1350 calories a day...how do you do it?

spinderellaj · August 2016

Hi everyone!

I'm trying to stick to a goal of 1350 calories a day...and I'm finding it impossible! I'm usually coming in around 1600, which is fine but I don't lose any weight with that.

Just curious, to the people who actually do this - how the heck do you do it? Are you hungry? How much preparation do you take for your meals? And what the heck do you eat?

My diary is open. And honest.

Thanks!

T0M_K · August 2016

lots lean protein, lots of veggies, no dressings or little, not much in oils, nuts, peanut butters etc. not drinking calories.

janejellyroll · August 2016

I just checked and it didn't look as if your diary was open.

Sometimes when people are very hungry in a deficit it's because they aren't getting sufficient protein and/or fiber. Are you hitting your goals for these?

sudmom · August 2016

I eat a ton of veggies every day. But yes, sometimes I am hungry...You can look at my diary. I don't usually log on weekends-

Aaron_K123 · August 2016

To be honest I don't do that, never would do that. If I want to lose weight I increase my activity level while carefully monitoring my calorie intake, but during times I'm losing weight I'm eating probably 2400 calories a day on average (varies day to day from 1800-4000 depending on activity).

In general most people find fat and protein much more satisfying than carbs and protein is the highest satiation to calorie macro. So you want to have low calorie while feeling full? Eat lots of lean protein. That said don't just cut out carbs and fat entirely, you need a balance. Just saying if you are hungry all the time try eating more protein and less carbs.

Another thing to consider is that 1350 might be too hard for you to do because it is too aggressive of a diet and you don't need to be eating that little...so you might just consider the obvious and eat more food.

Aaron_K123 · August 2016

By the way tried to look at your diary and couldn't. You might need to set it to publically viewable still.

sweetjend78 · August 2016

Don't look at my diary! I'm consistently around 1400-1500 calories lately. When I actually meal plan and pre-pack my lunches; I can consistently stay at 1200-1300 calories. For me the key is lots of fresh veggies!
If you want to add me; I'm about to get serious about food tracking and staying at my needed calorie intake level.

Trish1c · August 2016

I'm supposed to be on 1200 calories per day. I'm over more then under but as long as I'm within 100 - 150 I don't get too excited if I know I was being good. Yesterday I had ice cream & popcorn. I was only 26 calories over. Austerity doesn't work for me. I have lost at least 9 pounds in two months, with lots of indulging on the weekends. (I say that because my weight fluctuates a lot. If I believe what the scale said this morning, which I don't, I lost 12 pounds)

The real key is to eat back your exercise calories. So get out there & move.

Also learn what fills you up & eat more of that. Drinking lots of water helps too.

T0M_K · August 2016

Aaron_K123 wrote: »

To be honest I don't do that, never would do that. If I want to lose weight I increase my activity level while carefully monitoring my calorie intake, but during times I'm losing weight I'm eating probably 2400 calories a day on average (varies day to day from 1800-4000 depending on activity).

In general most people find fat and protein much more satisfying than carbs and protein is the highest satiation to calorie macro. So you want to have low calorie while feeling full? Eat lots of lean protein. That said don't just cut out carbs and fat entirely, you need a balance. Just saying if you are hungry all the time try eating more protein and less carbs.

Another thing to consider is that 1350 might be too hard for you to do because it is too aggressive of a diet and you don't need to be eating that little...so you might just consider the obvious and eat more food.

i concur. i just let my fat occur naturally in the proteins i eat for the most part, or some dairy like yogurt or cottege cheese. don't opt for the fat free varieties, but maybe the low fat forms of those.

Aaron_K123 · August 2016

Honestly troubles me how many people on this site seem to be trying to eat 1200-1400 calories a day, that just seems ludicrously low to me. That is like a sandwich, a glass of milk, a salad and a bowl of cereal for your entire day. You look at people who claim to be full on that and they are just eating a ton of fibery plant matter to I guess make them feel full in the physical sense...but that can't be satisfying.

SuzySunshine99 · August 2016

If you're female and short, there's such a small margin of error. I was doing 1200 calories (1500 on workout days) and it was hard. I would eat a small breakfast (250 calories), a small lunch (250 calories) and leave 700-1000 for dinner. I had no room for snacks, but the big dinner helped. Yay for maintainnce now.

Spliner1969 · August 2016

I could never do the deficits MFP assigned me either.. I fixed that by using exercise to increase my daily calories available. If MFP sets you at 1350/day to lose the weight at the rate you want, and you're eating comfortably at 1600 then you need to do 250 cals of exercise a day minimum to make up the difference. Possibly up to twice that depending on how accurate your exercise logging might be. You'll be better off anyway because more exercise will tone your body and as the weight drops muscle will take the place of fat and you'll look better when you hit your maintenance weight.

janejellyroll · August 2016

Aaron_K123 wrote: »

Honestly troubles me how many people on this site seem to be trying to eat 1200-1400 calories a day, that just seems ludicrously low to me. That is like a sandwich, a glass of milk, a salad and a bowl of cereal for your entire day. You look at people who claim to be full on that and they are just eating a ton of fibery plant matter to I guess make them feel full...but that can't be satisfying.

If you're a smaller, sedentary woman, 1,200-1,400 might be what you need to hit in order to have a calorie deficit. I'm a smaller woman and when I'm sedentary, I *maintain* at 1,460.

If that's you in your profile picture, it's understandable that it seems ludicrously low to you because your body probably needs much more. But there are also many people for whom it is an appropriate goal for weight loss.

When I was in a deficit (I'm now maintaining), I ate a lot more than a sandwich, glass of milk, salad, and a bowl of cereal. Yeah, I ate a lot of plants to get volume in my diet -- but I find that low calorie plants *are* satisfying when they're prepared and seasoned well and mixed with appropriate amounts of fat and protein.

Timshel_ · August 2016

spinderellaj wrote: »

Hi everyone!

I'm trying to stick to a goal of 1350 calories a day...and I'm finding it impossible!

Honestly, spending too much time on fitness websites and such made me think about eating and exercise too much. So being busy with work, family, or other things and not being around people and places that keep me focused on all this really helped.

But a HUGE part of my weight loss has been changing mental perceptions of what is too little and what is a lot food wise. I don't need a lot of calories to keep my body running and have energy, but I LOVE eating and the rituals of it. So I have had to change that in my mind and create better habits. Couple things, and maybe you can think about if they relate to you:

I have learned to appreciate the energy value of a plate of food instead of the visual presentation and portions.

I have really had to learn that I can't see proper eating as a value in relation to portion. That is, when I eat I trained my mind that I want to get the most food for my money. Growing up poorer, value is really ingrained. Then throw in not wasting food and eating everything on your plate...it's been tough.

Over time I have more and more moments of clarity and don't have those hungry moments and that feeling I am not getting enough calories.

All the best.

museofsearch · August 2016

Snacks to feel full are popcorn and sometimes nuts and for a dessert would be melted dark chocolate on a oat biscuit and fruits. Water of course and coffee help too. Eating chicken or grilled beef with wholegrain bread or rice or boiled pasta with tomato sauce and green salad.

Aaron_K123 · August 2016

Correct me if I am wrong but BMR is a function of lean mass which is basically a function of your muscle mass. Men do have an advantage in this (but a small advantage not a huge advantage) and size does add to this of course.

My lean mass is about 136 pounds and I weigh 173. I'm 6' tall so my BMR is around 1700. So if you are a 5'6'' woman you probably have a lean mass of around 100 (although it varies). So in theory your BMR is probably around 1400.

So the difference between a man and a woman on average is about 300 calories from BMR. Now if I go for a mile run I probably burn 20% more than that example woman but again, not a ton more...just some more.

It isn't that hard for an average sized woman to lose weight at 1900 calories a day (i lose weight at 2400 a day). So again it baffles me how many are on this site (from the forums) eating 1200 or 1300 a day.

Here is a TDEE calculator, can try it yourself.

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

With my stats my TDEE from this calculator is 2800 which is pretty spot on because I lose about a pound a week eating 2300 calories a day. A 5'6'' woman at 155 pounds doing moderate exercise would lose 1 pound a week at 1900 calories a day.

Playing with this, thinking about a slightly overweight woman who wants to lose at a quick 1 pound per week I tried to figure out what size of woman that would be where 1350 would be the target. In otherwords were 1350 would be 500 calories a day under their maintenance.

Assumed 3-5 hours a week of light to moderate activity (because you can go for a walk now and again), 36 years old. Looked for what height and weight that person would have to be for 1350 calories to be their diet.

So 1350 calories for 1 pound a week loss (aggressive diet) is the diet of a 4'4'' tall 110 pound woman.

So yeah, do you really need to be eating 1350 calories a day?

ElkeKNJ · August 2016

About twenty years ago (when I was still skinny) I overheard a pharmacist telling an overweight woman that you cannot diet without being hungry. That always stuck with me, and now I am her. I use his words as a mantra sometimes, though they might be a bit outdated. So either try and cope, look for more satiating foods, or up the kcals to a more comfortable level. But I guess the warm fuzzy gut feeling after a copious meal is no longer an option.

geneticsteacher · August 2016

Aaron_K123 wrote: »

Honestly troubles me how many people on this site seem to be trying to eat 1200-1400 calories a day, that just seems ludicrously low to me. That is like a sandwich, a glass of milk, a salad and a bowl of cereal for your entire day. You look at people who claim to be full on that and they are just eating a ton of fibery plant matter to I guess make them feel full in the physical sense...but that can't be satisfying.

Yes, but if you are an old woman like me, that is what you need to lose weight. It CAN be quite filling. I looked back at one of my 1400 calorie days (I'm at maintenance now) and this is what I ate:

Breakfast - cheese sandwich (sandwich thin, 2 slices full fat cheese)
Lunch - Oat bran, greek yogurt, peaches, maple syrup
Dinner - Pork loin, black eye peas, and salad
Late night snack - 2 cheese sticks and a sandwich thin

A little light on the fruit/veg and a little heavy on dairy and carbs that day, but total was right around 1400 calories. Exceeded protein and carbs, a little under on fat.

dragon_girl26 · August 2016

If it's feeling really difficult, it's possible that the calorie amount is too low for you to feel comfortable with. I'm guessing you're probably set to 1.5 or 2 lbs/wk..if you set it to 1 lb/wk, you're still losing AND you get more calories to eat. That's a win win in my book!
I couldn't handle anything less than 1500 myself. I tried, and each time after about a week I'd get dizzy spells. I even attempted 1200 very briefly, and nope..not for me. Losing weight doesn't mean you have to suffer.

AllSpiceNice · August 2016

I had to net 1260 Cals to lose the last 10 lbs. It required very accurate logging and choosing foods that maximized my nutrition and kept me full. (Lots of veggies, lean protein, nuts in moderation, berries, greek yogurt, etc). My macros were around 25% carbs, 35% protein, 40% fat.

I also played around with meal timing. I'm not hungry in the morning but like to eat at night. Small breakfast (170 Cals), medium lunch (350 Cals), medium dinner (400-500 Cals), morning and afternoon snack (50-100 Cals/each), and around 300 Cals for yogurt & berries at dessert. That dessert was an important treat for me mentally - I pre-logged it every morning so I would always have calories left for it at the end of the day.

Was I still hungry? Yeah, sometimes. I got through the hunger by drinking a lot of water, coffee, and tea. And reminding myself of my end goals.

I'm in maintenance now and it's much better! The extra several hundred calories really help.

meghanfarrelly1433 · August 2016

I'm really only about a week in, but I've eaten a bagel with honey cinnamon cream cheese for breakfast, a yogurt with granola for lunch, and not sure for diner yet but I have over 1,000 to go! I stay full by drinking coffee(make it black) and lots of water.

janejellyroll · August 2016

Aaron_K123 wrote: »

Correct me if I am wrong but BMR is a function of lean mass which is basically a function of your muscle mass. Men do have an advantage in this (but a small advantage not a huge advantage) and size does add to this of course.

My lean mass is about 136 pounds and I weigh 173. I'm 6' tall so my BMR is around 1700. So if you are a 5'6'' woman you probably have a lean mass of around 100 (although it varies). So in theory your BMR is probably around 1400.

So the difference between a man and a woman on average is about 300 calories from BMR. Now if I go for a mile run I probably burn 20% more than that example woman but again, not a ton more...just some more.

It isn't that hard for an average sized woman to lose weight at 1900 calories a day (i lose weight at 2400 a day). So again it baffles me how many are on this site (from the forums) eating 1200 or 1300 a day.

Here is a TDEE calculator, can try it yourself.

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

Playing with this, thinking about a slightly overweight woman who wants to lose at a quick 1 pound per week I tried to figure out what size of woman that would be where 1350 would be the target. In otherwords were 1350 would be 500 calories a day under their maintenance.

Assumed 3-5 hours a week of light to moderate activity (because you can go for a walk now and again), 36 years old. Looked for what height and weight that person would have to be for 1350 calories to be their diet.

So 1350 calories for 1 pound a week loss (aggressive diet) is the diet of a 4'4'' tall 110 pound woman.

So yeah, do you really need to be eating 1350 calories a day?

I know -- from months of careful logging and experience -- that my baseline to maintain, at a sedentary level of activity, is 1,460. So if I wanted to lose weight, at a moderate deficit of 250, I would be eating within the range that you define as too low.

Add in activity and many women can lose weight at 1,900 calories a day (given my current level of activity, I would also lose at this level). But not everyone is willing or able to be that active and that's okay -- this site is for them too. There are people for whom 1,200-1,400 is an inappropriate target, but there are some for whom it works. Before deciding something is way too low or too high, I think it's more useful to look at where someone currently is physically and how much they're burning. What you say is too low is actually pretty spot on to what I would need to maintain if my activity level dropped.

By assuming 3-5 hours a week of moderate activity, I feel like you're moving the goalposts a bit. I'm specifically talking about sedentary people and that isn't how you ran the numbers.

Aaron_K123 · August 2016

ElkeKNJ wrote: »

About twenty years ago (when I was still skinny) I overheard a pharmacist telling an overweight woman that you cannot diet without being hungry. That always stuck with me, and now I am her. I use his words as a mantra sometimes, though they might be a bit outdated. So either try and cope, look for more satiating foods, or up the kcals to a more comfortable level. But I guess the warm fuzzy gut feeling after a copious meal is no longer an option.

Well that isn't true at all. I lose a pound a week and I'm not hungry. It is very easy to disprove overgeneralizations like that because there are plenty of people who don't fit that "rule".

If you are active you can eat quite a lot and still lose weight.

janejellyroll · August 2016

meghanfarrelly1433 wrote: »

I'm really only about a week in, but I've eaten a bagel with honey cinnamon cream cheese for breakfast, a yogurt with granola for lunch, and not sure for diner yet but I have over 1,000 to go! I stay full by drinking coffee(make it black) and lots of water.

Are you saying your goal is 1,350 and you've had a bagel, cream cheese, yogurt, and granola today and you have over 1,000 left? Something seems off about those numbers -- what quantity of bagel, cream cheese, yogurt, and granola did you eat to get less than 350 calories today?

tomteboda · August 2016

Aaron_K123 wrote: »

Honestly troubles me how many people on this site seem to be trying to eat 1200-1400 calories a day, that just seems ludicrously low to me. That is like a sandwich, a glass of milk, a salad and a bowl of cereal for your entire day. You look at people who claim to be full on that and they are just eating a ton of fibery plant matter to I guess make them feel full in the physical sense...but that can't be satisfying.

I'm 5'9" and 169 lbs. The MFP recommendation for me to lose 1 lb/week at sedentary is 1450 call/day. As I have lupus and struggle with pericarditis, I have to keep this in mind on the days I am unable to complete my normal activity. Honestly, I'm only aiming for 0.5 lb/week now because I just can't deal with the hunger regardless of my activity. I can see how for shorter sedentary women with small amounts of weight to lose, 1450 would be routine.

I think a lot of people set very aggressive goals. Many people say they're sedentary when they're quite active. Or they deliberately refuse to eat any exercise calories. Others try to lose ridiculous amounts of weight given their starting point.

People are often inpatient, and the whole "I'm happy on this" is often probably delusional thinking in an attempt to stubborn it out.

Aaron_K123 · August 2016

geneticsteacher wrote: »

Aaron_K123 wrote: »

Honestly troubles me how many people on this site seem to be trying to eat 1200-1400 calories a day, that just seems ludicrously low to me. That is like a sandwich, a glass of milk, a salad and a bowl of cereal for your entire day. You look at people who claim to be full on that and they are just eating a ton of fibery plant matter to I guess make them feel full in the physical sense...but that can't be satisfying.

Yes, but if you are an old woman like me, that is what you need to lose weight. It CAN be quite filling. I looked back at one of my 1400 calorie days (I'm at maintenance now) and this is what I ate:

Breakfast - cheese sandwich (sandwich thin, 2 slices full fat cheese)
Lunch - Oat bran, greek yogurt, peaches, maple syrup
Dinner - Pork loin, black eye peas, and salad
Late night snack - 2 cheese sticks and a sandwich thin

A little light on the fruit/veg and a little heavy on dairy and carbs that day, but total was right around 1400 calories. Exceeded protein and carbs, a little under on fat.

Yes if you are sedentary and pretty high up in the years that is true. I don't mean everyone, but most people and certainly a 36 year old woman, can and probably should eat more than that. I don't mean to imply that absolutely everyone can eat 1900 calories and lose weight. But most can.

Aaron_K123 · August 2016

meghanfarrelly1433 wrote: »

I'm really only about a week in, but I've eaten a bagel with honey cinnamon cream cheese for breakfast, a yogurt with granola for lunch, and not sure for diner yet but I have over 1,000 to go! I stay full by drinking coffee(make it black) and lots of water.

Coffee is an appetite suppresent but if your goal is to be healthy I really can't recommend using coffee as a substitute for food.

ahoy_m8 · August 2016

Aaron_K123 wrote: »

ElkeKNJ wrote: »

About twenty years ago (when I was still skinny) I overheard a pharmacist telling an overweight woman that you cannot diet without being hungry. That always stuck with me, and now I am her. I use his words as a mantra sometimes, though they might be a bit outdated. So either try and cope, look for more satiating foods, or up the kcals to a more comfortable level. But I guess the warm fuzzy gut feeling after a copious meal is no longer an option.

Well that isn't true at all. I lose a pound a week and I'm not hungry. It is very easy to disprove overgeneralizations like that because there are plenty of people who don't fit that "rule".

If you are active you can eat quite a lot and still lose weight.

That may be true for you. Congratulations. That may not be true for everyone.

SuzySunshine99 · August 2016

Aaron_K123 wrote: »

Correct me if I am wrong but BMR is a function of lean mass which is basically a function of your muscle mass. Men do have an advantage in this (but a small advantage not a huge advantage) and size does add to this of course.

My lean mass is about 136 pounds and I weigh 173. I'm 6' tall so my BMR is around 1700. So if you are a 5'6'' woman you probably have a lean mass of around 100 (although it varies). So in theory your BMR is probably around 1400.

So the difference between a man and a woman on average is about 300 calories from BMR. Now if I go for a mile run I probably burn 20% more than that example woman but again, not a ton more...just some more.

It isn't that hard for an average sized woman to lose weight at 1900 calories a day (i lose weight at 2400 a day). So again it baffles me how many are on this site (from the forums) eating 1200 or 1300 a day.

Here is a TDEE calculator, can try it yourself.

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

With my stats my TDEE from this calculator is 2800 which is pretty spot on because I lose about a pound a week eating 2300 calories a day. A 5'6'' woman at 155 pounds doing moderate exercise would lose 1 pound a week at 1900 calories a day.

Playing with this, thinking about a slightly overweight woman who wants to lose at a quick 1 pound per week I tried to figure out what size of woman that would be where 1350 would be the target. In otherwords were 1350 would be 500 calories a day under their maintenance.

Assumed 3-5 hours a week of light to moderate activity (because you can go for a walk now and again), 36 years old. Looked for what height and weight that person would have to be for 1350 calories to be their diet.

So 1350 calories for 1 pound a week loss (aggressive diet) is the diet of a 4'4'' tall 110 pound woman.

So yeah, do you really need to be eating 1350 calories a day?

Well, just as an example, and using the Scooby calculator...I am a 40 year old, 5'4", 127 lb female. I have a desk job that keeps me sedentary 6 days a week for up to 14 hours a day. My TDEE is 1576, which is where I stay to maintain, so 1200-1300 to lose was where I needed to be.

My husband is a 6'0", 190 lb male. He has a very physical, active job 6 days a week. His TDEE is 2764. So, it really depends on the person and the lifestyle. You can't paint everyone with such a broad stroke.

DeviatedNorm · August 2016

I eat 1200 calories a day and generally feel quite satiated.

For breakfast I either have 2 eggs (usually hardboiled) or ~100g of plain full-fat greek yogurt.

For lunch I often have a small turkey sandwich. I like using 1 piece of naan cut in half. I use avocado for my spread and a thin slice of provolone. Chicken salads made with greek yogurt are super common too. Or I hit the salad bar, load up on veg and use just balsamic vinegar or a smidge of cottage cheese for my dressing.

Dinner is frequently a combination of chicken and veg. I eat a lot of cabbage, I can have mountains of it for practically no calories.

Snacks are rare and usually consist of fruit. I try to stay away from sugar in general tho, I find that as soon as I start eating sugar in the day I start getting hungry quicker.

I only drink water and occasionally unsweetened tea.

For chain restaurants, Panera, Noodles & Company, Subway and Mad Greens are probably my go-to's, they all have good options ~400 calories (ex The Med Salad w/chicken at Noodles, most 6" w/o cheese or mayo at Subway, and skip the roll at Panera)

My diary's open, I log ~13/14 days.

AlisonH729 · August 2016

I eat 1400 calories (on an ideal day). Last night I went hiking with my dog and still blew out my goal, eating back my exercise calories & more so my diary is not always a glowing example. But I think it's open.

I bring breakfast & lunch to work and it's a lot of the same stuff which makes the prep easier. Morning coffee, yogurt, fruit, sometimes English muffins for breakfast. Leftovers, or prepped chicken breasts, meatballs & vegetables for lunch. Sometimes a sandwich. Today I had soup. I like to bring an afternoon snack as well. Most of the time it is cottage cheese & fruit, recently I've been making hard boiled eggs. Sometimes I just eat more toward the end of the work day if I plan to go to the gym when I get home. I try my darnedest to hit my macros too, like other have mentioned.

I'm short at 5'2 and generally sedentary as I work a desk job, my maintenance is 1550 & my BMR is 1250- so my window for a deficit is already small to begin with. But I can get by pretty well on 1400(ish).

1350 calories a day...how do you do it?

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