Hitting 1,200cal.
Kew5
Posts: 2 Member
Can I please have a few samples/examples of a daily food intake of 1200 calories? Im finding it very hard to hit 1200cal without going over in other areas. I'm lucky to hit 900-1000 calories a day at the moment and I burn 300-400cal 6 days a week which is getting me nowhere on the scales for obvious reasons.. TY
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Replies
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What are the obvious reasons? Look at my day. cut out the dessert and 100 calories from dinner. It's extremely easy.0
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The obvious reasons being that whilst I'm burning 300-400cal a day, 6 days a week, I still struggle to eat anything above 800-900cals on a daily basis when I should be hitting 1200cal per day according to my goals. (I calculated my daily intake incorrectly in my oroginal post).
I struggle to find a healthy and managable eating routine/meal plan which makes me unintentionally deprive myself in the process which is stopping me from losing the weight.0 -
Why don't you open your diary so people can suggest additions/modifications to your meals? One way to get more calories is to use full fat products instead of lowfat or nonfat. Add a tablespoon of butter or olive oil to your food, perhaps a salad dressing or marinade. Eat a couple ounces of chocolate. What were you eating prior to trying to lose weight...it probably was more than 1000 calories.0
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chia seeds, at 70.cal a tablespoon, has protein, fiber, calcium, iron, n omega 3
add to anything u eat
4 tablespoons is 280 cal1 -
That MFP goal of 1200 calories - that was with a day with NO exercise expected.
You are using the program wrong - and have some ideas wrong about what is required for weight loss.
Be very concerned if that really is your calorie burn for the exercise - I doubt it greatly if it's been over 2 weeks doing this routine of eating levels.
Also be very concerned if you don't feel hungry anymore and can't even eat up to 1200.
Unless your food logging is almost dishonest with yourself and you are eating much much more.
Because if eating at that level, with that amount of exercise - what happens if you get sick for a week, or injured (very likely), or increased family responsibilities or crazy schedule - and you can't exercise.
Now how low do you think you should eat to not gain weight while a whole lot less active.
Weight loss (hopefully just fat loss if your mind is right) should be obtained eating as much as you possibly can - not as little as you possibly can.
If you think less is better - then just stop eating until you have lost the desired weight.
That will likely get you in the hospital faster to get the real issues addressed.
Just trying to be frank - because sometimes true help is NOT encouraging you to do more of the same.2 -
The obvious reasons being that whilst I'm burning 300-400cal a day, 6 days a week, I still struggle to eat anything above 800-900cals on a daily basis when I should be hitting 1200cal per day according to my goals. (I calculated my daily intake incorrectly in my oroginal post).
I struggle to find a healthy and managable eating routine/meal plan which makes me unintentionally deprive myself in the process which is stopping me from losing the weight.
If you're eating as little as you think you are, you would be losing weight (albeit in a very unhealthy way) - as for your "obvious reasons" depriving yourself of food doesn't make you hold on to weight, that's a diet myth, long term dieting can cause Adaptive Thermogenesis but that's not going to happen in 2 weeks and it doesn't stop you from losing weight, it just slows down your metabolism and in turn makes weight loss progress slower than expected.2 -
Just for the record, in the UK, it's recommended that adults consume no more than 15 grams of chia seeds a day, which about three spoonfuls. I admit that nutritional guidelines magically change across national borders,chia seeds, at 70.cal a tablespoon, has protein, fiber, calcium, iron, n omega 3
add to anything u eat
4 tablespoons is 280 cal
but the more you know, right?
It's because they are highly absorbent, and dry seeds will happily absorb water inside your body, too, which can lead to ill-effects if you consume significant quantities of chia seeds. I'm not saying they're poisonous- I eat chia seeds regularly, but I do keep it to 15g, and always follow the meal with an extra glass of water.
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1200 is supposed to be the NET calories.
I am following a similar routine.
I burn around 300-400 cal daily but I try my best to get those calories back in my diet. So that means I try to consume around 1500.
I mostly snack on boiled eggs and walnuts. I have also started having pure sugarcane juice which is approx 180 calories ( helps my craving for coke and other extra artificial sugar drinks)
I also go for homemade peanut butter with a slice of whole wheat bread half an hour before workout, approx 130 calories
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The obvious reasons being that whilst I'm burning 300-400cal a day, 6 days a week, I still struggle to eat anything above 800-900cals on a daily basis when I should be hitting 1200cal per day according to my goals. (I calculated my daily intake incorrectly in my oroginal post).
I struggle to find a healthy and managable eating routine/meal plan which makes me unintentionally deprive myself in the process which is stopping me from losing the weight.
I completely understand that many a times we are not able to follow a proper routine leading us to unintentionally eating less, even if eating healthy we don't hit the calorie target.
While I used to eat junk I could sometimes hit the target in only one sitting of meal, but now with all the veggies and lean meat getting that target needs planning food in advance.
But do make sure to get the hints your body tells you.0 -
The obvious reasons being that whilst I'm burning 300-400cal a day, 6 days a week, I still struggle to eat anything above 800-900cals on a daily basis when I should be hitting 1200cal per day according to my goals. (I calculated my daily intake incorrectly in my oroginal post).
I struggle to find a healthy and managable eating routine/meal plan which makes me unintentionally deprive myself in the process which is stopping me from losing the weight.
Eating that few calories you should definitely be losing weight. (BTW, you should not be eating less than 1200 calories).
Are you weighing and measuring your food accurately? Overestimating your calorie burn from exercise?
How long have you been at this? How much do you have to lose? Do you have any health issues that would make losing weight more difficult?
Perhaps you should talk to your health care professional about your concerns.
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I am having trouble losing also. I thought maybe I was cutting too many calories(1000),so for a few days I added 200 to 400 calories. I continued my cardio. Gained 2 pounds. The calories I added were sugar and carb free. Mostly protien and veggies.0
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letishawhiddon wrote: »I am having trouble losing also. I thought maybe I was cutting too many calories(1000),so for a few days I added 200 to 400 calories. I continued my cardio. Gained 2 pounds. The calories I added were sugar and carb free. Mostly protien and veggies.
Your calories are extremely low. What is your body weight and your height?0 -
I weigh 187 as of this morning, I'm 5'5. That's why I increased calories. Still no loss. I'm 43.0
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letishawhiddon wrote: »I am having trouble losing also. I thought maybe I was cutting too many calories(1000),so for a few days I added 200 to 400 calories. I continued my cardio. Gained 2 pounds. The calories I added were sugar and carb free. Mostly protien and veggies.
You didn't gain 2 pounds of fat unless you ate 7,000 calories over your maintenance.....1200 is not your maintenance.
Have you added new or different exercise? 2 pounds could easily be temporary water weight from sore muscles. High sodium? water weight. Time of month? water weight.
Low carb diets can often result in water weight loss (glycogen stores). When you eat carbs again, you gain the water back.
Don't take one or two weigh-ins too seriously.
Calorie dense foods - nuts, nut butter, avocado, olive oil, full fat dairy. Make sure you are measuring portions correctly and picking accurate database entries (there are many crappy entries in there).1 -
letishawhiddon wrote: »I am having trouble losing also. I thought maybe I was cutting too many calories(1000),so for a few days I added 200 to 400 calories. I continued my cardio. Gained 2 pounds. The calories I added were sugar and carb free. Mostly protien and veggies.
You don't increase your calories to lose weight. It's the opposite.3 -
Yeah but when I was eating 1000 everyone said to increase. I was snacking on nuts but cut that out bc of the high calories.0
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One person says one thing. An article I'll read says the opposite. I'm confused and getting frustrated. I'm eating way less and moving way more than my past sedintary and junk food lifestyle. Seems like it should be working.0
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Google "1200 calorie day meal plans" and you'll find a bunch. Like this one
http://doityourselfdietplans.com/free-1200-calorie-diet-menu/0 -
letishawhiddon wrote: »One person says one thing. An article I'll read says the opposite. I'm confused and getting frustrated. I'm eating way less and moving way more than my past sedintary and junk food lifestyle. Seems like it should be working.
Weight loss is calorie deficit....period.
Food you log are calories in. Logging is imperfect. MFP has bad entries. A digital food scale is going to be more accurate for measuring solids & semi solids.
Calories out - this is not just exercise. There are devices to help calculate estimates for this number. That said, your TDEE is an estimate of the number of calories you use everyday. Take a cut from this number, you lose weight. This is the same for everybody.
This flowchart sums it all up nicely.........
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10179969/weight-loss-flow-chart-2-0/p10 -
TDEE IS 17000
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I suspect some people are terrible at estimating. I suggest a scale. I'm 4'11 and <100lbs and I'd lose weight if I only ate 1000 calories a day.1
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letishawhiddon wrote: »TDEE IS 1700
So - if you are accurately calculating your calorie intake......if your TDEE estimate is a good one.....you could eat 1200 calories a day and lose 1 pound a week.
Keep in mind....it's all estimates. Sodium, time of month, sore muscles, waste cycle.....all mess with the scale. Weight loss will NOT be linear. You might not lose for a couple of weeks, then Bam! 2 pounds lost. You are looking for a downward trend.0 -
OP, are you using a food scale? If not you are probably eating more than you think. Pick one up at Walmart or Amazon and use it for everything you possibly can for at least a couple of weeks. When I started using one, it was eye-opening!1
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You can look at my diary if you would like. I opened it up today. Today looks like a 1200 cal day for me. Approx 1400 to 1600 over the weekend.1
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OP can you open your diary?1
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Hi guys on the subject of 1200 I'm struggling - it's funny as the things that have great protein, low carb, low sugar seem to sky rocket with the calories!! I looked at what I planned today and well I might as well just spend my day drinking coffee and eating apples and peanut butter from a jar!! Eggs and canned tuna are high calories along with 1 piece if bread! Even if it's low carb bread! Also am noticing it's the flavouring I.e mayo or sauce on salad as an example, the flavouring adds high calories! So I feel I can bearly have a meal as I go over my points because of the calories of things. I'm truly lost! I haven't been on for a while as I've been giving up smoking and drinking so have put on 5kg but I'm in the stage of changing my lifestyle permanently so if you could help me get my head around it I'd appreciate xx1
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29march2014 wrote: »Hi guys on the subject of 1200 I'm struggling - it's funny as the things that have great protein, low carb, low sugar seem to sky rocket with the calories!! I looked at what I planned today and well I might as well just spend my day drinking coffee and eating apples and peanut butter from a jar!! Eggs and canned tuna are high calories along with 1 piece if bread! Even if it's low carb bread! Also am noticing it's the flavouring I.e mayo or sauce on salad as an example, the flavouring adds high calories! So I feel I can bearly have a meal as I go over my points because of the calories of things. I'm truly lost! I haven't been on for a while as I've been giving up smoking and drinking so have put on 5kg but I'm in the stage of changing my lifestyle permanently so if you could help me get my head around it I'd appreciate xx
1200 is a default minimum before exercise. If you plan exercise, plan to eat more. 1200 is more appropriate for petite and/or elderly women.......if that's not you, then you chose an aggressive weekly weight loss goal. Slow down weight loss a bit, get additional calories.
Dietary fat is calorie dense. Mayo is mostly fat. I use a little mayo mixed with mustard. Greek yogurt can be the base for creamy dressings.
If you don't have a medical issue with carbs - don't eliminate them unless that is a lifestyle change also. I'm older but eat an average of 1500 (exercise helps). Yes, weight loss is slower. But those calories allow for a treat here and there, more like "real life" and less like a diet.0 -
I don't think that eggs and canned tuna are too high in calories. One egg is about 70 calories or so and a pouch of tuna is around 80 calories and is packed with protein. For breakfast I may have one egg with a serving of fruit or one egg on toast with 1/4 of an avocado or fry an egg and eat it with an extra thin Mission corn tortilla and a side of fruit. Sometimes I use a laughing cow wedge (pepper jack) on with my egg and tortilla. A whole wedge is 35 cal, low in fat, and adds great flavor. Toast with a TBSP PB and a TBSP allfruit Jelly with a cup of milk. Overnight oats. For AM snack I like to have 1/2 pouch of tuna (but you can eat the whole pouch) and instead of mayo I add in a wedge of laughing cow cheese and eat that with some WW crackers. Or a cup of milk and a serving of fruit. At lunch I usually have a salad and sometimes I use a full fat dressing and when I do I use one TBSP. If I use a low fat dressing then I use two TBSP. With my salad I usually enjoy 3 oz of a potato usually only seasoned with S&P. I'm a plain jane when it comes to food and S&P is usually enough for me. PM snack I have 16 pistachios and a fruit (1 cup melon, 17 grapes, berries). Dinner I usually have a protein mostly chicken with steamed broccoli and some kinda starch (1/3 c rice/quinoa/pasta or 1/2 c potato). I love broccoli so I can eat it all day everyday. Of course you can use a variety of veggies. Avocado is a healthy fat that I love to use too. I used to eat 1-2 avocados a day but now I limit myself to 1/4 an avocado per serving.
You are welcome to look at my diary if you want. I was doing 1200 for a long while but recently upped my intake.0 -
29march2014 wrote: »Hi guys on the subject of 1200 I'm struggling - it's funny as the things that have great protein, low carb, low sugar seem to sky rocket with the calories!! I looked at what I planned today and well I might as well just spend my day drinking coffee and eating apples and peanut butter from a jar!! Eggs and canned tuna are high calories along with 1 piece if bread! Even if it's low carb bread! Also am noticing it's the flavouring I.e mayo or sauce on salad as an example, the flavouring adds high calories! So I feel I can bearly have a meal as I go over my points because of the calories of things. I'm truly lost! I haven't been on for a while as I've been giving up smoking and drinking so have put on 5kg but I'm in the stage of changing my lifestyle permanently so if you could help me get my head around it I'd appreciate xx
I had a Starkist tuna pouch, dehydrated onions, 1 TBSP Miracle Whip light, on a Kangaroo wheat pita pocket for lunch. It was only 185 calories. I also had carrot sticks, dill pickle and Light String cheese. My whole lunch was under 250 calories.
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You are welcome to view my diary
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