1,200 Calories
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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
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I'm on the 1200, and I'm still asking myself what I'm going to eat. For breakfast I find that 1 toast with cottage cheese and banana is filling, and I'll have 4 or 5 almonds after that. The bread I use is spelt, the slices are not huge, so I have leftover cottage cheese and banana. Depending on what I'm eating the rest of the day I vary the amount of cot.cheese from 1/2 to 1/4 and the banana is either 1/2 a 1/3 or a 1/4. Now I've started adding 1/2 tbsp of peanut butter on the toast. I even put a few drops of maple syrup on the cottage cheese (just to get that hit of something sweet). Lunches vary with eggs, chicken other meat. I'm not a fish lover but I find Pangasius very good, always make the same way, loosely wrapped in tin foil (poke holes in it) with a tsp of butter and garlic powder (or fresh) and lemon juice on top salt and pepper, bake up to 20 minutes depending on size of fillet. I'm having that 2morrow with 1 shrimp and fiddle-heads as my vegetable. I have some sort of melon for desert, but have to watch the sugar in that, especially if you have banana in the morning. And weigh everything in grams.0
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I ate 1200 my first month. Usually had scrambled egg wrap for breakfast (which I still do as its quick and easy), 20g raisins or 10g squares of dark chocolate for snacks, lunch would be usually a tuna salad or egg salad wrap. Right now I'm doing shredded chicken thighs (which I make in the slow cooker on the weekend to last the week). Dinner is/was usually pork chops or chicken breast with some steamed veggies and rice or potatoes (have to keep those portions small but the veggies make up for it).
We have to keep our diet fairly simple since my SO has crohn's. But I'm a simple person anyway. I love pork and chicken so it doesn't bother me eating it all the time. And I cook most everything myself so I know the calories are correct. 1200 was hard, especially when I ate back 50-75% of my exercise calories, but I had to up it to 1300 for a few months as I was losing faster than I wanted. Currently just upped to 1470 as I'm within 17lbs of my goal.0 -
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs w/extra egg whites, asparagus, and cheese.
Lunch: Seafood salad and avocado slices
Snack: Protein shake
Dinner: Turkey burger with lettuce bun and veggies
Calories: 11971 -
I sometimes only eat about 1000 calories on sedentary days. for breakfast it's 1 piece of toast with some salsa or honey mustard sauce, like 6 slices of cucumber, and a fried egg. for lunch it varies, but I can usually keep it around 300 calories. then dinner is usually rice or quinoa with whatever veggies we have, maybe some chicken, often peanut sauce, or some other sort of sauce. I find it entirely manageable. and on days I'm more active I log half of my exercise minutes and eat those calories.0
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My diary is open and I'm on 1220 per day. I usually have no issues hitting that, though will go a little over on workout days. FYI, last week was a holiday week with lots of special occasions to boot, so just disregard that week!
I eat a lot of nutrient dense foods, don't omit any food groups or macronutrients (I try to eat carbs, fat and protein with every meal/snack), and generally don't feel hungry. I will say, however, that I've never been an evening snacker, so I have no issues eating dinner at 5 and not eating again until 6:30 the next morning. I eat 5 times throughout the day, as you can see by my diary. This works for me.0 -
I am a 57 year old man..started out at 308# Feb 29th. I put myself on 1200 calories a day (I have now adjusted it to 1200-1400) This is too low for me to sustain long term..but it has worked so far. I eat bananas, apples, oranges, fresh strawberries and red raspberries for fruit, hard boiled eggs, yogurt, tuna fish (solid white albacore) baked potatoes, frozen chicken breasts, frozen fish filets, fresh tomatoes, a variety of frozen veggies, Black coffee in the morning, Mineral water thru the day. Cottage cheese, some Special K snack crackers (120 calories for 25 chips) some Special K Cranberry/Almond cereal for snacking (no milk) (190 calories per cup) Just keep the portions where they need to be and you can mix things up..I've dropped 39 pounds so far..and I'm going to up my calories to 1500-1800 pretty soon. That should be better heading into the summer grilling season..where I already here burgers, brats and steaks with cold beer calling my name!0
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Days loaded with low starch veg, whole grains, legumes, protein shakes, & fat free dairy- I'm full by 800 cal for the day. Then I do some snacking until reach 1000-1200cal, if I can.
Days loaded with pizza, ice cream, candy & cookies I could easily top 3000 cal and still be hungry.0 -
I'm at 1200 and I agree its difficult. But the rewards are worth it.0
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My doctor recently put me on a 1,200 calorie diet as my weight has hit a snag since getting an IUD removed back in October. I gained 15lb while that thing was in and I cannot lose it for anything
I'm currently at my heaviest at 237 and 5"5. I'm also on antidepressants so double whammy. Feel free to check out my diary and add me as a friend! I love having other people who understand the struggle. 2
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