My 2nd Day at MFP.. Struggling @1200 Calories

maloujack
maloujack Posts: 4 Member
in Getting Started
I barely slept.,was overwhelmed, anxious & excited as I was able to survive yesterday on 1200 calories.,but boy was I hungry. I was so tempted to grab a snack at 3am! Im glad I didn't... Instead, I started planning on my meal for today. I Hardly slept as I was navigating my way through this app which is totally totally new to me...Learning progress. I hope I have it in me to be able to stick with this regime. To be in it for the long haul. 🤗😊

Replies

  • conniewilkins56
    conniewilkins56 Posts: 3,391 Member
    I would starve on 1200 calories a day!
  • freda666
    freda666 Posts: 338 Member
    I do a bit more than 1200 calories but make it work by having around 1800 calories on 4 days a week (Sat, Sun, Tue, Thur) and no more than 600 calories on 3 days a week (Mon, Wed, Fri). I also allow myself the very occasional treat day, maybe twice a month, on what would otherwise have been a 1800 calorie day but the daily walking I do easily accounts for those extra calories.

    Obviously this will not suit everyone but it is the option that works for me - I have lost a 100 pounds in a year. So that averages 2 pound a week, more when I started and quite a bit less now I am smaller but still steady loss.

    But however many calories, it is good advice to pre-plan all your food rather than eat and then log, as you know ahead of time what food is available to you for that day.
  • gewel321
    gewel321 Posts: 718 Member
    I do it on 1200 calories a day but I have a very small stomach. I wouldn’t recommend that little calories starting out to anyone. Especially going from eating mass quantities of food to hardly nothing. Some days are harder than others! The reasons “dieting” fails is because we are miserable. Do what works for you. Look at your numbers and see what works. Yes it may take longer but you won’t be miserable and therefore more likely to stick with it. In the long run it will be shorter since you won’t have all those “cheat meals” or falling off the wagon.
  • ladybluedevil
    ladybluedevil Posts: 1 Member
    My goal is a net 1240 a day, but with exercise added from my FitBit I usually get another ~300 per day. 1500 is MUCH more doable than 1200! I am always hungry at 1200 but feel like I can do 1500 every day long term. Also, it gets easier as your body adjusts to less food!
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,300 Member
    OP what are your stats?

    I presume female from your avatar - but what is your current weight, height, age, activity level?
    Activity level will be an estimate ( use MFP's guidelines for deciding this)

    Only then can we say if 1200 NET is right for you.

    Notice the NET - even if 1200 is right, you should be eating back at least half your calories from excercise.

    The other thing may be to adjust some of the foods you are eating - and some high calorie but low volume foods ( and drinks) might be best swapped for lower calorie alternatives.
  • sam00xx
    sam00xx Posts: 8 Member
    I'm doing 1,100-1,200 calories and I am very petite (4'10).

    You shouldn't be hungry when dieting. Adjusting the food that you eat can help with feeling fuller for longer.
    I found the following tips helpful:
    - Eating an adequate amount of protein (whether its from meat or plant based products such as whole grains like quinoa, lentils, beans, nuts, seeds etc - can all be added to things like salads) can help you feel fuller for longer.
    - Drinking water before a meal can help feel fuller after a meal.
    - Reducing stress: there are studies done on the correlation between high levels of cortisol (stress hormone) & food cravings - practise mindfulness or do things that help reduce your stress.
    - Eating a high fibre diet.
    - Be careful of liquid calories.

    If you're constantly hungry on 1,200 calories, try find a number of calories that's a little higher that suits you. A calorie deficit & burning some extra calories through exercise will help lose weight. Losing weight can be a pretty horrible experience if you are going about your day being unsatisfied and unhappy with your plan.

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