I can't seem to eat 1200 calories!

maddiemcdonald33
maddiemcdonald33 Posts: 3
edited December 25 in Motivation and Support
This sounds ridiculous and I know it but I've been dieting for about 2 weeks and the hardest part is actually eating the 1200 calories. I eat tons of fruit and salad but I oversleep a lot so by the time I get up to eat breakfast, it's lunch! I know I should just wake up earlier but even then, my meals are only about 200 calories each! What should I do?
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Replies

  • haylz247
    haylz247 Posts: 435
    the worst thing you can do is think of it as a diet. its a lifestyle change :)

    have protein/diet shakes. great way to get calories.

    you need more than fruit and salad. do you eat meat? try preparing food in advance too :)
  • kdward83
    kdward83 Posts: 32
    I know when I first started I didn't have any problem staying under my calorie goal, but as I worked out harder and longer over time I'm much hungrier. I still eat healthy food, but i eat ALOT of it lol. I increased my calorie goals because I was either frustrated about going over or staying at target and not having the strength for my workouts.
  • sgoessling
    sgoessling Posts: 119
    Bump I'll be back with info
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    Stay away from anything low-fat, fat-free, low-cal, sugar-free, no-sugar-added, or nutrition-free.

    Eat normal food. Stuff that grew out of the ground or had a mother... lean meat, poultry and fish, eggs, dairy, nuts, seeds, beans, legumes, vegetables, fruits. Add in healthy fats - olive oil, avocados, coconut oil...

    Don't eat diet food. Ever. Yuck.
  • thebrianmo
    thebrianmo Posts: 108
    Into my second weeks and I can't hit my 1200 calorie mark some days and am still getting a lot of food because of the choices I'm making. You said sometimes you sleep in and since I do that as well I thought I'd share what I do. On days when I sleep in and don't get up until late, I just begin my day with my first meal regardless of the time. On my journey and lifestyle change I am using the New Direction Meal Replacement drinks for half of my 1200 calories and I turn those into smoothies using ice and fruit. One of the keys is portion control. Salad, while good for you (depending what you put on it) would become not so good if you ate 2 or 3 pounds of it a day. One of the best ways to help you succeed is to use a food log or journal. I am constantly updating mine each day so I know at any point how many calories I've consumed and then another key is learning what you can eat to stay within those calories. If your not already part of a medical weight loss group, I'd recommend it. That has become so vital to me in my journey and early success. Best wishes!
  • KuroNyankoSensei
    KuroNyankoSensei Posts: 288 Member
    Lots of avocado and peanut butter :flowerforyou:
  • maddiemcdonald33
    maddiemcdonald33 Posts: 3
    I don't eat red meat but I eat chicken at least once a day and I make my lunch and dinner for the week on most weekends but sometimes it's still not enough. I usually eat about 1000 calories a day, if that.
  • maddiemcdonald33
    maddiemcdonald33 Posts: 3
    Thanks! I try not to eat anything packaged and I only drink water, tea, and coffee. I think I'm going to switch to five meals at about 250 calories each and see if that works better for me.
  • eig6
    eig6 Posts: 249 Member
    Stay away from anything low-fat, fat-free, low-cal, sugar-free, no-sugar-added, or nutrition-free.

    Eat normal food. Stuff that grew out of the ground or had a mother... lean meat, poultry and fish, eggs, dairy, nuts, seeds, beans, legumes, vegetables, fruits. Add in healthy fats - olive oil, avocados, coconut oil...

    Don't eat diet food. Ever. Yuck.

    Exactly.
  • NoxDineen
    NoxDineen Posts: 497 Member
    Sounds like it's time for you to make friends with protein shakes. Or maybe just work out harder. I still often net just under 1200 but since starting to work out my appetite has been pretty rock solid.
  • stfriend
    stfriend Posts: 256 Member
    If you're just not that hungry then you want high calorie/low density foods. Avocados, peanut butter, olive or canola oil, etc. Protein shakes are good too.
  • RoseVernon
    RoseVernon Posts: 88 Member
    Nuts are good. :-)
  • Linda1028
    Linda1028 Posts: 8 Member
    String cheese (about 80 cal a pc) might be a good option to boost your intake of calories. Also I have slept in on occassions too and I just eat my breakfast WITH my lunch. Good luck, you don't want to screw up your metabolism doing a 1000 cal a day, soon your body will think that's "too much" and then you'll really be in stravation mode and frustrated that you can't seem to lose on even a 1000 cal!
  • meeka472
    meeka472 Posts: 283 Member
    If you're eating clean, 1200 calories can be hard to hit for some people (myself included). I add protein shakes into my diet to make sure I get to at least 1200 per day.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Eat real food, not just "fruit and salad."
  • justinajulie
    justinajulie Posts: 5 Member
    That used to happen to me for the same reason. I changed my morning habits and now I get up at 7 and eat properly. It is too hard
    to get the calories in if I start the day later. I feel less depressed and I love how much stuff I get done! However, when I work( 3 days a week) I get up at 5:30 for a long commute and am starving again by 9:30! Yes, and it is a good idea to get some protein in; beans, fish, lean meats.
  • JeSuisPrest
    JeSuisPrest Posts: 2,005 Member
    If you don't already have one, get yourself a food scale and measure everything. Do not eyeball! Lawd knows I can eat 1200 calories in one meal, easily!! ;)
  • SNelsonRN
    SNelsonRN Posts: 1
    Protein!
  • TallyGal97
    TallyGal97 Posts: 80 Member
    Stay away from anything low-fat, fat-free, low-cal, sugar-free, no-sugar-added, or nutrition-free.

    Eat normal food. Stuff that grew out of the ground or had a mother... lean meat, poultry and fish, eggs, dairy, nuts, seeds, beans, legumes, vegetables, fruits. Add in healthy fats - olive oil, avocados, coconut oil...

    Don't eat diet food. Ever. Yuck.


    THIS!! THIS!! THIS!!
  • Kona2014
    Kona2014 Posts: 38
    Nuts are good. :-)

    ^What she said :0)
  • BVannillie
    BVannillie Posts: 140
    Peanut butter, whether just a teaspoon on its own or on some bread/toast is a good way to rack up some cals. Also bananas are great and have about 100 give or take depending on size. It really depends. Sometimes I want to consume more cals but not more protein which can be a pain, in which case I just up the amount of fruit or veg I use in a meal.
  • prettydragonfly
    prettydragonfly Posts: 26
    Hi, I am really not being rude and I hope you won't mind me asking but I am curious to know how you gained weight in the first place if you can't even eat 1200 calories per day?
  • fhsjewfro
    fhsjewfro Posts: 101 Member
    either eat fattier foods to make up for the cals

    or

    sack up (yes, i realize you are a woman) and force feed yourself

    at the end of my bulk i was eating 4500 cals everyday, AND i did it in an 8-9 hour feeding window. You really do not have an excuse to not eat 1200 cals
  • dsckrc
    dsckrc Posts: 194 Member
    kinda sick of people complaining about not being able to eat 1200 calories. really? it's 1200 calories. sorry.
  • mkbledsoe
    mkbledsoe Posts: 132
    sounds like crazy talk to me. Never had that problem ever. I have to work at not eating 1200 calories at each meal.
  • shgreenw
    shgreenw Posts: 194 Member
    I have had that problem too. I LOVE fruits a vegetables and they are so accessible in the summer. I was at work yesterday and ate an entire bag if sugar snap peas. It said it was 2.5 servings but there were only 100 calories in the entire bag. When you're trying to eat clean, it can be difficult. I bought some Jillian Michaela powdered protein shakes today and I'm hoping that will give me a boost to hit my calorie goal on those days when I'm having troubles hitting it. Carry a Luna bar or something similar in your purse when you can't carry a canister of protein powder around. Lol. Good luck!
  • Jesse_Hunter
    Jesse_Hunter Posts: 162 Member
    I have had that problem too. I LOVE fruits a vegetables and they are so accessible in the summer. I was at work yesterday and ate an entire bag if sugar snap peas. It said it was 2.5 servings but there were only 100 calories in the entire bag. When you're trying to eat clean, it can be difficult. I bought some Jillian Michaela powdered protein shakes today and I'm hoping that will give me a boost to hit my calorie goal on those days when I'm having troubles hitting it. Carry a Luna bar or something similar in your purse when you can't carry a canister of protein powder around. Lol. Good luck!

    You just need to focus more on fruits for your calories instead of vegetables. Both are low calorie foods, but fruits make it pretty easy to get in 1200 calories. 12 bananas = roughly 1200 calories.
  • sgoessling
    sgoessling Posts: 119
    first thing, check out this calculator http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm


    1200 cal is starvation mode, if you are 1 under you are technically starving yourself. Meaning your body will HOLD ONTO fat making it hard to burn. My beach body coach said to go with the weight loss, not the extreme weight loss. I was eating under 1200, and I talked to him and he said I should be at 1900. Not to mention, im sure you have no energy! Because I had NONE

    Second, eat more meals throughout the day. 3 meals with 2 snacks, and also drinks lots of water. Brown rice is a great filler, and gives you energy! add some veggies to it and your golden! my post work out meal today is going to be brown rice, mushrooms, onions, green peppers, and black beans.

    also look up lean body lifestyles. He has LOTS of easy healthy meals! hope this helps!
  • goldfish29
    goldfish29 Posts: 44 Member
    On the weekends I sleep late and end up "skipping" breakfast as well.

    I eat full fat cheese, nuts, avocados, peanut butter, 2% milk. Or I'll treat myself to ice cream, mini bag of Doritos etc if my meals themselves don't add up enough.

    ETA: This doesn't happen often as I'm usually going over 1200 in general :p
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    eat more protein... problem solved
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