Still insanely hungry on 1200 cals/day. Would appreciate advice.

2

Replies

  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    NannersBalletLegs wrote: »
    Hey, everyone. It seems like maybe my original post confused some of you who are recently commenting, so I will clarify a few things. 1) I am weighing and tracking everything now, including snacks. 2) I am almost completely sedentary at the moment, entering data for a project I'm working on, editing two journals, and preparing for a course I'm teaching. 3) I have successfully lost weight in the past while eating more, but I was also exercising and more physically active in general 4) I've reduced to 1200-1400 before and was never hungry like this. 5) Before all the sit down work this past week, I was exercising more and eating more to eat back my exercise cals 6) I am getting enough protein, fiber, and fat.

    is it hunger or appetite.

    If actual hunger than it's simple you aren't eating enough....or you need to change how much protein/fat you are getting...and change the 2lbs a week to 1lb a week...what is the hurry?

    But again if you have done this before and have gained it back then it's time to look at what you are doing to yo yo and stop that...doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is the definition of insane...
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    I feel like the good advice here is being totally ignored and that there's some peculiar determination to suffer on 1200 calories regardless of lots of personal experience of this being totally unnecessary. It's frustrating to read.

    FYI, I'm 2 inches taller but net about 1300/day but I also exercise a fair amount so I can eat more. If i didn't exercise I'd just lower my target losses (currently 1lb) per week. I'm also in it for the long haul, I can go a whole month or so with no loss on the scale but then a whoosh. This week I'm hovering 2.5lbs over my lowest weight because of natural fluctuations.

    Slow down, lower your expectations, up your calories, move a bit more, accept you're in this for life and will get there when you get there. Makes it all a lot easier.
  • Terpnista84
    Terpnista84 Posts: 517 Member
    SusanMFindlay wrote: »
    I'm older than you, slightly heavier, lightly active and losing on 1600 cals/day. You're hungry because you're not eating enough (i.e attempting a larger deficit than your body is comfortable with). Try 1500 cals/day?

    Also, how long have you been lifting the weights? When you first start strength training, it is very common to gain about 5 pounds of temporary water weight as your muscles retain water in response to the new stress. (This is not the same thing as the common refrain of "I lost fat but gained muscle". This is real.) My memory is fuzzy, but I think it was 2-4 weeks after starting lifting that the water weight whooshed back out.

    Real strength training also tends to boost your appetite, but it's good for the weight loss longterm as it helps to preserve muscle mass.

    Thanks so much for this. My muscles are constantly sore from strength training so I know I must still be retaining water. I started this 2 weeks ago so I'm hoping to see some results on the scale soon.
  • Terpnista84
    Terpnista84 Posts: 517 Member
    Eat 1,500 calories- you'll be amazed at how big of a difference an extra 300 calories makes. Also use your calories wisely. Don't waste breakfast calories on a bowl of cereal because you'll be hungry shortly after. Eat a lot of protein.
  • HeidiFuture
    HeidiFuture Posts: 54 Member
    Everyone is different....now that I'm 36 I can't eat high salt/carb foods and be satisfied. I'm at 1200 cals/day too.... I've traded scones for brown rice and turkey sandwhich for black bean veggie bowl. The high fiber helps keep me full. I have yogurt for snack... It helps keep the hunger down.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    Since you're not exactly a noob you already know that the solution to your issue is that you change your mfp weight loss goal to 1 lb/week. This gives you another 500 calories to work with each day and that is the level of intake that you know is comfortable.
  • lady_shiba
    lady_shiba Posts: 3 Member
    edited August 2016
    Your increased hunger may be due to the fact that you have incorporated weight training this time around. Building muscle requires more protein in your diet. You won't see an immediate change in the scale or your waistline, but in the long term the more muscle you gain equals higher metabolism rate. Stick with the weight training, up the intake of protein (I usually have a protein shake for my mid morning snack and a quest bar for my afternoon snack) and always 4 to 6 Oz of a lean protein with each meal. Drink a bunch of water, especially when increasing your protein intake and lots of green veggies. I definitely recommend getting a check up and blood test with your doctor though just to rule out any medical conditions that could cause these new symptoms
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    JeromeBarry1 wrote: »
    Since you're not exactly a noob you already know that the solution to your issue is that you change your mfp weight loss goal to 1 lb/week. This gives you another 500 calories to work with each day and that is the level of intake that you know is comfortable.

    ^^This.

    I tried the 1200 calorie thing very briefly, but I, too, found it wasn't satiating. I also started getting dizzy spells on top of that, which went away quickly when I bumped up my calories. No need to starve yourself just to lose faster...1 lb a week is a perfectly healthy rate of loss.
  • TxTiffani
    TxTiffani Posts: 799 Member
    I'm shorter than you (5'1ish) and have 20-30lbs to lose. I try to stick to 1200-1300 cals/day and what has been helping me is munching on veggies and low cal fruit. I plan out my day with about 250 cals at each meal and then have a snack before lunch and two snacks in the afternoon. You get a lot of bang for your buck with fresh fruit/veg. I cut up carrots and apples in small slices so I feel like I'm eating more. I dip my carrots or cucumbers in lite zesty Italian yum:) and if I'm under at night I have a blue bunny mini cone 140cals:) Don't feel deprived when I'm eating every 2 hours. Feels like a lot of food. My diary should be open, but I'm boring and eat the same things over and over:) It's easier that way because I know the cals in everything and if it's foods I like then I don't get bored with them:)
  • Carriehelene
    Carriehelene Posts: 178 Member
    jgnatca wrote: »
    I could not sleep when I wasn't eating enough. Try upping to 1300 or 1400 and see how that makes you feel. Your meals seem very appropriate.

    Getting up in the middle of the night to pee is one of the signs for diabetes so you might want to get that checked out.
    Like this poster, my first thought upon reading how many times you're getting up to pee was diabetes. Please get that checked, it's nothing to fool around with!
  • babypunkprincess
    babypunkprincess Posts: 109 Member
    Your under eating. Google it.

    I was doing the same thing them I increased it to 1500 and feel great. 2 weeks after I had my baby in went on 1200 calories (not breast feeding) and lost some weight then it stalled. Once I increased it to 1500 I had more energy and wasn't hungry. I try to for daily walks but if I don't I go on my elliptical for 20 mins and strength train 3x a week and then scale is moving 1.5 pounds a week.

    I sleep better, have more energy and am not hungry. A lot of ppl under eat when trying to lose. I have a pretty unactive lifestyle bc I sit with my baby and cuddle a lot. Other than my exercise I stated above and some housework I'm pretty lazy.
  • JustMissTracy
    JustMissTracy Posts: 6,338 Member
    Hey there...I think 1200 is a very low number for most of us! I'm also 5'2, am 47...and I'm maintaining at 16-1900 with exercise...I did 1200 for the first three weeks here, but quickly upped my goal after speaking to a few others on this site, and VOILA...the pounds kept melting off, without the torture of starving myself.
  • aliblain
    aliblain Posts: 175 Member
    I'm not so sure about the recommendations to up your calories. I know that when I've had a stall in weight loss I've had to restrict further. To lose anything I have to stick to 1200 and exercise daily (I have 30lb to lose, current bmi is 25). What I've found that helps with the hunger issue on 1200 calories is to do 16:8 intermittent fasting- I eat between 10am and 6pm and because I don't have breakfast, I have more room to have a more satiating lunch and dinner. My husband has his eating window 12-8pm as he likes to go to bed feeling full.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited August 2016
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    With less than 50 lbs to lose, 2 lbs/week is likely too aggressive of a goal for you. Here's my advice: Set your goal at 1 lb/week, eat primarily nutrient dense, satiating foods while still leaving room for treats you love. Weigh your foods using a food scale, log consistently, honestly, and accurately. Eat back some of your exercise calories. Keep up the strength training. Be patient...

    For what it's worth I'm 5'2 and lost 30 odd lbs and am now maintaining. I too started at 1200 and found it to not be realistic for me. I started reading the good advice on these boards that most people can lose weight eating more than 1200 and its most appropriate for those who are truly sedentary. I raised my goal to 1400, then 1500, still losing and still eating back calories. I lost most of my weight eating b/w 1600-1900 cals and am now maintaining with a TDEE of 2200 according to my FitBit and my actual stats.

    @NannersBalletLegs - sounds like you are already focusing on nutrient dense, satiating foods. Do change your weekly weight loss goals to a pound a week and enjoy those extra calories.

    Do be patient!

    You may have gained some water weight when you started strength training that is throwing off your results. My scale shot up 7 pounds when I went back to weight lifting last fall. Took a few weeks to come off.

  • leejoyce31
    leejoyce31 Posts: 794 Member
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    NannersBalletLegs wrote: »
    Hey, everyone. It seems like maybe my original post confused some of you who are recently commenting, so I will clarify a few things. 1) I am weighing and tracking everything now, including snacks. 2) I am almost completely sedentary at the moment, entering data for a project I'm working on, editing two journals, and preparing for a course I'm teaching. 3) I have successfully lost weight in the past while eating more, but I was also exercising and more physically active in general 4) I've reduced to 1200-1400 before and was never hungry like this. 5) Before all the sit down work this past week, I was exercising more and eating more to eat back my exercise cals 6) I am getting enough protein, fiber, and fat.

    is it hunger or appetite.

    If actual hunger than it's simple you aren't eating enough....or you need to change how much protein/fat you are getting...and change the 2lbs a week to 1lb a week...what is the hurry?

    But again if you have done this before and have gained it back then it's time to look at what you are doing to yo yo and stop that...doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is the definition of insane...

    Really... insane? Armchair psychology..... I would venture to say that most of us here have gained and lost on more than one occasion.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    edited August 2016
    leejoyce31 wrote: »
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    NannersBalletLegs wrote: »
    Hey, everyone. It seems like maybe my original post confused some of you who are recently commenting, so I will clarify a few things. 1) I am weighing and tracking everything now, including snacks. 2) I am almost completely sedentary at the moment, entering data for a project I'm working on, editing two journals, and preparing for a course I'm teaching. 3) I have successfully lost weight in the past while eating more, but I was also exercising and more physically active in general 4) I've reduced to 1200-1400 before and was never hungry like this. 5) Before all the sit down work this past week, I was exercising more and eating more to eat back my exercise cals 6) I am getting enough protein, fiber, and fat.

    is it hunger or appetite.

    If actual hunger than it's simple you aren't eating enough....or you need to change how much protein/fat you are getting...and change the 2lbs a week to 1lb a week...what is the hurry?

    But again if you have done this before and have gained it back then it's time to look at what you are doing to yo yo and stop that...doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is the definition of insane...

    Really... insane? Armchair psychology..... I would venture to say that most of us here have gained and lost on more than one occasion.

    yes insane...there is another word to use too but very politically incorrect.

    If the OP has lost weight doing low calorie before and gained it back why do again and expect things to be different?

    I have lost and gained doing stupid diets yup...eating too little....exercise only....

    I did it differently this time and no yo yo...so I did it differently and got different results imagine...

    ETA: and whomever does the same thing over and over again expect it to be different this time I stand by my quote...that's insane...

    ETAx2 and it's not armchair psychology it's a quote....have you never heard it???? Wow......
  • jasperdog52554
    jasperdog52554 Posts: 115 Member
    aliblain wrote: »
    I'm not so sure about the recommendations to up your calories. I know that when I've had a stall in weight loss I've had to restrict further. To lose anything I have to stick to 1200 and exercise daily (I have 30lb to lose, current bmi is 25). What I've found that helps with the hunger issue on 1200 calories is to do 16:8 intermittent fasting- I eat between 10am and 6pm and because I don't have breakfast, I have more room to have a more satiating lunch and dinner. My husband has his eating window 12-8pm as he likes to go to bed feeling full.

    @aliblain I was going to mention this as well, but you beat me too it. I feel much more satisfied eating the 16/8 way, though my window is usually closer to 6 hours. I eat two decent sized meals and am comfortably full with no needed snacks. I am usually in bed by 10, up by 6. Maybe @NannersBalletLegs can try this? I naturally am not physically hungry in the morning, so its easy for me to push back and not eat until 11 or 12, maybe not for everyone.
  • indiacaitlin
    indiacaitlin Posts: 691 Member
    Simple answer: 1200 calories is not enough for your body!

    Never starve yourself or push yourself to the point where you don't feel like you've got any energy, it's super unhealthy :(

    If I were you I'd gradually increase your calories week by week by around 100 and keep checking to see if you're still losing. Keep going until you get to around 1500-1600 and see if you're still losing and if you are then stick with that.

    Please don't carry on with 1200 calories because it really sounds like you're making yourself ill.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    Try bumping back up to 1500 and then SLOWLY lowering to 1200 over a month or so if you still can't manage to work in some exercise. That should give you time to adjust. FYI - I'm 5-7" and when I set MFP to lose 1lb per week, it still gives me a 1200 calorie goal.
  • ladeeda103
    ladeeda103 Posts: 12 Member
    You should really be checking your blood sugar. You sound like you might be hypoglycemic, or maybe you are just at certain times of day. Meters aren't just for diabetics. I monitor my blood sugar levels every day because I can get low blood sugar too. You want to shoot for consistently spreading out your carbs evenly throughout the day to avoid lows and spikes. If you eat complex carbs along with fiber and protein, your calories will go a lot farther in keeping you going strong. I hope that helps!
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    selina884 wrote: »
    after reading this thread - I went back and upped my calorie intake.

    It makes no difference if I eat at the upper or lower limit of weight loss calories - I still lose so why make myself suffer eh.

    How are your protein, fats and fiber?
  • liz60625
    liz60625 Posts: 17 Member
    I totally understand where you are. I had to up my calories from 1200 and that helped. Drinking coffee helps me a lot to suppress hunger plus I love coffee. I've found some foods really make me not hungry like dairy or grapes or sauerkraut so I load up on those when needed. It took some experimentation to figure out what was both satisfying and filling for me. Good luck!!
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,985 Member
    KetoneKaren wrote: »
    NannersBalletLegs wrote: »
    Hi, everyone.

    I'm no stranger to MFP or weight loss and have been on (and off) this journey every since I hit my thirties and started having to actually pay attention to what I eat. I'm currently dealing with a new situation, though, and I'm hoping you all might have some helpful advice for me.

    In the past, I've always been able to lose weight by restricting and tracking my calories on here, walking a little bit every day, and eating back my exercise calories. Honestly, most days I went a few hundred over the 1200 cal/day MFP recommendation (for my age, gender, and height...I'm 5' 3", female, and currently 35 yo), and every time I still lost weight. The hunger from restricting my calories all of those times was also mild and quickly subsided as I fell into the routine of my new lifestyle. I never quite made my goals those previous times due to some backsliding in my habits, but I never before had the kind of difficulties that I'm facing now.

    This time around, I tried to do things the way I always had before: restricting to around, but not exactly, 1200 cals and engaging in mild exercise on a daily basis, etc. I even began picking up weights and lifting them daily, which is a big deal for me, since I really dislike strength training. This went on for a few weeks, and neither the scale nor my waist line budged. I hung in there, though, and now I'm stuck doing a lot of desk work and am not able to do much cardio anymore. As such, for the past four or five days, I've attempted to compensate for my temporarily sedentary lifestyle by religiously sticking to the 1200/day limit and weighing all my food at every meal. The scale finally started to budge—for about a day—and then it stopped again. Despite being discouraged by this setback, I've stuck with it up until this point.

    But now I'm growing increasingly concerned about how sticking to 1200/day is affecting my health. I feel like I'm starving all day long, even fifteen minutes after I eat. I've never been this hungry in my life. I've been lightheaded, clumsy, forgetful, and dealing with all kinds of stomach discomfort (hunger pangs and heartburn...yay!) as a result of actually—for once—following the recommended daily calorie intake on here. I'm also not getting enough sleep, because I find it really hard to sleep when I'm hungry. (I'm also up all night peeing for some reason. I seriously wake up once an hour. It's crazy.) All of this stuff is happening even though I'm paying attention to and getting enough of things like protein and fiber in the hopes of being able to feel full for longer. Regardless of what I eat, though, I've been consistently hungry non-stop for about four days now...and the scale hasn't budged. What the heck???

    I've got the willpower to hang in there and suffer through this bodily discomfort if I know it's only going to be temporary, but I'm starting to wonder if this is even healthy. Am I hurting myself by following MFP's calorie recommendations to lose 2 lbs a week? Have any of you felt this way sticking to 1200 cals/day? Is this actually normal, and will my body eventually adjust if I just stick with it?

    I know these probably sound like dumb questions (especially since I'm not exactly a noob), and many of you will, no doubt, tell me that I need to eat more to get my metabolism up and that I can't lose weight without exercising. It's what I, myself, would have told someone up until now, and that advice did serve me very well for many years. Now, I just don't know. It seems like nothing I do gets results anymore, and upping the ante with further calorie restriction might just be making things worse. Any ideas you all might have would be greatly appreciated, since my own tried-and-true methods are no longer working.

    It sounds as if there has been a metabolic change since the last time you tried to lose weight, perhaps an endocrine condition like diabetes or thyroid disorder (Hashimoto's thyroiditis comes to mind). Time to see your doctor.

    Thyroid disorders cause a fairly small change in BMI, not massive changes. And once you gained the weight that is equivalent to this small change then weight gain stops. They can change how we feel about ourselves, and thus leading to overeating and less activity.

    If TO is a snacker then it's quite likely that she got so used to eating much more so that restricting becomes more difficult. Also, with not weighing her food during non-dieting portion creep can happen: use just a drop of oil more for cooking every few weeks, some more cheese on bread, chose larger chicken breasts, all those kind of things. And if you try to go down to a low calorie goal it's more difficult as you're used to eating a much higher amount of calories.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    leejoyce31 wrote: »
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    leejoyce31 wrote: »
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    NannersBalletLegs wrote: »
    Hey, everyone. It seems like maybe my original post confused some of you who are recently commenting, so I will clarify a few things. 1) I am weighing and tracking everything now, including snacks. 2) I am almost completely sedentary at the moment, entering data for a project I'm working on, editing two journals, and preparing for a course I'm teaching. 3) I have successfully lost weight in the past while eating more, but I was also exercising and more physically active in general 4) I've reduced to 1200-1400 before and was never hungry like this. 5) Before all the sit down work this past week, I was exercising more and eating more to eat back my exercise cals 6) I am getting enough protein, fiber, and fat.

    is it hunger or appetite.

    If actual hunger than it's simple you aren't eating enough....or you need to change how much protein/fat you are getting...and change the 2lbs a week to 1lb a week...what is the hurry?

    But again if you have done this before and have gained it back then it's time to look at what you are doing to yo yo and stop that...doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is the definition of insane...

    Really... insane? Armchair psychology..... I would venture to say that most of us here have gained and lost on more than one occasion.

    yes insane...there is another word to use too but very politically incorrect.

    If the OP has lost weight doing low calorie before and gained it back why do again and expect things to be different?

    I have lost and gained doing stupid diets yup...eating too little....exercise only....

    I did it differently this time and no yo yo...so I did it differently and got different results imagine...

    ETA: and whomever does the same thing over and over again expect it to be different this time I stand by my quote...that's insane...

    ETAx2 and it's not armchair psychology it's a quote....have you never heard it???? Wow......

    I understand that you stand by your opinion. I just think it's unnecessary. Wow. People come on these sites for support. I have no more words for you. It seems you thrive on conflict. Have a blessed day!

    Criticism isn't abuse.
  • tomorrowistoday0000
    tomorrowistoday0000 Posts: 125 Member
    I have similar specs as you and have tried the whole 1200 but found it unhealthy for me. First, I was always light headed and dizzy. Second, I had no energy and last it made me crave junk food badly. I actually increased my calories to 1500-1900 (depending how active I am for the day) and found it to be a better option. At this range, I wasn't constantly battling with myself not to eat and was still able to lose weight, just at a slower weight.

    Does it really matter how fast you lose as long as you do and able to maintain it? Keep in mind, you can lose weight quickly but at the same time you can also gain quickly. Be realistic about your goals and the weight will naturally come off.

    I'd also like to point out that your body changes as you age, therefore what you did in your 20s might not work quite the same in your 30s. I ate like crap in my twenties, ran 1mile (in what felt like the longest mile of my life), did a 20 min easy eliptical workout and was able to lose weight with no issue (130 down to 115 lbs). Now I'm in my mid 30s, cranking out more miles, eating healthier, incorporating weights, and still losing at the same rate as my 20s. However, I'm in much much better shape now than in my 20s.

    Btw, I'm 5'2" 126 with gw 110lbs. I was 111 lbs last November but quit running for a few months and gained some weight.
  • cebreisch
    cebreisch Posts: 1,340 Member
    More fiber, protein, water.
  • NannersBalletLegs
    NannersBalletLegs Posts: 207 Member
    edited August 2016
    UPDATE: Thank you to those who read my post and addendum and responded with thoughtful advice. When I first posted, I was extremely busy doing sedentary work basically all day and all night. (I'm a grad student, so I deal in harsh deadlines and don't get to leave my work behind me at 5 PM like most folks.) Anyway, at the time, I didn't feel like I had the luxury of time for working out, so I decided to try and stay on 1200/day without exercise and the extra calories that comes with it. That was a huge mistake. While everyone is different, I now know that I can't lose weight without moving moving my body and eating more to fuel that physical activity. I have been doing cardio again for the past week (making time for it, really), eating back my exercise calories to end up between 1200-1400 cals at the end of the day, and no longer feel like I'm about to die. Oh, and the scale is finally moving. Since this is working for me, and I don't want to potentially get discouraged again by water retention from lifting, I think I will wait until I am at or around my goal weight to start strength training. Thanks again, and I hope someone out there learns something useful from my failed experiment, lol. Cardio, man. It is everything.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories