[NoSuchUser]

1,200 really makes you think about what you're going to eat! That's my base, & then I add in more for workouts (I use myfitnesspal so it keeps track).

[LandonsBaby]

Originally Posted by LockItUp

I'm excited for you that you feel full with that amount of food. And it does indeed look like you are eating well!

I do believe you and I have very different ideas of what "a lot of food" is though.

yeah, me too. i'm doing 1300 and it doesn't feel at all like a "lot" of food.

[LandonsBaby]

Originally Posted by Arctic Mama

Sweetie, you'd be okay even if you needed an additional meal worth of energy. Consistency with calorie balance (or deficit) is what is important, if your body demands more fuel after a workout there's nothing wrong with a few hardboiled eggs and an apple, I promise, even if it brings your calorie total up closer to 1500

At 5'8" I would think she could also lose quite nicely on a little more than 1200 calories a day so upping them if she's hungry isn't going to be the end of the world.

[Blueberries]

Originally Posted by LockItUp

I do believe you and I have very different ideas of what "a lot of food" is though.

This!

Why start at 1200 and not really give yourself anywhere to go as you get smaller? I'm taller than you and weigh slightly less, and I'm losing on 2000-2100 calories (net) per day. If I need to drop down, I've got lots of wiggle room.

[Katbot24]

To clear things up, I am NOT restricting my caloric intake to 1200 intentionally, I'm merely trying to stay low carb and moderately low fat. If it were 1500 I wouldn't be concerned. All I was getting at was that you can eat well on 1200 calories. End of story

[Arctic Mama]

Good on you! If you're not hungry for more, there's no issue

[GobabyGoGO]

I need the recipe for the cheese and mushroom stuffed red peppers please...pretty please

[Northernrose]

I definitely agree that less food can seem like much more when you're eating right. Lots of veggies & pulses are what keep me full for less

[Katbot24]

Addendum: surprise dinner date with fiancé last night changed my plans again, my new total was around 1600 but carb heavy. I'm up a pound but that's salt n carbs.

pulled chicken, cheese and mushroom stuffed red peoper recipe

- 1/4 cup pulled chicken
- 1oz shredded cheese
- 2 mushrooms, diced
- 2 tsps becel
- I medium red pepper.

Preheat your overnight to 350. In a pot bring water and salt to a boil. Clean out your peppers so they form little cups, toss them into the boiling water for 5 minutes. In the meantime pantry the mushrooms on high heat in the becel until they are partially cooked ( they should still taste mushroom-y). Remove the peppers from the boiling water and dump them into cold water (to stop the cooking process, we don't want mushy peppers). Mix all your stuffing ingredients together and, with a spoon, stuff your pepper. Cover the top of the pepper with cheese and place in over for 15 minutes.

As a side note you can use seasoned cottage cheese, or other meat as stuffing as well.

[forrystar]

I'm a vegetarian, so not eating meat keeps my calories low. I sometimes struggle to get up to 1200 cal's a day. A typical diet day includes:

Apple (bfast)
Cucumbers & a Kind Bar (snack)
Quinoi w/ beans and tons of veggies (lunch)
1 cup Grapes & Banana & Snap Peas(snack)
Spaghetti squash w/ marinara sauce (dinner)

I eat ALL day. I work in a hospital and walk 4 to 6 miles daily so I need the energy. This all adds up to around 1000 calories so I struggle to eat more to get to the 1200 recommended. I take vitamins as well.

[PinkLotus]

Good for you! I agree that 1200 calories can be filling if planned properly. I'm pregnant, so I've bumped my calories up to 2000+, but was eating anywhere from 1200-1500 before, and was always satisfied.
Though I do agree with some of the others, your first list of food wouldn't have been nearly enough for me! But hey, if it works for you, then I think that's great.

[Munchy]

I often eat around 1200 calories, and I find that it's a comfortable amount of food for me. I eat a lot of vegetables and I love soups, so that helps.

Samples:

B: Bread round (100), 1oz goat cheese (80), basil, spinach (5), tomato (10) = 195
S: Orange (60) = 60
L: Spicy tomato soup (118) = 118
S: Baby carrots w/hummus = 200
D: ˝ cup white rice (100), 3/4 cup vegetables with scallops (150), cabbage (30), flounder (100) = 380
S: Pretzel w/peanut butter (300) = 300
TOTAL: 1253

OR

B: English muffin (100), 1oz goat cheese (80), basil, spinach (5), tomato (10) = 195
S: Strawberries (60) = 60
L: Carrot peanut soup (159) = 159
S: Cherry tomatoes w/hummus = 200
D: 1oz egg noodles (100), cabbage (30), flounder (100), 4oz scallops (100) = 330
S: 1 tuna cake, lemon caper aioli (150), 1oz pistachios (160) = 210
TOTAL: 1154

[swissy]

You're doing great.

Mmm looks tasty, thats what I did, I love fruit, wholegrains, pesto, cheese, greens, red peppers so I based my diet around that but just to share my experience I couldn't lose weight eating below 1400 calories a day, my body just stalled because it needs 1600 to function to 1800,

so when I eat 1200 a day I do not burn that calorie deficit after a few weeks but when I eat 1400-1600 I do, and trust me extra veggies, fish, eggs, chicken breast, good fat ain't gonna stop your weight loss it will nourish you and help you burn fat long term So in the short term just don't feel demotivated if you over eat by a few hundred calories.

Most important thing is to find what works for you, I know 1200 is the bottom cut off point for low cal but it does not equal weight loss for a lot active people but if it does for you that's great.