How to eat 1200 calories without starving?
idk319
Posts: 33 Member
I cannot stick to my goal even if I pre log the foods I will eat, I tend to eat other things along with them
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Replies
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Is 1200 absolutely necessary, is my first question?9
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I want to lose 7 lbs.
I am 5'9" and 135 lbs0 -
It's kind of impossible to make a suggestion without knowing a little about what you're eating now. Are you eating protein? If not, add in some eggs - that is something that satisfies me. Most people here will recommend that you drink a lot of water and zero calorie fluids to help fill you up and keep yourself hydrated.2
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If 1200 is what MFP gave you, your weekly loss goal may be too aggressive. Setting it to .5lbs a week will probably be easier for a 7lb loss and give you more calories.10
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I usually eat up to my maintenance calories and actually some days I eat more than my maintenance calories and log those foods in for the next day - so I have less to eat the next day.
It's a bad cycle
I'm female btw
I recently moved to a place that has all my favorite things (desserts)
So it's difficult to resist cakes, ice cream and things like that.
Sometimes I try to fit in a few treats in my day but it usually makes me eat above my calorie goal
I even tried for half a lb a week with 1470 calories0 -
My maintenance calories are 17000
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For breakfast I usually have a bagel thin toasted with a tablespoon of peanut butter. It's about 205 calories.
Today for lunch I made 5oz of chicken and a can of spinach. It was about 240 calories.
That still leaves 755 calories for dinner and a small snack.
Drink water, don't use up your calories on drinks. I have coffee in the morning with 2tsp sugar (30 calories) and sometimes I drink green tea.
It can be done. Lean meats and vegetables are great for feeling full and staying under your calorie goal.2 -
Sounds like a self control issue not something anyone can really help you with. You have to decide if you want to eat higher calorie foods. Also, I am not entirely convinced that being your height and current weight you should even lose 7 lbs and still be considered healthy. Maybe you just want to tone up? Try exercising and doing light weights, you'll achieve better body composition.9
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I am 5'9" and 187 lbs currently and I can easily eat under 1400 calories and eat plenty of food without being hungry. Its about choices....I eat no sugar, no grains and only have non-starchy vegetables and extremely limited low sugar fruit. Not saying that it will work for everyone, but I am better not eating my trigger foods (mainly anything with sugar), its like breaking an addition.7
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I usually eat up to my maintenance calories and actually some days I eat more than my maintenance calories and log those foods in for the next day - so I have less to eat the next day.
It's a bad cycle
I'm female btw
I recently moved to a place that has all my favorite things (desserts)
So it's difficult to resist cakes, ice cream and things like that.
Sometimes I try to fit in a few treats in my day but it usually makes me eat above my calorie goal
I even tried for half a lb a week with 1470 calories
And how long did you keep at that?
I agree with hale, sounds like a control issue. Pushing calories to the next day in order to I presume balance your current day just lets you avoid facing what needs work. Who says you have to resist cakes, ice cream etc? That kind of thinking could also be defeating you.2 -
Exercises so you can eat more.7
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I don't think this is even a thing. If you ate it today you log it today. You can say you ate it next Tuesday but you didn't. You're only lying to yourself. Weight loss is science. CICO. If you want to eat more, exercise. If you keep eating more and logging it on another day you're never going to get where you want to be.I usually eat up to my maintenance calories and actually some days I eat more than my maintenance calories and log those foods in for the next day - so I have less to eat the next day.
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It does sound like a self control issue. You need to figure out what areas of dieting you have a better time controlling. for some people that might mean exercising more to give them more calories, for another person it might mean a reduced eating window (like skipping breakfast or dinner in exchange for larger, more satisfying meals). If you need to have higher calorie days to feel satisfied, I would recommend staggering your calorie levels daily throughout the week, but, and this is important, plan the daily levels in advance. so if you want to average out 1200, maybe give yourself more than that on days you anticipate needing a treat (like weekends) and eating under that amount on other days to balance it out, but making sure it is done carefully and with you in control, not as a bandaid solution after you have overeaten. Some people do better with larger amounts of lower calorie foods, others are more satisfied by a small piece of cheese than a plate of vegetables. Hard to give you more specific advice without knowing details of your regular eating style and triggers to overeating.4
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I usually eat up to my maintenance calories and actually some days I eat more than my maintenance calories and log those foods in for the next day - so I have less to eat the next day.
It's a bad cycle
I'm female btw
I recently moved to a place that has all my favorite things (desserts)
So it's difficult to resist cakes, ice cream and things like that.
Sometimes I try to fit in a few treats in my day but it usually makes me eat above my calorie goal
I even tried for half a lb a week with 1470 calories
With only 7 pounds to lose, the bolded would be a healthier & better approach.
Losing too fast risks losing more lean mass alongside fat, which would cause you to require even fewer maintenance calories (slightly). Bad plan.
So, target 0.5 pounds, and maybe get some extra activity to earn more calories.
Beyond that, only you can decide whether you want to lose 7 pounds, more than you want to eat tasty but non-satiating treats.8 -
OP set your goal to half-a-lb per week. Focus on getting enough protein, fat, and fiber as some combination of those will help you feel full. If you get snacky in between meals, try keeping yourself busy, drinking something with no calories, chewing gum, and stock up on low-cal snacks.
You are already at a pretty low weight for your height. Is this just a number you decided to reach? Are you not happy with something specific about your body? Maybe recomp would be better for you.3 -
I'm eating 1200 cal at 5'2". It's kind of tough and if I slip below 1200 I'm hungry. I think you're too hungry and should go back to your 1470 and stick with it. You'll lose weight slowly, which will help you to keep it off.5
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At that height, you're already at the lower end of a healthy BMI. Have you considered recomp/strength training instead to get the look you want?8
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You already are at the low end of your BMI. Why do you feel you need to lose 7 lbs?5
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I want to lose 7 lbs.
I am 5'9" and 135 lbs
With less than 10 pounds to lose your weekly weight loss goal should be no more than 1/2 pound a week. That will give you more calories.
Also, MFP gave you a calorie goal before exercise. If you do exercise, you should be eating more.
Aggressive weight loss makes it harder for your body to support existing lean muscle mass. If you want to lower body fat....a lower weekly weight loss goal will help.4 -
I am also on a 1200 calories, given to me by MFP. I have no problems with this so far, except for that two days this week I still had about 500 calories left and I had a hard time getting them in.I am also doing intermittent fasting.I drink ACV ,it keeps hunger away. My issue though is getting mobile, excersing. When I go grocery shopping this week ,im going to get snacks to help me get my calories in. I am worried about my metabolism getting wrecked.6
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I found it a challenge the first 7-10 days. Protein, drinking lots of water and keeping raw veggies ready in the fridge helped. I found that it wasn't enough some days and had to increase my intake. Need a sweet treat? Sugar free chocolate pudding (60cals) and half a banana does the trick. Just keep at it, you'll find what works for you. Good luck!1
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Bump up 100-200 calories and see if you feel better. If you only have 7lbs to lose 1200 seems unnecessary anyway4
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If you incorporate intermittent fasting, then basically you are skipping one or two meals. Try giving yourself a smaller eating window. It works for me when I was going over my calories per day. I prefer to have all my calories in one meal a day. Eating 1200 cal in one sitting is very satisfying. Then you fast for 23 hours. Look into it. It's great for loss or maintenance.1
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1200 does seem a bit too low though..0
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I don't think this is even a thing. If you ate it today you log it today. You can say you ate it next Tuesday but you didn't. You're only lying to yourself. Weight loss is science. CICO. If you want to eat more, exercise. If you keep eating more and logging it on another day you're never going to get where you want to be.I usually eat up to my maintenance calories and actually some days I eat more than my maintenance calories and log those foods in for the next day - so I have less to eat the next day.
It's a thing if you pay attention to weekly calories. As long as you stay within your weekly deficit, you'll still lose weight.0 -
I cannot stick to my goal even if I pre log the foods I will eat, I tend to eat other things along with them
Eliminate the following items: processed foods (especially sugar), anything fried, junk food, alcohol, added fats (butter/oil).
Eat lean meats, raw or lightly steams PLAIN veggies, limit carbs to only healthy complex carbs.
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I want to lose 7 lbs.
I am 5'9" and 135 lbs
With those stats you already have a BMI that is under 20. Why would you want to go any lower? Eat at maintenance and start doing a weights program if you are not already. This will give you a fitter, more toned body without putting you underweight which the 7 pound loss would come very close to doing.8 -
I cannot stick to my goal even if I pre log the foods I will eat, I tend to eat other things along with them
How does that happen? In general, I don't put stuff out on the table that I don't intend to eat. Out of sight, it doesn't jump into your mouth.
I do not pre-log food. My cue to the end of the meal is to leave the table and go to my computer to log. It is a pain in the neck and I'll be glad to not do it anymore, but for now it's necessary. Somehow, knowing that I'm going to have to log it keeps me from eating unnecessarily. And, I weigh every portion that hits my plate. Usually I come in between 1000 and 1200 unadjusted. Sometimes I use some (or most!) of my exercise calorie earnings. Yesterday I came in at 1400 total, but had earned 300 exercise calories so all was still good.
Choose your foods wisely, and you can cram quite a bit into 1200 calories. Fresh veggies are nearly free, and chicken and fish have very few calories for the protein.1
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