Cannot survive on 1200! Food diary included

13

Replies

  • TartsAndTattoos
    TartsAndTattoos Posts: 33 Member
    My left *kitten* cheek needs 1200 calories a day :) I just don't think you're eating enough, nor eating as well as you could. Cut out snacks and add better mini meals in. I'm not sure you exercise or what kind of exercise you do, so perhaps your end game is different than some of us on here. Exercising is easy, dialling in the nutrition is not so easy. Do your research and don't beat yourself up if you go outside of the lines. We're humans, otherwise none of us would be on here getting advice.
  • Veganvibesss
    Veganvibesss Posts: 123 Member
    I have trouble just getting to 1200.. try eating healthy Vegan, plants hardly have calories
  • Mandy_1982
    Mandy_1982 Posts: 160 Member
    Eat your lean proteins first, veggies second, then some starch/carbs if you have room. Filling up on protein is going to keep you fuller longer as it digests slower than some other things. Snack on proteins and veggies instead of the high carb stuff. My dietitian told me that processed carbs digest super quick and leave you hungry and wanting more.

    Also, try not drinking anything 20 minutes before, during, or 20 minutes after meals. That will keep your stomach smaller (not expanded from liquid), so hopefully it won't take as much food to make you feel full. And try eating slower.

    I've been in a weight loss program for a year and I've been eating around 1,200 to 1,400 a day. It's doable. Good luck.

  • hollyshealthylife
    hollyshealthylife Posts: 14 Member
    I would take a look at the balance of your macros. You should be eating 1g per lb of body weight. Considering upping your ratio to 20-25% protein daily (take it from your carbs, not fat). Protein and fat help you feel satiated, and will keep you fuelled up longer than just carbs. It sounds crazy, but I've seen major changes in my body shape since starting to eat MORE food (vs less). Watch your macros for 1 week, and aim to get more protein. You should be having a minimum of 30 g at every (main) meal to feel 'full'.
  • jlp_4
    jlp_4 Posts: 3 Member
    I was STARVING my first 3-5 days. Always felt like I needed a snack or something. After a little while it got much better. I found that if I full up at breakfast I don't need snacks before lunch. And I've finally figured out low calorie lunch ideas that help me stay full longer. I don't feel like I'm starving anymore. I think it's all about finding food that fill you up and last, which I'm sure is different for everyone. Experiment with different low calorie foods and see what works for you.
  • dlharris1
    dlharris1 Posts: 34 Member
    hollyshealthylife wrote: »
    I would take a look at the balance of your macros. You should be eating 1g per lb of body weight. Considering upping your ratio to 20-25% protein daily (take it from your carbs, not fat). Protein and fat help you feel satiated, and will keep you fuelled up longer than just carbs. It sounds crazy, but I've seen major changes in my body shape since starting to eat MORE food (vs less). Watch your macros for 1 week, and aim to get more protein. You should be having a minimum of 30 g at every (main) meal to feel 'full'.

    Thank you I'm all new to the whole macro thing but am trying to track this too, just seems to be mixed messages everywhere online as to ratios. Plus not all the food on here has useful info, struggling with the accuracy of it all
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    dlharris1 wrote: »
    hollyshealthylife wrote: »
    I would take a look at the balance of your macros. You should be eating 1g per lb of body weight. Considering upping your ratio to 20-25% protein daily (take it from your carbs, not fat). Protein and fat help you feel satiated, and will keep you fuelled up longer than just carbs. It sounds crazy, but I've seen major changes in my body shape since starting to eat MORE food (vs less). Watch your macros for 1 week, and aim to get more protein. You should be having a minimum of 30 g at every (main) meal to feel 'full'.

    Thank you I'm all new to the whole macro thing but am trying to track this too, just seems to be mixed messages everywhere online as to ratios. Plus not all the food on here has useful info, struggling with the accuracy of it all

    Initially it takes time to find accurate entries - I like finding new foods on the computer rather than my phone as it's easier. You can choose to edit incorrect entries, and add or change information. Once you get more set up you'll probably find you eat a lot of the same ingredients/products so it's not so bothersome!
  • Carol_
    Carol_ Posts: 469 Member
    What helped me was trying to include a salad at least 3 or 4 days a week no matter what else I ate. Often I would have a couple of 'quiet times' during the day to relax with coffee or tea and maybe a low calorie snack. Also I allowed myself a few more than the 1200 on weekends..up to around 1400. That gave me something to look forward to. I weighed myself every day..but only recorded it on Monday morning as my official weight. I drank a lot of Diet Coke. I know that it is not good for you..but that is at least for me..a whole 'nuther habit to deal with at another time. lol I did not have a lot of food rules. Sticking to a calorie limit is restricting enough although I did choose most of my food wisely. I walked every day and used a Fitbit. Maybe some of these little things are something u can use. Oh..and I kept a private blog (journal) here on MFP). :smile:
  • larajadewilliams
    larajadewilliams Posts: 2 Member
    Hiya, I'm similar to you and awful at this whole thing! But I have learned that if you use your phone to count your steps for you (I put phone in my bra if I don't have a pocket) you will soon see those steps add up throughout the day. Also there are options for adding in things like cleaning etc that u do in a day which will give u extra calories. Keep phone on you all day and try and get in your 10,000 steps. I even do steps on the spot while washing up/brushing teeth etc. Please add me if u want and maybe we could help each other?! After 4 children and quitting smoking 4 years ago I'm desperate to lose weight but not very good at it so would love help too!!
  • DM_78
    DM_78 Posts: 57 Member
    dlharris1 wrote: »
    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    Where did you come up with the 1200 amount? I'm guessing you have no idea how much you were actually eating doing slimming world? (the impression I get is that they don't calorie count)

    It's likely that 1200 is too little, and unnecessarily restrictive for you. If you've set it for 2lbs a week loss, reduce this to perhaps 1lb. Also remember you can eat back your exercise calories - mfp calculates your calorie deficit goal without exercise included.

    It's just the amount the app gave me

    The app gave me the same calorie base, but I know from past experience that if my calories are too low I don't have enough energy to do what I want and need to do and my weight loss stalls. So, I set it to 1500 calories and am losing at a decent rate. I also manually adjusted my macros because I just don't do well with higher carb intake. Sometimes it just takes a little tweaking to figure out what works for you.
  • KailaLaFlor
    KailaLaFlor Posts: 20 Member
    I'm struggling to even meet 1,200 a day since I gave up junk foods and started eating more plant based. I'm doing an oatmeal shake for breakfast with unsweetened almond milk, a HUGE plate of brown rice and roasted veggies for lunch, and I don't even want to snack I'm so full from those. Dinner is protein and vegetables.

    I'm going to have to get some protein powder or something to add to my shake and up my calories, I keep coming up around 900, and physically can't eat more.
  • HeliumIsNoble
    HeliumIsNoble Posts: 1,213 Member
    KailaLaFlor wrote: »
    I'm struggling to even meet 1,200 a day since I gave up junk foods and started eating more plant based. I'm doing an oatmeal shake for breakfast with unsweetened almond milk, a HUGE plate of brown rice and roasted veggies for lunch, and I don't even want to snack I'm so full from those. Dinner is protein and vegetables.

    I'm going to have to get some protein powder or something to add to my shake and up my calories, I keep coming up around 900, and physically can't eat more.
    Are you weighing the rice?
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    KailaLaFlor wrote: »
    I'm struggling to even meet 1,200 a day since I gave up junk foods and started eating more plant based. I'm doing an oatmeal shake for breakfast with unsweetened almond milk, a HUGE plate of brown rice and roasted veggies for lunch, and I don't even want to snack I'm so full from those. Dinner is protein and vegetables.

    I'm going to have to get some protein powder or something to add to my shake and up my calories, I keep coming up around 900, and physically can't eat more.

    Add more fat to your diet.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    HeliumIsNoble wrote: »
    deannalfisher wrote: »
    HeliumIsNoble wrote: »
    KailaLaFlor wrote: »
    I'm struggling to even meet 1,200 a day since I gave up junk foods and started eating more plant based. I'm doing an oatmeal shake for breakfast with unsweetened almond milk, a HUGE plate of brown rice and roasted veggies for lunch, and I don't even want to snack I'm so full from those. Dinner is protein and vegetables.

    I'm going to have to get some protein powder or something to add to my shake and up my calories, I keep coming up around 900, and physically can't eat more.
    Are you weighing the rice?

    I wondered that - like 1/4 cup uncooked rice is like 150cal - so if she is doing a "HUGE" plate - what is that 2-3 servings (if not more) - that could easily be 6-700cal

    oatmeal is also fairly calorie dense
    Rice is my nemesis. I love it, and the portion size I naturally regard as "just right", i.e. a pile the size of my head, turned out... to be most of my day's calorie budget, or something stupid like that.

    me - thankfully I suck at cooking it myself...I can do the insta-rice stuff, but give me a loose bag and i'll burn it every time :)
  • Cortneylbarrow
    Cortneylbarrow Posts: 2 Member
    Idk how old your children are, but especially if they are younger, carrying them around while your cleaning, or cooking, or just going about your day is exercise in its self. Think of how heavy your child is... that's like walking around carrying a 20lb weight. I've got 3 school aged children and a 10 month old, so I always have laundry and dishes, i usually put on pandora, set to a dance cardio station, and just dance around while I'm cleaning. The kids usually join in. And I cannot dance lol but I'm moving my body and that's what counts. Good luck!
  • KailaLaFlor
    KailaLaFlor Posts: 20 Member
    HeliumIsNoble wrote: »
    KailaLaFlor wrote: »
    I'm struggling to even meet 1,200 a day since I gave up junk foods and started eating more plant based. I'm doing an oatmeal shake for breakfast with unsweetened almond milk, a HUGE plate of brown rice and roasted veggies for lunch, and I don't even want to snack I'm so full from those. Dinner is protein and vegetables.

    I'm going to have to get some protein powder or something to add to my shake and up my calories, I keep coming up around 900, and physically can't eat more.
    Are you weighing the rice?

    I cook it and then measure out 1 cup of cooked brown rice. I eat like half a large sheet pan of roasted vegetables on top of the bed of rice. I add about 1 tbsp of olive oil to the vegetables before hand. It's a lot of food, but only adds up to about 400 calories on a good day.
  • OliveGirl128
    OliveGirl128 Posts: 801 Member
    edited August 2017
    KailaLaFlor wrote: »
    HeliumIsNoble wrote: »
    KailaLaFlor wrote: »
    I'm struggling to even meet 1,200 a day since I gave up junk foods and started eating more plant based. I'm doing an oatmeal shake for breakfast with unsweetened almond milk, a HUGE plate of brown rice and roasted veggies for lunch, and I don't even want to snack I'm so full from those. Dinner is protein and vegetables.

    I'm going to have to get some protein powder or something to add to my shake and up my calories, I keep coming up around 900, and physically can't eat more.
    Are you weighing the rice?

    I cook it and then measure out 1 cup of cooked brown rice. I eat like half a large sheet pan of roasted vegetables on top of the bed of rice. I add about 1 tbsp of olive oil to the vegetables before hand. It's a lot of food, but only adds up to about 400 calories on a good day.

    You should be weighing it raw on a food scale set to grams.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    edited August 2017
    KailaLaFlor wrote: »
    HeliumIsNoble wrote: »
    KailaLaFlor wrote: »
    I'm struggling to even meet 1,200 a day since I gave up junk foods and started eating more plant based. I'm doing an oatmeal shake for breakfast with unsweetened almond milk, a HUGE plate of brown rice and roasted veggies for lunch, and I don't even want to snack I'm so full from those. Dinner is protein and vegetables.

    I'm going to have to get some protein powder or something to add to my shake and up my calories, I keep coming up around 900, and physically can't eat more.
    Are you weighing the rice?

    I cook it and then measure out 1 cup of cooked brown rice. I eat like half a large sheet pan of roasted vegetables on top of the bed of rice. I add about 1 tbsp of olive oil to the vegetables before hand. It's a lot of food, but only adds up to about 400 calories on a good day.

    you are supposed to weigh rice dry and cup measurements will be off since its a solid.
  • HeliumIsNoble
    HeliumIsNoble Posts: 1,213 Member
    In addition to what they just said, a tablespoon of olive oil is approximately 120 calories per 15ml tablespoon. If your tablespoons are bigger, or smaller than 15ml, which is v. likely, it will be more or less.

    Do you weigh the vegetables? I eat roasted veg a lot, and trust me, we are not talking under 400cal when I do that kind of meal. ONE large sweet potato (300g+) is 240+ calories.
  • KailaLaFlor
    KailaLaFlor Posts: 20 Member

    TavistockToad wrote: »
    KailaLaFlor wrote: »
    I'm struggling to even meet 1,200 a day since I gave up junk foods and started eating more plant based. I'm doing an oatmeal shake for breakfast with unsweetened almond milk, a HUGE plate of brown rice and roasted veggies for lunch, and I don't even want to snack I'm so full from those. Dinner is protein and vegetables.

    I'm going to have to get some protein powder or something to add to my shake and up my calories, I keep coming up around 900, and physically can't eat more.

    Add more fat to your diet.

    I've been struggling with that since trying to go plant based. I think I'm going to add some coconut oil into my shake and see how it goes. And some avocado or something with my lunch.
  • SSGKunze
    SSGKunze Posts: 21 Member
    I would say either offset the calories with exercise so you have wiggle room. OR
    You can do what I'm doing first two meals stuff like plain oatmeal half cup every 2-3 hours so your not to hungry.
    There are a lot of foods that don't taste great but can at least give you a nice full feeling.
    It's not tasty but leaves you with a lot of wiggle room for a nice dinner. Good Luck.
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
    French_Peasant wrote: »
    Relser wrote: »
    I would eat a big ol'bowl of veggies with each meal- I see you are eating some and that's good. But eat a cup of carrots, a cup of celery, and a cup of peppers/cukes (three cups with each meal) and as a snack and I think you will feel much fuller and they are very low cal.

    ^^^^^ This is exactly the advice you need to follow. You are getting a good amount of veg, but it really helps to crank it up to 800 grams a day, and learn to make it delicious. For more insights, feel free to read this challenge that a few of us did in the spring, where every day we followed the UK guidelines to get 10 or more servings of fruit and veg. It makes a HUGE difference in satiety, especially when combined with a lot of high quality lean proteins. You can read it here: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10521320/10-a-day-800g-veggie-fruit-challenge-participants-check-in/p1

    Also, on the days you are home with your girls...what are you doing with them? How old are they? If they are teeny-tiny, strap one in a carrier and the other in a stroller and go walk a few miles. If they are younger, take them on long walks or to the playground, and run around and play with them. It kills me when I think back to all the bike rides we took as a family, and my husband towed the kids in the Burley behind his bike--oh, the calorie burn I missed out on! My 8-year-old son absolutely delights in playing tag with me, and running a "mommy bootcamp" at the playground, where I have to follow him through all the tunnels, do various calisthenics as he instructs, do balancing exercises, etc. He kicks my butt and I then log it as circuit training. :D

    My 11 year old daughter is in cross country, so sometimes I will run and walk with her; fortunately her primary talent is as a sprinter, so I can still pace her somewhat over long distances.

    To provide background, I lost my weight (25+ lbs) on a 1280 calorie base (I am 5' 6"), not perfectly (I think I was probably set to lose 2 lbs a week but generally lost closer to a pound), and I fully admit I would exercise for calories the way a trained monkey dances for nickles. However--I lost successfully and have been maintaining in the middle of a normal BMI for over a year. I have revolutionized my previously sedentary mom-life so that my TDEE is 2500 or so calories, and I make sure that I am an outstanding role model for my kids, whether with my food choices or just making them get off their behinds and get moving.

    I second this, I do the 800g challenge every time I want to drop a few pounds now.

    Leaves me stuffed full on a low amount of calories.

    That said I would never do 1200 calories.
  • pennygm72
    pennygm72 Posts: 179 Member
    Hi, fellow Brit here, I have two small children, well both under 10 so smallish, and a desk job 5 days a week, I invested in a cheapie Fitbit off Amazon and was amazed at how quickly my walks added up in terms of calories, for instance today we walked up to the high street, 4000 steps, did a shop at Tescos and went for a half hour walk before tea, in total I've racked up over 12000 steps and around 400 exercise calories, as a previous poster has said that is another whole meal, or in my case three glasses of wine...
    I think you'll be surprised how active you actually are with small children around, it took my fitness tracker to show me that.
  • KailaLaFlor
    KailaLaFlor Posts: 20 Member
    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    KailaLaFlor wrote: »
    HeliumIsNoble wrote: »
    KailaLaFlor wrote: »
    I'm struggling to even meet 1,200 a day since I gave up junk foods and started eating more plant based. I'm doing an oatmeal shake for breakfast with unsweetened almond milk, a HUGE plate of brown rice and roasted veggies for lunch, and I don't even want to snack I'm so full from those. Dinner is protein and vegetables.

    I'm going to have to get some protein powder or something to add to my shake and up my calories, I keep coming up around 900, and physically can't eat more.
    Are you weighing the rice?

    I cook it and then measure out 1 cup of cooked brown rice. I eat like half a large sheet pan of roasted vegetables on top of the bed of rice. I add about 1 tbsp of olive oil to the vegetables before hand. It's a lot of food, but only adds up to about 400 calories on a good day.

    you are supposed to weigh rice dry and cup measurements will be off since its a solid.

    I make 1.5 cups dry (900 calories) in the rice cooker and dip a cup out everyday. It lasts 5 days. 900/5
    HeliumIsNoble wrote: »
    In addition to what they just said, a tablespoon of olive oil is approximately 120 calories per 15ml tablespoon. If your tablespoons are bigger, or smaller than 15ml, which is v. likely, it will be more or less.

    Do you weigh the vegetables? I eat roasted veg a lot, and trust me, we are not talking under 400cal when I do that kind of meal. ONE large sweet potato (300g+) is 240+ calories.

    I buy bags of frozen vegetable mixes. For example, for my main mix, a whole bag is 225 calories. I eat half one day, and half the next. That's one of the reasons why I buy the frozen, it's easy to track. I'm still working on getting a scale.

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