People Eating 1200 a Day

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  • hollyNhollywood
    hollyNhollywood Posts: 426 Member
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    I also disagree with some of the posts on here generalizing by saying 1200 is too low.
    You just need to listen to your body and take it from there. It depends on how active you are. But tracking your calories is the first step. You'll see where you are wasting your calories and can adjust. (For me, I saw how much calories, sugar and sodium I was really intaking and its all about adjusting. I've worked on calories and sugar, but still have issues some days w/ sodium)

    Except for my exercise routine, I am sedentary (due to working from home, and working long hours). So 1200 works for me. (I usually try to eat 1200-1300 as I eat back some of my exercise calories).
    And it doesn't mean you're starving as some people will say. You should only be starving if you're still trying to eat mainly bad foods. As your portions will be very small..
    You just have to eat the right foods. The healthier foods you eat, the more you can eat. Some days when I eat really well, I even find myself looking for a way to get my calories up to 1200 as I'm not hungry. I'll make a protein shake for a snack, eat apple slices with 'better than peanut butter' spread, eat hummus with red pepper slices, add a serving of blue chips to my "taco salad", etc...
    Now of course everyday isn't easy. On weekends/going out to eat, it is harder for me. But I allow myself freedom on those days. I will allow an approx 1500-1600 calorie day about once a week (but I make sure I work out those days).

    Good luck!!
  • laurajguil
    laurajguil Posts: 6
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    Go ahead and add me. The 1200 isn't enough for me, so I exercise and get more calories. Good Luck to you:smile:
  • mckmom69
    mckmom69 Posts: 22
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    bump
  • tasiamere
    tasiamere Posts: 233
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    Glad to have you on board! 1200 is torture if you're eating packaged foods. I made that mistake in the beginning. But once you learn your staple foods like 4 oz chicken breast = 120cals add pretty much any seasoning you want mrs Dash is awesome and maybe 2-5 cals. 1/2 cup of white rice is normally 120-150. With staple foods you can build awesome things and still stay in line with the 1200/day. Feel free to add me! Diary sharing on other 1200/day MFPs is how I managed to not give up the first week. Good luck!
  • momtokgo
    momtokgo Posts: 446 Member
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    I eat between 1100 and 1200 a day usually, but I'm a gluten free vegan. It makes it hard to get up to 1200 at all, and unless I have something naughty (chips, pop etc) I don't go over. But I'm losing 2lbs a week and I feel good, so its working for me.
  • Dovekat
    Dovekat Posts: 263 Member
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    Hmm i don't always eat 1200 (sometimes more sometimes less) but my diary is open if you would like some ideas, it's pretty borning i suppose but it works for me. :happy:
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    I eat more than 1200 a day, but if you ignore the wine it's not much more. But you'll have to go back a couple of weeks to see my diary because I was without electricity at my house for a while and didn't log.

    But I agree with other posters who have recommended preparing your own food rather than buying prepackaged "diet" meals. They are typically small portions, low in nutrition, high in sodium, and not very tasty.

    I just try to eat a good mix of vegetables, some fruit, whole grains and fish, lean meat, nuts, seeds and beans. I mostly cook and dress my food with extra virgin olive oil. I'm not a big salad eater so most of my veggies are roasted, grilled or stir fried.

    Whole grain wraps are a great way to make a low calorie meal that is both nutritious and delicious. Start with a dark leafy green (kale, arugula, spinach, etc.) and add chopped raw veggies of your choice and some type of protein (hummus, chicken, tuna, cheese, etc.). Sprinkle on a little vinegrette dressing, salsa or hot sauce and wrap it up. (if making a chicken wrap try Frank's Red Hot Buffalo sauce as the dressing. YUM)
  • momma3sweetgirls
    momma3sweetgirls Posts: 743 Member
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    I eat closer to 1500. You can take a look at my diary if you want.
  • twelker878
    twelker878 Posts: 146 Member
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    my diary should be open. Otherwise you can add me. SUNDAY was not a good day though. Dont look at sunday. haha
  • RealWomenLovePitbulls
    RealWomenLovePitbulls Posts: 729 Member
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    I eat normal food, just not junk food. If you drink soda all day, or eat junk, you are not going to reach your goal.
    I am not a big breakfast eater, so I have a Special K granola bar only for breakfast, which is only 90 cal.
    Keep snacks under 200 cal for the day - snacks include drinks!!! Drink water!
    That leaves you 910 calories to split up between lunch and dinner, and you can have a good meal for that.

    good snacks are - 100 cal pks. They have SunChips, White Cheddar Popcorn, and Cheetos in those, also the little 100 cal packs of cookies and whatnot. fruit is always a good snack. I'm not a big snacker, so I usually just have one or none a day, which sometimes is one pop (or Cream Soda!) or one candy bar, but then that's it for the day.

    Make sure when you make your meals, you are having plenty of good veggies, most are really low in calories. You wanna have a "green" veggie with every meal, if you are having corn and potatoes with your meat, you have 2 starches and no slow carbs, and you want to have one of each :)
  • msgremmy
    msgremmy Posts: 88
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    I started out at 1200 calories, then I moved up to between 1500 and 1600 based on my TDEE, and now I'm back to 1200.

    I find that you can still eat a lot on 1200 calories, you just have to use them wisely. My meals for today include:
    Breakfast: Oatmeal
    Morning snack: two Smartdogs (I crave protein sometimes)
    Lunch: Arugula salad, split pea soup and triscuits
    Afternoon snack: stove-popped popcorn
    Dinner: Shirataki noodles with a little margarine, spinach and Gardein (fake) chicken
    Nighttime snack: Almond milk and cherries.
    All of this is right around 1050 calories, so I have some room if I want to add something.

    Oh, my biggest tip is to pre-log your day. Each morning I log my meals. It keeps me on track and excited about all the food I can eat. I actually look at my diary and can say there's nothing else I want.
  • Cold_Steel
    Cold_Steel Posts: 897 Member
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    Start off with 1lb lost per week see where that puts you at.

    If the calories dont change then put it to light activity lifestyle.

    Then if you dont have an active lifestyle, make that happen.
  • runyourbunsoff
    runyourbunsoff Posts: 7 Member
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    this is the nice thing about eating well... 1200 calories is actually quite a bit in healthy food! feel free to add me! i generally eat very clean but i also don't deny myself anything that i am craving. i figure it's better to eat a little bit of something than to restrict so much that eventually i end up eating an entire bag of whatever. i have a lot of nutrition experience/advice from my years of personal research for my own health!
  • Determinednoob
    Determinednoob Posts: 2,001 Member
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    I eat a lot more than 1200 but you can still get ideas from mine as it is open to all. Not a lot of ideas though cause I eat the same things a lot ;)
  • jennaworksout
    jennaworksout Posts: 1,739 Member
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    I think 1200 a day is too little, your metabolism might go out of wack...i would stick to 1600 at least and try to eat 5 times a day in stead of 3 ....I find low calorie yogurt, fruits and veggies are the best to keep in check with calorie counting, I am on the 1200 a day, but I exercise burning about 700-800 calories a day which allows me to eat more.
  • vishk2809
    vishk2809 Posts: 20 Member
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    Hey!
    I'm 5'3 and I was 168 when I started, and started losing 1-2 pounds a week on a 1200 calorie plan with a few cardio workouts a week.
    It has been going really well for me. At first, eating 1200 calories is HARD. But it's easier if, as a general rule, you don't eat food that you didn't make yourself! I only eat out 1-2 times a week.
    I eat tonnnns of veggies, meats, and very few baked-type goods (bread, pasta, pastries, etc.). I eat cheese all the time because I love cheese, and it's high in protein and calcium anyway. I also drink white wine on weekends, btw, I just make sure I do a kick-a** workout on Friday nights before going out to counteract all those alcohol calories. I also eat gelato, ice cream, and dark chocolate - but the key is moderation, and to keep your other food choices healthy!

    Over time you'll get used to it, you'll stop thinking about food so much, and that plate that's half salad, a chicken breast, and 1/2 a cup of brown rice will be all you need, hell, it might even be too much and make you super full.
    The best thing you can do for yourself though, is to make all your own food. That way you know what's in there and you can really control what you're eating, plus keeping your sodium low (high-sodium diets = bloating = dreaded inches!!)

    P.S. Seeing that scale hit 160, and knowing that the 150s were only one pound away, was 1,000,000 x MORE AMAZING than any reese's cup, bowl of kraft dinner, or late night poutine has EVER tasted. Just seeing the number go down will be all the motivation you need - just stick with 1200 calories for two weeks and you will be way more motivated!

    Feel free to add me, and you can check out my food diary as well :)
  • twinmom430
    twinmom430 Posts: 457 Member
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    I'm on a 1260 a day diet. I've lost 50 lbs in 6 months. It's hard, but doable, I've only gone over on my calories about 5 times since I started MFP in January. I added you as a friend so you can check out my diary. Good luck!
  • dperich1968
    dperich1968 Posts: 235 Member
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    stfuriada is right on.

    There are people here (myself included) who will recommend increasing your intake, at least a little bit, as 1200 is the lowest you should go, and that's not always healthy. However, whether you're eating 1200 or 1400 or whatever, you'll get the most bang for your caloric buck if you stick to more whole foods instead of pre-packaged ones. Fruits and vegetables, lean meats, fresh salads, etc. Eating more whole foods will also decrease your sodium intake (unless you load your food with salt), which is also healthier for most people. And you can tailor the flavor to suit your tastes just by adding spices. Homemade salad dressing is easy to make, delicious, and much lower in sugar and calories than store-bought.

    DITTO, you will be amazed how much you eat when you add lots of veggies, and fresh food.

    Good Luck on your ultimate goals.
  • scornholio
    scornholio Posts: 11
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    I think its common that you all surprise yourself as to what you think tastes good and what doesn't if you stick to the diet for at least 3 weeks.
  • Inkchick
    Inkchick Posts: 31
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    You can add me, my diary is open and I am at 1250 a day.

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