trouble eating 1200 calories...

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yentasdoitbetter
yentasdoitbetter Posts: 82 Member
in Food and Nutrition
i think i'm keeping a really good diet but somedays i have trouble eating 1200 calories, like yesterday. i'm eating 6 small meals a day and drinking plenty of water...which is leaving me not hungry but not full all day long. i feel great! completely energized, not weighed down, and thinking more clearly.

what could be so unhealthy about not eating 1200 calories a day if i'm eating all day long, healthy balanced meals, and drinking plenty of water?
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Replies

  • yankeefamily05
    yankeefamily05 Posts: 657
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    I know how you feel..Except I am supposed to eat 1600 cals a day....When I work out it bumps it up to 2000 cals !!!...I know its important to eat your calories...


    Not only do I not feel hungry , but i run out of options of what to eat??....
  • hasiangirl
    hasiangirl Posts: 1,613
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    how tall are u?.......i was on a 1200 cal diet but because i'm 4'10" my body only needs 1000 i was told
    p.s. and i was having trouble getting the 1200 in as well ...but if u up your meat content ....for example if i have low days then i eat pork or red meat to up the cals
  • yentasdoitbetter
    yentasdoitbetter Posts: 82 Member
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    how tall are u?.......i was on a 1200 cal diet but because i'm 4'10" my body only needs 1000 i was told
    p.s. and i was having trouble getting the 1200 in as well ...but if u up your meat content ....for example if i have low days then i eat pork or red meat to up the cals

    i'm only 5' 1" and weigh EEEEK 198 lol
  • msarro
    msarro Posts: 2,748 Member
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    Eating less than 1200 calories over a prolonged period of time will basically cause your body to start limiting its functions so that it can survive on those 1200 calories. You'll get fatigued quicker, your metabolism will begin to slow down, etc. It'll also start to feel satiated on less because it HAS slowed down.

    When I first started I used to eat maybe 1-2 meals every other day - no lie. It felt like I was gorging myself when I'd eat regularly, but it really did help.
  • hasiangirl
    hasiangirl Posts: 1,613
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    Eating less than 1200 calories over a prolonged period of time will basically cause your body to start limiting its functions so that it can survive on those 1200 calories. You'll get fatigued quicker, your metabolism will begin to slow down, etc. It'll also start to feel satiated on less because it HAS slowed down.

    When I first started I used to eat maybe 1-2 meals every other day - no lie. It felt like I was gorging myself when I'd eat regularly, but it really did help.
    not to everyone tho.... 1200-1400 is more my maintaining calories to eat....but yentasdoitbetter i wouldnt recommend going under those cals until talking to a nutrionist and seeing where they think your bodies at and how many a day u should be eating.....just cook with some EVO until the time comes :bigsmile: its good healthy fats that are also good for ur skin
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    5' 1" is kinda borderline for 1200, so it's not surprising that you feel fine eating that many. BUT be very very cautious. Mark is right (msarro), it's quite possible you've been eating too few for a while, and your body has adjusted to that. This can mean many bad long term things. First and foremost, the "non-essential"
    organs can start to slow down their function, which slows the metabolism, and makes your body burn less calories, which isn't really very good for you. Also it can mean less efficient oxygen delivery, which means some cells don't get the oxygen you need. It can also mean an increase in free radicals in the blood, which means greater risk of cancer and other types of blood born malidies.

    None of this is meant to scare or threaten, it's just human biology. The body will do what it feels best in the short term at the expense of long term health (the best example of that is fat storage, another is calcium depletion from bones).

    So while I'm not sure whether 1200 is enough, more than enough, or less than enough to sustain you (can't know that without a much deeper view of your numbers and tendancies), it's something to be very careful with, and make sure that you stay at that 1200 number as a baseline minimum. This is all, obviously just MHO, really if you're concerned, I would go see a registered dietitian.

    best luck,

    Banks
  • Phoenix_Rising
    Phoenix_Rising Posts: 11,417 Member
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    Toss back some almonds or cashews. Very healthy, high in healthy calories.
  • sindyg
    sindyg Posts: 12
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    Ive heard that if you eat less than what your BMR recommends in calories, that your body will start to feed off of your muslces. So it will seem like you are losing weight but all youre really doing is losing muscle mass.
  • TamekaBohorquez
    TamekaBohorquez Posts: 36 Member
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    What does a typical day of eating look like for you.....
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    Ive heard that if you eat less than what your BMR recommends in calories, that your body will start to feed off of your muslces. So it will seem like you are losing weight but all youre really doing is losing muscle mass.

    This is very very closely related to how much body fat you have available. People with High body fat don't usually have this happen (or not to a significant degree at least), but as your BF% lowers, the body will look more and more towards protein as a source of energy. Which is why it's so important to decrease your deficit as you move closer towards your goal weight and Body Fat.
  • carolstrange0
    carolstrange0 Posts: 134
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    but what if your 1200 calorie intake is nothing but protine... suck as the adkins diet. Wouldnt your body have to find the fat first to burn insted of the muscle?

    just curious?
  • cc_campbell81
    cc_campbell81 Posts: 622
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    I saw a nutritionist who said no woman should really go below 1200 (of course there are exceptions). For all of the reasons listed before, like your metabolism slowing and your body thinking its startving so it starts storing stuff. Maybe try enjoying a few treats here and there to get you to 1200 or add an extra couple slices of turkey or some sauce or dressing. As far as eating exercise calories you don't have to eat those if you are trying to lose weight.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    but what if your 1200 calorie intake is nothing but protine... suck as the adkins diet. Wouldnt your body have to find the fat first to burn insted of the muscle?

    just curious?

    This is a very specific diet type (assuming you really are on nothing but protein and fat) and is called a Ketogenic diet. It's a very specific diet that needs to be ahered to very strictly. Atkins is NOT Ketogenic, and you do actually use carbs. Whole differerent situation.

    But yes, the body will use ingested protein before muscle, but only if there is enough protein, and only if it's in a form that can be digested quick enough to use, otherwise the body will look for the fastest available source of energy that it can use, sometimes that's ingested carbs and fat, sometimes that's body fat, sometimes that's muscle tissue.
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
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    this very informative post should clear up questions regarding exercise calories


    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo
  • Demetria
    Demetria Posts: 178
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    Natural peanut butter is 210 calories for 2 Tbsp! Avocadoes, almonds, walnuts are higher in calories and also have the good fat just be sure you don't go over your total fat intake for the day. Which on a normal diet is no more than 30% of your total daily allowance. Brown rice, potatoes have a good amount of calories, too.

    I looked at your food diary and I would suggest you switch to whole grain wheat bread vs the wonder lite bread, regular cheese vs the weight watchers cheese, and really look at all of your food labels, alot of low calorie processed foods have alot of stuff that does nothing for you nutritionallhy.

    You can take a look at my food diary to see what I eat for my 1200 calories.
    hth,
    Demetria
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    I should amend my previous statement, Atkins, for a short period at the beginning, does put the body into Ketosis, but only for a few weeks, then you move out of the ketogenic phase. Sorry about that.
  • bwilton77
    bwilton77 Posts: 93 Member
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    I looked at your food diary and it doesn't look like you are eating enough. Try adding some fresh fruits and veggies. Especially fruits will add healthy calories and nutrients your body needs.
  • hiddensecant
    hiddensecant Posts: 2,446 Member
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    I'm 5'1 (131 lbs) and I eat 1400 plus exercise calories (for today it means close to 1800 total) and I am still losing.

    As stated before, your calories can easily be bumped up by switching to whole grain bread, whole foods in general, and natural cheese (at least the type that has cheese in the beginning of the ingredients list instead of the end).
  • yentasdoitbetter
    yentasdoitbetter Posts: 82 Member
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    well today i tried eating a little extra, turns out im eating when im not even hungry lol lets see what happens at the gym tonight, maybe i'll be able to work out even longer! Considering the air conditioning is broke in the cardio room lol lets see how long i can last hehe
  • yentasdoitbetter
    yentasdoitbetter Posts: 82 Member
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    Natural peanut butter is 210 calories for 2 Tbsp! Avocadoes, almonds, walnuts are higher in calories and also have the good fat just be sure you don't go over your total fat intake for the day. Which on a normal diet is no more than 30% of your total daily allowance. Brown rice, potatoes have a good amount of calories, too.

    I looked at your food diary and I would suggest you switch to whole grain wheat bread vs the wonder lite bread, regular cheese vs the weight watchers cheese, and really look at all of your food labels, alot of low calorie processed foods have alot of stuff that does nothing for you nutritionallhy.

    You can take a look at my food diary to see what I eat for my 1200 calories.
    hth,
    Demetria

    thanks for the tip on looking at your diary! i think this coming paycheck i'm going to make tacos, they sound MMMMMM, might try to do some fahitas as well MMMM ok i need to stop, mouth is watering lol

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