Trouble staying to 1200 net calories

ahrearick
ahrearick Posts: 6 Member
Hello! I am just starting (again) to try to lose weight and hoping I stick with it for once. I'm near the obesity line and want to lose atleast 20-30 lbs, so I put it in my settings to lose 1 lb/week. It has me at 1250 calories and it is difficult not to feel constantly hungry eating this little. I'm trying to exercise. But 200-300 calories more of expenditure doesn't seem to give me enough more to eat. Anyone have any tips?

Replies

  • ahrearick
    ahrearick Posts: 6 Member
    Thanks kimondo666! I have cut all processed foods out. But nuts are insanely high calorie (though I need the protein) and I feel like I have no options but salad. May be me complaining more than anything
  • ahrearick
    ahrearick Posts: 6 Member
    Not vegan or anything- I'm not usually a giant meat eater though. Thank you for the tips!
  • PiscesIntuition
    PiscesIntuition Posts: 1,372 Member
    I second volume eating!
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,871 Member
    edited July 2019
    While protein, fiber, and large volume of non-calorie-dense foods like many vegetables are helpful for a lot of people, don't ignore fat. Fat is my satiating macro, and I eat toward the high end of the daily recommendation or over. Volume foods don't satisfy me. Just food (heh) for thought.

    That said, 1250 is pretty low, and adding more fat would reduce the volume of food you can eat even more. That's why I slowed my weight loss to .5 pounds per week when I hit that stage.
  • CassLaBaraque
    CassLaBaraque Posts: 4 Member
    Try some protein-dense foods that are low in calories. Think tofu (if you're not used to it I suggest looking into the vegan community - these guys know what they're doing with their tofu!), eggs, plain 0% greek yogurt with berries, fish, etc. Pack your plate with veggies (again look out for recipes if you don't wanna be eating salad all the time). Don't forget to have a bit of carbs if you don't wanna go crazy and end up binging after a few days. Nuts aren't even that great for proteins, I suggest other sources.
    Good luck! :)
  • Hyacinth_Hippo
    Hyacinth_Hippo Posts: 51 Member
    depending on your size, 1250 might be too low. Aside from that, are you drinking enough water? I second what others have said about protein - I find a hard boiled egg, a piece of cheese, or a turkey pepperoni stick usually help me not feel so snacky. I also like chia seeds in yogurt with berries.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    How tall are you, and what are your current and goal weights? 1 pound per week may or may not be a reasonable pace of weight loss depending on your stats.
  • ahrearick
    ahrearick Posts: 6 Member
    apullum wrote: »
    How tall are you, and what are your current and goal weights? 1 pound per week may or may not be a reasonable pace of weight loss depending on your stats.

    I am 5'1 at 155 lbs (160 is obese at my height for a female). I am aiming for 1200 and missing by 100-200 calories a day (so I can expect closer to 0.5 lbs lost). I know it's better slow and steady but I can't imagine staying motivated and committed if I only lose 2 lbs a month.

    Thank you everyone else for the tips as well! I'll definitely look at other protein sources. I'm hoping once I'm used to lower volumes I'll feel less hungry too.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,409 Member
    It usually takes me 2-4 weeks to adjust when I lower calories by even a couple hundred.

    I agree with everyone who says Volume Eating. Lots of vegetables, and make sure to hit those Goals for protein and fat. Carbs make me hungrier, so that's where I cut back when in weight-loss mode. Less bread, less pasta and rice, no cold cereals or crackers, very few sugary things.
  • Panini911
    Panini911 Posts: 2,325 Member
    edited July 2019
    Make sure to eat back any exercise calories earned. I'm 5'1 and started at 167, i lost at 1300-1400 calories a day moving a lot (step wise not exercise wise). Your calorie goal makes me thing you selected sedentary, which is VERY very sedentary as per MFP.

    Agree with volume eating, that's what i do. I add tons of vegetables to all meals (carrots, celeri, cuccumber). raw and with nothing on them as they are strictly for bulk but I also ENJOY and like these vegetables. I do weigh and log them.

    I eat a ton of broccoli slaw. Buy a bag, throw in some low cal dressing you like and let it mix a bit. Currently using newman's own sesame dressing.
  • kimondo666
    kimondo666 Posts: 194 Member
    MikePTY wrote: »
    kimondo666 wrote: »
    1 Egg daily is also good idea if you are adding protein. They are 101 kcal per egg. At more calories than 1250(1500) kcal, you can get 3x500 kcal meals which would give you plenty of options to get by in the day. And use a food scale to get accurate logging.

    1 large egg is only 70 calories. A jumbo egg is 90 calories. A large egg has 6 grams of protein and a jumbo egg has 8. While they are certainly a source of protein, just one egg along won't make a significant dent in meeting daily protein targets.
    Hmm egg is 155 kcal per 100g, which has 13g protein, i weighted egg myself(after breaking it to the container) with food scale and it was 65gram. So 101 kcal. Maybe in usa eggs are less large. Fair enough.
  • annliz23
    annliz23 Posts: 3,729 Member
    I eat crackers instead of bread and even munch on them if hungry less calories.
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,464 Member
    @kimondo666
    di969jxo53fi.png

    This is shell included, so yes, your egg is bigger.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    edited August 2019
    rerikku wrote: »
    Thanks kimondo666! I have cut all processed foods out. But nuts are insanely high calorie (though I need the protein) and I feel like I have no options but salad. May be me complaining more than anything

    Nuts aren't all that high in protein anyway. Grilled chicken, hard boiled eggs and beans for salads. If you are vegetarian - Greek yogurt is in high protein. 2% Greek yogurt, berries and Fiber One cereal is a filling breakfast for me.

    That said, protein, fiber and fat are filling components but it's a different combination for everyone. Try changing up meal timing too. You shouldn't have to feel hungry....you don't earn extra misery points.

    Find good habits while dieting that you can continue into maintenance. Weight loss is just the first step. "I have cut out all processed foods" doesn't sound like a forever plan, and isn't necessary for weight loss either. It's all about the calories in vs. calories out.

  • WSwalknLAC9000
    WSwalknLAC9000 Posts: 57 Member
    whmscll wrote: »
    Nuts are not that great for protein either, especially for the amount of fat and calories. Meat, chicken, tuna, shrimp, tilapia, other fish, Greek yogurt, tofu, milk, powdered protein are all good sources.

    What about beans? If you want real healthy protein, eat more beans...
  • zebasschick
    zebasschick Posts: 1,067 Member
    edited August 2019
    like almost everyone says, nuts are packed with fat - not a great source of protein.

    great and fast sources of protein include egg beaters or egg whites with cheese, cottage cheese, lentils,low fat cheese, 0% greek yogurt, 2% greek yogurt, dannon light & fit yogurt is yummy and only 80 calories per cup. light cheese sticks are easy to eat as is sliced low fat cheese, and they're easy to bring with you. a glass of low or non-fat milk's fast and easy. extra firm tofu or cooked chicken breast pieces heated and tossed in your favorite dressing.

    or how about protein drinks or quest bars? i love the double chocolate chunk flavor and the apple pie. around 200 calories, 20 grams of protein.

    btw, OP - are you doing things like going for walks, working out or cleaning energetically? if so, add those activities to the exercise section of MFP and it will give you credit for the calories you use.
  • duncaneyre76
    duncaneyre76 Posts: 1 Member
    This sounds a bit too simple but I found it helped me to have a very low cal breakfast which just got me through to lunch without being too hungry. This gave me much more allowance remaining for the rest of the day.
    Also remember to drink lots of water. Dehydration can feel the same as hunger and after a glass of water the feeling may go away. Good luck :)