Struggling to stick to 1200 calories

What is your weight loss per week set to? Seems like with 10 pounds, and if your weight loss is set to .5 lbs/week, you should probably be netting more calories than 1200.

This. If you have only 10 lbs to lose, set yourself to .5 lbs/week and make sure you're eating back your exercise calories. It's HARD to get your body to release that last little bit of weight.

Unless you're very small to big with, I don't know how anyone could eat 1200 calories a day and not be starving. I'm supposed to eat 1800 a day for my plan, and somedays I eat 1800 and I feel like I'm starving. But that could also be because I work out a lot. On those hungry days, I eat more, but always healthy stuff of course. :-)

Someone told me that it's best to vary your calories. 1200 one day. 1600 the next day. 1200 the next day. 1500 the next day. Up and down. Up and down. Shocks your body, keeps you from plateauing.

I have found that if I eat most of my fats, carbs, sugars, etc. in the earlier part of the day and stick to the 'cleaner' foods at night, that I am able to hit the 1200 mark (that's my daily goal as well). In the beginning, I was being careful early and saving my calories, but by switching it up you're also allowing your body to burn what you eat during the day.
Good luck!!!!

I used to consistently eat 1500 calories a day and didn't understand how I could possibly eat less because I was always hungry. For the past week though, I've been eating 1200 calories and it hasn't been too hard --- I think because I've been using Slimfast. I'm not normally a supporter of what I'd consider fad diet type products, but I've heard Slimfast has an appetite suppressant. hmmmm... don 't know if that's true or not, but I'll tell you it's been working for me to control my hunger so far! It also has higher amounts of protein. I think that helps.

The more you exercise the more calories you get!

When I lost a big chuck of weight (100 pounds) over a years time period, I ate 1400 calories one week and then 1600 the next. That way your body never felt like it was starving yourself.

I personally believe that you should never set a weight goal. It's psychologically damaging. Try a body image goal. what do you want to look like. Be reasonable. Watch your body change in 1 month cycles.

You have a sweet tooth because your body is craving carbs. It is called homeostasis. Your body is always trying to maintain its functions. A good way to stop the craving is eat more green vegitables. Don't be afraid of making half of your plate green beans or broccoli. After a while your body will slow down on those sugar cravings and your energy level will grow.

If your always hungry, it is because you are not supplying your body with the nutrients it needs. Phases of eating. Starvation mode, burning mode and storing mode.

Starvation mode:

If your food is digested then your body goes into starvation mode. If your body becomes lethargic during this time it will slowly shut you down to cannibalize itself and try to store what it has. "Homeostasis". The longer the time between eating, the stronger the homeostasis is.

Burning mode:

Your body burns what you put in it. It all breaks down into something called 32ATP, or "Glucose" and other acids and enzymes. Glucose is the brain and muscle energy source. Giving your body the right nutrients and micronutrients maintains your muscles and gives you an abundance of energy.

Storing mode:

Too much glucose, (food) and the pancreas gives you insulin and stores the excess food as fat storages. It doesn't matter what you eat its the amount of food/calories/glucose. that you put into your stomach. Eat more than your body burns, you get fat. Simple.

Eating chemicals or poisons, (food additives) causes the body to store fat when it working too hard trying to maintaining homeostasis. It stores the poisons in fat so that it will get back to it when homeostasis has a chance too. An over indulgence in these types of poisons, makes homeostasis store fat/poison cells in your body. Certain minerals and vitamins will wash those out.