How do you people stay at 1200 a day??

Michellemtjpjt · July 2012

I am always under my food count with my daily activities and I get sick if I eat to much. It is very hard to get to my count for awhile i am doing like protein shakes and snacking on healthy things a lot.

alicehmom · July 2012

i am at 1200 a day but i also have a 1 year old and i am on my feet 4 days a week working and i am also bfing i have managed to do it and i am down 8lbs since i started a little over a week ago i am shocked how much i have gone down but i have the same thing for breakfast every morning

Jodibear58 · July 2012

No way I can eat just 1200...am learning the more I exercise the more I can eat. I am trying that for now. Feel free to look at my diary.

dittmarml · July 2012

If you open your diary, we could take a look and perhaps give you some more specific suggestions...

tugers2 · July 2012

you can look at my food log ... just last night i went crazy but every other day is on par

Telugammayi87 · July 2012

I've been doing 1250 calories/day for months now... and have only slowly been losing... i would plateau for a month, lose a lb.. plateau again... despite changing workouts, etc.. I just upped my calories to 1600.. and ZOOOOOOMMMM I feel so much better and I'm losing again! I thought I would feel like crap eating more... but I feel great! My body is thanking me! I supposed some people can make it on 1200 calories.. and I did just fine... but when I finally started eating more, my body started loving it!!

jiggalude · July 2012

Feel free to take a look at my diary...I rarely eat 1200 a day, I do find trouble getting there, but I eat A LOT of food. It's all about WHAT you are eating. You cn have a plateful of veggies (or for me, I add them to a shake) for very little calories. I also eat a lot of omelettes; if you use one whole egg and 3 whites, it cuts calories dramatically...or egg substitute. You can add all sorts of things to an omelette and keep it low cal, but very filling. I typically add a cup+ of finely chopped baby spinach, an ounce of reduced fat mozzarella cheese, shredded chicken, pork, or whatever meat is leftover from the previous dinner or lunch, and sometimes a tbsp of real bacon pieces(only 25 calories for a whooole lotta bacon flavor!) The entire omelette generally doesn't exceed 200 calories.

suzcain · July 2012

I'm only 5' tall, so I really have to stick to the guidelines. So I exercise every day to add to my daily allotment. I was lucky - I found exercise that I L-O-V-E... Dance-based cardio classes!!! I usually take a day off each week, and on those days, I just accept that I will gain a little back.

kaybeau · July 2012

I too find it too hard yet when I set my targets at 1500 I find it easier to hit 1200...weird I guess.

Mrsbrandnewmeslimandtrim · July 2012

:drinker:

Sharon_C · July 2012

I don't ever stay under 1200 calories. MFP says I should eat 1520 calories a day if I want to lose 1lb a week. I usually keep it between 1400 and 1500 calories a day.

I don't want to starve myself and I don't want to obsess about what goes in my mouth (been there, done that and won't ever do it again). I still want to enjoy food occasionally and I've found that 1400-1500 cals a day lets me do that.

I've been on MFP for a month now and have seen a difference so it can work.

ps - I should add that I am not an exerciser either. I walk my dogs daily for my exercise but I don't eat back my calories, however I do lead an active lifestyle. I'm on my feet and walking sometimes 8 hrs a day at my job.

basschick · July 2012

Are you yourself trying to eat 1200 calories a day, or are you just wondering how other people do it? If you're trying to stick to 1200 that's probably way too few calories for you. I haven't read thru all 6 pages of responses, so perhaps this has already been stated. I see on your profile that you set out to lose 170 some-odd pounds (I can't remember the exact number) and you've lost 22 already. Judging by that, I'm guessing that you must weigh at least in the mid 200s. I'm no weight loss expert, but unless you're on some kind of closely monitored medically supervised diet, 1200 calories a day seems awfully low for your current weight. I didn't drop my calories back to 1200 until I weighed 140 lbs. and was trying to lose those last 15 lbs. Even then, I was eating around 1500 and then burning off around 300 through exercise.

vklebanova · July 2012

Check my Diary .. granted I also exercise so my actual intake is usually a little higher but I'm always under 1200 net cals. Honestly I don't know how anyone eats more than like 1500 cals .. I feel sick with that much food. Healthy foods also tend to be nutrient dense instead of calorie dense.....

michaelalalalala · July 2012

I've only just started on here, but so far haven't had any issues... Couple of pieces of fruit for breakfast, half chicken breast, some rice & veges for lunch (usually leftovers from the night before) then fruit again in the afternoon with 20 almonds, followed by fish/chicken/steak and veges for dinner... No sauces or anything, as I've found thats where the calories are.. It tastes pretty bland but eyes on the prize right? Lemon juice is amazing to flavour steamed veges...

You can't cut down to 1200 straight away if you've been eating alot more than that though, slowly cut down maybe cut it by 200 cals a week?

DanielleHinkle24 · July 2012

The only way I can stay under/at 1200 cals a day and not get hungry is to stick with foods that are high in protein and low in sugars and/or carbs - I.e. lean meats, eggs, veggies, nuts, and fruit. Sometimes I allow myself "cheat" meals...like last night when I had a margarita made with sugar free mix (yum). I don't always hit my target but I always log what I eat - even if it has been a horrific day. This way I am more accountable.

jaygregz · July 2012

Okay I'm on a 1300 calorie diet. It hasn't been overly hard to stick with the 1300 calorie diet. For me it's about finding satisfying lower calorie foods, drinking lots of water, and eating 5 times per day. I eat every 3-4 hours that I'm awake.. so by the time I get hungry again I'm eating again. I could do it without exercising and eating back but I do exercise so I do get extra calories which makes it that much easier. Essentially those extra calories come back in the form of protein shakes or extra veggies for me.

triciab79 · July 2012

I thought it would be impossible for me but i don't find it all that hard now. I pop 100 cal popcorn early in the day and use that everytime I feel the need to snack. I just grab a handful at a time so it lasts all day.

AlmstHvn · July 2012

You've gotten some great advice about adjusting your settings and so on. For comparison, I'm 5'3", have 100 more lbs to lose, and my daily allowance is about 1600 - up to 1800 if I exercise.

I suggest checking out the Communities for people you have common goals with - whether it's pounds to lose, starting weight, or whatever. You might pick up tips that are more specific to your needs there!

Best wishes!

hyperthread · July 2012

I am able to manage under 1200 calorie a day but that is because I hit the treadmill and lift some weights for an hour - every day.

My motivation is my cheat meals every Saturday for lunch and dinner. I already lost 10 lbs in 2 weeks.

Megabot · July 2012

OMG I can't.

I eat ~1800ish on comfortably 'low' days. When I excercise is the ONLY time I ever lose weight. I do not know how people just eat salad!!!!!

How do you people stay at 1200 a day??

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