1,200 Calories
keluncch
Posts: 12 Member
Is anyone else supposed to only have 1,200 calories a day and finding this difficult? What do you eat?
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Replies
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I eat around 1200 a day, more if I exercise, my diary is open1
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Mine is open, but my calorie is a bit higher 1390 + exercise. I know I need more veggies....the veggie police are aware.
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Montepulciano wrote: »Mine is open, but my calorie is a bit higher 1390 + exercise. I know I need more veggies....the veggie police are aware.
Your diary isn't open!0 -
Thanks, helenrosec0! I took a look at your diary...I'm just starting out, so any and all tips are very, very welcome since as I said, I'm finding this very hard so far!
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Is anyone else supposed to only have 1,200 calories a day and finding this difficult? What do you eat?
What are your stats? (Height, weight, goal weight, age.) 1200 may be too aggressive for you. You don't have to suffer to lose weight. I'm only hungry right before meals. I eat way more than 1200 calories. I don't lose two pounds per week, and I'm fine with that. That two pounds per week weight loss goal is only for people who have a considerable amount of weight to lose.2 -
I eat around 1200 a little over little under depends on the day my diary is open1
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Thanks, helenrosec0! I took a look at your diary...I'm just starting out, so any and all tips are very, very welcome since as I said, I'm finding this very hard so far!
I eat a lot of the same things everyday as I'm on my own and need to use up fresh foods quickly rather than throw them away, so I always make sure I enjoy what I'm eating and luckily I love cooking (though don't have an oven right now just a hotplate & microwave) I've recently given up most meat too (except fish) so being adventurous and trying new things. I'd also say do some research too, I watch a lot of Youtube videos to get ideas.1 -
Height: 5'3", weight: 175, age: 38, goal weight: not quite sure, but probably 150ish (maybe less, but I'm just trying to be realistic at first). I was recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism (and attribute that to my weight gain since I gained about 40 pounds in less than 2 years), but my levels are steady now so that shouldn't prohibit me from losing weight. I know I can probably eat as many as 1,500 calories a day and still lose, so when I say 1,200 calories, it is a loose recommendation in my mind and I know there is some leeway, but I'm having trouble staying w/in that range! I don't feel like I'm eating horribly either. For example, today between breakfast, lunch and snacks I have had:
Greek yogurt
Banana
Weight Watchers Frozen meal
Chicken deli meat
Pretzels with Cheese
According to this, I have less than 500 calories for the rest of the day and it's only early afternoon!0 -
Omlettes are good, low in calories but quite filling. Make them interesting by adding lots of veg but I would skip the cheese if you are trying to keep your cals low.1
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nicolaferris420 wrote: »Omlettes are good, low in calories but quite filling. Make them interesting by adding lots of veg but I would skip the cheese if you are trying to keep your cals low.
You don't need to skip the cheese, just make it a small portion, maybe a low fat cheese or feta cheese.1 -
Ugh it's hard, especially when that amount can easily be a single meal when eating out. My day usually consists of:
Breakfast- a bowl of healthy cereal and nonfat milk or a low calorie smoothie,
Lunch- 100 calorie "skinny" bagel or pita with turkey, lettuce, tomato, onion, and avacado slices,
Dinner- various fresh or frozen vegetables that I will pan cook after brushing with olive oil and salt and pepper with a plain burger patty or chicken breast.
I usually start to get hungry just before bed so I drink a glass of non fat milk at night. I have been drinking a lot more water and snacking on small amounts of fruit throughout the day to keep from getting ravenous.
Also, I know it's weird but I have this pretty glass water bottle i splurged on that I take with me everywhere and it's like a good reminder/hi five everytime I drink from it because I used to drink a lot of soda, and I feel cool with it. Lol1 -
My diary is not open, but the food I'm going to eat today is 1 packet of oatmeal and about 500g of porterhouse steak. That will total roughly 1360 calories out of my 2300 goal. I have always eaten in a similar way, some days I'm just not hungry and will be perfectly fine with an apple, happens a lot more than not, other days I'm hungry and will eat 15 plates at an all you can eat place. If your just starting out don't focus on hitting your calorie goal instead figure out what you normally eat then work on gradually scaling it back to a level that is closer to your goal by replacing some foods with others or even cutting the amount you eat of them down. I'm a 19 year old male who is extremely active, so what works for me may not work for you, but good places to start would be to cut back on coffee and soft-drinks and replace them with water, eat at home rather than going out to eat someplace, and cook your own food rather than using prepackaged food. It may seem difficult at first but after a while it gets easier.0
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My stats are almost identical to yours (I am slightly older!) and I eat 1230 calories/day. My diary is open. Normally I eat rice cakes with some kind of nut butter, yogurt with a small amount of granola and fruit, eggs a lot.0
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lasirena624 wrote: »My stats are almost identical to yours (I am slightly older!) and I eat 1230 calories/day. My diary is open. Normally I eat rice cakes with some kind of nut butter, yogurt with a small amount of granola and fruit, eggs a lot.
I tried looking at your diary but it isn't open0 -
Yes, hollinmi, you are so right! I wanted to get a chicken kabob from the local Greek place, but then realized it had 800 calories! Goodness! I assumed it was healthy, so it would be ok. I'm glad I checked out the calorie count!
I do drink a ton of water (I'm at 50 oz already for the day, and that's pretty typical for me). I have a pretty cup as well!
nicolaferris420, I love omlettes and I do need to add that to my diet! I know the cheese probably isn't the best thing to eat if I'm trying to keep calories low, but as I mentioned, I'm just starting out, I'm all about convenience and I had some pre-packaged snacks (cheese + pretzels) and I thought it'd be good for protein. I'll probably cut out that snack next week.
Thank you everyone for the support and ideas! Keep them coming!0 -
My base is 1,200 cal and I eat a bit more due to exercise, but only a few hundred calories more at the most. I will caveat this with the fact that I don't eat breakfast. I'm usually not hungry till lunchtime and I find that for me, saving my calories till later in the day works. Here's a typical day for me - I am gluten free (Celiac) and also eat a lot of the same foods over and over.
Lunch: Amy's organic frozen lunch (380 calories)
Snack: 2 rice cakes (100 calories)
Dinner: 200 grams chicken breast (212 calories) 175 grams frozen stirfry veggies (60 calories), 1/3c dry jasmine rice (211 calories), 2T BBQ sauce (70 calories)
Snack: 3T dry popcorn kernels (120 calories) cooked in 1/2T peanut oil (60 calories) for 180 calories
Total: 1,213 calories3 -
OH - and I'm not the best cook, so any recipes, links, etc. are welcome! I'm open to being a good cook, I'm just not currently one. LOL!
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For example, today between breakfast, lunch and snacks I have had:
Greek yogurt
Banana
Weight Watchers Frozen meal
Chicken deli meat
Pretzels with Cheese
According to this, I have less than 500 calories for the rest of the day and it's only early afternoon!
I am guessing that out of that the WW meal is a hefty chunk. Is that your main meal of the day? I am doing 1230 cals and usually have around 200 for breakfast (a slice of toast or a bowl of porridge), 250 for lunch (boiled eggs and toast,
Ryvita with ham and veg, omelette or soup), 500 or so for dinner and the balance for snacks and milk in coffee or tea. I try to look at snacks as less than 100 cals, so popcorn, rice cakes, fruit, small cheese portions, seafood sticks etc.
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Try having protein with every meal and snack - it helps with the hunger. I have 30-36 g protein with each of three meals then maybe 15-20g with my one snack. The protein comes from lean meat (chicken, pork loin usually), lean fish (and occasionally a fattier fish like salmon or catfish), egg whites, cottage cheese, nonfat greek yogurt or oikos "triple zero yogurt, & the occasional protein drink. Vegetables are generally the green leafy type, along with broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, green beans usually, and a bit of fruit.2
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helenrosec0 wrote: »lasirena624 wrote: »My stats are almost identical to yours (I am slightly older!) and I eat 1230 calories/day. My diary is open. Normally I eat rice cakes with some kind of nut butter, yogurt with a small amount of granola and fruit, eggs a lot.
I tried looking at your diary but it isn't open
I must have mistakenly switched it, it is open now. 1 -
1200 Calories is the floor MFP uses. So it is not a good indicator of your future/potential weight loss.
As an example, if for some reason your maintenance was 1500 calories and you wanted to lose 1 pound a week, it should subtract 500 calories for 1000, but it will stop at 1200 calories. This is to prevent under eating and people suing them for crazy calorie suggestions etc.
Is 1200 terrible and horrible etc? Nah. Just be sure you eat highly nutritious foods!
I have my MFP set to 1100 as a short guy... mainly because I KNOW I tend to underestimate my intake (So what I THINK is 1100 is actually higher) and I do not trust my FitBit's burn calculation exactly.
Best advice I can give you: MFP is just a tool. Use it in a way that suits you. And be very sure you're getting proper nutrition!2 -
The WW meal only had 240 calories. I ate the deli chicken meat on the side since the WW meal didn't have protein. That was only about 300 calories total, which doesn't seem too bad for a lunch.
I should note that I don't usually eat a WW meal. In fact, other than today, I don't remember the last time I ate one! But, since I'm tracking so closely, I wanted something that I knew exactly how many calories I was getting. I actually have a salad bar at my work that I frequent quite a bit...I'm sure in the long run, a salad is a better choice, but since I can't exactly measure what I'm eating, I avoided it today. I usually like BIG salads, with a lot of variety, for lunch, but I have no idea how many calories they are! Speaking of...does anyone not count calories from fruit or veggies? The last time I did WW, most fruits/veggies were zero points and I did lose weight, so maybe I should take that approach?For example, today between breakfast, lunch and snacks I have had:
Greek yogurt
Banana
Weight Watchers Frozen meal
Chicken deli meat
Pretzels with Cheese
According to this, I have less than 500 calories for the rest of the day and it's only early afternoon!
I am guessing that out of that the WW meal is a hefty chunk. Is that your main meal of the day? I am doing 1230 cals and usually have around 200 for breakfast (a slice of toast or a bowl of porridge), 250 for lunch (boiled eggs and toast,
Ryvita with ham and veg, omelette or soup), 500 or so for dinner and the balance for snacks and milk in coffee or tea. I try to look at snacks as less than 100 cals, so popcorn, rice cakes, fruit, small cheese portions, seafood sticks etc.
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Height: 5'3", weight: 175, age: 38, goal weight: not quite sure, but probably 150ish (maybe less, but I'm just trying to be realistic at first). I was recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism (and attribute that to my weight gain since I gained about 40 pounds in less than 2 years), but my levels are steady now so that shouldn't prohibit me from losing weight. I know I can probably eat as many as 1,500 calories a day and still lose, so when I say 1,200 calories, it is a loose recommendation in my mind and I know there is some leeway, but I'm having trouble staying w/in that range! I don't feel like I'm eating horribly either. For example, today between breakfast, lunch and snacks I have had:
Greek yogurt
Banana
Weight Watchers Frozen meal
Chicken deli meat
Pretzels with Cheese
According to this, I have less than 500 calories for the rest of the day and it's only early afternoon!
Welcome to MFP! I'm also 38 years old, 5'4" and hypothyroid. I started on August 30,2015 and I'm down 39 lbs. Right now I get 1,200 net calories for 0.6 lbs a week and I eat anywhere between 1,100-1,300 calories a day. One day a week I usually eat at surplus (use my exercise calories) but I'm in a 4 week weight loss contest so I'm giving that up for a month to lose the last few lbs. The best advice I can give is to get an idea of your calories burned per day with either a Fitbit or TDEE calculator and eat less than that amount. I've lost weight on anywhere from 1,400-1,700 gross calories (daily average) since I started depending on activity so you can eat more if you want. I started at 164 lbs. As for your other question I feel fine on 1,200-1,300 calories. I eat from 11am-7pm and I'm constantly eating every 1-2 hours. I'm only hungry before 11am and I drink black coffee and tea to help with that. I find protein and fats to be the most filling but I also fit in some carbs. You just have to find what works for you and don't give up any foods you love! Eat them in moderation or make healthy versions at home.1 -
I was on 1200 + half exercise calories when I started, and once I was out of Obese BMI category, went up to 1330 + half exercise.
A typical day for me at 1200?
Breakfast
2 cups of coffee w/ international delight creamer
1 cup oatmeal w/ cranberries or other dried fruit & nuts like almonds or pecans.
Lunch
2.5 oz of roasted chicken breast or tuna (the tuna packets are awesome!)
Pile of fresh veggies like carrots, snap peas, broccoli, etc
4 Trader Joe's Flaxseed crackers.
Afternoon snack
Apple (grams always dependent on size of apple, but usually around 140/160 grams
If I either swam or did my 5 mile walk that day, I also had an Ensure drink or Pro Protein bar.
Dinner
Baked mahi mahi or chicken
Trader Joe's brown rice medley or baby rainbow potatos, etc
spinach salad with tomato/cucumber/other veg
A cooked vegetable, usually broccoli, kale, asparagus, etc.
Bedtime Snack (If I have the calories for it)
Nonfat Vanilla Greek Yogurt or lowfat Cottage Cheese
I found the most important factor for me was to spread my meals out evenly- breakfast around 8 am, lunch at 1 pm, afternoon snack at 3:30, dinner at 7:30. Depending on my serving sizes throughout the day, I often reserved 100 or so calories for a little bit of dark chocolate with my yogurt at bedtime.
My two biggest tricks:
-Buy boneless skinless chicken breast in bulk, bake it all up in one batch, with different seasoning on each piece (I'm low-sodium, so i use different flavors of salt-free seasoning.) then cut it up into slices and portion into exactly 2.5 oz portions and freeze in individual snack-sized ziplocks. In the morning, when I have breakfast, pull out a packet of chicken for lunch.
- Use my small slow-cooker to make steel cut oats overnight, save the leftovers and fry them up in patties the next morning in the non-stick frying pan.1 -
Congrats on your weight loss! That is fantastic and it is always nice hearing from someone who is also hypo! Losing weight is hard for everyone, but that additional factor can make it even harder! It's good to hear that you also give yourself some leeway in your calories and still manage to lose. I plan to add exercise (back) in, but right now I'm trying to a) focus on my eating habits and b) I'm recovering from an injury. I know that will make a difference as well.tiffkittyw wrote: »Height: 5'3", weight: 175, age: 38, goal weight: not quite sure, but probably 150ish (maybe less, but I'm just trying to be realistic at first). I was recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism (and attribute that to my weight gain since I gained about 40 pounds in less than 2 years), but my levels are steady now so that shouldn't prohibit me from losing weight. I know I can probably eat as many as 1,500 calories a day and still lose, so when I say 1,200 calories, it is a loose recommendation in my mind and I know there is some leeway, but I'm having trouble staying w/in that range! I don't feel like I'm eating horribly either. For example, today between breakfast, lunch and snacks I have had:
Greek yogurt
Banana
Weight Watchers Frozen meal
Chicken deli meat
Pretzels with Cheese
According to this, I have less than 500 calories for the rest of the day and it's only early afternoon!
Welcome to MFP! I'm also 38 years old, 5'4" and hypothyroid. I started on August 30,2015 and I'm down 39 lbs. Right now I get 1,200 net calories for 0.6 lbs a week and I eat anywhere between 1,100-1,300 calories a day. One day a week I usually eat at surplus (use my exercise calories) but I'm in a 4 week weight loss contest so I'm giving that up for a month to lose the last few lbs. The best advice I can give is to get an idea of your calories burned per day with either a Fitbit or TDEE calculator and eat less than that amount. I've lost weight on anywhere from 1,400-1,700 gross calories (daily average) since I started depending on activity so you can eat more if you want. I started at 164 lbs. As for your other question I feel fine on 1,200-1,300 calories. I eat from 11am-7pm and I'm constantly eating every 1-2 hours. I'm only hungry before 11am and I drink black coffee and tea to help with that. I find protein and fats to be the most filling but I also fit in some carbs. You just have to find what works for you and don't give up any foods you love! Eat them in moderation or make healthy versions at home.
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Thank you, ElizabethOakes2! One issue for me -- I don't like most seafood (no fish or tuna)!
But, I love the suggestion for the chicken breasts! Any favorite seasonings you recommend? How exactly do you bake them (oven temp, how long, do you add water to the baking dish, etc.)?
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Thank you, ElizabethOakes2! One issue for me -- I don't like most seafood (no fish or tuna)!
But, I love the suggestion for the chicken breasts! Any favorite seasonings you recommend? How exactly do you bake them (oven temp, how long, do you add water to the baking dish, etc.)?
Ooh, I used to cook in a seafood restaurant, so I know so many fabulous fish recipes. I've even taught my husband, who professes to hating seafood, to like some fish. Mahi mahi isn't 'fishy' and can be done in a lot of different styles, and halibut is usually fatty and mild, not 'fishy'. Tuna and salmon, though, there's no way around it being 'fishy'.
For the chicken, with the seasoning, I'm low-sodium so I really like the Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute, McCormick's Salt Free Garlic Pepper, and, I think it's Mrs. Dash? Fiesta Lime seasoning, which gives a nice taco-seasoning flavor. I tried the McCormick's Spicy Southwest Salt-free and it was WAY too spicy for me, as was Safeway's Zesty Spice Blend. I've also done it with curry seasonings, for something different. You can also marinate the chicken breasts overnight before cooking- I like a white balsamic, garlic, onion, black pepper marinade, but I've also cheated and used Trader Joe's cilantro dressing as a marinade. (High in sodium, but worth it!)
No water, just bake at 375 for about 40-45 minutes. I used to use a meat thermometer to check doneness, but now I just eyeball it. The pic below is a batch just getting ready to go in the oven.
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I have similar stats and am 22lb down so far and also have 1200 allowance. I've swapped to almond milk for my breakfast porridge. I drink lots of water throughout the day. I graze on carrot sticks in between meals. Lunch tends to be salad with lean meat (ham / chicken / tuna) or soup or leftovers from the previous evening meal. Evening meals vary but I try to cook anything with a sauce from scratch so I know exactly what is in it and then lots of veggies or salad to fill me up.0
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ElizabethOakes2 wrote: »No water, just bake at 375 for about 40-45 minutes. I used to use a meat thermometer to check doneness, but now I just eyeball it. The pic below is a batch just getting ready to go in the oven.
I do very much the same thing. I prefer to cook them on my GF grill though, as I like the crusty exterior it gives it. Usually do that 2 at a time, which gives me a weeks worth of lunches. Occasionally I will put a bunch in the oven like you have. If I had to pick a single seasoning, it would be Montreal Chicken.0 -
I used to eat 1200 calories as MFP has it set that way if I choose 2 pound loss a week. I changed it to 1.5 pounds a week and it gave me 1350.
I typically eat fage 2% (NOT 0% as some fat is good for you and needed) for breakfast 150 calories
For lunch funny enough I eat oatmeal (yes it's the pre packaged kind. I eat the apples and cinnamon one every single day that one is 160 calories
For dinner it is varied but I always have a protein that usually is chicken or eggs. Typically 4 oz of chicken, some form of veggies and some form of a carb. My carb is usually red potatoes. Everything is weighed and measured appropriately.
I typically have a bit left over at night for either more yogurt with some kind of berry.
I was able to stay at my calories and not have a problem. Sometimes it is just mind over craving haha
I was at the store today after a doctors appointment and I didn't have my yogurt for breakfast today so when I was at the store...OH MY GOSH!!! I had to grab myself by my neck and get myself out of there as fast as I could haha. The bakery smells were calling my name and I kept thinking...if I just buy those yummy donuts it'll be fine for me to eat. The problem is I had to tell myself that I know I wont eat just one and then I'd feel terrible for binging.
Anyhow I don't find a problem and I am not overly hungry but I keep myself busy during the day and if the cravings are really bad I jump on the treadmill and drink tons of water 1
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