only 1200 calories per day, help!!!

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  • enigrebua
    enigrebua Posts: 113 Member
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    I drink lots of skimmed milk and lots of water to help curb my hunger :)

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  • mhankosk
    mhankosk Posts: 535 Member
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    Drink lots of water... don't just sip it, gulp it. You would be surprised at how much that helps. I have heard that most of the time when we think we are hungry we are really just thirsty.
    i have a bit of a problem with the water.. if i drink the recommened 2L a day a pee like a pregnant lady, im talking every 30mins :ohwell: The doc said it'd sort itself out eventually but after 6 months ive had the same problems, i think ive the worlds smallest bladder :tongue:

    I'll fight you for that title! LOL. But I love water. And the extra exercise to get up from my desk and go to the bathroom is just an extra plus! :)
  • krystle_swope
    krystle_swope Posts: 47
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    Honestly 1200 calories a day is terrible for you unless you weigh 100 lbs because you are starving your body and more likely to gain the weight right back that you lose. I've maintained 1500 since July and have lost 23 lbs with exercise 3-5 days a week. Don't be afraid to up your calories to at least 1400!
  • agentscully514
    agentscully514 Posts: 616 Member
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    I agree with everyone who says eat more. 1200 calories a day is not medically recommended and will likely cause your body to go into starvation mode, meaning you won't lose as much.
  • K_Stewart
    K_Stewart Posts: 9 Member
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    Are you working out any? I was eating 1200 a day before I talked to a trainer. He said I need to eat 1500 a day to fuel my body for my workouts. Maybe you should bump your cals up. When I did eat 1200, I ate a lot of tuna on Nature's Own 9 grain bread. It is 40 cals a slice. I also ate tons of apples and clementines. For dinner I like to do chicken in the crock pot with Italian dressing. Then I shred it over lettuce and add a diced tomato. YUM! Very filling!
  • amberpickens
    amberpickens Posts: 149 Member
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    i dont think eatting 1200 calories is a good thing. thats what myfitnesspal told me to do to but i changed it to 1400 and i work out 4 times a week and ive lost 2 pounds in the first week so im not changeing it back. when i only eat 1200 calories i feel hungry and tired
  • Akahime
    Akahime Posts: 35 Member
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    Eat protein with complex carbs at every meal, preferably 6 small meals a day every 3 hours starting from within an hour of waking up. I'm never hungry and it works well. Also drink about 2-3 litres of water a day.
  • AmyLRed
    AmyLRed Posts: 894 Member
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    i am also n 1200 cals (i am only 5'1") and if you want to friend request me, my diary is open to friends. Protein really helps to keep me full, and i drink alot of water!
  • marycmeadows
    marycmeadows Posts: 1,691 Member
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    1200 calories is the BARE MINIMUM a woman should eat -- and I'm sure it's higher for men. 1200 is too low and when I was eating only that much I did not lose weight.... I had to up my calories to 1500-1600 and I started dropping weight like crazy -- I then hit a plateau again after a while and had to up my calories again to 1800! You have to feed the machine. Your body starts conserving energy if you don't feed it enough. Figure out what your BMR is and go from there to determine how many calories you should be eating. But please eat more than 1200.
  • dietfree2012
    dietfree2012 Posts: 868 Member
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    i 100% agree to this; tried 1200 and it makes me grumpy and hungry! to lose a pound a week i can eat 1350... and thats still not enough for me...i like to eat around 1500-1600 a day..this is where working out comes in handy.
  • _HeathBar_
    _HeathBar_ Posts: 902 Member
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    MFP has me set at 1350 cals/day. If I only eat that much I feel really hungry, and when I'm hungry I get really crabby.

    I try to burn about 300-500 cals per day with exercise so I can eat enough to not feel hungry.
  • AngelaeLebron1
    AngelaeLebron1 Posts: 171 Member
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    I eat anywhere from 1200 to 1500 per day, I eat things like....
    breakfast: turkey bacon and eggs, veggie omelets, fiber one cereal or a whole grain cereal with 1% or fat free milk, I drink coffee with creamer and raw sugar (sometimes splenda).

    Lunch: veggie salads with vinaigrette dressing, peanut butter on whole grain bread, a lot of time I have left over dinner for lunch, boneless skinless chicken breasts baked and then sliced and drizzled with vinaigrette in a wrap with lettuce & tomatoes. veggie burgers on whole grain bun.

    Dinner: Usually some sort of meat, but not always, such as : boneless skinless chicken, sirloin steak, salmon (or any kind of fish, really), turkey (I use ground turkey for things that people usually use ground hamburger for), steamed veggies (I like to get the steam able bags) & a garden salad. Whenever I feel like being creative, I like the website skinnytaste.com they have ALL kinds of low calorie recipes.

    snacks: I like fiber one bars (or any granola bars really), almonds, fresh fruit, celery with a scoop of peanut butter, protein shakes, and stuff like that.

    I find it pretty easy to stay in 1200 calories, if you eat the right foods. Feel free to add me if you would like. Hope I was able to help you a little
  • mmallory1
    mmallory1 Posts: 40
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    I eat 4-5 times per day and items high in protein. A lot of light mayo mixed with tuna or canned chicken breast for lunch. High protein yogurt for breakfast and/or snacks. I also splurge with sweet potato steak fries and black bean burgers without the bun! Beef jerky is also great for a snack!
  • Hotrodhoodlum
    Hotrodhoodlum Posts: 148
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    Eat lots of protein it will fill you up and stay with you longer ,,,, Proven fact protein has an effect on reducing your waist size
  • thankyou4thevenom
    thankyou4thevenom Posts: 1,581 Member
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    Open up your diary so we can see what you're eating and help you better. Without seeing your diary I can only guess what you're doing and what might work to help you.

    So lets start with water. It's a great way to get your fluids without adding calories and therefore leaving those calories for your food. If you can't drink plain water, try plain sparkling. I prefer sparkling and that helps. If not try to pick the lower cal versions of the things you love to drink.
    BTW the whole you HAVE to drink 8 glasses of water a day is a myth. It's 8 glasses of fluids for starters and some of that comes from your foods.


    Onto food.
    Portion control is important here. Educate yourself on what a portion looks like, start off by weighing/measuring everything into portion sizes. You'll find there are calories to spare when you start to do that.
    Split up your calories, make your meal sizes smaller and leave yourself room for lots of snacks. Then you can eat when you are hungry.
    Chose the right foods in the right proportions. Also chose the veg you like and then start adding in things you haven't tried before.

    Exercise
    Not only will this get you healthy you'll also get extra calories added onto you daily total. Want an extra portion? Work for it.

    The short answer is you have to get wise about what works for you and what are diet myths and what are not. The forums here contain an amazing amount of info. Have a read,
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
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    I found that by dropping my carbs (ditched all grains refined or whole, legumes, milk and sugar and increased my fibrous veggies, dark leafy greens and have the occasional berry) and increasing my fat - especially saturated fat (with animal fats, butter, coconut oil, olive and avocado oil, eggs) and staying away from processed food products - even "healthy" processed food products - I didn't have to count calories, weigh and log food. I didn't have to worry about portion control. I don't have to eat every couple of hours because the blood sugar crash made me hungry again. I stay full all day.

    Something miraculous happens to fat you eat (not the PUFAs in industrial vegetable and seed oils) when you remove carbs from the picture - it becomes good for you. Fat doesn't make you fat and it is essential to life. Just like cholesterol.

    I started following Primal Blueprint at the beginning of May 2011. It's been an up and down battle with my sugar addiction but I am winning!!

    If you have to pee withing 10 minutes of drinking some water then you are well hydrated and don't need to be sucking it down all day. What never gets mentioned is the 6-8 glasses "they" talk about includes food from which you can get about 40% of that water. At least if you are eating real food and not food products.
  • Lizzy_Sunflower
    Lizzy_Sunflower Posts: 1,510 Member
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    If your famished at 1200, don't stay under 1200. You'll still lose weight at 1500. Heck, as young as you are, you'd probably lose at 1700.

    The majority of the time I was losing (I'm in maintenance now), I ate about 1400-1500 plus exercise calories, for a total of about 1800 a day. I was grumpy and hungry if I tried to stay under 1200.

    This! I exercise so I can EAT more! I love those tasty exercise calories!
  • andrejjorje
    andrejjorje Posts: 497 Member
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    +1 to this
    Open up your diary so we can see what you're eating and help you better. Without seeing your diary I can only guess what you're doing and what might work to help you.

    So lets start with water. It's a great way to get your fluids without adding calories and therefore leaving those calories for your food. If you can't drink plain water, try plain sparkling. I prefer sparkling and that helps. If not try to pick the lower cal versions of the things you love to drink.
    BTW the whole you HAVE to drink 8 glasses of water a day is a myth. It's 8 glasses of fluids for starters and some of that comes from your foods.


    Onto food.
    Portion control is important here. Educate yourself on what a portion looks like, start off by weighing/measuring everything into portion sizes. You'll find there are calories to spare when you start to do that.
    Split up your calories, make your meal sizes smaller and leave yourself room for lots of snacks. Then you can eat when you are hungry.
    Chose the right foods in the right proportions. Also chose the veg you like and then start adding in things you haven't tried before.

    Exercise
    Not only will this get you healthy you'll also get extra calories added onto you daily total. Want an extra portion? Work for it.

    The short answer is you have to get wise about what works for you and what are diet myths and what are not. The forums here contain an amazing amount of info. Have a read,
  • dbe3
    dbe3 Posts: 1
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    I just read this article... http://lowfatcooking.about.com/od/lowfatcookingtools/fr/volumetrics.htm
    The gist of it - 'As a rule of thumb, the higher the moisture content of a given food, the lower its energy density, and the more of it you can eat. You will also feel fuller for longer after consuming it. This explains why people who begin their meals with either a salad or soup go on to consume fewer calories over the course of a meal. They become satisfied sooner.'
  • stephabef
    stephabef Posts: 936 Member
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    I planned a super filling 1200 calorie day today. Unlocked my diary in case you'd like to see. Days when I focus on protein are the most successful for me.

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