How do people eat 1200 calories?

[Anonymous]

Everytime I try, I fail!! But this is my suggested calorie intake to lose any weight.

[Anonymous]

There is a LOT you can do to feel more full. Vegetables, broths, soups, tea, full fat greek yogurt. If you try to just eat less of what you normally eat, you're gonna have a bad time.

[Anonymous]

Lead with lean protein and round out with veggies/broth. What I usually wind up doing is 1200 but add in for cardio, but you have to be careful there so that you don't get crazy hungry. when that is my target I do the cardio so i can put 1700 calories in my body.

[Anonymous]

As a petite middle-aged woman with low-metabolism, I would gain weight if I ate 1200 calories!
I have to eat less than that to maintain my weight.

This means way less grains and carbs, less fruit, less protein, just as many fresh vegetables.

[Anonymous]

OP, what’s your height/weight?

I’m 5’4’’ 123 and I would be starving constantly if I ate 1200 calories/day. I usually end up at more like 1600.

[Anonymous]

You need to get use to being hungry, plain and simple.

[Anonymous]

Low calorie, volume big foods. Hence, salads, green beans, oatmeal, cabbage, pickles, even bread, yes, bread has higher calories but still less than meat. As for meats, turkey and chicken and fish are lower in calories than beef and pork. And working out, so you can eat more and still be in a caloric deficit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You need to get use to being hungry, plain and simple.

That’s a great way to ensure your diet will only work for a short period of time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
As a petite middle-aged woman with low-metabolism, I would gain weight if I ate 1200 calories!
I have to eat less than that to maintain my weight.

This means way less grains and carbs, less fruit, less protein, just as many fresh vegetables.

I’d rather be chubby than eat less than 1200 calories a day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
As a petite middle-aged woman with low-metabolism, I would gain weight if I ate 1200 calories!
I have to eat less than that to maintain my weight.

This means way less grains and carbs, less fruit, less protein, just as many fresh vegetables.

I’d rather be chubby than eat less than 1200 calories a day.

PP you replied to - you get used to it. I have a thyroid disorder that probably contributes to my low metabolism, and when I gain weight my blood pressure goes up and I don't feel great.
So, having tried both, I'd rather eat less. YMMV!

[Anonymous]

I frequently ate 1200 calories a day. When I was 20 and had disordered eating.

I would wake up, work out, drink coffee and water to stay full, eat a bowl of fruit maybe with yogurt, count a single serving of pretzels mid afternoon and measure a single serving of peanut butter to dip them in, eat another piece of fruit or raw veggie, and eat something like tons of veggies and a tiny piece of chicken for dinner, or a half serving of pasta with lots of broccoli and sauce. Then I'd eat a serving of fro yo with sugar free chocolate syrup and cool whip lite. If I knew I'd be drinking, I'd drink coffee and eat fruit and veggies only until dinner, which would be a 12' long subway sandwich with veggies only.

Those were very dark days.

[Anonymous]

OP what are your stats? Height, weight, age, activity level? Very few people actually have to eat 1200 calories to lose weight. I am currently cutting on slightly over 2000 and easily losing. But I get a lot of steps every day and do 4-5 hard lifting workouts a week. I would always try to increase activity before cutting the calories so low.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I frequently ate 1200 calories a day. When I was 20 and had disordered eating.

I would wake up, work out, drink coffee and water to stay full, eat a bowl of fruit maybe with yogurt, count a single serving of pretzels mid afternoon and measure a single serving of peanut butter to dip them in, eat another piece of fruit or raw veggie, and eat something like tons of veggies and a tiny piece of chicken for dinner, or a half serving of pasta with lots of broccoli and sauce. Then I'd eat a serving of fro yo with sugar free chocolate syrup and cool whip lite. If I knew I'd be drinking, I'd drink coffee and eat fruit and veggies only until dinner, which would be a 12' long subway sandwich with veggies only.

Those were very dark days.

I’m the PP who is now 5’4’’ 123. I also had seriously disordered eating in college. I was 5’3.5’’ 105-110. I did not eat grains in any form. I only had coffee with Splenda (never real sugar), vegetables, fruit, and lean protein (like cold cuts). Hummus with the veggies was ok in limited quantities. I counted my calories and ensured that I burned off everything in the gym every day. If I was hungry, snacks were sugarfree gum, Granny Smith apples, and baby carrots. Fro yo with no toppings was ok. It got to the point where I actually developed that hair on my arms that comes from not having enough fat.

I still count my calories, but eat a much wider variety of foods now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, what’s your height/weight?

I’m 5’4’’ 123 and I would be starving constantly if I ate 1200 calories/day. I usually end up at more like 1600.

5'4, 130

[Anonymous]

It’s easy actually. On my way to 2800, I have to pass 1200.