AIBU to ask is it possible to stick to 1200 calories

[mumof2exhausted]

Just that really. I need to lose half a stone to get to my pre baby weight and using MyFitnessPal to track food. Do think I have been mindlessly eating and think. The app is great to log but I’m struggling to stick to this though. Food today - 1 slice of toast, 2 poached eggs and apple for breakfast, M&S soup for lunch (350 calories), quinoa with chicken and peppers, onions and mushrooms for dinner. Snacks banana, bowl of berries with Greek yogurt and handful of cashew nuts. Takes me to 1400. Have really active job and 2 young kids so need my food / energy go to gym 3 times a week. Any thoughts? Or is 1200 too low??

[TalkinPeece]

melodybirds
Please do not suggest that 1200 calories is anorexic
for somebody in their mid fifties
around 5 feet in height
its all they will need to stay at a healthy weight
read up on TDEE to understand

[gryffen]

Hiya

For my preop diet I was 800 calories a day and lost 8kg in two weeks to shrink my liver - those two weeks were hell.

My tip is increase upto 1800 but eat protien rich meals and have some 100kcal snacks - if you go to low your gonna crave and risk collapse if your not aware of it.

My diet after surgery is about 1200 and I've lost 66kg but now bumped back to 2000+ but protien rich due to pregnancy.

How about making your own soup and freezing it - pack with veggies etc and it's cheap and easy to do?

[UrgentScurryfunge]

It's a low amount which is pretty arbitary for the majority of people which is why low calorie diets fail so often.

I'm pretty short and a healthy weight and to survive in a sedentary state, calculators put me at 1350 calories. Moving around to get on with life puts that up. Most people, being bigger would need more unless there are specific health issues slowing down the metabolism.

Having too drastic a calorie deficit will cause you to binge further along the line and reduce the benefits. Better to use a calculator to find out what your body needs and to consistently eat a comfortable amount a few hundred under your maintainence level. 1200 is used too widely for no particular reason.

[Bluntness100]

I just can't see how it is on,y 1400 though.

I'd have said breakfast was a min of 300 of calories, more if any spread on toast. Then it could be well over 400.
Lunch was 350
Snack of banana, berries, cashews, Greek yoghurt, about 400, possibly 500.

Which means dinner of chicken, quinoa etc would have had to be 100 to 300 calories. And that's before any teas or coffees with milk.

[TheProvincialLady]

I would swap the toast for half an avocado or have scrambled eggs made wth loads of butter. Toast won’t keep you full for long but fat will. I would also eat a lower calorie soup (the Covent Garden ones I have are about 110 calories a portion) and have a piece of cheese with it.

1200 is perfectly possible but you’ll need to replace more carbs with fat and protein or you are going to feel hungry and snacky. There’s nothing wrong with snacks but I try to make them filling, like a piece of cheese or a boiled egg or some nuts.

[FASH84]

I stick to 1250 when not pregnant, PCOS and insulin resistance means I gain easily. It's doable if you lower carbs, don't have toast in the morning have two eggs and some grilled tomatoes and mushrooms, try not to snack much especially nuts as they are high fat. Drink lots of water and fruit tea and have a cheat dinner once a week (not an all you can eat buffet or takeaway), more protein and veg less carbs and cheese (this is hard for me but a spoonful of grated parmesan hits the spot on dinners without huge calorie content) . I'd also go to the gym three times a week. Things like alpro hazelnut ice-cream are low fat, low sugar by taste good. Currently pregnant so eating all the carbs and haven't seen a gym for weeks.... I have definitely gained weight.

[FASH84]

I'm 5'8

[ItMustBeBedtimeSurely]

I don't think 1200 is enough for most people, unless your metabolism is slow (which if you've dieted a lot, it probably is).

I would have thought that you'd be losing muscle as well as fat at 1200, which is not good.

I certainly couldn't get by on that little food, and I am 5'2'', although pretty active.

[bridgetreilly]

More protein and more fat to stop you getting hungry. Less to no carbs (including banana) to stop the cravings. Easy.

[SocksRock]

I stick to 1200 plus whatever I earn running, I have a GPS watch that automatically adds what I earn to MyFitnessPal. I run 5/7 days, and have lost 3.5 stone in 10 months doing this.

I usually have a plain porridge pot for breakfast, but not until about 11am. Then I'll have a mug shot or similar about 2pm. That leaves me 700 for a good evening meal.

[Sprogletsmuvva]

Leaving aside the question of how much you’re eating - I’ also check that the quantities (and therefore calorie content of each item) are what you think they are.

Even before being forced to by my chubbening, I’v always been geeky about food and weighing things out — so thought I’d be reasonable at eyeballing quantities. But there really is no substitute for using scales.

[SocksRock]

If I've run, I'll add in snacks like banana, hardboiles eggs, babybel snack cheeses, apples, breadsticks etc.

[Wishimaywishimight]

I do 16:8 so don't eat breakfast. I have c. 350 calls for lunch, 100 - 150 for an afternoon snack then the rest on dinner. I've lost 8.75lbs in 8 weeks, just 1.25lbs away from my ideal weight of 8 stone. I plan to maintain on 1500 p/d.

[melodybirds]

Talkingpeece. I missed the part about being 5 foot.

I mentioned on my post for op to take 15 percent off tdee. I know many anorexics who eat around 1200 with a busy lifestyle/gym. I was saying it's ok for a diet but not to try to maintain. Granted height wasn't considered though.

[Mrsramsayscat]

I think you could get or make much more filling soup for 350 calories. I make veg and pulse soup and it lasts for days, and is very filling. Anything between 160-280 calories for a huge portion, depending on the ingredients and how many pulses.

[KittenBeast]

1200 is nothing! I'd be miserable, you only need to lose half a stone. Have you though about doing home workouts? I successfully lost 5 stone while still eating around 2000 calories a day.

[eileandonan]

My OH is on a diet and has set his target at 1500 cals a day. That's a drop of over 2000 for him..hence the diet. He counts his calories, doesn't waste his calories on eating high cal snacks or food which ultimately leave you feeling hungry. He aims to eat around 450 - 600 during the day and a good meal at night. he has lost half a stone in two weeks. I have 4 DC and had to lose ten pounds of the remaining baby fat. I simply cut out the booze, I don't eat breakfast (never have), have fruit in my bag for during the day and get some sushi for lunch (sainsburys) and have a decent meal at night. But I also do daily work outs. ( I should add my OH is 6ft4 and I am 6ft) You need to change what your doing and find the way that works for you. Good Luck!

[DuchyDuke]

It’s supposed to be 1200 net calories (ie after exercise). Honestly look up the MFP instructions!

[SprayingMonsters]

Yes it is, I think 1200 calories is more than enough for one day.

My average calorie in take per day is 400-600

[mumof2exhausted]

Thanks for your advice! Should have said I’m 5 foot 2 and weight 9.5 stone. Want to get back to 9. I’m size 10/12. I’m very active, out of curiosity borrowed a Fitbit and had done the 10,000 steps before lunch. Agree soup high calorie but the suggestion that breakfast was too much (2 eggs one toast and apple ) was bit weird. I eat good food and portion control is good but I like to ensure I eat lots of fruit and veg (hence snacking on fruit). Want to get quality nutrients as well. Going to try upping protein and maybe getting rid of toast all together (boooo).

[MrsHathaway]

I can manage 1200 net either by skipping meals or solid cardio. It's pretty restrictive, though. I tend to go for 1000-1200 through the week and save a bit spare for the weekend so the DC don't see me skipping meals.

[DaisysStew]

Are you inputting your activities into MFP? Usually it offsets calories burned with calories you can eat so I’d you’ve burnt off 200cals then eating 1400cals is fine.

And it doesn’t sound like loads of food. It sounds like a perfectly healthy balanced diet (much better than mine at the minute).

[mumof2exhausted]

To those on 600 calories per day - how?? I don’t want to do it I’m just genuinely curious

[KittenBeast]

My average calorie in take per day is 400-600

That's extreme, is it a diet? I'm not meaning to be rude but I am curious.

[specialsubject]

less of the sugary fruit (which 'berries'? Are they in season?) and crappy ready soup. More real food. If you are that active then nasty faddy stuff isn't what you want.