Is it really possible to only eat 1200cal per day?

fit_cici
fit_cici Posts: 3
edited September 30 in Food and Nutrition
:huh: Hello, I am new. Due to couple weeks over eating, I think that I really should do something. And find this website when I downloaded the myfitnesspal app. Anyway, according the calculator here, I should only eat no more than 1200cal per day which is way less than what I usually eat ( before I thought everybody can eat "2000-2500cal" per day from the food label on most product). Yesterday, my first day, I was able to eat less than 1200cal. (I was shocked :noway: when I enter my food and see how much calories it has) But today, I feel so hungry:embarassed: . And I have already ate more than 1200cal (haven't had dinner yet). But I feel like there is no way to eat only 1200cal perday. How you guys made it? I saw someone posted that he cannot hit 1500cal perday. I was like, am I really a pig? I can easily eat 1500cal perday.
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Replies

  • Saruman_w
    Saruman_w Posts: 1,531 Member
    It is. I do it all the time. Just takes will power and determination. Eventually you get used to it and you won't miss pigging out.
  • pauljsolie
    pauljsolie Posts: 1,024 Member
    Yep, I agree, I'm supposed to eat 1790 and alot of days I just make it over 1200. You're stomach shrinks and you will eat less if you stick with it long enough. Like Saruman said, you'll get used to it.
  • JayAlexander
    JayAlexander Posts: 268 Member
    work out hard so you can eat back your workout calories!
  • TooFitToQuit
    TooFitToQuit Posts: 33
    Not for me! I feel like 1400 is more doable. At 1200 I feel tired, moody, and have a constant hunger headache. Nay thank you!
  • loriescott7
    loriescott7 Posts: 9
    Hi, you have to find filling foods, I started having smoothies everyday, some water, i drink soy milk and fruit, some fresh if i have it or frozen. It is a good source of fruits, fiber and liquid. It gives you a boost and makes you feel good, what I do when I feel hungry is find a small job that counts as exercise. It is simply eating slowly and often, in small amounts.
  • jackclaire
    jackclaire Posts: 1
    I'm sure plenty of people are able to stick to 1200 calories per day, but that amount is really tough for me. Exercising is a great way to earn extra calories though! For me, if I eat about half of the extra calories I earn through exercise, I still lose weight and feel satisfied instead of hungry all the time.
  • SarahofTwins
    SarahofTwins Posts: 1,169 Member
    It was hard at first but your body will adjust to the amount of calorie intake that is specifically for you. Whether its 1200, more or less. I think it took about 2 weeks to get use to it but I have both good and bad days. Good luck to you:flowerforyou:
  • aubry87
    aubry87 Posts: 34 Member
    Yes, its possible. You need to eat fruits and veggies though. If it won't rot don't eat it. Its very easy to go over 2000 Calories if your eatting processed foods.
  • khk2010
    khk2010 Posts: 451 Member
    Some people work out in order to eat more…if you log your exercise the site will add in more calories to your daily amount.
  • Kalrez
    Kalrez Posts: 655 Member
    Some days for me are easier than others. Yesterday was easy to stay within my calories. Today, otoh, is terrible. I've been hungry all evening. Like raid the cabinets and eat my cats hungry. Well, maybe not quite THAT hungry, but you get my point.

    Saruman_w is right though. You'll get used to it, and it won't seem so bad.
  • minnie86
    minnie86 Posts: 187
    Some days are supper hard for me while others are better. I'm still learning, but I think they key is to find foods that are filling and not so caloric. You should look at people's diaries to get ideas on what to eat.
    I try to eat a light breakfast, a little heavier lunch, and salad/fruit or something light for dinner. Eating lots of fruits and veggies definetely helps out. Not sure if you like yogurt, but I love greek yogurt and it keeps me full.
  • mea9
    mea9 Posts: 561 Member
    More vegetables. I have a hard time getting to 1200 (I'm supposed to be at 1300). You can also "buy" calories by exercising.
  • mauswood
    mauswood Posts: 137 Member
    It's easy to do once you find lots of low calorie foods. I've had days where I totally pig out, eat lots of filling little meals and have trouble reaching my 1200. It's just a matter of choosing the right foods, otherwise you can reach 1200 in one sitting.
  • brianna626
    brianna626 Posts: 156
    Work out and burn some calories so you can eat more!
  • Jennloella
    Jennloella Posts: 2,286 Member
    you've got to choose food that fill you up (high in fiber, protein) but aren't calorie heavy. I do it everyday and I never feel hungry =) google "low fat recipes" how do you feel about oatmeal?
  • devilwhiterose
    devilwhiterose Posts: 1,157 Member
    It's possible, I have a 1200 cal daily intake. Since you're new, I'll tell you that your first week is gonna suck. But drink alot of water and you'll learn to find foods that make you feel full within that limit! When I started, I had no idea I was eating 1200 calories...for LUNCH. My diary is public if you want to take a look! Or add me too!
  • andreaashell
    andreaashell Posts: 16 Member
    1200 is net calories.. if you are exercising, you get to eat more =o) Make sure, also, that you have your activity level set right. If you are really starving, eat. Listen to your body, but make sure that you aren't just eating because you miss food. Also, be sure that you are getting enough water every day. Sometimes lack of water can make you feel hungry instead of thirsty.
  • Jlittrell
    Jlittrell Posts: 4
    Mine says to eat 1500 calories a day. One thing that makes it easier is to add exercise to your schedule. Even just walking. When you do that, you earn those calories in eating. So, tonight I am going to kickboxing, and that adds 645 calories to what I could eat because I burn that much when I exercise.
    Good luck!
  • FabulousFifty
    FabulousFifty Posts: 1,575 Member
    Don't forget, you can eat your exercise calories! Yay! Also, on your settings, you can adjust your activity level. Tweak things so you feel right. Your body is telling you it is not enough.
    Good luck!:flowerforyou:
  • cjjones007
    cjjones007 Posts: 602
    The other trick is the TYPE of food you eat - an entire bag of frozen veggies which is tough for me to get through in one sitting - is ONLY like 300 calories right? an entire 2lb bag of salad greens? less than 100...
    The choices made will make it so you can stay full

    chicken, tilapia, cod, other fish, etc... great protein choices protein keeps you full and those choices are low in fat and calories... Frozen veggies over canned (or at least go low sodium)
    I Live on Carrot sticks as a snack lol
  • vdavis_89
    vdavis_89 Posts: 334
    There are tons of people here that do it ... I personalyl cant/ wont do it ... I feel like Im always hungry :( Im learning to somewhat ignore it lol Start with bigger goals ... if your use to eating 2500 a day the cut down to 2000. Start small and work your way up :) Goodluck add me if you like
  • Charlotte012
    Charlotte012 Posts: 139 Member
    It is possible. But depending on what you're eating at the moment, you might need to change drasticly your eating habits. Eating out will be hard (very hard), you'll have to give up all the proccessed food, you'll have to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, you'll have to cut lots of fat (butter, dessert and so on) and carbs and you'll have to portion size. But it's a process and knowing what we actually eat and what we pu into our bodies is an important knowledge. My first advice would be to cook. My second one is to workout (you can then earn some calories back). You might also want to change your goals and start at 1500 cals for a couple of days/weeks. Good luck!
  • kpflughoeft
    kpflughoeft Posts: 3 Member
    I am supposed to eat only 1200 calories per day too. If I go over, I end up doing exercise to put me back under that 1200 mark. It's either eat less or exercise more. The more you exercise...:smile: the more you can eat. :smile:
  • Amo_Angelus
    Amo_Angelus Posts: 604 Member
    Never eat less than 1200 a day or you'll be ravenous the next day. I stay under 1670 a day (anything more and I won't loose any weight) but I can quite easily stay around the 1200 mark now, in fact I find myself adding snacks to take me up to it. Which is brilliant. It's very hard at first and I wa so hungry! You've just got to want it and push through. Drink lots of water and moderate your portion sizes, that's what cut mine down drastically. I started eating real 1 person portions. I used a little plate rather than big dinner plates, you can't fit more than 300 cals on those if you eat none junk. I can fit 700cals on a big plate easily (pasta filling a big plate is nearly 700cals, my chicken, baked beans and potatos on a big plate was 500cals!) but it simply won't fit on a small plate and because it's so full it looks like a lot too.
  • liztorto
    liztorto Posts: 6 Member
    i think you need to listen to your body so if 1200 cals is making you feel sluggish, eat a little more. Also, how much are you trying to lose per week? If it's 2 pounds the program will probably tell you 1200 cals if you only need to lose 1 pound per week, it you might clock 1400 cals.

    If your goal is to stick with the 1200 cal pr day - Working out will help keep hunger away though too and drinking water or other water based drinks like sugar free iced tea will help fill you up. Also eat lean protein and fill up on fiber (veggies and fruit). These are lower in calories and you can get more bang for your buck.

    good luck!
  • BethanyMasters
    BethanyMasters Posts: 519 Member
    It's possible but it definitely takes some getting used to and a lot of dietary changes.

    And if your goal is set to 1200 you pretty much have to eat all of your exercise calories back to avoid a plateau.

    I would suggest re evaluating your setting. If the site gave you 1200 the you probably plugged in a goal of 2 lbs per week with your activity level as sedentary.

    And really unless you are sitting behind a desk or a computer all day you can probably get away with bumping up to lightly active or moderately active.

    I think I have mine set to 1.5 a week and lightly active since I'm on my feet at my job and I get 1500 a day which, unless I eat bad food is more than enough and I eat back a good portion of my exercise calories and lately the weight has been melting off, like 1.5 - 2 lbs a week even with a cheat meal here and there.
  • flockofseagulls
    flockofseagulls Posts: 2 Member
    I am @ 1200 a day, and sometime, I am under by 100.... but I can say for me, the first 2 weeks are the hardest. logging in the food,serving sizes, the calories and facts. But you will get a schedule going, breakfast, snacks, lunch, sanck, dinner and you will be amazed at what you can eat, and not be starving. Like the others say, check out the diaries, you will get an idea of things to eat and try. If your a fan of fruit, have it as a snack. Fresh Veggies are great for dinner.
  • GJMiller
    GJMiller Posts: 2
    It is challenging at first but now I have trouble some days completing 1200! I love to eat and so eat lots of vegetables that are low calorie and fresh fruit. I seldom feel really hungry when except when I let too many hours pass without eating something. I try to eat 3 meals and a couple of small snacks each day. You can do it!
  • 92102727
    92102727 Posts: 1
    how do you look at other people's food diaries for ideas?
  • James_1954
    James_1954 Posts: 187 Member
    ... I was like, am I really a pig? I can easily eat 1500cal perday.

    I'm sure you're not a pig, or anything like a pig. (Actually, I suspect that real pigs aren't "pigs" either, not in the sense of being natural overeaters.) It's kind of a matter of what you get used to. A few months ago, I don't know how many daily calories I was eating (since I didn't track food then), but from the rate at which I was gaining weight, I suspect it was north of 3500 cal/day.

    I believe the 1200 cal/day that MFP is saying you should eat is NET calories. Be sure to track your exercise along with your food. Unless you're doing nothing at all, I bet you get more than 1200/day to eat, when your exercise is taken into account.

    Myself, I'm being advised by a nutritionist, who instructed me to eat 1800 cal/day, total, and to exercise the way I told her I do ... which comes out to 1200 - 1400 per day, net. Of course, I'm not just tracking calories, as she also gave me explicit maximums on fat grams, carb grams, and (loosely) on protein.

    Activity is key. Some days I don't quite make it even to 1200/day, total ... and I mostly don't feel hungry. Give it a chance ... you can do it!
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