Does anyone struggle with eating 1200 calories

[alleillveoka]

I'm really struggling lately
Breakfast today -banana and a two egg omelette (say 280 cals )
Lunch was -a roast chicken sandwich which was 460 cals
So there is 740 calories already
Which leaves me with 460 for the rest of the day

I'm hungry already for a snack and I only had lunch half hour ago

I only lose on. 1200 or below.
I'm menopausal and that seriously affects how many calories you need.
The OP didn't say if she is trying to lose weight but I'd say she was probably already underestimating her calories. Two eggs and a banana for breakfast is definitely 300 calories.there was no mention of milk counted in tea or coffee (shocked me when I added it up).

Tbh 1200 is doable easily if you eat two meals a day
I never eat breakfast..
Count 200 calories for milk over the day as I drink a lot of coffee.
Lunch is protein and salad or veg...so say a time of tuna on huge bowl of salad. And 20gms of salad cream...is 200 calories.
That leaves 800 to eat a reasonable sized portion of dinner
Or a gin and tonic and smaller dinner.

Then don't eat 1200. That's the same calories that a small child needs a day.

Small children need lots of calories as they are growing and active. Most adults over 30 don't.

Unless very active, many adults only need 1600 or 17000 calories to maintain their weight. Esp if working from home.

I found it a lot easier when I practiced fasting!

Keto made me miserable after a couple of months but fasting made it easy to cut the calories and lose weight. I think i had a 5 hr eating window (late afternoon - to evening)

Has everybody lost touch with the fact that our bodies are the ultimate tracker?

I don’t struggle on 1,200. I need to eat that to lose weight, if I went over it I only maintain.

It’s hard for the first day or 2 until your body adjusts to feeling hungry, but that’s only because I was overeating.

1200 is undereating for most, not a 'norm' we need to recover to. As you say, you lose fat on that amount. It's not sustainable.

It’s not meant to be sustainable. You can’t diet for ever. Going over and eating more is about maintenance as the poster said.

You need to know your BMR OP. There is no absolute calorie requirement because we all have different needs. I am 181 cms and exercise a lot. MY BMR is around 1800 kcal a day. If I only ate 1200 I would be in trouble. Can you access a body composition machine? They have one at my gym and it gives you a very accurate gauge of BMR.

1200 cals a day
I aim for 1100 which leaves a little wriggle room for an extra piece of fruit or a few nuts

I find 4meals more sustainable
early drink zero -20 cals
250-300 cals breakfast 7.3am
250-300 main meal 12.30
250-300 smoothie/snack 3pm
200-250 supper 5.30
usually no food 6pm til 6am but if hungry a few nuts or tsp peanut butter on celery

I just about always eat 8-10 types of fresh veg a day, 2-3 fruit, I grow herbs and salad greens and make yogurt and apple cider vinegar(easy)
I look for 4-5 types of protein each day (including from cereals) I eat /beef or lamb (1xwk) /and chicken or turkey /white fish/mackerel /salmon /prawns/ calamari/tofu every say 100 gm serves main 80gm supper
then some dairy milk and yogurt (or a prebiotic tablet, )often dairy based whey, or pea plus super greens powder, or collagen powder in a smoothie/ also beans or chick peas about two-3tablespoons two or three times a week. I only eat cheese (30gms) and/or butter three week at most because they are good protein but saturated fat.
I eat some coconut cream in curries and Balinese black rice pudding. I make a large pot of this in the slow cooker and stir in coconut cream at the end, cool it and freeze in 100gram serves with a 50 cal tsp of extra coconut cream about 250 grams for a yummy breakfast or desert. Great with mango or pomegranate sauce or a few strawberries or other red berries. Again coconut cream is saturated fat but full of nutrients and its the portion size you gave to watch.
I also eat some kind of nuts/seeds incl lsa or hemp seed every day. They are much cheaper in bulk from a health food store than supermarkets! I use six free range eggs a week. I’ve given up baking! There is some honey and maple syrup in my pantry but the last sugar was for winter marmalade I gave away..

I get good black rye or seven grain seeded bread, slice and freeze it.

I buy very good extra virgin olive oil in 4 litre tins and use 1-4 tsp day . I use it for everything except frying when I use sunflower or bran oil. I also salt my own olives, rinse and pack in olive oil and use this oil later in salads.

I limit obvious carbs eating
1-2 types of obvious carbs per day like quarter cup oats, 40 gms rye bread, 50 grams spelt pasta, half cup of rice, potato or sweet potato only once a week or 100gms Balinese black rice pudding maybe once every two weeks. This means that some of my carbs and fibre are from fresh veg.

What does this look like?
For instance for breakfast today I had an early honey lemon and spice drink and walked for an hour. I then ate porridge oats, lsa, tsp maple syrup, two cups fresh orange/grapefruit juice, coffee with milk,
for lunch today I ate 80 gms chicken cooked in its overnight lime and olive oil marinade, fresh boiled beetroot(carbs) and garden lettuce /tomato/ green onion,/ parsley and cucumber salad with tsp fresh olive oil and more lime juice
I skipped the snack except for a cup of coconut water
and for supper I steamed three silver beet (Swiss chard) leaves and put 80 grms salmon cooked with tsp butter on top.
That’s about 800 cals. I was out so I’m tired..

Obviously when I don’t gave fruit in the morning it will come later with the protein snack.

Routine is:

6am lemon honey cinnamon drink walk
breakfast 7.30
bathe water garden hang out laundry etc
work 8-noon
drink about 9.30-10 herbal tea or hot veg stock if cold or miso soup
12.30 main protein and veg or salad or casserole in winter
rest
2-5 work
with high protein snack at 3pm
often a smoothie with two scoops whey or pea protein 80 half banana,45 cacao 10
or fresh fruit eg kiwi or mango 40 or frozen blueberries and half a cup soy milk usually 250-300 cals
5-5.30 supper protein and simple veg

Since I’m a breakfast fan here are a few of my choices. Easy to multiply for a couple or family.

7.30 breakfast allow 250-300 cals incl quarter cup trim milk in large coffee 30

either quarter cup soaked oats made into porridge plus LSA and fresh fruit or stewed apple (no sugar) 150 plus milk 180 and fresh squeezed orange juice 75
total 255

or five spears asparagus on 40 gm thin slice of rye bread toasted in sandwich press 20 plus 130 =140
plus one poached egg 75
plus milk total 245

or same toast with mushrooms and 1-2 tsp butter
and some watercress or arugula
plus milk in coffee 250

or two egg omelette 150, tsp olive oil 40 and green onion, a small tomato 20 or spinach 5
perhaps 8 gms cheese about 25 cals sprinkle! 240-250 (std serve of cheese of any sort is 30grams 80 cals)

or frozen organic blueberries half cup 40 semi blended in cup home made yoghurt 60 topped with half banana 45 and 10 chopped walnut halves 100 plus milk 275

or two tablespoons baked beans 50 plus same toast 120 plus half full slice streaky bacon 130 plus milk 330 cook in sandwich press bacon then toast then beans

oat porridge, or seven grain porridge, again but with tablespoon chia, small apple grated with skin etc maybe quarter cup soy milk for protein and trim dairy for coffee

double helping of seven cereals/ seed bread
( two half slices) 240 plus dsp almond or peanut butter 80 about 320 plus milk in coffee 30 and a small mandarin orange 30
about 370

or black rice pudding 100gms with coconut cream (tsp) and mango or kiwi fruit or pomegranate sauce together about 300 plus 30 for milk

Enjoy! And loose weight..
Ye

What is your TDEE?

1200 is way too low a small deficit is best other wise 1200 becomes your bodies new normal and once you start eating over that again you will start putting in weight . I've never gone under 1500

This is rubbish - think survivors of concentration camps

"Too little" is height and sex depending

I’d cut out the bread and snacks. Exercise to up calorie allowance and load up on protein, veg and fruit.

Thanks for your reply. Everyone is different. I plateaued for nearly a year at a weight that is too high for my health. After always having a good diet (since childhood) at the end of my sixties I found my metabolism had slowed. I couldn’t digest beans and other staples of a largely vegetarian diet or coffee either! Then three years ago regular bloods showed I was much too low on iron. So I discovered I had to change. I worked with medical support on my liver and gut first, (prebiotics, supplements and a switch to eating fish, a little meat and my usual 10plus veg and 3 fruit every day with limited cereals and mostly olive oil as a fat source plus a little dairy. )I lost a significant amount but didn’t calorie count at all. I reached a plateau. Then my blood pressure, having always been absolutely normal, skyrocketed. I’m nearly 72 and I went “no way!” So, again with medical support I gradually reduced calories and doubled the exercise. I’ve always been active but now I consistently take a walk every day of between 5km and 12 km and as it gets warmer I’ll be in the ocean every day. I do have to think about food though and I’m not sure I could do this while commuting and working full time, let alone raising kids. 6am may find me walking up and down hills and through a lake area for an hour twenty (return)and buying a bunch of fresh spinach. Yes I’m back by 7.30 am but who wants to do that and travel to the city! Once I reach my goal weight my guess is maintenance will only be a little above 1200 calories anyway. Portion management is important but having food look and taste great is important to me too. Just learning new habits….

Best post I’ve read on MN in a while

I would agree that it's not enough food but all the calories apps like my fitness pal etc tell me I should only have 1257 cals a day. Can't do it.

I’ve always found when going for a hard calorie deficit I need to reduce to only 2 meals a day

with the first one being only a snack type meal then actually having a much bigger meal at night, massively bulked with veg and protien.

breaking it in to 3 never gives me enough food for the calories I have left

I skip breakfast. I'm never hungry in the mornings anyway, then it leaves more calories for later. I hardly ever have a sandwich or much bread though as it uses too many calories up. Can you switch that sandwich for something else?

I have no trouble sticking to about 1250.

Today:

3 x 30 ml semi skimmed milk
1 slice wholemeal toast with flora and cashew nut butter
Vegan chilli with soya mince and kidney beans, peppers, courgettes, onions,with 80g cooked brown basmati rice
Lentil soup which has carrots, onions and potatos in
Some olives and grapes

I don't often eat breakfast but will if I am hungry.

I have lost three stone recently and feel fantastic. Had full blood tests last month and I am in tip top shape. I usually eat about 1300-1350 and I exercise every day. If I wasn't exercising I would probably eat a bit less. I often have to go downstairs at night after I have totted up what I have eaten in order to get something else just to make sure I have had enough. I weigh 8st 4lb having started this year at 11 at 4 lb.

Hell yes, I'd be starving. Can you eat more as long as its healthy unprocessed food?

Thanks sounds healthy!