Does anyone have trouble eating 1200 cals a day?

I just asked a question very similar to this. I would say if you truly don't feel hungry, don't force yourself to eat and just see how the next day goes.

If you definitely are eating 1200 then just start eating some of the foods you ate before in small enough portions that it'll bring you up to 1200 calories. Eating less than 1200 isn't a good idea in the long run (unless you're pretty short and inactive).

No never, unless I'm sick. I think that you should be eating 1200 for the sake of health and fueling your body. Obviously if you have the flu or a bad cold or something then just eat what you feel like. But under normal circumstances, 1200 should be the goal.

I'm never quite sure how to respond to this type of question, which I see on the Weight Watchers board also ("I can't eat all my points...") -- I mean, I'm not at all trying to be rude, but how did we all get to be overweight in the first place? In my case it was by eating way more (WAY more! omg) than 1200 calories. And there are plenty of healthier ways of adding some extra calories than the way I was doing it (potato chips, wine, etc. lol) -- you could drink some 2% or even whole milk, or eat some cheese, or peanut butter, or make a smoothie with pb and nutella (omg, so good), add an avocado to your salad, add bacon to your eggs, etc.

I've been stressed out lately so I haven't been eating even close to what I should be eating. Today, however....I'm so hungry that I could eat a sofa cushion.

I do, that's why I eat between 1600-1700 a day and still lose weight.

And if you're not using a food scale you may be eating way more than you realize.

I have the same problem. When I started measuring my calorie intake, I discovered that I mostly eat under 1500 a day (usually under 1300) - that was with cakes and chocolate, spaghetti with cheese, pizza and all that. The thing is I usually skip breakfast, and only eat lunch and dinner + snacks. I do not feel hungry. When I cut on sweets and pizza, it became reasonable hard to eat enough to get into 1200 calories - and I still don't feel hungry unless I'm forced to delay my lunch or dinner few hours. I am shirt, only slightly overweight with BMI 25.5, and I'm not too muscular, so I don't need that much energy I guess.
I've spent last few days on 800-900 calories a day as an experiment - still feeling okay, the only cravings I get are psychological. I know it's unhealthy, but wtf body, where is your survival instinct?! Very frustrating.

The problem is the less you eat, the harder it is to get all the micro nutrients your body needs, so if you are eating under 1200 calories, make sure you eat from all main food groups, and that you get all the variety you need!
Weights training also helps: the more muscles you have, the more energy your body needs to maintain it.

hali4qa wrote: »

I have the same problem. When I started measuring my calorie intake, I discovered that I mostly eat under 1500 a day (usually under 1300) - that was with cakes and chocolate, spaghetti with cheese, pizza and all that. The thing is I usually skip breakfast, and only eat lunch and dinner + snacks. I do not feel hungry. When I cut on sweets and pizza, it became reasonable hard to eat enough to get into 1200 calories - and I still don't feel hungry unless I'm forced to delay my lunch or dinner few hours. I am shirt, only slightly overweight with BMI 25.5, and I'm not too muscular, so I don't need that much energy I guess.
I've spent last few days on 800-900 calories a day as an experiment - still feeling okay, the only cravings I get are psychological. I know it's unhealthy, but wtf body, where is your survival instinct?! Very frustrating.

The problem is the less you eat, the harder it is to get all the micro nutrients your body needs, so if you are eating under 1200 calories, make sure you eat from all main food groups, and that you get all the variety you need!
Weights training also helps: the more muscles you have, the more energy your body needs to maintain it.

I'm going to need to see a diary to understand this.

3dogsrunning wrote: »

hali4qa wrote: »

I have the same problem. When I started measuring my calorie intake, I discovered that I mostly eat under 1500 a day (usually under 1300) - that was with cakes and chocolate, spaghetti with cheese, pizza and all that. The thing is I usually skip breakfast, and only eat lunch and dinner + snacks. I do not feel hungry. When I cut on sweets and pizza, it became reasonable hard to eat enough to get into 1200 calories - and I still don't feel hungry unless I'm forced to delay my lunch or dinner few hours. I am shirt, only slightly overweight with BMI 25.5, and I'm not too muscular, so I don't need that much energy I guess.
I've spent last few days on 800-900 calories a day as an experiment - still feeling okay, the only cravings I get are psychological. I know it's unhealthy, but wtf body, where is your survival instinct?! Very frustrating.

The problem is the less you eat, the harder it is to get all the micro nutrients your body needs, so if you are eating under 1200 calories, make sure you eat from all main food groups, and that you get all the variety you need!
Weights training also helps: the more muscles you have, the more energy your body needs to maintain it.

I'm going to need to see a diary to understand this.

I reckon!! A few pieces of pepperoni pizza clocks in at over 600 calories...

Didn't know it is possible to open it, done now.

I've only resumed it for the last few days for this 900 calories experiment. All is there except few cups of green tea and water intake.

That is because as I said I only resumed it few days ago. All the days with pizza and chocolate are few months back. I've got no idea how to look at people's food diaries at this site, or I would've found an example. First time actually using the site and not the app today. :-D

Anyway, days under 1000 prove my point: no hunger on those days, even though calorie intake is smaller than magical 1200.

hali4qa wrote: »

That is because as I said I only resumed it few days ago. All the days with pizza and chocolate are few months back. I've got no idea how to look at people's food diaries at this site, or I would've found an example. First time actually using the site and not the app today. :-D

Anyway, days under 1000 prove my point: no hunger on those days, even though calorie intake is smaller than magical 1200.

Also, hunger is not an reliable indicator of whether you are eating enough. Calorie intake affects hormones which can affect hunger.

There are people who are literally starving themselves and feel no hunger while others who are obese can experience constant hunger.

hali4qa wrote: »

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/hali4qa?date=2015-06-15 - around this period I got my normal days. Yeah, I cannot find one with the logged pizza, but I do remember once looking it up and realising it's about 300 calories for a piece. :-) Pizza days were big days.

Anyway, what were you trying to find in my food diary, again? I thought you just wanted to see how a person can eat under 1200 calories and be fine, what that intake looks like. You can see it perfectly clear there - full lunch and dinner, and snacks, and chocolate can compose a day under 1200. So I understand the topic starter, which was my original point.

Don't think I'm starving myself, I've been eating like this for years with occasional cake or pizza weeks that compensated whatever under eating there could've possibly been, and in the last 5 years or so I've only been gaining weight. No health problems, no nothing. It helps not living in USA and having a different food culture.

Uh, you said you ate pizza, pasta with cheese, cake and chocolate in teh same day and stayed under 1500 calories which I questioned. And I haven't seen yet (the day you linked is 800 calories).

You and I clearly have a different idea of what "fine" is regarding eating.

I'm also not in the USA.

ETA - and I also know for a fact the other poster who quoted and agreed with my questioning is not in the US either.

hali4qa wrote: »

3dogsrunning wrote: »

Uh, you said you ate pizza, pasta with cheese, cake and chocolate in teh same day and stayed under 1500 calories which I questioned. And I haven't seen yet (the day you linked is 800 calories).

Oh, I see where this is coming from! Sorry for misunderstanding. I did not mean that I ate all of that on the same day, that would be crazy. What I meant is I ate that stuff a lot as part of a lifestyle. It would be on different days, of course.

I thought you meant all in the same day as well

It doesn't feel low when there is lots of fiber and little physical activity. Or maybe I am just accustomed to that. I walk to work, sometimes go to ice skating, walk for couple hours on Saturdays, sometimes do weights for 10 minutes or so - all good, but on active days hunger does come, so I know physical activity makes a difference. :-)

I don't eat 1200 every day. But my appetite fixes that. Some days I'm less hungry, and some days more hungry. Last week I had a 700cal day. 2 days after that I had a 1600cal day. On autopilot.