Ideas to keep total calories below 1,200 (without feeling hungry)

helaurin
helaurin Posts: 157 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So, I'm trying to push myself to keep my calories, on average, below 1,200 per day. It's based on my age, the weight I am trying to get to, and a largely sedentary lifestyle. (I fit in exercise on days when I can and where my schedule allows.... it's hit-or-miss... some days I am barely able to hobble around while using a cane and using painkillers, (diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis and possibly Lupus), and other days, I feel much better, and try to do more activity. I do work, but my work is nearly 100% sitting at a computer.

So given that the calorie needs of a short, older-middle-aged woman living a primarily sedentary lifestyle clocks in at about 1,200 calories a day....

What are some folks LOW calorie but yet filling foods suited for a basic palate? I don't like nuts, spicy foods, am really very basic - I was pretty much raised on cheese sandwiches, plain pasta, mac aroni & cheese, hot dogs and burgers. My tastes have expanded a bit since then, but a world-class risk-hungry gourmand I am most definitely not.

Thanks!
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Replies

  • Maxxitt
    Maxxitt Posts: 1,281 Member
    With that number of calories a day, I think you're going to need to make peace with feeling a bit of hunger.

    I don't know of a satiating, lower calorie mac and cheese, but a leanish, home-grilled burger on a lower-calorie bun (Sara Lee makes one for 80 calories) can work well in a low-calorie diet. Having pasta regularly is a challenge to meet both satiation and not too many calories goal. Broiled or grilled lean meat/fish, big salads with non-starchy veggies plus minimum dressing or just a lemon wedge and a tsp of olive oil, high fiber bread when you have bread, eggs, greek yogurt, cottage cheese are all my go-tos. Coffee, tea and water can help blunt appetite a little bit.
  • snemberton
    snemberton Posts: 175 Member
    High protein varieties of yogurt could be helpful. I don’t have that low of daily allowed intake, but I’m trying to fit in lots more protein. Oikos Triple Zero was a new find for me and several flavors are pretty darn good. (Salted caramel was yummy!) Sugar free jello is a good option for sweet cravings too.

    Eggs, especially egg whites are low calorie and can be filling because of protein.

    I’ve seen others mention lower calorie types of bread for sandwiches. You can get a LOT of lunch meat for lower calories than I thought and some of the thin sliced cheeses are pretty low calorie too.

    I love chocolate, but tend to binge if I’m not careful. I started getting Hershey kisses (I like the almond ones) One or two of them isn’t much of a calorie hit and can settle my desire for chocolate. Caramels take a long time to chew and have a similar effect.

    For Mac and cheese, velveeta has these single serve bowls that aren’t too awful. I think like 240? Could help if paired with some veggies.

    Oh and pickles for salty!
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
    you’re going to want to focus on nutrient dense foods for the most part. You can eat whatever you want within your calorie goal and still lose, but very small portions of higher calorie/not filling foods will likely leave you hungry, probably grumpy and possibly not getting adequate nutrition (which is already a challenge at 1200).

    Eggs, chicken, fish, some pork (lean cuts mostly), cottage cheese, beans/lentils (slightly higher in calories but have a good bunch of fiber and protein which can help you feel full), veggies, fruits, salads (which are veggies/fruits), yogurt, oatmeal, are all things that can work.

    My breakfast is often an egg bake with eggs, some kind of meat (often ham), beans, spinach, mushrooms, onions, peppers, turnips. My lunch in summer is usually a salad with chicken/tuna/eggs. In winter it’s usually a soup or stew or some kind of casserole/gumbo type deal or stuffed peppers or something. Dinner is veggies, a salad, lean protein, and a side (I’m partial to “rice” and bean dishes with cauliflower rice, but potatoes, regular rice, Etc could also work). Snacks are fruits, yogurt, nuts (which I know you don’t like), hummus, if I liked peanut butter enough I would have that with an apple or celery or something.

    There are lots of foods you can eat. There’s not a lot of room for “fun” foods at 1200 calories if you also plan to get adequate nutrition. I don’t find that I’m able to eat much in the way of bread and pasta because I simply don’t find it filling enough to spend the calories on it. But YMMV-satiety is an individual thing. Also eat when you are hungry. You don’t have a lot of calories to play with so don’t waste them eating 7 meals a day or having breakfast if those aren’t times when you’re hungry. If that’s when you are hungry, by all means-eat. But make sure you’re spending your calories in the best way for you.

    And don’t try for less than 1200. It’s already incredibly difficult to get all the vitamins and nutrients you need within a 1200 calorie budget. Eating less than that is just not a good idea, unnecessary, and likely to lead to serious feelings of deprivation and binges and no actual weight loss.
  • cheryldumais
    cheryldumais Posts: 1,907 Member
    My lower calorie days (and I don't mean starvation) are usually some sort of lean fish (generally a white fish) or shellfish without butter (dipping shrimp or lobster in butter just piles on the calories). Stay away from pasta if you want to feel full on lower calories unless you like small portions of whole wheat pasta which seems to be more satisfying. Broccoli is very filling and I use alot of shredded cabbage in tacos and salads as it is also filling. I love tomatoes with some fresh garlic, herbs and vinegar with a dash of oil. Chicken breast is great and so are egg whites in a veggie omelet. I also use dark meat chicken and just eat a smaller portion.

    Go for a walk each day if you can handle it and you might see your appetite reduced a bit. Go slow. Lose slowly if you want to maintain. We have all started out at some point wanting to lose 2 or 3 pounds a week but the starvation required to get there can't be maintained. I understand as you get older and if you aren't active your calories may be lower than some of the folks on here but you don't really need to be below 1200. You must at the very least consume 1000. When people think they aren't losing on 1200 it is almost always a case of either eating more than they think they are or moving less than they think they are. Good luck.
  • helaurin
    helaurin Posts: 157 Member
    edited July 2018
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    You should eat at a moderate calorie deficit, so what's your height and weight?
    A healthy diet is not made up exclusively of low calorie foods, but balanced and varied.
    Simple meals are the easiest to prepare.
    You may have to tolerate mild hunger. Hunger isn't dangerous when you're properly nourished.
    Most of what we call hunger, is really cravings. Our need for comfort can feel just as powerful as our need for nourishment.

    My height is 5'0" and currently at 170.6 lbs. I'm also on prednisone and ambien, with either ibuprofen or percocet (as needed) for pain, and meloxicam.

    Calorie calculators generally put me at about 1,540 calories a day if I just want to stay at the weight I am. Which I don't want to; I'm hoping that losing weight will help ease some of the pain in my joints from the RA, and that I might not need to keep a cane around for walking sometimes.

    I figured keeping myself to about 1,240 calories a day would be about a 300 calorie deficit at my current weight. My doctor would like me to eventually get down to about 115 pounds, which is also the calorie level to keep me at 115 pounds (should I ever manage to get there, frankly, right now I'd be grinning if I could see me dropping to 160 for starters).

    At an average daily deficit of 300 calories, it should (in theory) take me about 12 days to lose one pound.

    I've been eating a lot more salad than I used to, as well as more fresh veggies (steamed or boiled). But there's only so many times I can stomach salad for lunch and/or dinner.
  • helaurin
    helaurin Posts: 157 Member
    RelCanonical wrote: »
    So what are your stats? I'm a short (5'1'') sedentary lady nearing middle agedom and even at my lowest weight, my tdee was like 1,500 calories, which means that I can lose on 1,200. At my current weight, I'm losing a pound a week on 1,340 calories. You don't need to go below 1,200.

    What fruits and vegetables do you like? I usually just have my normal meals in a smaller portion and bulk it up with fruit and vegetables.

    I'm definitely in middle age (56). I've been eating more veggies (broccoli, corn on the cob, asparagus) than I used to, and a lot less red meat as well, I've been swapping in more seafood (scallops, fresh fish, shrimp) too. At about 1,240 calories a day, I'm not losing anything yet. I do like fruits, but I don't usually find them filling, so I have been limiting myself on those - although I picked a couple of apples from my tree and they are looking tempting. (and they aren't big apples either).

  • helaurin
    helaurin Posts: 157 Member
    edited July 2018
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    I didn't notice you wrote "below". Don't try to game the system. It will backfire.

    And setup doesn't use your goal weight for anything. It uses the weekly weightloss rate you pick. So it's important to not pick a too aggressive rate for your weight. And short can mean so many things to different people. That's why we ask for height and weight.

    My long-term goal weight, per the doctor, is about 115 pounds. I'm 5'0", 56, and pretty much sedentary at 170.6 pounds. The calorie calculators for weight maintenance at my long-term goal would have me at about 1,240 calories. I'm trying for a calorie deficit of about 300 calories a day, so that I in theory lose about one pound every 12 days. Of course, if I manage to get closer to my goal, it's going to be long and slow at that point if the maintenance level is 1,240 calories. I'll probably start shrinking in height by that time, LOL.

    Since my current maintenance calorie if I wasn't trying to lose weight is at about 1,540, I figure 1,240 would be a starting point to set my daily average calorie goal. But eventually, as I hopefully get closer to my goal - if I want a deficit, I'm going to have to drop my calorie intake below 1,200... because if I can't go below 1,200 and the maintenance level at the goal weight would be 1,240.... at a deficit of 40 calories a day, it's going to take forever to lose even one pound.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    When I was on about 1200 a day I did not give up my 100-150 calorie snacks in the AM and PM. To make room I had a very light lunch, salad or soup. I needed a more substantial breakfast and dinner. I did better all day if I had protein at breakfast, either an egg or Greek yogurt.

    Salad was far more satiating with a tablespoon of full fat dressing. Hold the croutons.
  • helaurin
    helaurin Posts: 157 Member
    Maxxitt wrote: »
    With that number of calories a day, I think you're going to need to make peace with feeling a bit of hunger.

    I don't know of a satiating, lower calorie mac and cheese, but a leanish, home-grilled burger on a lower-calorie bun (Sara Lee makes one for 80 calories) can work well in a low-calorie diet. Having pasta regularly is a challenge to meet both satiation and not too many calories goal. Broiled or grilled lean meat/fish, big salads with non-starchy veggies plus minimum dressing or just a lemon wedge and a tsp of olive oil, high fiber bread when you have bread, eggs, greek yogurt, cottage cheese are all my go-tos. Coffee, tea and water can help blunt appetite a little bit.

    Yep, I have both Oikos and Chobani greek yogurts, I hate salad dressing anyhow (my favorite definition of a salad is iceberg lettuce, 1/2 serving of fat-free shredded cheese (25 calories), 1 serving of bacon bits (30 calories), and 2 servings of croutons (60 calories). Putting anything else on the salad ruins it for me. Yeah, I mentioned a narrow palate...

    My go-to bread has been a 40-calorie high-fiber italian-style bread from shop rite. Sometimes I've just had a slice as my snack, with less than a half-serving of country crock light on it. Othertimes, I've had popcorn as my snack (usually opting for 120 calories as my snack limit)...

    I'm using a nutritional scale to weigh everything... even when I'm at dinner at a friend's house... they are very tolerant.

    My boyfriend hates fish, so he's not thrilled with this diet - I have fish (typically either salmon, talapia, or scallops) a few times a week. He prefers a ton of pre-made frozen foods that he can pop into the microwave (like Bob Evans breakfast sandwiches, etc).

    For pasta, I've been hitting Barillo's Protein Plus, which I find that a 2-ounce (dry weight) serving has been pretty good.

    But definitely looking for some ideas to add variety, as well as a couple of quick "you can have your 900-calorie lunch while I restrain myself to this 100-snack or 300-lunch" kind of ideas.

    I do understand I'm going to sometimes feel both hunger and/or cravings - especially if my boyfriend is munching on a cheesesteak, and my daughter is wolfing down chicken tenders and mozzarella sticks while I'm trying to savor a yogurt or something.
  • snemberton
    snemberton Posts: 175 Member
    Can you do any non impact light exercise, maybe chair exercises? I know my gym has Silver Sneakers classes several times a week. Those won’t burn a lot of calories, but could either increase your deficit or give you a few more calories to work with.

    My mom is 78 and I’m hoping to get her doing those classes. They are definitely within her abilities, despite her bad knees and difficultly with overall mobility.
  • walking2running
    walking2running Posts: 140 Member
    It depends on what you're in the mood for, but here are some ideas from what I eat or drink almost daily. I'm averaging about 1300 calories per day and I'm losing less than a pound per week.
    - coffee,black or with a splash of milk
    - greek yogurt
    - bowl of fruit
    - huge serving cucumber slices & peppers with salt & vinegar seasoning
    - tea, sparkling water
    - nuts (weighing is a must)
    - grilled pork loin is ridiculously low in calories and very filling. I sprinkle some seasoning and forego the bbq sauce

    But ultimately, you can fit whatever you want to in your 1200 calories. I like a little trial and error, and knowing that I can experiment.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    helaurin wrote: »
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    You should eat at a moderate calorie deficit, so what's your height and weight?
    A healthy diet is not made up exclusively of low calorie foods, but balanced and varied.
    Simple meals are the easiest to prepare.
    You may have to tolerate mild hunger. Hunger isn't dangerous when you're properly nourished.
    Most of what we call hunger, is really cravings. Our need for comfort can feel just as powerful as our need for nourishment.

    My height is 5'0" and currently at 170.6 lbs. I'm also on prednisone and ambien, with either ibuprofen or percocet (as needed) for pain, and meloxicam.

    Calorie calculators generally put me at about 1,540 calories a day if I just want to stay at the weight I am. Which I don't want to; I'm hoping that losing weight will help ease some of the pain in my joints from the RA, and that I might not need to keep a cane around for walking sometimes.

    I figured keeping myself to about 1,240 calories a day would be about a 300 calorie deficit at my current weight. My doctor would like me to eventually get down to about 115 pounds, which is also the calorie level to keep me at 115 pounds (should I ever manage to get there, frankly, right now I'd be grinning if I could see me dropping to 160 for starters).

    At an average daily deficit of 300 calories, it should (in theory) take me about 12 days to lose one pound.

    I've been eating a lot more salad than I used to, as well as more fresh veggies (steamed or boiled). But there's only so many times I can stomach salad for lunch and/or dinner.
    It sounds like you understand the mechanics of weightloss, and that's excellent! A 300 calorie deficit should be sustainable at your current weight. Whatever calorie target makes you maintain a healthy weight, will be sustainable for you at that weight.

    But you might have to look at your food choices and how you think about food, too. A boring diet is hard to stick to because of the lack of different flavors and textures, but also because it's potentially limited in nutrition too. When you're low on one or more nutrients, you get hungry, that's your body's way of getting you to eat more. You need a range of nutrients every day, and different foods provide different nutrients, and the easiest and most pleasurable way to eat well, is to let your appetite guide you, and eat as many species as possible. (Notice I said "guide" and not "control", there's a mighty difference. You also have to use common sense when you decide what and how much to eat.) I grew up with the food pyramid, the plate model, food groups, and when I use that as a guideline for how to build my meals, and not hard and fast rules, I eat healthily and food I like, at the same time. This means that weight management, which used to be hard to impossible, now is challenging to unproblematic.
  • AngeLikesCats
    AngeLikesCats Posts: 4 Member
    edited July 2018
    Personally I eat most in the evening so I actually have my meals set to >30kcal breakfast that I rarely use all of for black coffee or with skim/coconut/almond milk (35/20/14kcal per 100ml) and about 400kcal for all other meals.

    I graze on salads of lettuce or spinach leaves, with a variety of red onion, pickled beetroot, spring onion, tomatoes, diced peppers and uncooked corn from the cob. I also like to throw in 1/2cup of warm jollof rice over the course of these as just a little goes a long way...... AND I like to take the liquid that jalapeños are stored in and pour it as a dressing as it transforms bland veg into a great, almost spicy but not, treat!

    Once Around 6-8 I will feast on something that feels like a savoury treat:

    Tesco “Chinese” rotisserie chicken thighs come at 250kcal each, about 210 without the skin which is still delicious 🤤

    Tesco 80g flavoured tunas come in at 120-130kcal and are delicious on toast or a small baked (or microwaved) potato!

    Microwave Haggis, neeps, tatties are a personal fave at 430kcaland usually I can’t finish so I leave the potatoes that haven’t got traces of haggis or neeps mixed in!

    2 slices of GF fibre loaf (70kc/slice) and a tin of reduced sugar spaghetti hoops (162kcal/tin) with 10g of flora (40kcal) for a total 272kcal is a def treat for late night hunger to me.



    FINALLY my partner likes his takeout and taking me to dinners every few weeks. In Glasgow there is a place called Kcal Kitchen which I’ve found offers all the macros and calorie info on the menu which is lucky, so have a look to see if there is anything similar and if not I suggest asking about something you know can be healthy (tuna, chicken, shrimp, etc) and seeing if a) it can be prepared without oil or b) if it’s precooked IS it hiding any oils, dressings, etc
  • Keto_Vampire
    Keto_Vampire Posts: 1,670 Member
    Greek yogurt 0% ample protein, reasonably low carbohydrates is pretty satiating. 2kg ~ 960kcals - has insanely low caloric density. Often use it as a buffer food for appetite control with sheer volume
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    Do you like tuna? Today I had a basic tuna pita pocket for breakfast that was a nice size and very filling. 350 calories for the whole thing and I'm still full 5 hours later. Basic tuna salad: a can of tuna, a little bit of mayo and mustard, some greek yogurt to make the salad stick together, plus salt and pepper of course, then stuff into a pita pocket for a fat filling sandwich and a sliced tomato and cucumber on the side.
  • Mithridites
    Mithridites Posts: 600 Member
    Soups. I pile the veggies in there. Like almost a pound of zucchini and broccoli in a serving. The fiber in the veg and the liquid in the soup fill me up and I usually manage to go to sleep without hunger pangs a couple of hours after such dinner without snacking.
  • helaurin
    helaurin Posts: 157 Member
    walking2running wrote: »
    It depends on what you're in the mood for, but here are some ideas from what I eat or drink almost daily. I'm averaging about 1300 calories per day and I'm losing less than a pound per week.
    - coffee,black or with a splash of milk
    - greek yogurt
    - bowl of fruit
    - huge serving cucumber slices & peppers with salt & vinegar seasoning
    - tea, sparkling water
    - nuts (weighing is a must)
    - grilled pork loin is ridiculously low in calories and very filling. I sprinkle some seasoning and forego the bbq sauce

    But ultimately, you can fit whatever you want to in your 1200 calories. I like a little trial and error, and knowing that I can experiment.

    I'll definitely look into the grilled pork loin as an option. I've had center cut pork chops a couple of times since restarting this journey. I don't drink coffee, never acquired a taste for it. Ditto with nuts.
  • helaurin
    helaurin Posts: 157 Member
    snemberton wrote: »
    Can you do any non impact light exercise, maybe chair exercises? I know my gym has Silver Sneakers classes several times a week. Those won’t burn a lot of calories, but could either increase your deficit or give you a few more calories to work with.

    My mom is 78 and I’m hoping to get her doing those classes. They are definitely within her abilities, despite her bad knees and difficultly with overall mobility.

    Sometimes it just depends on how I can fit things in, assuming I am feeling physically well. I'm sure many of us know the challenges of working full-time (plus extra hours sometimes according to the needs of the business), while also raising a child, taking care of pets, and routine house stuff. I'm the one who typically does the grocery shopping, although I do get my family to help haul it in from the car to the house, especially since there are steps. I'm the one who is generally driving my child to wherever she needs to go. Not that driving counts as exercise... but it takes up time too.

    I did try an arthritis aqua class, and am hoping to get permission to go back - unfortunately, it's in the middle of the work day.
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,099 Member
    Probably already said. Protein and fiber. They help loads. Don't go overboard on fiber to quickly like I did..... let's just say.... takes bowels a while to adjust. Gas might smell like death. Lol
  • DisneyDude85
    DisneyDude85 Posts: 428 Member
    Since your doctor is asking you to lose the weight, you may ask them to refer you to a registered dietician, especially considering the medication you are on and your current ailments. They will be able to create a healthy meal plan that will help you reach your goals.
  • msmith404040
    msmith404040 Posts: 84 Member
    Learn to like steamed veggies with nothing on them. I love them. Just get bags of frozen vegetables, microwave them and eat them for snacks and with your meals. I eat a lot of broccoli for around 40 calories each time I eat a good portion. Baked chicken breast and lots of baked salmon for me does the trick on keeping me within my 1,200 calories. I'm sedentary and very short. Dannon Greek Yogurt, Light and Fit is 80 calories and about 12 grams of protein. That's great. Blueberries are low in calories for a half cup and good fiber. I have those for a morning snack. Air popped popcorn, good fiber. Throw a quarter cup in a paper bag and microwave it for 2 minutes. No oil needed.

    I do around 300 calories for breakfast and lunch, 400 for dinner, and the last 200 for snacks usually.

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