1200 calories just can't be done!

[Swearwolf]

I'm still trying and failing to lose the baby weight (now 15 months, so doing terribly!), unfortunately breastfeeding has made me hang onto the pounds this time around and I have at least a stone and a half to lose. I'm trying to do MFP as I'm still feeding at night so can't do any proper diets, it says I should be on 1200 calories a day (I'm short). I'm finding it impossible! Today I hardly ate much at all, but I still have only 350 calories left for dinner. Help!!!!!

You are correct it is tough. I'd load it on for lunch.
200 for breakfast
600 for lunch and 400 for a light dinner
You don't want to be eating much in the evening otherwise you won't burn it off
And 10,000 steps most days
that's how I lost the baby weight

Oops
A Philadelphia sandwich (250 calories), dinner smoked salmon omelette (about 420 calories). Crospbreads for snacks and a jammy dodger.

I was so so hungry the first few days but then it got better.

Me and my friend are doing mfp. I get 1600 because i am tall and only want to lose a pound a week.

My friend gets 1200 as she is smaller and wants to lose 2lb a week.

I come in around 1300 anyway. She manages 1200 most days.

I do IF 16/8 so dont have breakfast.

But she has eggs and wholemeal toast for breakfast. One of us nakes lunch for both of us. Usually a salad with a good helping of protein.

And a healthy tea. Can be anything from soup to meat and veg. We both eat relatively low carb.

It really depends on what you are eating. When you entered how much weightloss you want per week, what did you put?

350 kcal for dinner is doable.

How many calories was your breakfast? And what soup? How many ryvita?

Any coffee/tea with milk and or sugar?

This is why I'm doing 5:2 because I couldn't do it every day! The knowledge that you can eat normally within 24 hours helps you get through!

On low cal days I've tried just not to think about food, so keep it boring and fuel-like. Fresh supermarket soups tend to be about 300 calories, so I split them out. Instant porridge sachets are about 140 cal when made up with semi skimmed milk. Snack on blueberries and rice cakes. I also try to push on through and not eat at all until about 2pm, and then have finished by 7pm. That helps.

But really should you be doing any of this while you're breastfeeding?????

I do mfp and one trick I like is to put my dinner in first thing in the morning. I like to eat a decent meal with dh in the evenings so I plan that before I've eaten anything and work backwards from there

I used mfp last summer to lose a stone of baby weight while I was still breastfeeding multiple times day and night. I allocated an extra 250 cals a day for it, so ate around 1700 cals. There is no way I would be able to sustain 1200 cals, tried it pre baby a few times and was just miserable! 5:2 worked for me in those pre baby days but it's too hardcore now. I think 16:8 might be a good compromise but will need to keep an eye on what I eat as I'm quite capable of eating an entire day's worth of food between 12 and 8pm!

Just try to cut your carbs a little, that will help a lot.

You're eating a lot of carbs... have you tried low carbs, even if just for breakfast? All the carbs will be leaving you feeling much more hungry

Also, if you want to do more exercise but can't get out to a class, look up The Body Coach on YouTube
Loads of 20 min workouts using HIIT so 40 seconds of exercise and then 20 seconds of rest, and you don't need any equipment or a big space, just the floor space the size of a towel
And there are beginner/low impact work outs to get you started

Of you cut out carbs, there is much less hunger ime. I used to struggle to do 1200, but happily do 800 on blood sugar diet. I know BSD is not recommended for breast feeding, but that's probably because of low calorie content, not low carb. They have a good forum where you could ask.
Good luck

"Eat Veg, fruit meat and fish that are in their original condition"

This is helping me at the moment! (I don't mean raw btw, just if you have brocolli, boil it and eat it. grilled chicken breast and salad, etc etc No sauce, gravy or dressing, few or no carbs) I'm having the odd potato, but not pasta or crispbread or bread.

I'm 5'2" and on 1200 calories too - it's easiest for me if I do 500 cal lunch (decent sandwich plus piece of fruit) and a 600 cal dinner, which is sufficient calories for most healthyish meals. Then my other 100 cals is milk in tea.

Not sure about breastfeeding at night, though - if you're down to night-time only then I don't think it matters that much.

Skipping breakfast and no snacks are the two things that make 1200 cals manageable for me.

I did it for years. The key is to cut out grains and potatoes, and eat more meat, veg and salad.

For example, 500g of leanish beef mince is about 600 calories in total. So if you make up a chilli without kidney beans and pack it full of red and yellow peppers, okra, aubergine pieces etc or make a no potato and no cheese topping moussaka (ie. meat sauce layered up with veg and baked), and eat both with salad, you can eat an enormous portion of food that is actually very low in calories.

In terms of cost for such veg, it is worth checking out frozen bags in supermarkets. Morrisons, for example, does frozen bags of med veg, courgettes, okra and all sorts for a very reasonable price.

My experience is that the calorific heft of foods is very high for grain products. When you consider that a slice of bread can be equal to two medium-sized hard boiled eggs, you kinda have to ask yourself why you are eating the slice of toast.

Just wanted to add that 'calories' are just a guide as they are calculated from actually burning the food, which isn't how the body works. Remember the F Plan diet? High fibre carbs are much better as is root veg, compared to white rice or potato because some of the calories are never absorbed they just pass through. Sugar and other 'pure' carbs are stored as fat if not used.

I rarely eat more than 1200 calories but I am quite disciplined. I tend to have scrambled egg, grapefruit or nothing for breakfast. Lunch will be soup or a tuna or chicken salad. I'm always left with loads of calories for a largish dinner plus a treat (or two). I prefer to eat a large dinner so am happy to be a little peckish during the day.

When I was following the Whole 30 diet I really struggled to get my calorie intake high enough. I wasn't ever hungry. Maybe have a look at that?

Replace your cereal bar with fruit, less cereal and more vits. Blackberries are only 1 cal each! etc.

You could have 2 chicken breast and veg if you only have 350 cal left

1200 isn't enough for anyone.

A personal trainer at the gym told me 1200 doesnt even give enough for your basal metabolic rate. That's why it's a struggle.

Go up to 1400-1500

I'm on 1400 at the moment but I did about a year on 1200.

My tricks were:

• Eggs for breakfast. An egg is about 80 cals, if you have one poached or scrambled on a small piece of toast it's less than 200 cals, as is a two-egg omlette with spinach or mushrooms (tinned are good for speed).

• Mini milks are brilliant treats as they're only about 20 cals and feel like you're eating a dessert. Likewise mini Twisters are good (about 70 cals) or several other supermarket own-brand lollies.

• Avoid starchy carbs as they're just so calorific. Even a wrap - the bread is 200 cals before you're even thought about fillings.

• Limit drinks that aren't water. One or two teas or coffees a day are OK, but make sure that's not your main fluid intake. Fizzy water with cucumber, lime and mint leaves added is lovely and feels like a grown-up drink.

With your 350 cals for dinner I'd do one of these:

• Stir-fry ribbon courgettes and carrots with miso salmon.
• Warm goats cheese and beetroot salad (or whatever your favourite salad is).
• Steamed broccoli, edamame beans and dim sum with a pot of dipping sauce.
• Courgetti with pesto and chicken breast.

1200 is fine and totally doable but only if not breastfeeding!

Yesterday I had toast peanut butter and banana, fruit smoothie made with Apple juice and frozen berries

Veg and prawn stir fry loads of veg, tablespoon brown rice. Activia yogurt

Large salad, a small helping of sausage casserole (one sausage) and a small glass of wine!!

Had a look on the Kelly moms site and it doesn't recommend you go below 1500 calories a day to protect your milk.

Studies have shown that most healthy breastfeeding women maintain an abundant milk supply while taking in 1800-2200 (or more) calories per day. Consuming less than 1500-1800 calories per day (most women should stay at the high end of this range) may put your milk supply at risk, as may a sudden drop in caloric intake.

I would strongly advise you up your calories OP. Out of interest I've calorie counted today as a typical day and it works out as about 1770 calories. I've lost 3 stone in about 8 months eating round about that. In fact, for the first 4 months while i was exclusively breast feeding I ate even more.

Please up your calories!!

I've just had this for my dinner, it came in at 210 cals. You could have potatoes with it but I was quite happy with the veg.

Today was under 1000 calories for me:
L: chicken breast, spinach and tomatoes - 260 calories
D: Goats cheese tart and salad
Snack: Greek yoghurt and strawberries

I aim for 1400-1500 average daily - yesterday was about 1800 so have cut back today.

Thanks everyone, seems like a bit of a mix between people who say it can't be done and those who say it's easy!

I've done a bit better today, and I went to the exercise class I go to, so am in calorie credit!

I can't skip breakfast, I feel too sick if I do. I leave for work at 7 and eat when I get there, hence the overnight oats as there is no cooker or toaster in our office kitchen. I thought oats were OK? And it's only 40g, it's mostly fruit and yogurt.

I did skip carbs for dinner tonight and had a chicken breast with pesto on salad. I've just got in from my class and had a yogurt as I'm starving.

I've added in 200 calories for the feeding but I have no idea how much she's actually taking.

Just want to say well done Wolf you will see results. Good luck