Alright people who supposedly get full on 1200, how do you do it?

This isn't a thread bashing you, it's me asking how do you manage it?? I get super hungry on that little a day, however I'm wanting to try it again. What are your typical meals? Do you ever feel famished?
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Replies

  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
    Hahahaha beats me.

    My guess is that

    1) they ate a little of very high calorie foods before, so when switching to lower calorie foods in the same volume, they get full just as fast but with much less calories
    2) they totally underestimate their food intake and are eating more than they think.

    Either way, it boggles my mind too. I was 'full' on 1200 maybe a couple days when I started out, but it really didn't last... now I'm always hungry on 1800.
  • daynerz
    daynerz Posts: 227 Member
    Fats and protein
    Nuts, chicken, and eating low calories food to fit in more good stuff
  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
    Why 1200 :s
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
    it depends. i have just under 1400 cals a day iirc, and am rarely hungry. ive found i can (usually) be full on 1200 if i eat my meals at home. I also workout (though we just moved and i havent rejoined my gym yet- will in the next couple of weeks...) and that provides extra calories (i generally eat back half to 3/4). however, even when i eat back exercise calories its pretty rare for me to go over 1800.

    it all depends on what you eat and how its prepared, i suppose.
  • lc355
    lc355 Posts: 91 Member
    Vegetables!
    My diary is open and my average daily calories work out at 1350. If I get hungry I just eat a small amount of something else.
  • pussingtonp
    pussingtonp Posts: 59 Member
    I struggle, but I am sticking too it. My diary is open and I eat 1200 / day. I don't eat very much though compares to other people. I usually eat 1200, then workout for 200 every day, and I'm not usually hungry. I've only been logging for 4 days this time - so maybe not a lot of help.
  • NJGamerChick
    NJGamerChick Posts: 467 Member
    I eat close to 100 grams of protein and strive for less than 100 grams carbohydrates. Doctor's orders were to eat high protein and lower fat. I also rarely eat breakfast, but mostly because I can't usually stomach food so early. I stick to coffee with creamer. If I do, I usually have eggs on my plate. The only sad part is that I crave chips, which I'm not supposed to have but do occasionally fit in.
  • TerriJoT
    TerriJoT Posts: 1 Member
    I feel like I'm always hungry too...even if I eat every 2, 3 or 4 hours. I try and eat more veggies but those calories add up too.
  • Soopatt
    Soopatt Posts: 563 Member
    I eat 1200 and my measuring is awesome, thanks very much those who assume we are fibbing about it!

    I eat back half my exercise calories on hungry days (I have had a hungry week tee hee) and I find that eating lots of warm veggies and getting a healthy protein balance helps. I used to be hungry all the time and got the suggestion from the forums to eat more protein and fats. I do that and it helps.

    I have lots of delicious things in smaller quantities. To keep my sanity I skip breakfast and lunch most saturdays and have something large and satisfying at a restaurant which I can still keep within calories with. 1200 in one sitting is an awesome feast to satisfy even the most bottomless volume feeder!

    Hunger does not kill you and I am not hungry very often these days. Veggies and fiber for the win!

    If you don't want to do 1200 you certainly don't have to, but it can be done.
  • DemoraFairy
    DemoraFairy Posts: 1,806 Member
    edited August 2015
    I used to get full on 1200 - hell, I used to get full on about 800 and would make myself eat more - I just chose the lowest calorie foods that I liked for each meal and cut down on unnecessary things like desert (since I usually ate desert not because I was still hungry, but because mmm desert). So before dieting a typical lunch would be a breakfast food sandwich (550 calories), orange juice (200 calories), chocolate bar (250 calories), then dinner would be, say, sausage and mash (1,168 calories) followed by a slice of chocolate cake (1400 calories, this was from a pub I'd go to for dinner a lot, I have no idea how they managed to fit 1400 calories into one slice of chocolate cake). So I went from that to a prawn sandwich for lunch (220 calories) with water and a jacket potato (550 calories) for dinner, plus any snacks I could fit in, usually fruit. Pretty much the same volume of food, but waaaaay less calories.
  • ExRelaySprinter
    ExRelaySprinter Posts: 874 Member
    edited August 2015
    Beats me too OP.
    I don't think i've ever eaten less than 1400 cals (in a day) in my whole adult life!
    And 1400 was pushing it. Lol
    Yet i always see people on here saying "i can't eat all my 1200 cals".
  • purplishblue
    purplishblue Posts: 135 Member
    Why 1200 :s

    Because this is approximately my TDEE -20%
  • Bonny132
    Bonny132 Posts: 3,617 Member
    Only started tracking 2 weeks ago, but sticking to 1200kcals without being hungry has not been an issue so far. I have 3 meals a day and quite often a snack too, and I eat high protein/fat and low carbs meals. I have proteins in every meal. I eat lots of veg, salads, chicken and fish. Cottage cheese, quark with fresh fruits, breakfast omelettes or banana pancakes http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-2-ingredient-banana-pancakes-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-218658 with mince or bacon
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
    edited August 2015
    First, if you can eat more and lose weight, DO THAT. There is no blue ribbon for eating the fewest calories. You may wish to cut your calories later and you're going to want to have some to cut!!

    Staying full on 1200 is easy as pie. Lots of healthy foods! You're going to need healthy foods to get your micros in, anyway. 1200 doesn't leave room for junk food. A wide variety of fruits and veggies (in all those pretty colors) will help you get your nutrients AND keep you very full. Any idea how many strawberries it takes to get to 100 calories? Me, either. I've never eaten that many in one sitting.

    Fruits, veggies, no-fat dairy, whole grain breads, fish and lean, white meats. It gives you what you need, keeps you full and helps you stay healthy!

    Some days, I'm full on less than 1200. :)
  • JessicaThompson12
    JessicaThompson12 Posts: 82 Member
    I usually get full on about 1200 to 1300 calories a day. If I do more, then I earn more and sometimes I take advantage of it and sometimes I don't. All things in moderations. Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, fruit, veggies, etc. Granted I still have whatever I want in moderation. If I want a bowl of cereal for dinner, I allot it out. I think it helps to make a plan for the day in the morning, log it all and go from there. If you know that you are going out to dinner that night, plan on taking a long walk to get the extra calories for example.
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
    I suspect it's a combination of a few things:

    1. They've just recently started, and it's still a mental game convincing themselves they're "full" - their hunger will catch up after a week or two.
    2. They're not accurately measuring calories, and they're actually eating much more than that
    3. They're eating a crap ton of lettuce, broccoli, and other cruciferous vegetables, which while seemingly 'healthy', will eventually leave them short of necessary fats and proteins.
    4. Or, they actually are quite old, short and close to their goal weight, so that 1200 calories is actually a reasonable goal (probably ~1% of those actually eating 1200 calories)
  • CharlieBxox
    CharlieBxox Posts: 5 Member
    Cereal for breakfast, soup for lunch, an ordinary chocolate bar for a snack and correct portion size dinner. I drink plenty of water and have several cups of tea throughout the day as I find tea makes me feel fuller. Some days I do get really hungry so I compensate for eating more by working out. I think if you feel hungry a lot you should go for smaller portions little and often. I think after a week your body adjusts so you don't notice so much.
  • sheldonklein
    sheldonklein Posts: 854 Member
    I'm a male who ate 1300 calories my first several months on MFP. I was not full, but I was also not hungry. I learned that about 200 calories every 3 hours during the day, combined with a 500ish calorie dinner was sufficient for me to avoid hunger. I wouldn't want to go back to 1300 calories, but it was doable
  • 218Beth
    218Beth Posts: 34 Member
    I managed it briefly when my gall bladder first started acting up. I was scared to eat so I stuck to broth and 1 toasted bagel a day. Since it was March (and then May when my gall bladder was removed) I was also drinking hot tea with a bit of sugar and milk in it. There's no way I was eating/drinking 1200 calories. Which is probably why I dropped weight really fast.

    I also wasn't hungry but I think that was because I had such a strong memory of how horribly sick I was when my gall bladder was acting up (and that first week it was removed) I do NOT recommend anyone do this. I knew it wasn't healthy and I did try to warn the doctors/specialists I was being seen by too. But I was (and still am) clearly overweight so I don't think anyone was ready to be concerned about the weight loss as it was happening. I dropped damn near 10 lbs in 10-14 days in March and then another 5 lbs that first week or so of recovery in May. There's another 5 lbs lost in April to early May but that was spread out over 6 weeks or so.

    I'm dropping about 2 lbs a month now, eating around 1600 calories a day. I'm not working out much right now either. Once the school schedule kicks in, I'll be able to work out again without totally killing the family schedule. I'm grateful for the big loss though, because it gave me a boost to actually start back up here.
  • esaucier17
    esaucier17 Posts: 694 Member
    Drinking a ton of water. Eating a lot of protein and fiber. Filling up on veggies. After a week or so your body gets used to it because your stomach shrinks. Well for me it does. I measure and weigh everything. My fiance thinks I'm nuts,lol... but you don't realize how much a serving is or the amount you really should eat if you don't. But there are days I am more hungry than others so I will have a small snack...yogurt, a handful of nuts, an apple....I don't let myself starve.