Anyone else really struggle with 1200 calories a day?

[cindarellashoes]

I'm current,y trying to stay at 1200 calories a day but finding it very hard. Todays diary is:

Breakfast:
2 x coffee's with milk (just home ones)
Watermelon

Lunch:
Heinz tomato soup
2 x Ryvita sesame thins with extra low fat cream cheese on top

Snacks (throughout day):
Strawberries
Apple
1 x fruit winder

Dinner:

Small portion of homemade chicken curry with sauce(sauce 100 calories), no rice or bread.

I'm constantly hungry 😩 does anyone else struggle with 1200 a day even when doing it for weeks? Usually my main meal of the day is a salad but had the chicken for a change.

Hi OP didn’t want to read and run. I’ve got almost the exact same height and weight as you and this is a solidly healthy BMI

1200 calories is very very low, and only recommended when a woman is really short and sedentary. There is nothing wrong with you struggling to meet this dieting criteria, it is just too low and your body will fight you against it. If someone has discussed with their doctor and they say 1200 cals is the right course of action that is fine. Other than that it should be used with extreme caution.

If you really think you need to lose weight, you also need to maintain that loss, so you are better off just eating at the goal weight calories rather than some crazy drastic cut.

I would really recommend trying to get off this weight loss treadmill of existence. I was on it for years in a quasi eating disorder state and it really robs you of so much joy.

There is nothing wrong with you. Your body is the least interesting thing about you. Mumsnet is full of people trying to normalise these mad diets. This will send you spiralling in a restrict/binge cycle. Take it from someone who has been there. You can live a life that doesn’t revolve around food.

Really wishing you the best. I recommend feelgooddietitian on Instagram, or the diettea subreddit if any of what I’ve said appeals.

1200 could be doable, although not easy if you change your foods to high protein with huge amounts of veg and salad.

So breakfast, 2 egg omlette, with 15g of grated cheese but loads of spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms dried fried (or with fry light) mixed in, or make shakshuka with peppers, tomatoes, aubergine, courgette and the eggs in that with a little bit of cheese over the top

have snacks of 30g of hummous and some carrot sticks or raw cauliflower, or 20g of plain popcorn or 15g of nuts

Lunch, some greek yoghurt (I would have full fat) or cottage cheese FF again with chicken or tuna and tons of green beans, grated carrot, sliced cabbage or something like that

Dinner, home made curry or chilli with tofu or whatever protein you didnt have a lunch, prawns, white fish etc

really try to up the veg to enormous proportions mixed with protein and things like lentils or beans to bulk it out within the allowance

I eat 1800 calories and swim twice a week and walk 18k steps a day.
You need to increase protein maybe?

I agree with PPs - too much sugar. Fruits are high sugar (although natural) and canned soup is just sugar in a tin!

Also 30G feta is a lot?! That’s 100 calories…so nearly 10% of your daily intake is feta?!

You could do chilli con carne with venison mince (healthier than beef or lamb) with cauliflower rice. I have it and it’s about 400 calories (bbc good food recipe). Then salmon fish cakes for dinner with bok Choy at 300 calories. That’s 700 calories and two good, healthy, easy meals. Limited sugar. Lots of protein. You’d still have five hundred calories for breakfast…oats? Yoghurt and granola etc. Healthy doesn’t need to mean starvation!

I'm.doing low carb and 1200 calories. I'm finding it very easy as I get cravings and feel hungrier eating carbs.

I have lost 3 St since Christmas.

Yesterday and today's menus.

Yesterday
B- Overnight oats, chia seeds, ground linseed, no fat high protein yoghurt, blueberries and a banana

L- Large green salad, edamame beans, 4 Quorn picnic eggs sliced
2 kiwi fruit

D- Baked potato, no sugar baked beans, no fat cottage cheese, hard-boiled egg.

Today
B- as yesterday

L - Large green salad, baked potato, homemade hummus

D- Spinach and mushroom lasagne, carrots, peas
No fat yoghurt with chopped banana , blueberries and spelt.

I'm not hungry and I lose 2-3 lbs a week.

My BMR is 1332 calories though so I have to eat 1200 to lose weight

I think there are 16 teaspoons of sugar in Heinz tomato soup.

But everything you do - eg walk, work etc uses up extra calories ontop of that 1332.

I'd be starving on that, but I'm 5 10 and more like 13.5 stone.
If I'm going low calorie I need everything I eat to be filling; lentil & vegetable soups, wholemeal everything, eggs, loads of raw or roast veg, grilled meats etc.
Agree with others that heinz tomato soup in particular is a bad choice. Not filling at all.

According the the MyFitnessPal calculator mine is only 1089 but I'm losing weight (gradually) on somewhere between ~1300 to 1600 cals (of non-crappy food). Looking back in nutracheck I'm eating more or less in line with the amount of exercise I'm doing but consistently undershooting.

1200 is very little. I’m 5 3, 49 kilo and over 40 and my BMR is close to 1200. BMR is what the name says, these are calories used to maintain basic body functions such as breathing and pumping blood around the body. It means that if I were in a coma I would need that many calories to live. I need close to 2000 a day otherwise I lose weight.

If you want to reduce body fat and your weight is within the lean BMI range, eat good quality nutrient-dense food and exercise. Find something you like and keep at it. Mix strength training and cardio each week to build strong muscle and a strong heart to maintain them and the belly fat will melt away.

Well OP I’ve just put that into MyFitnessPal and i Make it 938 calories.

I also agree, not enough protein.

no wonder you’re starving!

also the negative talk about your body, at that weight v height, makes me really really sad.

think you need a reassessment op

True.Im fine on 1200 calories but if I go a bit over I'm not going to give myself a hard time.
I've lost 10lbs in 3 weeks.

Have you calculated properly? Do the James Smith Academy free calculator.

Join the Fitness Chef Facebook group.

eat more protein: I’ve never been so full as when I was counting calories properly

Fuck 1200, sounds so very miserable. I can't even cope with 1800.

Now I’ve read your follow up posts.

your calorie goal is far too low.

Your goal weight is too low.

Stop worrying about calories, and up your exercise. You’ll feel better and gain muscle

10lbs in 3 weeks is very good . Maintained, in 10 weeks it would be more than 2 St.

I never eat a main meal without veg or salad - beans/lentils/carrot. If I'm really hungry I add a large grated carrot to my salad to bulk it up.

I've been eating 1200 cals for just over a year. 5ft 2, started at almost 17 st. Lost 5st so far.
It's fine for me. No issues. I don't eat breakfast, have around 350 cal lunch, 600-650 for dinner. The rest for a snack if I want it.
As I've got closer to my goal weight, it has gotten harder. At 1200 I was only losing 1/2lb a week. I want to lose 1lb a week, so I joined the gym. I'm losing 1-1.5lb a week again now.
I'm afraid I just can't lose on more than 1200, even with upping excercise and NEAT. I do get a bit fed up of hearing the same old thing about those on 1200 cals. It might not be right for you, but there are plenty of us out there who do need to stick to that.

I bet it's not "huge" with "rolls upon rolls". I bet it's just a pretty normal stomach with skin and a bit of fat on it.

Are you peri / menopausal / approaching 45 and are you used to being very thin? Our bodies change shape naturally and forcing such a low calorie intake won't make you feel good!

@cindarellashoes

I'm on 1200 a day aswell and logging with my fitness pal

Breakfast a porridge pot or hard boiled egg and a coffee with 50 ml
Skimmed milk

Water throughout the day and one coffee either lunch time or later in the afternoon

Lunch a tin of tuna with a teaspoon of mayo and some spring onions in it and a mini baby bel light if still hungry.

Dinner
A high protein like chicken or fish or steak chunks,either in a tomorrow based sauce and either rice or potato thin slices /chunks in the air fryer

Other evening meals may be root veg mash with meat and cauliflower etc.

I've lost 12 lb in 5 weeks.

I rigidly drink 2 litres of water a day as that fills me up and I don't eat or snack on fruit at all as it's just water calories and isn't filling.

It took me a couple of weeks to get used to no snacking etc but now I don't feel hungry during the day

That doesn't sound like 1200 calories. I eat about 1300. I eat two meals a day.
Lunch today was:
One slice seeded bread (120 cal)
Avocado (220 cal)
Egg (100)
50gr smoked salmon (110)
Tomatoes (20)
Tea with milk (25)

Dinner was:
Sea bass with tomato salsa, potato cubes roasted, salad (570 including the olive oil in the salsa)
Snack:
Tea with milk and a small biscuit (78 altogether)
Total: 1243

I weigh everything to be accurate.

I get a little hungry between the two meals (about six or so hours between them), if needed I could have the snack then, but otherwise I'm not hungry. I've been eating like this for around eight weeks and have lost 10kg.

When I was younger and much more active I could lose weight on about 1800 calories even though I’m 5ft 2. Now I WFH, very sedentary overall and have some issues with exercise atm so I’m needing to stick to 1200/1300 calories to lose weight. When I do manage it , I lose 1-2 pounds a week which I’m happy with.

What classes are you doing? You should have noticed some change in muscle tone, energy levels, sleep quality, overall mood.
Can you fit in my exercise?
1200 seems really low imo.

I'm 5'8 and 10st 2lbs. Goal weight similar to yours and calories not far off either. Some days are definitely easier than others!

I'm surprised at so many people saying over ten stone is a great weight etc. I feel podgy and gross to be honest. Moving around is harder, yoga is harder, sitting comfortably is harder and when I lie down I feel suffocated by my own stomach. I don't know how people can feel fine this way? Leave the OP be.

I feel MUCH better at 9.5