Trouble staying to 1200 net calories

Without your stats it's difficult to say why you'd be getting such a low calorie target at 1lbs per week loss but I'd double check to make sure that you've entered all the details correctly first.

If everything checks out in your settings then you can drop your target loss rate to 0.5lb per week which should give you approx 250 extra calories per day. Also keep in mind that if you've selected sedentary as an activity level there's a chance that you're moving more throughout the day than an actual sedentary person would so you can try moving your activity level to gain more calories. Finally, if you're not already you can eat more of your exercise calories when you do a workout and earn them.

The best gauge of how many calories you should be eating is your progress. The numbers MFP gives you are usually a pretty good starting point but everyone's different so it's possible you'll need to make adjustments as you go along. So pick a calorie target that you feel is achievable (meaning you're not struggling and constantly miserable) and stick to it for 3 or 4 weeks then check your progress. Depending on the rate you're losing you can adjust that target up or down accordingly. Keep doing this until you hit that sweet spot where you're eating in a deficit but not so severe that it's negatively impacting your daily life.

If you find that you're in the situation where your calorie deficit isn't large enough to lose weight but reducing it leaves you feeling deprived and hungry then you might need to consider a different approach to make the calories you're eating more satisfying.

Satiation can be addressed in a few ways.

Firstly by looking at your macros. Some people find fats filling, others are satisfied by protein, for others it's fibre/carbs. It might be worth paying attention to which foods leave you feeling fuller longer and trying to increase the focus on those type foods.

Others find that they're satisfied by volume rather than a particular macro so will load up their meals with low calorie density foods. For example, adding some spinach, tomato, mushrooms and capsicum to an omelette will triple the size of the meal while adding only a fraction more calories. This allows for huge, filling and satisfying meals while staying within your calorie target.

Another approach is meal timing. I personally can go all day without eating and feel perfectly fine but as soon as the sun goes down I'm hungry. So I've shifted 80%-90% of my calories to nighttime so I can have a big meal at the times when I'm naturally hungriest.

The key is to find what works for you. Experiment with calorie targets, macros and eating time/volume and go with the one that makes your life easiest.

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.

I'm on a 1200 calorie diet too, and I'm losing on average 1.5 to 2lb a week.

I have given myself a strict exercise regime which comprises of a hour of strength training 3 days a week and cardio (walking/jogging) for 60 mins 5 days a week.

My diet consists of high protein food, fibre and healthy fats.

Protein and fibre keep you full for longer and try to cut down on the sugar -I haven't eliminated it altogether as I have a bit of a sweet tooth, but I have cut down a lot.
Most people cut carbs, but this is just silly. Your body needs carbs for fuel, especially after a good workout, so don't think you have to start looking at speciality diets.

Focus on seafood, chicken, turkey, beef, lean pork, jacket potatoes, vegetables, eggs, soy milk...etc...

Cook your food in extra virgin olive oil for healthy fat, and cut off any fat from the meat before cooking.
Meal preparation is also something you might want to think about - making your meals in advance so you know exactly what your having each day and how many calories you are consuming.

For example, my evening meal is already prepared...

2 white fish fillets (steamed) - 94 Kcal
Small new potatoes (with skin boiled) 180g - 95Kcal
Brown Rice 50g - 177 Kcal
Parsley Sauce 100ml - 73Kcal
3 teaspoons of mint sauce - 20Kcal

Total: - 459Kcal

This is just an example of one of my meals.

For breakfast I have 2 weetabix, with best of both milk and a banana. (Everyday)

For lunch I have a snack of 100g of raw carrots and Alpro milk. (Varies, maybe apple slices or a fruit mix)

My evening meal is always less than 500Kcal, which gives me a little left for an evening snack which is usually nuts for the healthy fat, and I treat myself to a low calorie hot chocolate drink - this settles my craving for chocolate, lol and also satisfies my sweet tooth!.

Total Kcal per day varies but a day like this one would be around 1120 Kcal - obviously this leaves a little room so I would add a little extra to my helping in the evening. I never go over 1200Kcal but I never drop to much under this goal either.

Yes I do get hungry, because of the exercise - which on a strength training and cardio day I can burn over a 1000 calories - so drink more fluids if you feel like you want food. If you can't stomach water on it's own try adding a little flavouring, such as a little low sugar squash just to give it a little taste.

I'm not saying this regime is for everyone, I'm just giving an example of how I manage my 1200Kcal deficit and hope it gives you motivation to continue to do the same.


Good luck!