Help, I keep eating under 1200 calories
milall
Posts: 3 Member
I'm trying to lose about 5kg and I'm on the 1200 calories diet, however, I can't seem to go over a 1000 a day. I'm also on IF so I'm eating only for 6,7 hours in a day so I usually only eat two meals. After I'm done eating I'm really full and yet I can never achieve my calorie goal. Should I force myself into eating more or is it fine If I'm feeling fine?
3
Replies
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Drink some calories.10
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1200 is a default minimum (ie: one-size-fits-all) for women, so yes you should be eating at least that many calories. Most women can eat more than 1,200 and still lose weight.
Calorie dense foods can pack lots of nutrition into small portion sizes. Olive oil, nuts, nut butters, full fat dairy.
You are feeling fine now, but that won't last.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10569458/why-eating-too-little-calories-is-a-bad-idea/p19 -
Also with only 5kg to lose you should be aiming to lose 0.25 kilo per week which would likely have you at a higher calorie target than 1200.
Are you working out as well?
Why are you doing IF?9 -
What's keeping you from eating on your plan?3
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Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »What's keeping you from eating on your plan?
She feels too full to continue eating.
@milall if IF is preventing you from getting enough calories, stop doing IF and eat some calorie dense foods like peanut butter, nuts, cheese, or ice cream.7 -
WinoGelato wrote: »Also with only 5kg to lose you should be aiming to lose 0.25 kilo per week which would likely have you at a higher calorie target than 1200.
Are you working out as well?
Why are you doing IF?
To expand on this:
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Add some avocado!6
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WinoGelato wrote: »Also with only 5kg to lose you should be aiming to lose 0.25 kilo per week which would likely have you at a higher calorie target than 1200.
Are you working out as well?
Why are you doing IF?
I'm doing IF because it feels good. I can't eat after waking up so spontaneously I started skipping breakfast and now my body is so used to it that I can't imagine having breakfast. Also IF really helped me with insulin resistance, my blood test results improved so much that I'm finally of medication after 4 years of constant usage.
I want to keep doing IF but still hit my calorie goal which is why I need some tips and some healthy food recommendations that are high in calories.2 -
i also find it impossible to eat over 1200 while reaching my macros 50:20:30, but my suggestions would be veg oil, hummus, nut butters.1
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How are your macros coming at the end of the day. Are you ending up low in fat? Do you have any restrictions? Switching low fat for full dairt or making sure you are using oils in you cooking can be an easy way to add calories. On such a low calorie diet getting proper nutrition can be tricky. Fiber fat and protein should be prioritized. Nuts can be an easy way to add calories in a small volume.4
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Can someone please link the “a list of calorie dense foods” thread?
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Calorie dense foods as others have suggested. Doesn’t take much and calories add up very quickly. IE: 1 ounce of raw walnuts (about 14 walnut halves) equal 185 calories. 1 ounce cheddar cheese equal 113 calories. 2 tablespoons of peanut butter equal 188 calories. Any of these items could be a small snack in between your two meals.
How full do you feel the 17 or 18 hours you are fasting? Maybe you could lessen your fasting time so you could easily fit in at least minimum recommended calories each day.3 -
WinoGelato wrote: »Also with only 5kg to lose you should be aiming to lose 0.25 kilo per week which would likely have you at a higher calorie target than 1200.
Are you working out as well?
Why are you doing IF?
I'm doing IF because it feels good. I can't eat after waking up so spontaneously I started skipping breakfast and now my body is so used to it that I can't imagine having breakfast. Also IF really helped me with insulin resistance, my blood test results improved so much that I'm finally of medication after 4 years of constant usage.
I want to keep doing IF but still hit my calorie goal which is why I need some tips and some healthy food recommendations that are high in calories.
Are you eating fruit? Try adding dried fruit.
Smoothies can bump up your calories - full fat yogurt and banana.3 -
My guess would be that you're just eating a bunch of low calorie but high density food because "healthy"...veg and fruit and whatnot are good, but dietary fat is also essential and most often I see this issue when people cut dietary fat way down. Have some avocado...have some nuts and nut butters. If you're using low fat or no fat things like dressings, etc eat full fat. Roast or saute vegetables in quality cooking oils, etc. Have some pizza on Friday night. Get cheese on your burger, etc.8
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I’m under 1200 a day2
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I know this is off-topic, but:
@kshama2001 reposted the 1% of bodyweight per week rule, which I think is only part of the story. I would add to that rule that it's difficult to omit more than 25% of your TDEE for extended periods. Sometimes, the advice corresponds pretty closely but their are cases where it doesn't. In any case, these rules are limits, not guidance.
For example, my "sedentary" TDEE is ~2000kcals/day, so I cut at a target of no less than 1500kcals per day.
But, any deficit is still a deficit and will cause weight loss over time. You don't have to have any particular deficit and your don't have to hit the same deficit every day.4 -
Please don’t force yourself. Not all women are the same height and weight. It’s not generally recommended for the AVERAGE adult woman to eat fewer than 1200 calories, but at my height and weight, I can eat 1,000 on a sedentary day without endangering my health. On some days, I stuff myself with fewer than that. Strangers don’t know enough about you to advise you. They don’t know your personal stats and should stop advising you as if they do. What we can do is give you food recommendations. You can also click on our food diaries and add us as friends.
Personally, I like trail mix if you specifically want to add calories., or natural peanut butter on a whole grain bagel (I like the Dave’s Killer Bread brand). Or a breakfast shake like the Carnation high protein. Or a Starbuck’s cappuccino with mocha added, with soy milk for extra protein, or full fat milk for more calories.2 -
Here are a couple of other snacks/treats that may or may not work for you that are sold at Whole Foods: [url="http://"][/url][url="http://"]https://smile.amazon.com/Organic-Peanut-Butter-Chewy-Banana/dp/B00M7GYGDC/ref=sr_1_2?almBrandId=VUZHIFdob2xlIEZvb2Rz&fpw=alm&keywords=banana+bites&qid=1583698142&s=wholefoods&sr=1-2[/url]
https://smile.amazon.com/Butter-Justins-Rainforest-Gluten-free-Responsibly/dp/B00TS6W8MA/ref=pd_bxgy_3/143-7569899-3773419?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00TS6W8MA&pd_rd_r=92f52a62-a27f-4a05-b4eb-3848bb7f6dc4&pd_rd_w=GUPv7&pd_rd_wg=ECHGa&pf_rd_p=fd08095f-55ff-4a15-9b49-4a1a719225a9&pf_rd_r=WNYZARW8E5MVD8PD792P&psc=1&refRID=WNYZARW8E5MVD8PD792P-1 -
Ice cream FTW4
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I’d also take the other view - are you really only eating 1200 calories? Are you weighing all foods or are you guesstimating with ‘cups’ or eyeballing? Do you measure your oils when cooking? Are you logging all your drinks?
On another tangent...
It’s surprising that you (and all the others in your position who have posted similar comments in the past) have obviously been just fine eating a higher number of calories to gain and maintain the excess weight that you are now trying to lose, but that now you can’t possibly eat 1200 calories because you’re so full. There’s so very many ways to add extra calories which are barely noticeable from a volume/satiety perspective I’m sure you could easily meet 1200 with just a little thinking. Thankfully the fab MFPers have made some great recommendations above already
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I personally stop eating when I'm full. Typically a high protein snack or 2 then an actual meal for dinner.
Some days I don't even hit 1000Kcal. On my most active days,I eat more, rarely go over 1500 Kcal. I don't count calories,but I just sorta know. I also work out sometimes, fasted cardio can be rough,but its empowering0 -
@milall do you need to eat 1200 cals? If you want to lose weight then you need to be in a calorie deficit. IF just gives you a narrower window in which to eat those cals. As long as you're not losing weight too fast (more than 2lbs a week or so), then you're ok. The diet is not going to work if you're not in a calorie deficit.0
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deannalfisher wrote: »Ice cream FTW
Someone disagrees with ice cream for a quick way to get calories up - you must live a horrible deprived life14 -
@milall do you need to eat 1200 cals? If you want to lose weight then you need to be in a calorie deficit. IF just gives you a narrower window in which to eat those cals. As long as you're not losing weight too fast (more than 2lbs a week or so), then you're ok. The diet is not going to work if you're not in a calorie deficit.
She only wants to lose 5 kg (11 pounds), so 2 pounds per week would be way too fast for her.8 -
kshama2001 wrote: »@milall do you need to eat 1200 cals? If you want to lose weight then you need to be in a calorie deficit. IF just gives you a narrower window in which to eat those cals. As long as you're not losing weight too fast (more than 2lbs a week or so), then you're ok. The diet is not going to work if you're not in a calorie deficit.
She only wants to lose 5 kg (11 pounds), so 2 pounds per week would be way too fast for her.
Yep so 2lbs a week would be the upper limit0 -
1200 calories is a generic, one size fits all recommendation that does NOT take into account a lifestyle that includes IF. I was quite surprised when I saw that they almost want to force you to log a certain number of calories per day on here. So many people just have a deep misunderstanding of fasting. If it has helped your insulin response it’s clearly doing you good, not harm. If you feel more comfortable reaching at least 1200 calories in a day, I agree with what some have suggested to eat some calorie And nutrient dense foods. Don’t skip out on good fat! Low fat starves your brain. I usually break my daily 20 hr fast with two deviled eggs using avocado instead of mayonnaise. Do what makes your body feel good, don’t force yourself because of some generic recommendation.0
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kshama2001 wrote: »@milall do you need to eat 1200 cals? If you want to lose weight then you need to be in a calorie deficit. IF just gives you a narrower window in which to eat those cals. As long as you're not losing weight too fast (more than 2lbs a week or so), then you're ok. The diet is not going to work if you're not in a calorie deficit.
She only wants to lose 5 kg (11 pounds), so 2 pounds per week would be way too fast for her.
Yep so 2lbs a week would be the upper limit
Or, you know, stupid.6 -
Here I am ....I start eating and my goal of 1200 finishes before my tummy can even feel it 😑🤔😭3
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To those who have problems hitting their calories:
- How did you eat before dieting? That should give you ideas of things to re-introduce to help you hit calories.
- How much have you lost in the last 2-3 weeks? If it's a reasonable amount, then you're probably eating more than you think. Logging, especially on MFP, has a steep learning curve.
- A standard candy bar has 200-250 calories on average and most people are capable of eating that on top of their usual foods. There are plenty of foods that have a similar calorie density if you're not into candy bars and should be just as easy to introduce.4
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