Feels impossible to eat only 1200 calories!!

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Replies

  • ChristieJourney
    ChristieJourney Posts: 16 Member
    AliciaHollywood wrote: »
    Fruits & veggies! You can eat a ton of certain fruits and veggies for very few calories! You can eat a whole bag of frozen organic spinach from Trader Joe’s for 140 calories! I can only eat half a bag, it’s so big, and add a tablespoon of grated or Parmesan cheese and it’s a full meal! Melon, especially watermelon has very few calories and you can eat a LOT and it’s very filling. Steamed artichokes are good too because they take a long time to eat. Just don’t add a high calorie dipping sauce! Now that I’m eating mindfully and only for nutrition, I’m finding it really easy to stay under 1200 calories. Watch out for things like salad dressing though because that can be more calories than the whole salad. Just add a tiny bit of low cal dressing to salads or just add a small drizzling of extra virgin olive oil and vinegar and add your own spices like garlic (or even better FRESH garlic which is super healthy, especially when raw!) oregano, cayenne, or a ton of other interesting spices and you can even add a tablespoon of Parmesan. My highest calories are at least healthy things Ike avocado, flaxseed meal, chia seeds, salt-free nuts, fresh coconut, which are things I REALLY have to portion out because those can be high in calories. Don’t buy any premade food, it’s almost never healthy except occasionally maybe from Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s but make sure to read all the ingredients. I’ve found that when I eat only super healthy food, I get two benefits, it feels really good and it’s much easier to eat low calories! :)
    Thanks for the advice!! All that sounds pretty yummy right now

  • ChristieJourney
    ChristieJourney Posts: 16 Member
    nanamerriman2020 wrote: »
    The food & nutrition area is a great place to get meal ideas. If you shared what foods you typically eat, you would probably get lots of ideas on how to tweak them to be lower cal.[/quote

    great! I’ll look there
  • ChristieJourney
    ChristieJourney Posts: 16 Member
    freda78 wrote: »
    I cannot do 1200 or any restrictive number of calories day-in-day-out either. So I do IF instead and eat 600 calories on fasting days and 1800 on non-fasting days. I also have the very occasional treat day.

    This works for me but of course everyone has to find what works for them.
    Good for you at keeping that discipline!! It would be hard for me to only eat 600 cals
  • ChristieJourney
    ChristieJourney Posts: 16 Member
    TayaCurragh wrote: »
    You have mentioned you get really hungry in the morning, what kind of foods are you having for breakfast? I find when I eat foods high in carbs like toast or cereal, it just makes me more hungry. I switched to more protein, such as Greek yogurt and fruit or eggs and to me, it's made a huge difference. I've recently found Aldi (UK) do these 'protein pot' yoghurt things and they really keep me full.

    My calorie goal is around 1200 due to my height, but I usually eat back my exercise calories and don't beat myself up if I go over to about 1400 (without exercise).

    Everyone is different so it's all about finding what works for you. I've resd through some of the other suggestions here and some work for me but some don't. It could be worth keeping a food diary separate from MFP (or using the notes feature, although this isn't private) to write about how you feel after eating certain things, you might find certain foods don't help with hunger as much as others.[/quote
    To be honest, I like to eat breakfast burritos but I’ve been focusing on high proteins like meats and eggs and cut peppers in the burritos. I feel like if I eat those high proteins that they will keep me full for awhile. But I do drink soda too, and I have been cutting back because that can totally sabotage things!!
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    ChristieJourney wrote: »
    freda78 wrote: »
    I cannot do 1200 or any restrictive number of calories day-in-day-out either. So I do IF instead and eat 600 calories on fasting days and 1800 on non-fasting days. I also have the very occasional treat day.

    This works for me but of course everyone has to find what works for them.
    Good for you at keeping that discipline!! It would be hard for me to only eat 600 cals

    Pick your hard - twice a week at 600 or 7 days a week at 1200. The 1800 calorie days seem effortless for some.

    Strategies for staying full - eat more, lose slower and/or move more, earn bonus calories.

    Protein, fat, and fiber are filling components but it's not the same for everyone. Strategies in the fruit & veggie post above don't do much for me. Spinach w/ a tablespoon of cheese is not a meal........
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,808 Member
    ChristieJourney wrote: »
    zebasschick wrote: »
    ChristieJourney wrote: »
    I have it set at 1 pound a week. And I have never weighed my food...do you literally weigh your food? I am really new to this

    if you don't weight your food, you don't actually know how much you're eating...
    I thought by just calorie counting, I would know how much I was eating?

    The point is that you can't count calories accurately if you're not weighing your food.
  • nanastaci2020
    nanastaci2020 Posts: 1,072 Member
    Personally I cannot look at a chicken breast and know if its 6 ounces, 7 ounces or 8 ounces. I can't look at a banana and know if its 85 grams, 100 grams or 115 grams. Essentially, I cannot look at an item and know how much it weighs. So without a food scale, I can only guess about how many calories I am consuming. I can log that I had 6 ounces of chicken breast with my dinner, but if its really 7 or 8: my data will be wrong.

    If I log 1 chicken breast, 1 serving rice, 1 serving vegs, 1 tablespoon olive oil for dinner @ 400 cals, I won't know that it might NOT be 400 cals. Logging without accuracy is kind of useless IMO.
    ChristieJourney wrote: »
    zebasschick wrote: »
    ChristieJourney wrote: »
    I have it set at 1 pound a week. And I have never weighed my food...do you literally weigh your food? I am really new to this

    if you don't weight your food, you don't actually know how much you're eating...
    I thought by just calorie counting, I would know how much I was eating?

  • nanastaci2020
    nanastaci2020 Posts: 1,072 Member
    I drink a lot of soda - but long before I started losing weight, I switched to diet. I would easily have weighed a lot more at my highest otherwise. I just don't want to drink my calories.

    For the breakfast burritos: the highest cal component is likely the shell. You can look for lower cal options in the store. Can use egg whites (or some egg whites w/ less regular eggs), turkey sausage to cut some calories and more veggies to increase the mass of food.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,930 Member
    If you think the food you like is too high in calories then why not look at how it would still be tasty but a bit lower in calories. Cooking yourself gives you all the control you need to make adjustments. Then leave something out, use less of it, or use a replacement.
    I'm having burgers tomorrow. It's 90 grams of fairly low fat mince, a not too big but very tasty bun, I put acar on it (picked Indonesian vegetables), avocado, a fresh yoghurt sauce and a few spices (note: I can't have molten cheese). Then a big pile of oven roast potatoes with more veggies. The dinner comes in at roughly 550 calories and fills me up properly. And I have a burger.
  • AliciaHollywood
    AliciaHollywood Posts: 102 Member
    TeaBea wrote: »
    ChristieJourney wrote: »
    freda78 wrote: »
    I cannot do 1200 or any restrictive number of calories day-in-day-out either. So I do IF instead and eat 600 calories on fasting days and 1800 on non-fasting days. I also have the very occasional treat day.

    This works for me but of course everyone has to find what works for them.
    Good for you at keeping that discipline!! It would be hard for me to only eat 600 cals

    Pick your hard - twice a week at 600 or 7 days a week at 1200. The 1800 calorie days seem effortless for some.

    Strategies for staying full - eat more, lose slower and/or move more, earn bonus calories.

    Protein, fat, and fiber are filling components but it's not the same for everyone. Strategies in the fruit & veggie post above don't do much for me. Spinach w/ a tablespoon of cheese is not a meal........

    I didn’t mean to say don’t eat protein or healthy fats. I just meant that after you ate the right amount of protein and all necessary nutrients and you’re still hungry, you can fill up on fruits and veggies and they are also full of fiber and antioxidants and micronutrients so win/win. I personally don’t have a very big appetite, can’t eat a lot of food at once so to me half a bag of frozen spinach is a lot to put in my stomach at once and fills me up. I usually don’t even eat “meals” but snack on healthy foods throughout the day, making sure to eat the right amount of healthy fats (omegas) and proteins with flaxseed meal, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, cashews in small snacks, so a half bag of spinach is really filling for me to eat all at once but low in calories compared to almost all other foods and super healthy.
  • gceinca
    gceinca Posts: 22 Member
    I have shifted my meal times to late morning, mid afternoon and early evening.

    Also, as I find it easier to be hungry during the day, I try to eat on the lighter side for breakfast and lunch. Then, I have enough calories for dinner and perhaps a snack later.

    One thing that has helped is getting in the frame of mind that being hungry sometimes is a normal part of life. That's why I shifted my meal times and quantities as I can tolerate hunger during the day better than getting to evening and realizing I have 300 calories left.
  • deepsea117
    deepsea117 Posts: 30 Member
    ChristieJourney wrote: »
    It feels nearly impossible to only eat 1240 calories a day! I am getting frustrated and have hit a plateau for a couple months. My BMR is 1656 calories and this app tells me that if I want to lose 20 lbs, than I only can eat approx 1200 cals a day. What do I eat?! Please help :(

    There's a difference between eating 1240 calories a day, and netting 1240 calories a day.

    Don't go by BMR, that's tough to do early on if you haven't done the proper steps first. Go by RMR. I did exactly that. Now I'm netting 1200 calories or less a day.
    Today I ATE 1368 calories. But...I exercised 268 calories, which gives me a NET of 1100 calories.

    Don't let others tell you what you can't do. This is very possible.
    My RMR: 2150
    February: 1850 net (eaten and burned.)
    April: 1600 net
    May: 1475 net

    Now I consistently net between 1200 down to 1000. (Yesterday was 1100.) And my energy, strength, and endurance are up!

    I go rucking at a speed-walk pace and do quick half-mile sessions carrying a 30lb backpack. I do several bodyweight exercises daily, and work with resistance bands. I also just walk 15-20 minutes a day with that backpack. Sometimes an hour if a mall is open.

    Now when I walk without the backpack: Easily a few hours without tiring. Rucking is very easy to pick up and to do. It's almost stupidly easy. Rucking is cardio and strength training like jogging but without the impact. That will easily burn 200 calories in 15 minutes.

    You can do this. Start higher at RMR -200 calories, and gradually increase the deficit. Your stomach will shrink and your body will burn efficiently with the increased activity when you eat the right food!
  • deepsea117
    deepsea117 Posts: 30 Member
    This is a 17-minute ruck using MapMyFitness. Just a last-minute walk before the mall closed. Easily 750-800 calories in an hour. You should try it and link it to your MFP account:

    6qtv94oewjoi.png
  • tnh2o
    tnh2o Posts: 161 Member
    I don't even carry 30 pounds when I backpack. The key to exercise is to find something you enjoy or at least doesn't make you miserable.
  • annecantfindausername
    annecantfindausername Posts: 43 Member
    I eat a lot of frozen meatballs- higher protein, only a couple hundred calories, and will make me not-hungry for a few hours. Also looong walks-- burns time and calories, relaxing and doesnt make me super hungry the way running would. Also im probably closer to BMR calories a couple days a week-- around 1500-- those aren't weight-loss days, but make it less of a slog (though slow), and make me less likely to get frustrated and order a pizza
  • SylviazSpirit
    SylviazSpirit Posts: 694 Member
    I'm going to be the oddball out here, as I usually am, and say, that is because 1200 calories is just not enough. Sure, in theory, you could do it... You could eat lower cal high density foods but would you actually be satisfied and living a full life? I highly doubt it. You are beating yourself up over something your body is screaming at you is not enough. Listen to it. It might be time to increase your calories a bit more. Look into IIFYM and Eat more to weigh less. Also, you may not be accounting for the extra calories your body is using in activity.... And it needs more. Eating less and less and less just makes your body adjust it's metabolism, slowing it down and thus making it harder to lose weight.
  • ALZ14
    ALZ14 Posts: 202 Member
    I can’t be happy long term at 1200 calories, it isn’t enough for me and if I’m not happy then I binge and say screw it and that defeats the purpose. I’m now at 1300 calories (1 pound/week) and I’m going to try it for a few days and see how I feel, I think that will be too low as well.

    You can lower your weight loss goal to 1/2 lb a week and/or you can exercise more (even a short walk is better than nothing). MFP is designed for you to “eat back” your exercise calories.

    But it is important, especially at the beginning, to weigh your food at the beginning so you know what you are actually eating. What our eyes and stomachs say is one serving of Doritos is not usually close to what the package says. Having a scale helps us learn the proper serving size so we can count our calories more accurately and help us better estimate when we need to.
  • deepsea117
    deepsea117 Posts: 30 Member
    Haha...I'm calling out you who disagree.

    Tell me. Would you prefer the OP keep trying to eat -ONLY- 1200 calories? 😂

    That's the OP's goal, I showed how to reach that goal SAFELY and without feeling too hungry. Don't like the OP eating 1200 calories...take it up with the OP.

    In fact, show me your progress/numbers l, and I'll show you mine. Here's my log for yesterday. I got ~150 grams carbs, ~75 grams protein, ~50 fat, all vitamins and minerals ~100%. Sodium was at ~2300mg, fiber at 38 grams. I can even send you my meals if you can handle it. 😆

    Here's a screen shot from yesterday's diary. This is 1100 net calories after eating 1368 calories for the day. If that's not within your capabilities, fine. Stay within your limits. 😏

    The -OP- said what they're trying to accomplish in the title.

    99chssmdyzld.png
  • blue_eyed_fi
    blue_eyed_fi Posts: 24 Member
    I weigh everything. I am only 5ft3 and so don't really need big portions. I also exercise daily and eat back 50% of my calories. I am happy to lose .5lb a week but I haven't much to lose. I find weighing really helps as you know where you stand. Filling up on low calorie veg, salad etc...helps as does substituting low calorie versions of all condiments like mayonnaise etc... I always have a treat like a low calorie chocolate mousse, square of dark chocolate or a small wine each evening as I prefer to see this as a lifestyle change rather than a diet so a little of everything is my preference rather than banning any food. Everything in moderation
  • podperson1
    podperson1 Posts: 207 Member
    I think it's a lot about reviewing your meal choices. On an average day I'll have cereal for breakfast, yoghurt and fruit or something like a veggie omelette for lunch, and then some kind of lean protein with loads of veggies for dinner. If I'm still peckish in the evening I'll have a small snack. I find it's pretty easy with this to stay under 1200 (often I'm under 1000 but if I'm not still hungry then I won't eat more for the sake of it).

    One or two days a week I'll have something more carby like pots or pasta. This can occasionally take me over but if I never have them then the cravings get to me so I work them in and it averages out. In the same vein, nothing is 'banned' so if I want a treat I'll have it but keep it in moderation.

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