1200 cals a day!

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  • prehistoricmoongoddess
    prehistoricmoongoddess Posts: 1,002 Member
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    @lemurcat2 - thank you

    One good source that I eat is Seitan. Wheat protein is something that I tolerate fine.

    I have to be careful with beans and lentils because I have IBS, and they don't help with that.
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
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    prehistoricmoongoddess wrote: »
    @lemurcat2 - thank you

    One good source that I eat is Seitan. Wheat protein is something that I tolerate fine.

    I have to be careful with beans and lentils because I have IBS, and they don't help with that.

    Seitan has very little fat usually? Are you buying a particular brand that might have a lot of fat? If so, maybe try another brand or make it yourself?


  • adilrafi93
    adilrafi93 Posts: 17 Member
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    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    prehistoricmoongoddess wrote: »
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    prehistoricmoongoddess wrote: »
    adilrafi93 wrote: »
    prehistoricmoongoddess wrote: »
    adilrafi93 wrote: »
    I think this is the group I was searching for. I am taking 1200 calories for past 50 days and I lost 7-8 kgs.

    Can I ask how tall you are? At my height, according to my TDEE calculator, I lose weight at 957 calories - therefore calorie deficit of 500 from my maintenance level.

    I cannot lose from cutting calories alone, I need to do a lot of exercise



    I am 5ft 5 inch.
    Dont take that too low calories take 1200 atleast.
    What I do I take 90-100 gram of carb and 27 gram fat and 100-150 gram protein daily with 40 mins walk at 13 mins per km daily.....

    I am finding it difficult to get enough protein in when eating 1200 calories, if I eat enough protein my fat is too high

    Protein can be challenging on 1200. If it's causing your fat to be high, you'd want to choose lower fat sources of protein (skim or low fat dairy, lean meat, non fatty seafood). However, it's totally fine to go over fat so long as you aren't over calories (fat vs. carbs doesn't matter much except for personal preference, but on 1200 I definitely would not undereat protein).

    I'm vegetarian, and a lot of my protein food choices are high in fat. I'm doing what I can to find ones with lower fat.
    I know it's a problem because I'm feeling really tired lately.

    Ah, usually it's meat-eaters who struggle with the fat.

    Eggs are high in fat, yes. (Egg whites are possible, but I am not a fan, personally. But many will use them to add to a whole egg to up protein content, and if that makes it easier it can be a good idea (I won't toss yolks but the whites are available in a carton.)

    Low fat or skim dairy -- greek yogurt and cottage cheese are both good sources of protein without a lot of fat.

    Beans and lentils are about as low fat as you can get.

    Tofu and tempeh have some fat, but don't seem very high.

    Nuts and seeds have a lot of fat, but also aren't all that high in protein. Nice supplement, but hard to rely on as a major source.

    That said, don't make it harder on yourself than necessary. Totally fine to go over fat, especially from healthy sources, and more important to get in the protein.

    I take almost all the protein from meat as I am eating meat every single day and still I am loosing very fast. The problem is people eat 500 gram of meat at single time and then say it is 300 calories, but the reality is 500 gram of chicken is too much calories for single meal. i usually eat 160 gram of meat during a meal.
  • adilrafi93
    adilrafi93 Posts: 17 Member
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    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    prehistoricmoongoddess wrote: »
    adilrafi93 wrote: »
    prehistoricmoongoddess wrote: »
    adilrafi93 wrote: »
    I think this is the group I was searching for. I am taking 1200 calories for past 50 days and I lost 7-8 kgs.

    Can I ask how tall you are? At my height, according to my TDEE calculator, I lose weight at 957 calories - therefore calorie deficit of 500 from my maintenance level.

    I cannot lose from cutting calories alone, I need to do a lot of exercise



    I am 5ft 5 inch.
    Dont take that too low calories take 1200 atleast.
    What I do I take 90-100 gram of carb and 27 gram fat and 100-150 gram protein daily with 40 mins walk at 13 mins per km daily.....

    I am finding it difficult to get enough protein in when eating 1200 calories, if I eat enough protein my fat is too high

    Protein can be challenging on 1200. If it's causing your fat to be high, you'd want to choose lower fat sources of protein (skim or low fat dairy, lean meat, non fatty seafood). However, it's totally fine to go over fat so long as you aren't over calories (fat vs. carbs doesn't matter much except for personal preference, but on 1200 I definitely would not undereat protein).

    You can try turkey and tuna fish as both are very high in protein and low in fat as compared to chicken and beef.
  • adilrafi93
    adilrafi93 Posts: 17 Member
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    prehistoricmoongoddess wrote: »
    adilrafi93 wrote: »
    prehistoricmoongoddess wrote: »
    adilrafi93 wrote: »
    I think this is the group I was searching for. I am taking 1200 calories for past 50 days and I lost 7-8 kgs.

    Can I ask how tall you are? At my height, according to my TDEE calculator, I lose weight at 957 calories - therefore calorie deficit of 500 from my maintenance level.

    I cannot lose from cutting calories alone, I need to do a lot of exercise



    I am 5ft 5 inch.
    Dont take that too low calories take 1200 atleast.
    What I do I take 90-100 gram of carb and 27 gram fat and 100-150 gram protein daily with 40 mins walk at 13 mins per km daily.....

    I am finding it difficult to get enough protein in when eating 1200 calories, if I eat enough protein my fat is too high

    Go and buy tuna fish and other fish as there is nothing except protein in fish.
    Also I eat turkey a lot as it is very high in protein in less in fat like 300 gram of turkey give me around 90 gram of protein and 20 gram fat. So you can eat 200 gram turkey and you will get 60 gram of protein and 13 gram fat. Also you can eat chicken breast not chicken thigh or leg as they are higher in fat as compared to breast.
    Fish and turkey gives me majority of protein.
  • prehistoricmoongoddess
    prehistoricmoongoddess Posts: 1,002 Member
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    Duck_Puddle wrote: »
    prehistoricmoongoddess wrote: »
    @lemurcat2 - thank you

    One good source that I eat is Seitan. Wheat protein is something that I tolerate fine.

    I have to be careful with beans and lentils because I have IBS, and they don't help with that.

    Seitan has very little fat usually? Are you buying a particular brand that might have a lot of fat? If so, maybe try another brand or make it yourself?


    What I meant was that I'm happy with the protein from seitan. The one that I buy gives me 22 grams of protein for half a tin. It does contain fat but much less than other protein sources that I eat

  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
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    prehistoricmoongoddess wrote: »
    Duck_Puddle wrote: »
    prehistoricmoongoddess wrote: »
    @lemurcat2 - thank you

    One good source that I eat is Seitan. Wheat protein is something that I tolerate fine.

    I have to be careful with beans and lentils because I have IBS, and they don't help with that.

    Seitan has very little fat usually? Are you buying a particular brand that might have a lot of fat? If so, maybe try another brand or make it yourself?


    What I meant was that I'm happy with the protein from seitan. The one that I buy gives me 22 grams of protein for half a tin. It does contain fat but much less than other protein sources that I eat

    Ohhh. Ok. Sorry. I misunderstood. I thought you were saying that seitan was your primary protein (which is fine) and I was confused because it is so low in fat (usually).

    Now I understand. Never mind,

  • updereh
    updereh Posts: 3 Member
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    farmer carla, I started at the same weight and height as you. Im trying to stay under 1500 cals, and I dont eat many processed foods. Im struggling to find recipes for foods I can eat. On work days, I eat oatmeal ( made with water) with a tablespoon of honey, and butter( any other breakfast leaves me hungry after 2 hours) ... then some mixed nuts for lunch... its working for me so far, but my issue is dinner. the closest grocery store is a 60 mile round trip, so I struggle to make meals. Im eating a small portion of meat, with veggies, and eating a cup of cottage cheese as a 'treat'. I could use more ideas for dinner
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    edited December 2018
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    updereh wrote: »
    farmer carla, I started at the same weight and height as you. Im trying to stay under 1500 cals, and I dont eat many processed foods. Im struggling to find recipes for foods I can eat. On work days, I eat oatmeal ( made with water) with a tablespoon of honey, and butter( any other breakfast leaves me hungry after 2 hours) ... then some mixed nuts for lunch... its working for me so far, but my issue is dinner. the closest grocery store is a 60 mile round trip, so I struggle to make meals. Im eating a small portion of meat, with veggies, and eating a cup of cottage cheese as a 'treat'. I could use more ideas for dinner

    Good options IMO are a salad with protein on it (shrimp, chicken, steak, falafel, chickpeas, black soybeans, tofu, egg). That's a really common lunch for me, alternatives are leftovers from dinner or a soup or stew or chili.

    For dinner I tend to work with a template of meat (including fish), vegetables (usually a variety), and a starch. I might alternate fruit for the starch. This gives endless options and variety (my calorie goal now is about 1600 but it worked when I was doing 1250 too, I just tended to use less fat and make my starch portion smaller).

    One example: pork chop with apples and butternut squash plus brussels sprouts with mushrooms. Another: salmon with roasted broccoli and cauliflower and barley. Roasted chicken breast (skin on) with roasted potatoes and mixed veg (sauteed zucchini, fennel, and yellow squash). Pasta with a sauce of smoked salmon, zucchini, cauliflower, mushrooms and olives, cooked in olive oil. Pasta with a meat sauce of lean ground beef, tomatoes, and lots of veg (this is a whatever is on hand kind of thing). Stirfry with shrimp and lots of veg (another what is on hand). White bean soup with kale, tomatoes, and some sausage (other veg as available). Sometimes I google the ingredients I have to get inspiration.

    Another thought: I usually have a 2 egg omelet with lots of veg (broccoli and spinach with onion; fennel and kale with mushrooms; zucchini and spinach and peppers; many others) for breakfast, often with cottage cheese as a side, but since you have a set breakfast, that also would make a good low cal dinner. Avocado on the side is nice too, and I usually add feta cheese.
  • amy19355
    amy19355 Posts: 805 Member
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    prehistoricmoongoddess wrote: »
    prehistoricmoongoddess wrote: »
    LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »
    prehistoricmoongoddess wrote: »
    I am exactly 5ft and 166lbs. I am quite sedentary, but I am trying to walk more than I do currently.

    OP, you don't have much to lose to be at a healthy weight - 0.5lb a week would be perfect, input that into the app and see what calories you are given. Weight loss is hard enough without feeling more deprived than necessary, plus if you are eating a healthy amount of calories you are more likely to stick with the plan and see it through which equals results.

    All the best.

    Thanks

    I've just played around with different weight losses.

    If I put in 0.5lb loss - I get 1260 calories

    If I put in 1lb, 1.5lb or 2lb, it gives me 1200 calories, and a maximum weight loss of 1lb a week.

    So to keep healthy, it looks as though 1lb is the most I can lose a week and still keep healthy. (unless I do a lot of exercise and not eat all the calories back)

    Some days I find it really difficult to get enough protein without overdoing the fat calories. But I am learning day by day.

    I'm not getting this at all.

    I'm weighing and measuring my intake faithfully each day and this past week I've increased or maintained each day and now I'm almost 2lb up.

    Friday I had 1000 calories and I went up 0.2lb
    Saturday I had 1161 calories and I went up 0.6lb

    I'm trying to stay as close as I can to 1200lbs - I didn't have many exercise calories those last two days. I think the only way I can lose is to exercise and have a deficit of at least 400 calories a day.

    I think another way you might want to assess your calorie target AND your progress , is to assess the loss against a max loss of 1% of your total weight.

    for example: if you weigh 200 pounds, 2lbs a week is ok.
    if you weight 100 pounds, more than 1 pound a week is risky.

    it isn't clear how tall you are, which should also be factored into the daily target calorie number.

    good luck
  • prehistoricmoongoddess
    prehistoricmoongoddess Posts: 1,002 Member
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    amy19355 wrote: »

    I think another way you might want to assess your calorie target AND your progress , is to assess the loss against a max loss of 1% of your total weight.

    for example: if you weigh 200 pounds, 2lbs a week is ok.
    if you weight 100 pounds, more than 1 pound a week is risky.

    it isn't clear how tall you are, which should also be factored into the daily target calorie number.

    good luck

    I'm 5ft exactly. That should allow me to lose 1.5lb a week. But with eating a minimum calorie allowance of 1200, the maximum I can lose according to MFP is 1lb a week. I'm happy with that.


  • SVZee
    SVZee Posts: 76 Member
    edited December 2018
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    witchaywoman81 wrote: »
    monicadj425 wrote: »
    Would love to join this!! I think 1200 cal daily is perfect for me since I figured my body requires at least that much to lose weight. I weigh 196 lbs & my goal is 140 lbs. We can do this Matthew 19:26 "With God all things are possible."

    I’m no expert in this, but I’m a short lady who weighs about 175/aiming for around 120, and I would be gnawing my arm off at 1200 calories/day.

    It really just depends. I'm 5ft, 6in, 40yrs old and already at a fairly low bmi, who's trying to lose a few maintenance creep pounds. For me 1,200 calories is a perfectly fine number. Because of the kinds of foods I eat I'm also not noticeably hungry following those calorie parameters.


  • SVZee
    SVZee Posts: 76 Member
    edited December 2018
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    FarmerCarla wrote: »
    I'm just here out of curiosity, but I my goal has been 1200 calories or less. I'm 5'5" and started at 178 lb. the last week of September. Some days, it's hard to get 1000 calories while trying not to exceed my keto carb limits. Eating mostly eggs, fish, chicken, some beef, tree nuts, and a lot of cruciferous vegetables, I haven't gone hungry, and I've lost 25 lb. in 3 months. Sometimes, I'm tempted by sweets, so I have to tell myself "no" or just allow myself to eat one or two bites.
    @witchawomanan81, I haven't experienced the urge to gnaw off appendages. :s I can understand if you are a long distance runner or into some other high calorie-burning activity. In that case, you would certainly want to eat back some of the calories you burn. If you're young and have a high metabolism, I realize you need extra calories, but I don't understand how you managed to get to your present weight. I'm old, so I have to work at losing weight, which includes exercise and restricting calories.
    God bless each of you as you strive to attain your goals.

    I eat around 800g of veggies/fruit a day, which is very filling, so I'm never really truly hungry. It's crazy how filling some veggies are!
  • SVZee
    SVZee Posts: 76 Member
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    witchaywoman81 wrote: »
    SVZee wrote: »
    FarmerCarla wrote: »
    I'm just here out of curiosity, but I my goal has been 1200 calories or less. I'm 5'5" and started at 178 lb. the last week of September. Some days, it's hard to get 1000 calories while trying not to exceed my keto carb limits. Eating mostly eggs, fish, chicken, some beef, tree nuts, and a lot of cruciferous vegetables, I haven't gone hungry, and I've lost 25 lb. in 3 months. Sometimes, I'm tempted by sweets, so I have to tell myself "no" or just allow myself to eat one or two bites.
    @witchawomanan81, I haven't experienced the urge to gnaw off appendages. :s I can understand if you are a long distance runner or into some other high calorie-burning activity. In that case, you would certainly want to eat back some of the calories you burn. If you're young and have a high metabolism, I realize you need extra calories, but I don't understand how you managed to get to your present weight. I'm old, so I have to work at losing weight, which includes exercise and restricting calories.
    God bless each of you as you strive to attain your goals.

    I eat around 800g of veggies/fruit a day, which is very filling, so I'm never really truly hungry. It's crazy how filling some veggies are!

    Eating lots of veggies is definitely a positive, but also keep in mind that fullness doesn’t necessarily mean you’re taking in enough calories.

    Well yes, but when someone is working with a smaller calorie allotment focusing on foods that are filling/have longer satiety levels will go a long ways towards adherence. For me vegetables, especially cruciferous ones, are filling and are the base for my daily menu.

    Anyways, OP best of luck to you as you move forward in this process :)
  • runbowlfish
    runbowlfish Posts: 7 Member
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    I've lost weight at both 1200 and 1500 net calories......these become doable for me because the calories burned exercising allow me to eat enough to not feel hungry every day/all the time. Going beast mode regularly or even occasionally on the workouts allows eating hearty meals. Remember, a splurge now and then isn't going to kill your progress...and most people try to lose weight too fast anyhow.
  • AudreyJDuke
    AudreyJDuke Posts: 1,092 Member
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    I would imagine only eating 1200 cal a day would be hard to sustain, that you'd be hungry alot.

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