1200 cal limit, rarely meet it

sgebhart11
sgebhart11 Posts: 7
in Food and Nutrition
I am hardly ever hungry anymore. A lot of the foods I eat are oatmeal, salads, pastas, lean cuisines, cheese, juice, yogurt....I have been working to stay away from carbs for the most part. Though, by the end of the day, I typically have been having about 300 calories left. I am not hungry, I am usually forcing myself to eat something but I do not want to eat carbs at 9 o'clock at night if I start to get hungry.

I have been trying celery and apples (I like vanilla yogurt with those) but I admit eating the same things over and over again has been getting pretty old. I think this might be part of the reason I have kept weight on. About three months ago I was eating breakfast, a snack, lunch, a snack and then dinner and a snack after that. I lost 5 pounds. I was forcing myself to eat. That is something I do not want to do.

Any helpful ideas to help me reach my calories without feeling overfed and maybe away from my celery and apple snacks?

Replies

  • hostile17
    hostile17 Posts: 54 Member
    Your body has gone into starvation mode... you're eating less calories than a 4 year old would need. What you are eating is very calorie concious food.

    Eat more fats and more protein, and when your body starts to leave starvation mode your weight will start to drop and you'll feel more hungry. And you will need to 'force' yourself initially.

    Good luck.
  • itsuki
    itsuki Posts: 520 Member
    You're probably keeping weight on because you're eating so little.

    I had a similar problem when I started tracking calories - I would just eat when I was hungry. At the end of the day I would be around 800-1000 - no good!

    If I were you, I would try ditching the super low-calorie snacks (like celery) and try something more nutrient-rich.

    What worked for me is eating high-calorie snacks. I love cheese, so I would get those Cracker Cuts (for lazy people - it's just block cheese presliced!). One serving, or 3 small-ish slices, is around 100 calories. I can easily eat that without feeling stuffed. Peanut butter is another great thing. Dip some carrots or apples into it. Any nuts, really! As long as you're not allergic.

    You could also try using protein shakes as a snack (not a meal replacement) for a little while.

    Once you eat at 1200+ calories for a while you'll start feeling hungry more often (or at least I did). Now I eat 1400-2000 a day, depending on my exercise, and I never feel overfed! Just work your way up slowly.
  • RoseVirgo
    RoseVirgo Posts: 2
    I think as long as your eating is balanced and you are eating enough fruit/veg/protein/dairy to get all the vits and mins you need, then you don't always have to eat 1200 a day. Especially if you are a female below average height, because to maintain your weight you would need less than the recomended 2000 a day, then it also makes sense your bmr is less than 1200 a day. Going less than 1200 will speed up weightloss to start with, but you do need to vary it to stop yourself hitting a plateau. For instance, trying having one day a week where you eat 1800kcals, that takes your average up for the week up to 1200. Or try calorie cycling.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    If you have problems processing carbs ... try adding healthy fats. Add a tablespoon of (natural ... lower sugar) peanut butter to your celery or apple ... it's calorie dense & it will up your calories is no time.

    I agree ... eating less than 1200 calories on a regular basis won't help you lose weight. It slows everything down & you risk losing muscle mass.
  • hostile17
    hostile17 Posts: 54 Member
    RoseVirgo, that may be true - but you have to read the rest of the post too. Declining hunger, weight loss halted, struggling to even eat 1200 - that's classic metabolic collapse.
  • gamerkiwi
    gamerkiwi Posts: 93 Member
    Your body has gone into starvation mode... you're eating less calories than a 4 year old would need. What you are eating is very calorie concious food.

    Eat more fats and more protein, and when your body starts to leave starvation mode your weight will start to drop and you'll feel more hungry. And you will need to 'force' yourself initially.

    Good luck.

    Starvation mode is a myth.
    It's true that in the long run, your body burns fewer calories as your calorie count goes down. Just incorporate some exercise, start running, lifting weights and remember to start out too easy/light and ease into your program. I would suggest something like Stronglifts 5x5 coupled with C25k (google them) Don't worry about getting bulky, that won't happen without devotion and a high calorie diet, and even then, it certainly won't happen overnight.

    You won't waste away from low calorie, just make sure you're getting adequate protein and fat. Eat more dairy, meat, nuts, beans, and incorporate good fats, like virgin coconut oil and virgin olive oil.

    As for why you're not losing your weight, we need to know how heavy you are in comparison to your height, what you do for exercise.

    Also:
    "A lot of the foods I eat are oatmeal, salads, pastas, lean cuisines, cheese, juice, yogurt....I have been working to stay away from carbs for the most part. "
    What... You say you avoid carbs, but 5/7 of the foods your list are all carbs (Oatmeal, lean cuisine, pasta, juice and yogurt, unless you're getting full-fat, unsweetened Greek yogurt, yogurt is quite sugary)
  • sgebhart11
    sgebhart11 Posts: 7
    I think I will have to do some research. Sometimes I think that the only way to avoid a lot of carbs is eating fruit and veggies, and even some fruit has a lot of sugar in it. Luckily, I rarely ever drink pop. Anymore I ask for water when I go out to eat.

    I am very much so ready to lose this weight. I am not of average height. I am only 5 ft 1.

    Maybe I will start bringing in fruit again for snacks at work. That is typically an apple or some grapes.

    I do like string cheese, but I try to avoid keeping it in the house. I can sit and eat three of those in an hour if I don't watch myself.

    Usually for dinner I eat a green (green beans or broccoli usually) a small potato and some sort of meat, about as big as my fist. Hopefully that part I am doing okay with. I tried WeightWatchers online for a while, but it was not doing anything for me. I actually gained 5 pounds in 2 months by following it.

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