Help me eat 1200 calories a day

[Anonymous]

Desperately need to lose a ton of weight but I'm always starving. How do you stick to 1200 calories? What do you eat during a typical day? Thanks in advance!

[Anonymous]

I am trying to stay at 1200 a day, too. And it's still early enough that I am freaking starving.

This morning, I had a boiled egg and coffee with skim milk and splenda for breakfast, low cal chix soup for lunch and will have broiled chicken and some broccoli for dinner.

Good times. LOL

My daily splurge has been the tiny piece of chocolate out of an advent calendar.

I am a person of extremes, so trying to keep myself eating in moderation is a challenge.

But if I can drop this weight, it will be worth it. I look and feel terrible.

[Anonymous]

What is your height and weight? You shouldn't be "always starving." That's not the way to go.

Look for foods that will fill you up--
--an apple and a cheese stick will last longer than a bag of carrots or a small candy bar
--drink lots of water
--go for low fat protein to fill you up, ie fat free Greek yogurt is my go-to

I highly recommend Weight Watchers. It has lots of flexibility so that on days where you are feeeling a bit hungrier, you have extra points to help you out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is your height and weight? You shouldn't be "always starving." That's not the way to go.

Look for foods that will fill you up--
--an apple and a cheese stick will last longer than a bag of carrots or a small candy bar
--drink lots of water
--go for low fat protein to fill you up, ie fat free Greek yogurt is my go-to

I highly recommend Weight Watchers. It has lots of flexibility so that on days where you are feeeling a bit hungrier, you have extra points to help you out.

Op- 5'4 and 190. Tried WW in the past and always felt hungry. Maybe I didn't eat the right food combinations.

[Anonymous]

For breakfast, I usually eat 2-4 egg whites on a bagel thin or whole grain tortilla, maybe add a piece of turkey bacon or low fat cheese. Keeps breakfast under 250 calories.

Lunch, I make a sandwich, usually on a low calorie pocket bread, using lots of veges and some low fat turkey or ham. I also eat one or two pieces of fruit and sometimes a fiber one bar.

Dinner is usually some sort of meat and vegetables. If I worked out, maybe some wine.

[Anonymous]

Maybe you should consider going to the WW meetings to get tips. It sounds like doing this on your own isn't working either. if you starve yourself your body will only work to put the weight back on. It sounds like you aren't eating enough calories.

Lots of fruits and vegetables. My fave was carrots dipped in mustard. Exercise. But your shouldn't lose more than a pound a week, maybe a bit more in the beginning.

[Anonymous]

I've mentioned this before but I highly recommend Diet to Go for a couple of weeks at least. It's 1200 calories and gives you a really good sense of what 1200 calories looks like. Its very filling- i am rarely hungry. It's all fresh food that you can replicate at home. I do it periodically and it really helps. I find I am able to moderate myself now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe you should consider going to the WW meetings to get tips. It sounds like doing this on your own isn't working either. if you starve yourself your body will only work to put the weight back on. It sounds like you aren't eating enough calories.

Lots of fruits and vegetables. My fave was carrots dipped in mustard. Exercise. But your shouldn't lose more than a pound a week, maybe a bit more in the beginning.

Words of wisdom. Slow and steady may not be what you're looking for, but it's the way to go. You could also try hypnotherapy or CBT to get your mind off of food.

[Anonymous]

The right foods matter. Stick to lean protein, healthy fats, vegetables and no more than 2 fruits a day. Get carbs from fruit, oatmeal and veggies. Avoid processed foods as that is whe the calories add up quickly.

It can be done if you eat right and fill up,on veggies.

[Anonymous]

No, I'm not going to help you. You can do it yourself. write it down. Use "loseit.com". Don't come here. We have far more important problems.

[Anonymous]

It's not good to do too drastic of a calorie drop, otherwise your body will go into starvation mode and your metabolism will grind to a halt. That will make it very hard to lose weight and you will quickly gain what you have lost. This is great for Weight Watchers and similar programs because it keeps you subscribing, but not great for your health or the long term.

How many calories do you normally consume? I'd start by removing simple carbs, fatty snacks and sub in healthier options (fruits, apples with peanut butter, cheese sticks). Then I'd start cutting calories gradually.

There are online calculators and so forth that can help you figure out how many calories you need depending on your activity level and so forth. Lose It and other apps can help a lot. That's what I've been doing while adding in exercise, lost about 8 pounds so far, but lost a lot of body fat/gained muscle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've mentioned this before but I highly recommend Diet to Go for a couple of weeks at least. It's 1200 calories and gives you a really good sense of what 1200 calories looks like. Its very filling- i am rarely hungry. It's all fresh food that you can replicate at home. I do it periodically and it really helps. I find I am able to moderate myself now.

Hi PP have you lost weight using Diet to Go? Do you mind sharing how much and how long it took? I've always wondered about that program. It sounds pretty easy and convenient. Thanks

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am trying to stay at 1200 a day, too. And it's still early enough that I am freaking starving.

This morning, I had a boiled egg and coffee with skim milk and splenda for breakfast, low cal chix soup for lunch and will have broiled chicken and some broccoli for dinner.

Good times. LOL


That doesn't sound even remotely close to 1200 calories... I have been dieting for a while (lost 40 pounds in a year eating around 1500 calories a day) and what you are describing sounds to me like far fewer that 1200.

Let's see:

Boiled egg: 70 calories
coffee with skim and splenda: 15 calories (although I doubt there is even that much)
low call chix soup: let's be generous and say 200 calories
broiled chicken: 150 calories
broccoli: 50 calories

That is 485 calories! That is insane, no wonder you are starving!!!!

[Anonymous]

on the days I try to stick with 1200 calories, I eat:

coffee w/skim milk - 0 calories
no fat greek yogurt - 140 calories
apple - 70- calories
turkey sandwhich on whole wheat and mustard - 300-ish
dinner - something around 500 calories
snack - crackers and cow cheese or pirate booty

I find it easier if I can load up more in the evenings.

[Anonymous]

kill hunger with protein, vegetables, and volume

Breakfast: huge egg white omelette with unlimited veggies and salsa. Coffee or green tea.

Lunch: black bean soup, salad w/ grilled chicken, balsamic vinigrette

Snack: handful of nuts, hot tea

Dinner: Baked salmon with lentils, roasted broccoli with olive oil and lemon