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??

[flamingofridays]

Seriously special? Real food? I don't think what op has eaten is bad at all.

[Clandestino]

1200 calories wouldn't even be enough for me, honestly and I'm barely scratching the 5.1ft and 92 pounds.
I had a look at my fitness app and it looks like I went through 2313 calories today. I had a 5 mile run this morning and then made 10K steps more just walking DD to her school and back for an afterschool activity and generally moving around. I also have a sedentary work and sit in front of the laptop most of the time.
I would be looking at around 1400 calories on my much less active days. My height and weight are entered into the app and I have a smartwatch measuring my steps, heart-rate and even stairs taken.
If you're looking at reducing the calories, maybe have a look at reducing the eggs to one, bulk up with veggies instead, ditch nuts or the yogurt but I don't think it's too much.

[HicDraconis]

400-600 I would have said was too low for anyone.

Our patients pre surgery use very low calorie diet replacement bars or shakes - 3 per day, plus a meal of non starchy veg only (tomatoes, courgettes, mushrooms, onions, peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, leafy greens etc). Most of them make a huge veg chilli with allowed veg and pulse a cauliflower to rice and live on that for two weeks. That’s 800 per day, with lots of water. No alcohol allowed, which is where some do fall down. However the benefits in terms of easier access inside are really obvious even after only two weeks.

I am not recommending the above! If you’re considering a VLCD (nothing wrong with them incidentally) you need to do it under medical supervision to make sure you’re getting the right nutrient mix. They’re not cheap either and next to impossible to put together anything similar without meal replacement, unless you take supplements.

On another note - what does anyone think of Boombod ? I’m hearing back to the UK later this year and considering trying it.

[Mrsramsayscat]

Oh have the toast. Carbs are t the devil, and the breakfast looks fine to me! Pulses -beans or lentils-in soup would fill you up and also whack up the protein.

If I'm desperate and didn't cook I have Mexican chilli bean soup fromTesco .

[NotAnotherUserName5]

I have been sticking to that amount and have lost 10lbs so far. Been going 3 weeks now. It can be done!

[Clandestino]

specialsubject
sugary fruit? Seriously? Unless it's compote fruit or it's been served with sugar on top, you can't really take the fruit away from someone trying to eat healthily. Also, we are pretty much restricted when it comes to seasonal in our corner of the world. Strawberries are appearing now but those not grown in Netherlands from water and tasting accordingly are really very expensive.
Also "crappy ready soup". Some soups are actually pretty good, even though you bought them in the supermarket.
Not everybody can afford eating everything from scratch every day.

[Mrsramsayscat]

And a medium egg is only 65 calories

[roses2]

I used to have supermarket soups but found them high in fat, salt and sugar. I now cook lentils or open a can of butter beans and add a tablespoon of a jar of curry sauce. Coupled with a handful of raw vegetables and a boiled egg this is a very filling lunch. I also have a mini bar of chocolate as my snack.

[Clandestino]

@HicDraconis
I personally know three people who lost shitloads of weight with those powdery thingies. They are back to their original weight and more, two years later. Unless you completely rethink your food intake, you'll just yoyo.

[specialsubject]

fruit has sugar in, despite what the thicko bloggers say. just seems a lot of paltrow snacks for someone who moves around a lot.

[flamingofridays]

special your attitude is revolting.

[Aragog]

400-600 calories a day is an extreme diet and not something to be recommended unless following a set diet with a properly qualified doctor, but even then it would have to be in extreme circumstances. Normally these kind of extreme diets, whilst help you lose weight quickly, it isn't healthy and most people will then put the weight back on again just as quickly when they stop.

It certainly shouldn't be something posted on one of these kind of boards as something that it is normal. It is dangerous to do so.

[SprayingMonsters]

KittenBeast - Hey 👋🏼 no I am not on a diet I have no appetite, I haven’t for years. I have always been a small eater. I would love to gain weight though!

[Clandestino]

specialsubject you seem to have food issues.
Fruit contains sugar, of course. So what? It's not only about the diet, it's about stuff that's good for you. And we need to take energy from somewhere.

[Aragog]

An example of a calorie checker for what you need based on height, weight, age, sex, etc. Shows you what you need to maintain your weight and you minus approx 500 calories a day to lose weight gradually and healthily.

www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zy7j2p3

I am currently 'allowed' about 1100-1200 calories a day if I want to lose weight - which I am trying to do. But I can't do that every day all the time - its quite boring and pretty repetitive, especially on work days. I don't actually count calories - currently using the WeightWatchers app for a couple of months as a bit of inspiration and monitoring, but hopefully will have got into better habits by the end of it.

[Clandestino]

My average calorie in take per day is 400-600

I will once again repeat my weight. Not even 92 pounds. 5.1ft. If I were on that kind of calorie intake, I'd be probably dying slowly of malnutrition.

[HicDraconis]

@Clandestino is that in relation to the boombod shots or a vlcd shake diet?

Anyone who loses a shed load of weight with supplements and/or shakes also needs psychological input and dietary reprogramming so they don’t just go back to their usual eating habits.

And yes, all fruit has sugar in. However the sugar in an apple is combined with lots of fibre and fructose as a sugar is better than glucose. Fruit juices I agree are basically sugar water, but 1-2 pieces of fruit a day is hardly a chocolate fest in terms of sugar consumption!

[melodybirds]

the suggestion that breakfast was too much (2 eggs one toast and apple ) was bit weird.

Agree.

[Luisa27]

It is possible - I stick to around 800 calories daily - not obsessively,
if I want to have a splurge I do. I find it easy and don’t feel hungry - I don’t eat refined carbs or sugar.

[SecretStash]

400-600 every day isn’t a diet. It’s an eating disorder.

[Luisa27]

One website/book you may find useful if you’re struggling to stick to the 1200, is the Michael Moseley Blood Sugar Diet. It’s high protein, high (good) fats, and very very low carbs. I also fast a couple of days every 10 days or so - only have green juice. But as I said if I feel like a bit of a binge - I don’t hold back 😂

[bluerunningshoes]

fructose as a sugar is better than glucose. if you have issues with your liver you should avoid too much fructose.

[ItsLikeRainOnYourWeddingDay]

Don't look at calories. Look at macros.

[tierraJ]

I eat 1500 calories on a non work day & up to 1750 on a work day (in on my feet all day)

I usually eat at least 4 times a day as I take lots of meds which make me feel hungry.
I eat carbs & protein at every meal.

I choose low saturated fat & low sugar food items.

Fruit does have natural sugar in it, some less than others, I choose the lower sugar fruits to eat.

I've lost nearly 2.5 stone & im trying to loose 9 lb more by the end of June.

I do weights and a bit of cardio st the gym.

[SmileEachDay]

My average calorie in take per day is 400-600

That is completely unsustainable and suggests a very unhealthy relationship with food.