How do you people stay at 1200 a day??

Breakfast is a must (approx300-400cals), Lunch is usually quite light (a shake, yoghurt and some fruit approx 300-400cals) and then dinner (i try to keep it light but it is difficult). For dinner i usually plan the night before or on the morning what and how many calories it is and stick it in to MTF and i need some spare for snacks (fruit).

If I'm having a particularly heavy dinner then I may skip my shake at lunch (230cals) and save this for dinner instead.

It can help to put your food for the day into MFT in the morning and then its already planned for you and I generally stick with it. Otherwise exercise and that can also add calories to your daily allowance:happy:

'Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a Queen and dinner like a pauper'

I was literally starving on 1200 a day. I felt tired, freezing cold, shaky, my skin was saggy. It made me feel and look ill. Even eating "all the right things"

I am on 1500 to maintain now and I am still hungry most of the time, but it's bearable.

I went from eating about 2400-2800 a day down to 1700. I am doing well so far keeping it under 1700 and not being hungry. I had only 565 so far today because I didn't bring enough food to work with me, and I am starving! I really hope I don't pig out too much at dinner. For me, three sensible meals and a couple of healthy snacks seems to do the trick.

I eat alot of fruit and veggies....especially the lowest calorie ones. A BIG salad before meals helps me fill up and I use only 1 tsp oil in the salad dressing If I have a special occasion and plan on eating out, I compensate by eating only low cal fruits and veggies and a very lean protein during the day of.

What do you mean by 'clean foods"? i would like to friend you.

From what I gathered, this was a question posed out of curiousity?
You eat healthy foods, the more natural the better, and eat proper serving sizes.
Now should everyone be doing this? Is it meant to be for everyone? No, of course not.
If you find that you are eating healthy food options but are always hungry/weak, then you need to re-evaluate and re-adjust your goals.
As eating 1200 is not meant to be a golden rule that everyone should do, so not sure why there is constant grief about it on these boards?
We each entered in our weight and how active we are in daily life, and MFP spit out the results for you to work towards your goal.
Eating 1200 calories and doing it in a healthy way, and NOT starving yourself, is completely attainable.
(Of course, that said, that doesn't mean everyone who is eating 1200 is doing it in a healthy manor.)
I eat 1200-1300 calories (I eat back some of my exercise calories), with usually one day a week where I do1400-1700 calories.. and I'm not starving. If anything I'm often full. On those days that I do feel hungry, I listen to my body and eat more.
Thats what this is all about-- listening to your own body and being healthy.

I'm not just trying to lose weight, I'm trying to be healthy!

My secret is home cooking. Find recipes that interest you, foods you'll look forward to eating, and cook for yourself. Prepare different kinds of salads and soups to have on hand. The worst thing you can do is 1) skip meals and 2) eat out at restaurants! Shop for fresh foods at the grocery store; fill up on healthy foods that are delicious - they will always be low calorie too. Use the food database to watch your portion sizes. If it says 4 ounces of chicken, weigh your portion to make sure you have just four ounces. Good luck! You can do it!

I used to stay at this amount. Mind you, it was very difficult. I would call it torture, which is why I kind of took a vacation from dieting for a bit. >.>; What helped me when I was enduring this diet, was a lot of water, and exercise. If I didn't exercise one day, I would drink a lot of water, and eat foods full of protein like eggs, turkey slices, chicken etc.

What sucks is that when you do exercise, your body craves a lot more food than usual, so even though you may now eat more due to net calories, you may find yourself eating more calories than when you didn't exercise. This is because your body needs more energy and nutrients to use.

Having a set amount of calories allows you to eat the right amount for your body to absorb and use, while it may burn some body fat on the side. Bleh, dieting is tough, that's all I can say. What I'm doing right now, is still eating a bit bad, while still keeping track. As time goes by, I'll be lessening my calorie intake bit by bit, so eventually Ill be able to do a 1200 cal diet.

I've tried going instantly into a 1200 diet, and there is one nice perk to it: You lose calories fast. The bad side is you might lose muscle mass. You also may hit a "wall" in losing weight faster than others. This is just from my own experience and any diet may affect you differently. However, I hope that this helps in whatever way possible.

I hate to say it but its a lot of willpower. If you can break the habits you have fallen into, like eating because its noon, not because your truly hungry, then you will get there. I make most of my own food so I know whats in it and stick with lots of lean meats which are filling and veggies which are filling and low calorie. Good luck!

You need a goal to weigh against every time you get hungry or crave something bad. I laid in bed fighting hunger pains at the beginning thinking about my motivations... Every bad decision jeopardized that motivation and that got me through. I made a point to drink a glass of water whenever i got hungry and wait a half hour to see if I was still hungry. When I did eat I ate small portions as I knew I could always eat more... but I wasn't willing to remove eating too much

WHAT IS A FITBIT?

getting a full 8 hours of sleep helps too. thats 8 hours a day i'm not up wondering what is for my next meal lol

I think a lot of it has to do with food choices and quality. When I first started, I constantly went over but I didn't really change up my diet much. Now I eat a lot of chicken, turkey, rice, veggies, fruits, rice and even stuff that isn't so good for me but with much smaller portions. Some days I don't even get to 1200 and I'm STUFFED. Also some days I'm left with 1400 or so if I get a good work out in and burn 700+ calories.

Hang in there, it gets easier!!

I've been doing 1200 cals a day for the most part since January when I actually started MFP. I've been able to stick with it by eating lots of fruits, vegetables, almonds, greek yogurt, eggs, lean meats and fish. I try to eat low carb, high protein. If I eat carb/starchy food, I limit to 1-2 servings a day and then I only have things that are whole grain like oatmeal, brown rice, whole wheat bread, etc. I eat 3 meals and 2 snacks each day. Meals are about 300 cals each and snacks are below 200. Some days, depending on how many cals I burn during workouts, I eat back some of my cals. Also I have a "cheat" meal once every 2 weeks or so. I also try to cook things using fresh ingredients as much as possible rather than using pre-packaged items to help cut down on sodium. So far, that's what has worked for me. This is the longest time I've stuck with losing weight and I think it is because I've found something that I can do without being hungry all the time.

THIS! It's not a matter of starving yourself or eating in an extreme manor. It's a matter of fueling your body with the right foods. You're going to run a whole lot longer on a few ounces of lean protein than you will with an ounce of potato chips. Plain and simple. I've been maintaining 1250 calories daily for almost 6 months and almost NEVER feel hungry. Schedule food. Don't wait until your body tells you your hungry. 3 meals and 2 snacks at the same time, every day will help keep you on track.

First of all, however frustrated you may feel, don't quit. I never stay under my 1400 goal. Wish I could say i did, but I don't. I'm super active so I have an appetite to match that. For me, what I've had to start doing is eating until I'm satisfied and listening to the hunger signals. As long as I feel healthy, my clothes are fitting better, and I feel that I'm making emotional progress then I'm doing good. I often ask myself questions like, "Is this chocie based on who I used to be or who I want to be?" And that helps me make better choices. Don't beat yourself up if the poudns are dropping as fast as you want them to. Make small steps every day towards being healthier and in the end the pounds will come off.

Will power.