Capitalizing on recording calorie intake

I am also on 1200 calories. What WW used to recommend is tracking your hunger for a few days, so you can see patterns. If you are hungry mid-morning, about 30 min before that hunger usually strikes, have a snack around 100 calories (I prefer herb and garlic Sunkist tuna, but you can have a low-fat yogurt, some almonds, a small piece of fruit, etc). High-fiber and/or high protein foods will keep you fuller longer. The truth is, you won't feel "full" but shouldn't be ravenous either. And drink lots of water

You are never going to get a "large" meal on these numbers, but I have found that it works out alright for me. You can get a decent-sized low-calorie meal with fish or chicken or eggs to keep the protein high but the calories low. A typical meal for me for dinner is around 400 calories.

Adding even 30 minutes of exercise will get you a little more calories to work with

Hope that helps a little...

A few tips that may or may not be helpful:

• Make your diary public and we can take a look to see if anything jumps out
• Take a hard look at your macros. You already mentioned possibly upping protein. Are you also eating very low fat? It's possible more protein, fat, or a combination can keep you better satisfied
• Are you exercising, and if so, are you eating back the calories you earn from it?
• I second the advice to up your calories a bit and get comfortable with a slower rate of weight loss

First, how much are you trying to lose per week and how much do you need to lose altogether? 1200 calories is the bare minimum MFP will assign for women. Without knowing your stats, it's hard to know whether your target is too aggressive. The general wisdom is to strive to lose not more than 1% of your current weight per week. So if, for example, you currently weigh 170 lbs, you want to get to 140, and you've set your loss to 2 lbs/week, MFP isn't going to give you less than 1200, which may be too little for you to feel full on, and you might find it easier to go for 1 lb/week and get more calories.

Again, I have no way of knowing your stats. You may be on the short side of average and need fewer calories. (For comparison, I'm 5'3, started at 254 lbs and a 1720 calorie/day target to lose 1 lb/week. I'm now at just over 200 on 1400 calories/day.)

Second, when it comes to weight-loss all you really need is a calorie deficit. Exercise is not required. BUT when you exercise, you increase your calorie deficit and MFP adds in those calories to your daily allotment. The calorie burn may be inaccurate; most people here will tell you that they eat back somewhere between 25-75% of their exercise calories. I usually do half but don't sweat it if some days it's 40% and some days 60%. So exercising will give you a higher target than 1200.

As far as what to eat, I've found some go-to meals that make me feel full, despite being low in calorie. Disclosure: I'm vegetarian; where you see me list veggie dogs, feel free to run the data on actual meat if you like. And I use vegan sour cream, but again, you can use the real thing. The nutritional data/macros may vary slightly.

My typical breakfast:

1 cup red seedless grapes
1 6oz container fat-free 2x-protein Greek yogurt
1/2 of a 2-bar granola bar package crumbled on top.

Calories: 257-272 depending on the flavor of granola bar.

My typical lunch:

1/2 cup of corn
1 sliced veggie dog
cherry tomatoes, cucumber, either a slice of onion, minced or 1-2 scallions, 1 pickle, jarred pickled hot peppers, possibly other salad stuff I've got in the fridge (eg carrot, celery, bean sprouts)
1/4 cup salsa
1 tbsp sweet pickle relish
1 tbsp tofutti sour supreme

Mix it all in a bowl.

Calories: Usually in the neighborhood of 275, but varies a bit by weight of the veggies.

A low-cal high protein supper:

(Note: you need a saucepan that's safe to go in the oven under the broiler for this one).

Spray a saucepan with cooking spray. The size depends on the volume of veggies you'll use.

Add 1 tsp olive oil.

Use anywhere from 1/2 cup to 1.5 cups of vegetables. I like using a mix of green beans, sliced cherry tomatoes, onion, and mushroom. Saute until soft. Add salt and pepper.

Beat three eggs. Add salt and pepper. If you want to add some shredded cheese, go ahead.

Pour the eggs over the veggies and wait a minute or two until you see it starting to set (it will pull away from the sides of the saucepan). Stick it in the oven under the broiler until the top is set and browned. Sometimes, I miscalculate and it's a little runny, whether because the egg didn't fully set or from the vegetable juices. It's fine.

Invert onto a plate. I usually top with salsa or sriracha.

Calories: Eggs, oil, and cooking spray will come in at about 270. Weigh the vegetables to get their calories. Starchy vegetables (like peas or potatoes) will up the calories, but make it more filling. If using potatoes, shred them first.

(My diary is open if you'd like ideas.)