Need help staying at or under 1260 calories a day!!

Options
2»

Replies

  • jennyf55
    jennyf55 Posts: 24 Member
    Options
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    The best way to figure this out is to spend a couple of weeks at maintenance, or a small deficit, and just log the food you normally eat weighing it with a food scale.

    Track it and make notes on which days you feel more satiated, what your macro split is, and what your meal timing is.
    What you eat, so long as you meet your nutritional goals most of the time, doesn't matter.

    You will get a good idea of when and what to eat just observing what your preferences and habits are.

    We are all so different in our food choices it is hard to say eat this or that at this or that time. What works for me may not, probably would not, work for you.

    Also, if you have under 50 lbs to lose 1lbs a week is recommended, up to 100- 1.5, over 100- 2 lbs a week. Eat back exercise calories too, or at least a portion.

    Cheers, h.

    Really Good Advice. I noted this too. I have the same problem. Being hungry and feeling like I want more food and my calories allow.
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
    Options
    DamieBird wrote: »
    Duck_Puddle wrote: »
    You may want to consider limiting some of your higher fat items. If you want to be at 1200-ish calories/day, you're going to be very hungry if you're using 1/4 of your calories on a TB of mayo, a TB of PB and maybe 1/2 an avocado? You could eat 10-ish ounces of chicken breast for the same calories (and I find that infinitely more filling). Nothing wrong with any of those foods, but they are quite calorie dense which means you're eating many calories for very little volume of food (which tends to make me quite hungry).

    The person who posted the sample menu is not the OP. OP's descriptions contain very little fat.

    Ohhhh. Thank you. Didn't read closely enough.
  • gerla_k
    gerla_k Posts: 495 Member
    Options
    And now I'm hungry :))
  • jennyf55
    jennyf55 Posts: 24 Member
    Options
    Are there other stored menu items on this website? I'd love to see some menu ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    Options
    With less than 50 lbs to lose you should be aiming for 1 lb/week, which I'm guessing would give you more than 1260 cals. Also, do you exercise? If so, you should be logging and eating back some of those cals as well.

    What people find satiating varies widely but many find protein to be helpful to incorporate in meals.


  • DamieBird
    DamieBird Posts: 651 Member
    Options
    jennyf55 wrote: »
    Are there other stored menu items on this website? I'd love to see some menu ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

    Check out the recipe section.

    My diary is public, so you can peek at it if you like. My kcals are in the 1700-1850 range, though (other than some really high days over the past couple of weekends).
  • Rachel7575
    Rachel7575 Posts: 20 Member
    Options
    I exercise for 40 minutes in the morning and same after work at 6:30ish pm. I do burn a lot of calories doing so but I still try to keep my calorie (food) intake at 1260, even after exercise. Thanks to all for your input and great food advise I will be trying them for sure! Also what is a good exercise for efficient weight loss. I do 25 minutes on the treadmill, 15 on jump rope/ pull ups.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,485 Member
    edited July 2017
    Options
    Eat your exercise calories. (MFP gives you your base calories without exercise)

    You are doing yourself no favours eating at such a low calorie goal. You will in time become lethargic and underperform when exercising. Your hair will become brittle and you will start losing muscle strength. And that is just a start to the problems you may get.

    Set your goal to 1 lbs a week and eat back at least 50% of your exercise- adjust the amount that you eat back so that you are on track with your goal.

    Cheers, h.

    A wise rabbit once said words to this effect 'those that eat the most and still lose, win'
    I will add -those that eat the least and still lose usually end up sick or binging. :)
  • sosteach
    sosteach Posts: 260 Member
    Options
    Add some eggs and meat to your day
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    Options
    Your current breakfast and lunch are all quick digesting carbs. No wonder you feel starving by dinner!

    Try a breakfast including protein and slow digesting carbs such as legumes and whole grains. Eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and grilled chicken are all low calorie proteins.

    My usual breakfast is a Buddha bowl made with quinoa, some type of legume such as edamame or black beans, a protein, and some vegetables, plus a small amount of healthy fat. One example might be a taco bowl with black beans, ground turkey, salsa, avocado, and sour cream. Another would be an Asian bowl with chicken, edamame, and vegetables with ginger / soy dressing. But if you like more traditional breakfasts you could start with steel cut oats and add fruit and nuts. What are your favorite foods? That would help people make recipe suggestions.
  • tomteboda
    tomteboda Posts: 2,171 Member
    Options
    Thanks for replying to my questions! @middlehaitch gave excellent advice that corresponded to what I suspected.

    You are trying to lose weight too quickly, which sets you up for severe hunger, nutrient deficiencies, muscle loss and malaise. Drop your goal for weight loss to no more than 1 lb/week. This should give you effectively a whole extra meal, and you will be far, far less miserable. To be accurate, make sure you're weighing your food, not eyeballing or measuring it with cups, and then you can be confident you will meet your goals.

    Also, log and eat back calories for your activity. You are creating a situation where you're just asking a lot of your body, and it's going to fight back with hunger, injuries and weakness. Make your body your partner instead of an enemy.
  • BurgerLovinBulker
    BurgerLovinBulker Posts: 38 Member
    edited July 2017
    Options
    My diary is open, and if you scroll back a few weeks, you will see several months of 1100 cal days.

    (EDIT: At least I think it is, I have no idea how to tell if it is or is not. If you can't see it, I'll muck around in settings)
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,485 Member
    Options
    BurgerLovinBulker wrote: »
    My diary is open, and if you scroll back a few weeks, you will see several months of 1100 cal days.

    Why?
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
    edited July 2017
    Options
    Personally I wouldn't do smoothies. I find drinking my calories does not help me stay full. Also you may try skipping breakfast and only eating lunch and dinner, no snacks. That would allow you to eat two 600 calorie meals, or one 500 and one 700... It may help you feel full. I find that even if I'm hungry in the earlier part of the day as long as I'm not hungry at night before bed I'm happy.

    The most filling meals of mine are just a lean protein (chicken breast usually) a starch (potato for example) and a big portion of a veggie.

    Also you can move more, exercise or go for walks, etc. And then you can eat more.
  • BurgerLovinBulker
    BurgerLovinBulker Posts: 38 Member
    Options
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    BurgerLovinBulker wrote: »
    My diary is open, and if you scroll back a few weeks, you will see several months of 1100 cal days.

    Why?

    I needed to drop weight rapidly.
  • natashab61
    natashab61 Posts: 103 Member
    Options
    I would suggest replacing the fruits with steamed veggies or with eggs basically something more filling. The frit smoothies are not filling
  • kavahni
    kavahni Posts: 313 Member
    Options
    That is a pretty low caloric intake. But, to press on, you can have a one (real!) egg omelet, overstuffed with 2 cups of cooked kale and a cup of mushrooms for the same calories as those grapes and bananas. Way more filling and you knock out some protein, superfood, and fiber all in one tasty, enormous meal.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    Options
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    Eat your exercise calories. (MFP gives you your base calories without exercise)

    You are doing yourself no favours eating at such a low calorie goal. You will in time become lethargic and underperform when exercising. Your hair will become brittle and you will start losing muscle strength. And that is just a start to the problems you may get.

    Set your goal to 1 lbs a week and eat back at least 50% of your exercise- adjust the amount that you eat back so that you are on track with your goal.

    Cheers, h.

    A wise rabbit once said words to this effect 'those that eat the most and still lose, win'
    I will add -those that eat the least and still lose usually end up sick or binging. :)

    I miss that wise rabbit...

    I agree with everything here. Often when someone makes up their mind to lose weight, the idea of going as fast as possible seems great, but the negative consequences are real, and often just lead to a poster giving up because they are being too restrictive.

    OP you already said you were hungry all the time. It's no wonder. In addition to considering if the types of foods you're eating are satiating, you just need to eat more total calories.


Categories