How do you people stay at 1200 a day??

Vegetables! Lots and lots of vegetables! Also "Mean and Green" Juice

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Some really good ideas!

The key is eating clean. If you prepare healthy meals with lean meats and vegetables and fruits you won't have a hard time eating around the 1200 calorie level. Actually it will be the opposite, you will be looking for items to help fill your calorie goal.

Eat tons of veggies and salad...watch how much dressing you are using and count those calories....
Eat string cheese and cottage cheese when you snack or STARVED
Fat-Free Jello is awesome when STARVED
My secret is that I have about a 250-300 calorie meal with a huge salad. Good luck!

I think 1200 is way too low for most people. I am a registered dietitian/certified nutritionist. I was given a 1480 calorie level. I upped it to 1600 and then went in and adjusted carbs to 40%. It's very doable.

What makes it better is getting exercise everyday. That can buy another 200 calories at least, even for walking, if you do it for 30-60 mins.

h......I just am doing a MILLION times better than I was BEFORE I started this and I still can't get the lbs to go anywhere....I don't know why I didn't weigh four tons when I think about how I ate before and how I ate now.......

That is the part to hang on to. Everyone has bad days but look where you are now compared to where you woulld be if you were not making these changes.

Also for the middle of the night eating ... I know I'm going to do it so I build a big pot of vegetable soup everyday when I am home. Than I only get to snack after I eat a bowl of the soup. Sure slows down the snacking when I have to eat a bowl of soup before i g t the ice cream.

When I am sticking with it, 1200 calories a day is a lot. I also drink lots of water. I eat every 2 to 3 hours...so I never feel hungry. I do 3 meals ( breakfast lunch and dinner) and three snacks. I keep my snacks at 100 or so. and meals around 300 to 600 at dinner. Salad and lean meats, fish, etc will give you less calories but more protein to fuel you through your day. For me, the protein keeps me from feeling hungry. I can eat 2 servings of chicken at 6 oz each and still not be over my calories. I can even throw in a bunch of veggies. Some nights it is hard to eat the calories I need to fit in because I feel so stuffed.

In any light, this site is for group support but it is very individual. We will all help and support one another but you have to eat and do whats right for you and your body.

Its great to get ideas, but what works for one person may not be suitable for another.

Good luck, and hope your progress is going well!

Look at my diary! Lots of protein and fiber!!

Don't feel bad. i don't know how anyone can be satisfied, let alone function, on 1200 calories, unless you're a child (i know, everyone is different, blah blah). My calories are supposed to be at 1350 and I have a hard time doing that as well. But it is making me see how bad I overate before. i just tried to eat 3 meals a day and it didn't really matter what it was, though i "kind of" knew to eat mostly protein and veggies and less carbs, and cut out sweets pretty much altogether. (not a soda drinker ever in my life thank God). I don't plan on counting each and every calorie for the rest of my life, I'm just doing this for now as a guide and learning experience, to teach me the calories in things and what not to waste calories on. I try to think of it as changing my body, and think of people that get gastric bypass or the lap band surgery...they HAVE to reduce their calories, but their body gets used to it. so i'm trying to do that naturally before i need surgery for it someday. and 1200 calories seems way too low anyway, so you have to exercise to "earn" those calories back...which i hate doing, trust me, but it's a necessary evil. hang in there!

I don't find it difficult at all...as a matter of fact, I have a VERY hard time getting to 1200 net on days I work out. The biggest thing is to get moving and they you have exercise calories to eat back. It will get easier. Maybe slowly lower your calories until you're at 1200? Maybe you're changing too much at once.

I don't know if anyone has said this already but I'll say it anyway.

What I've been doing lately is sticking to eating foods that fill you up quickly but don't stack up on too much of anything like Calories, Fats, or Carbs.

An example of my recent behavior as far as food goes:

I start my morning with a couple of boiled eggs and some grapes. Fruit helps with digestion so it's great to start the day out with it.

By lunch I open up a can of Tuna (High Protein - roughly 22g per can, low calories). That keeps me going for at least another couple hours if not more. If I'm at work though where Tuna isn't available unless I bring it, I buy a chicken salad. Lettuce (as I'm sure you know) is extremely low calories but also fills you up - just make sure you pick a healthy dressing, and if you can't go without your favorite then just make sure you don't douse it on your salad. It would ruin the point of having a salad.

Now, for a snack I sometimes just take meat like Turkey or Ham and wrap it around cheese. That or just eat an apple or something.

Then for dinner I throw in some Carbs + Protein. I'm trying to gain muscle so I need to make sure I have a healthy balance of both so I actually gain muscle while losing weight. I know it's actually pretty bad but I make alfredo on occasion and always make sure to put chicken in it and not make too many noodles. It's pretty much my cheat meal + I need the carbs for my body to process after an intense workout. You need those calories if you start weight lifting.

As for working out, I would keep to what you can do. Don't try to do too much otherwise you'll overexert yourself and become intimidated and never want to work out. Start with some cardio by doing walking, then steadily after a couple weeks increase your speed, and after another few weeks if you feel comfortable start switching between walking and running every few minutes, then after a while you'll be able to run without too much problem. Also, I know it seems cheesy, but if you can find the discipline to do it I would suggest joining a gym if you can find a good cheap one - It helps to bring a friend who either wants to help you or also wants to meet goals of their own.

I don't mean to sound like an expert, I obviously haven't finished my goals and I have a long way to go, but that's just my opinion and my experience lately and it's been working wonderfully, I've almost lost 20 pounds.

When I cut all the crap food out of my diet I had a hard time getting above 1200. Now with the exercise I have been doing the site sometimes says I need 3000. I just eat good food till I am not hungry, not till I am full. Hell I even drink a can of soda here and there just not 10. Dieting is about changing your life style, not starving your self.

So, I actually stagger my calories. I am supposed to eat 1670 cals a day...I eat that many for 1-2 days a week, I have 1 free day a week (cheat day), and eat around 1200 the rest of the days.

I eat a lot of veggies and low cal dips like salsa and Lite Dilly Dip by Litehouse. I have come to LOVE my veggies and my salads.I don't exercise per-se. I walk a lot (and fairly quickly) for work, but I don't count those as burned calories.

I don't feel hungry because I am using so many of my calories in veggies, not only do they fill me up, but they help me feel better overall...and they are low calorie too.

I also only have 1/2 serving of pasta if I choose to eat it. I bulk it up with veggies.

Eat small and eat often.

My 'goal' is around 1200, but my intake is usually around the 1500 mark per day less calories burned, which is only just above my BMR.

Make sure your exercise takes you below your caloric goals, not simply a lack of eating.

I have my goal set at 1500, some days I find it hard to eat that much, I eat anywhere from 4-6 times a day, all I am doing is changing the quality of my food, lean meats, whole grains, more fruits and veggies. It seems like I eat all day, and my calories are usually in check, and I dont stay hungry. I give myself 1 cheat day a week, and I try not to go over 2000 cals on that day. Its kinda weird in fact, I eat 10 times more now, than I ever did before I started this journey, but only 30% of the calories.