60 days for a 1lb a week loss and don't find it that bad. I manage 3 meals a day plus light snacking in the evening. On the days I exercise I only eat back about 20-70 calories.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    1 pound a week is plenty. I lost 80 pounds, never ate less than 1650.
  • Carnhot
    Carnhot Posts: 367 Member
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    Oh crumbs! If you have just had a baby, let alone two babes, all bets are off! Give yourself a chance to deal with this major change in your life properly nourished for the task. Congratulations! :)
  • peedubb23
    peedubb23 Posts: 7 Member
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    dinia07 wrote: »
    Maybe I should do 1500 cal. Thanks everyone. I think i shouldn't rush in losing 25 lbs excess weight. Anyway I just gave birth to my twins 8 weeks ago. Too tired and starving. :(

  • cupcakesplz
    cupcakesplz Posts: 237 Member
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    I know what you are going through my twins are now almost 3
    Don't push your self too much.
    Try the 1500 cal
  • kgb6days
    kgb6days Posts: 880 Member
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    1200 is hard to maintain for me too unless I just eat veggies - I started intermittent fasting (5:2), eat 500 calories on my fast days and 1600-2000 on my non fasting days. It's really helped
  • peedubb23
    peedubb23 Posts: 7 Member
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    Focus on eliminating "bread, beer, pizza, pasta, cookies and cake". In other words, reduce bad carbs and empty calories. Next DONT eat after 6 pm. Lastly exercise 3 times a week for 30 min. Then if you must count calories, allow 1500-1800 a day.
  • healthkickkath1
    healthkickkath1 Posts: 40 Member
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    Congratulations on the birth of your twins , it's a good idea to make sure you have established a good milk supply for your babies before you start dieting, I read somewhere that a breastfeeding mother should eat at least 1800 calories per day. Twins may need more milk making calories, so you could probably eat over 1800 calories . I remember eating heaps when my babies were young. I would recommend talking to your doctor or nurse about calorie recommendations while breastfeeding. Good luck with it all and enjoy your lovely little babies!
  • bubaluboo
    bubaluboo Posts: 2,098 Member
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    Congratulations! It must be so hard to eat 1200 cals a day when you've got 8 week old twins. It sounds though like you're plucking numbers out of the air. Have you put your details into MFP and come up with that number? Firstly, I'd suspect that if you have you've set activity at sedentary and put a 2lb per week loss rate. I'd think that with twins you'll be at least lightly active. Set your weightloss to 1lb per week at the most and see what MFP sets your calorie goal at. If you can, weigh everything and make sure that what you think you are eating is correct. Finally, I'd recommend concentrating on getting your calories from protein rich foods that keep you satisfied longer and bulking up the plate with vegetables, if you do this, you may find that you have calories left for daily treats that help you stick to your diet.