1200 calories help

[carrottopper]

According to the tdee at 43 female 162lb and 5'6" I come out with 1688 calories so I've been told a few times I need to be on 1200 calories to lose. I want to get a stone off.
But then I keep reading about 1200 calories being too low.
Is 1200 calories right and how on earth is it possible? My aim is a stone off in 8 weeks. I have a cross trainer I've been using for 30 mins each day.
Should I be using protein shakes? Any advice please?

You'll lose if you eat less than 1688 calories averaged over the week, the less calories the quicker you'll lose but it will also be harder to maintain the diet because you are more likely to feel hungry/deprived so more likely to cheat. You need to find the right balance for you.

In terms of how to stick to 1200, make sure you have plenty of lean protein which will be lower in calories but will fill you up. Bulk out meals with lots of green/low calorie vegetables.

Things like broccoli, green beans, mushrooms, baby corn, cauliflower, general rule is veg that grows above ground is lower in calories.

Also don't drink your calories so stick to water, black tea/coffee and limit sugar and milk as those end up being calories you don't appreciate or feel fulfilled from having. Make sure you stay hydrated though, it stops you feeling as hungry and your body needs water to heal muscles that are getting more exercise and to break down fat.

One of my favourite lunches when I'm dieting is a warm salad. I stick a mix of the veg mentioned above into a microwave steamer and cook for 3 minutes, then tear up 3 slices of wafer thin chicken, mix it in with the veg, a teaspoon of real butter and plenty of salt and pepper. You can have loads of veg, a cup full of mushrooms is about 20 calories, so you end up with a big plate of buttery veg with bits of chicken for under 200 calories.

To feel full, lots of salad with oily dressing is a good. Similar with veg soup without bread, soup is properly filling but low calorie. And of course very low carbs/sugar is a good way to suppress appetite.
However, I really recommend you also listen to this podcast on the topic of calories:
open.spotify.com/episode/77OLCDFtxmJFF7WjW3XTw0?si=8qXZJCizRqCbXwHWQ3uYlw

Thank you for your reply and suggestions. Really helpful

I really struggle. I've been having
B- protein yogurt or porridge, strawberries and blueberries
L- cheese sandwich, cucumber, crisps
D- family meal
I feel like I'm withering away if I don't have bread for lunch

It can take a while to get used to a higher protein/ lower carb diet but if you stick with it your body wont miss the carbs so much and the protein really does fill you up so you don’t need as many calories.

Use my fitness pal or the calorie counter app to track everything and they will also measure the percentages of carbs/protein/fat. I aim for 40/30/30 as I need my bread!

I had a stone to shift after my daughter was born. I found signing up to Noom really helpful as it tells you which calories are good, not so good, high in fat. You can do a trial it's something like a £2 option or you can contribute more. After the trial I've kept the app but postponed the subscription. I still get all the calorie info, daily psychology on weight loss but not the mentor support messages. I've lost the stone and I'm managing to keep it off.
My goal was set at 1200 and I felt like I was starving/lightheaded for the first few days. I rarely come in at 1200, particularly on weekends. It's more like 1500ish.
I've found breakfast of 1 slice of brown toast, 1.5 scrambled eggs (sharing with my toddler) a handful of spinach, 3 plum tomatoes and either a sprinkle of mixed seeds or some guacamole on my toast keeps me going til lunch.
Lunch is either soup and a slice of bread and butter/bread roll. Or a massive salad with a handful of cooked pasta. It's weird I can now get full on leaves, cucumber, tomatoes, peppers. Sainsbury's do a light ceasar dressing that's not too calorific.
Tea I have a family meal but mind my portion sizes.
Drinks, usually water or tea (39 calories ish with whole milk)
My daily treat is a mocha either out or at home.
Logging what you're eating will help you track what works and what doesn't.
Grapes are great, sweet and mostly water so fewer calories.
Hope this helps. Good luck x

Do the James smith academy calculator. It’s free and will give you calorie and protein goals.

Up your protein, but you can still have carbs! I have genuinely never eaten so much.

Two eggs and three bacon medallions for breakfast with a bit of toast. Tuna mixed with salsa, chilli, sweetcorn, peppers in a pitta/sandwich for lunch. Turkey mine tacos for tea, or 65g pasta with prawns/chicken for tea.

You don't need protein yogurt go for fat free. You also don't need crisps for lunch.
Could your switch the cheese for chicken? Chicken salad sandwich? Fruit instead of crisps? Are you tracking accurately?

I have 1200 cals and have something like this
Yoghurt and blueberries for breakfast
Chicken and salad for lunch
Some sort of bake (tomorrow is Courgette bake)
Snacks- latte and 22g of minstrels. Can usually squeeze in a few biscuits too.

Top tips is to track everything. I wasn't weighing butter and it was loads more than i thought.
Also don't eat back your exercise calories.

Use My Fitness Pal to learn where you are wasting calories on things that don't keep you filled up. Eggs are a brilliant diet food to keep you filled up. I ate two for lunch every day on a slice of toast. Fresh pasta is more filling than dried. Up your protein and veggies and less white carbs. Don't drink your calories.
Mix up your exercise. Doing the same thing day in day out will have no benefit after a while as your body gets used to it. Don't eat your exercise calories.

Thanks for the replies. This is all really useful.
I will aim for eggs on toast and salads for lunch and watch portion size for evening meal. I have been using mfp to track

I've been on mfp and 1200 calories, I do overnight oats 25g with berries and chia seeds for breakfast, lunch is a poached egg and either salmon or prawns or ham, no bread and dinner is the calorie controlled gusto range. I've been hungry for 9 weeks but I've lost 25lbs. I am obese and have a huge amount to lose though.

I'm finding it on until 4-5pm. I have 600 calories left and can't decide what to have for dinner. I have been doing 30-40 mins on the cross trainer each day but been snacking!

I really struggled with dinners that kept within calories but the gusto boxes have helped. I think the other ones do the same like hello fresh and mindful chef. Having it all weighed and portioned and the calories worked out for me has helped me plan my days intake.

You've done amazingly @Roguebludger
How much more have you got to go?

Another 4 1/2 stone just to get into normal bmi! I am very large so the first loss is easier, it's slowing down now.

Ive been doing nutracheck for 5 months and lost 21lb. I stuck to 1200 religiously for about 8 weeks and now average around 1500 a day and still losing around 1lb a week.

A typical 1200 calorie day would be
Breakfast- bagel thin, 30g philidephia light, 2 slices of ham, 64kcal yoghurt, 68kcal skinny bar

Lunch - 100g cous cous, 100g chicken thigh (skinless) a load of broccoli and a corn on the cob, 20g halloumi

Dinner - 2 quorn southern fried burgers, 2 portobello mushrooms with 25g soft cheese and 30g mozzarella and some more veg

Snacks include coffee with sweetener and oat milk, less than 90kcal crisps

Obviously i dont have the same everyday but i find you can eat quite a lot of the right stuff. Just make sure you weigh and measure everything because I had a hige awakening on what I thought a "normal" portion size is!

I’m 5ft 6. I went from 172lbs to 144lbs. I got from 172lbs to 158lbs really easily, about 6 weeks. I then hovered, at 158lbs for months. I was exercising loads and eating good food but in quite big portions , so with a big push got down to 144 probably in another 8weeks.

I ate 1200-1400 every day and used MFP to track. It’s the quickest way, the less you eat, the more you lose. I ate:

B: Porridge made with water with berries or 2 weetabix and milk.
L: Salad made of mostly veg with some lean protein and grains measured out
D: Just a measured portion of whatever I fancied. I use a lot of whole grains, veg and lean protein though, so found it quite filling

I also took up a lot more exercise though. I like a cross trainer, but it doesn’t seem to do much for me. One thing that gave me a big boost at the beginning was a ‘run 5km a day’ for a month challenge. It was hard as I was definitely not a runner, but I shed loads of weight quickly and it kick started a love for exercise that I never had before. I now do an awful lot of daily exercise and I’m still losing weight (but more slowly) but eating around 1600 cals a day.

What works for me is not aiming too low. I’ve lost half a stone but it’s taken me almost 3 months. Half a pound a week. Hardly noticed it but suddenly I’m half a stone lighter. I do exercise alot but always have and just factored that in. So calories out greater than in. Use MFP to track. I have about 1500 cals a day which I worked out was doable. Have hardly changed my diet. Far less snacks though and tried to change high calorie stuff for low. So no hummus on salad but cottage cheese instead.

I couldn't do 1200 cals a day I don’t think. Slow and steady….( very slow in m case!)