[SweetPeach3388]

I'm beginning to realize that when I eat clean/on plan I struggle to reach 1200 calories a day. Obviously, when I go crazy and eat "deliciously bad" things it is so easy to eat way more than that. I don't feel hungry for more and I feel like if I tried to fit in more snacks, or whatever, I would be spending my whole day eating. Also, food is expensive! Why would I eat more than I feel I need to?

I guess my point is that I'm wondering if anyone else struggles with this. After being on the site for a few weeks, I've realized most people think 1200 is way too low. My energy level is a bit low, but this is normal for me. Maybe I've just never eaten enough? I'm just a little confused as to what to experiment with. Any input is appreciated. Thanks!

[cancrelat]

I'm doing 1200 too right now. On days where I'm not getting my full 1200, I go for something small, like a Fiber One 90 cal. bar or a half-serving of cereal. Cereal can be pretty inexpensive.

What's your eating schedule right now, if any? I know I feel like I'm eating all the time when I eat every two hours, but I feel worse if I don't stick to it.

[DisgruntledOne]

I had and still do have this problem every once in a while. Breakfast is the meal that I tweek to get in my calories. I really don't like breakfast. There are foods I cringe at eating cuz calorie count is soooo high on such as peanut butter. So on low days I add high calorie healithy food like peanut butter on an apple or something like that.

[CurryMama]

Adding some nutty granola to yogurt helps. I'm not eating at that level but I still have trouble meeting my calorie goal somedays.

[Rosinante]

I have exactly the same problem, for exactly the same reasons. While understanding the point that we shouldn't force ourselves to eat when we're just learnin to understand what 'enough' feels like, I do think we should try hard to keep up to the 1200.
Olive oil in salad dressings?
A Measured small amount of nuts?

[indiblue]

I'm on 1200 right now and would love to have your problem- I struggle to stay around it!

In case it's helpful, here are a few sample days where I was around 1200, which I post on an accountability thread. EDIT: I eat about 80-90% clean/whole food- assume everything below is clean if it doesn't have a name brand beside it (i.e. Slim Fast, Jif, etc). I live in a developing country so all food is fresh, usually brought in from the farm earlier that day.
--
B: Slim Fast chocolate shake with skim milk
L: 1 small homemade whole wheat tortilla with spinach and 1.5 oz brie cheese
D: 1 small homemade whole wheat tortilla with lettuce wrap filling (chopped up vegetables with soy sauce and other Chinese seasonings), 1 steamed veg dumpling, 1/2 c steamed rice, 1/4 c random Chinese seasonings (which I think were mostly spices and broth, no indication of cream, etc), 2 small jalebis (Indian sweet)
Snacks: 1 morning glory muffin, 1 tsp Nutella, 1 sheet nori.
--
Breakfast: Slim-Fast with skim milk
Lunch: 1 veggie burger with vegetable topping and no bun, 10 homemade french fries, approx 3 tbs ketchup
Snacks: 1/2 c yogurt with 1 tsp honey
Dinner: 1 c steamed spinach, 10 pieces of shrimp, 1 frozen banana with 1 tsp Hershey's chocolate sauce.
Beverages: 2 6-oz cups masala chai with splash of milk and 2 packets brown sugar each, 1 6-oz cup coffee wth splash of milk and 2 packets brown sugar
--
Breakfast: 1 morning glory muffin, 1 egg sunny-side up
Lunch: Medium-sized Greek salad- feta cheese, cucumbers, red bell peppers, green bell peppers, lettuce, 3 tsp vinaigrette
Dinner: 1 cup pureed cauliflower (made with skim milk, a tiny bit of olive oil, garlic), 4 tbs hummus, 1 large carrot, 1/2 pomegranate
--
Breakfast: Slim Fast with skim milk, 1 banana
Lunch: 1 glass watermelon juice 1 c Indian lentils (daal)
Snacks: 1 tsp Jif Peanut Butter, 3/4 cucumber, 4 tsp hummus
Dinner 1/2 c jasmine steamed rice, 1/4 c pad thai, 1/4 c green curry, 1 bite of stir fry, 3 bites of tapioca in coconut milk, 1 glass red wine
--
Breakfast: 2 eggs, sunny-side up
Snack1: 1 apple, 1 tsp peanut butter, 1/2 slim fast
Lunch: 1 c cauliflower carrot puree soup
Snack2: 1/4 c yogurt, 1 tsp honey
Dinner: 2 homemade black bean burgers (carrot, black bean, chick peas, oats, onion, seasonings), 1 jalbi (Indian sweet)
--

Peanut butter, a couple of eggs, 1/2 c pasta, handful of nuts, 1-2 oz cheese, oats or other grains are great ways of adding some calories to a diet. Add in some of these throughout your day and you should have no problem reaching 1200

[joyfulloser]

There are a couple of reasons why eating very low calorie diets may not be a good idea:

1. Most people find that as they get closer to their goal weight, they need to reduce calories even further. If you start at 1200...you may have to end up at 1000...and your metabolism will suffer.

2. It just simply is NOT sustainable long term. Most of us didn't get here (3FC) eating 1200 cals/day....in my case 1200 x 3! We need to be "realistic" in our needs/wants and learn to eat our favorite foods in moderation. Nobody can live a life of deprivation for all eternity...NOBODY!

3. Food is fuel/heat. Heat is energy. We need fuel to live. You will NOT be able to incorporate a healthy level of exercise without enough fuel.

Hope this helps explain WHY many people around MAY feel that 1200 is too low to start with. Then again...there are people that will also say that they can't lose unless they eat 1,000 cals/day. Bottom line...is you must use your own "reasoning powers" to discern what is best and most "logical" for you.!

[DanielleLynnMichaels]

Good morning 3FC'ers. I'm calorie counting too and I am supposed to be intaking 1500 calories along with vigorous excercise. The excercise is coming along nicely... reaching 1500 calories... not so much. I'm having a HORRIBLE time making goal everyday with calories. I hope to be there today and I am trying what the above poster suggested... fill in with breakfast. It's supposed to be the biggest meal of the day anyway and if I can get a good jump start with breakfast making my calorie goal outta be a breeze... *fingers crossed* here's to hoping. Will you please let us know if there are any other things you have found to help boost that calorie intake? Thanks for posting this too... it's a great subject.

[supergir111]

Well I'm on 1230 and sometimes I hit mid 1100 and just can't eat anymore, I let myself have these low days to balance the days I go over 1230

[mdchick88]

I have the same problem. I can easily eat 800 a day and feel full - but I know that's not a good idea. I don't want to force myself to eat, but I don't want to deprive myself. When I'm low on cals, I usually eat some nuts, or some whole wheat toast with peanut butter. Unless you're allergic to peanuts, then that won't work
Also, when I'm low, I check to make sure I got all my fruits and veggies for the day. Usually, the answer's no. Not that veggies are really high in cals, but if I'm getting the right amount I feel better about being under my calorie goal. And I second (or was it third) the point that when you are closer to goal, you'll probably need to drop your cals. You need a little bit of a buffer to be able to drop your limit when the time comes.

[JenMusic]

For me, reaching my calorie level has been part physical (yes, after a while I don't want to eat more!) and part mental.

Addressing the physical part of the equation, for me, involves making sure I have enough healthy fats in my day - avocado, olive oil, some nuts and nut butters (although PB can be a trigger food for me, so I have to be careful). These are foods that add calories without adding bulk or junk. It's not foolproof - sometimes I'm low on cals but good on fat - but it helps.

The other issue, for me, has been mental. As I've progressed in my weight loss I fell into a bit of trap, where I (consciously or unconsciously) decided that less was better. So I was making little decisions throughout the day that kept my calorie level low, and then equating "low" with "good." This was causing me to become a little disordered in my food thinking. It didn't get to the point of becoming damaging in my restriction, but it wasn't mentally healthy.

I've been addressing the mental part on a thread I've been keeping, where for a week I made myself eat at maintenance and see that there was NO crazy weight gain that resulted. Now I've come back down into weight loss range, but I am very careful to not give that "less is better" little voice too much power over my food choices.

Not sure how much of that may apply to you, but maybe it'll help!

[Kateryna]

Originally Posted by joyfulloser

2. It just simply is NOT sustainable long term. Most of us didn't get here (3FC) eating 1200 cals/day....in my case 1200 x 3! We need to be "realistic" in our needs/wants and learn to eat our favorite foods in moderation. Nobody can live a life of deprivation for all eternity...NOBODY!

I agree I agree for exactly this reason. I know that there is just no way that I would be able to eat 1,200 for the rest of my life and therefore don't even want to go there so I force myself to find a realistic way to balance out my diet through exercise.

Also, I have seen what happened to my sister when she did 1,200 and now 10 years later after achieving her weight loss goal, she still has to eat 1,200 cal and work out 3 times a week to sustain 130 lb (5'5") and I beleive that its just her metabolism is messed up now because if she eats more - she gains and she gains fast, I am talking about 3-4 lb a a month gain.

[ERHR]

When I switched to the diet I'm doing now, the Belly Fat Cure, there were lots of days when I was satisfied at 900 or 1000 calories. I had increased my fiber, protein, and fat intake so I felt satisfied on less. I let that go on (some days) for about a week or two before I started forcing myself to eat up to 1200 or 1300 calories per day, and now that's the comfortable amount for me to eat. I didn't want to stay in that below-1200 region and I'm thinking about going up to 1400 calories/day now. I think the critical factor in my weight loss has been carbohydrate restriction, not calorie restriction (in these ranges).

[indiblue]

Originally Posted by Kateryna

I agree I agree for exactly this reason. I know that there is just no way that I would be able to eat 1,200 for the rest of my life and therefore don't even want to go there so I force myself to find a realistic way to balance out my diet through exercise.

Right but few people are supposed stay at 1200 calories for the rest of their life. It's a temporary drop in caloric intake during the weight loss period to create a deficit. Once maintenance is entered it should be upped to achieve equilibrium.

I don't know what the OP's situation is, or what your sister's situation is, but for some people especially those whose BMRs are very low to start with, 1200 is an appropriate net level for dieting (of course I eat more when I exercise to ensure I don't drop too low). It just depends on the size, metabolism, and other health factors of the individual.

Anyway I can't give the OP advice on whether or not 1200 is the right place for her, only which foods I use to get up to 1200 (or, more accurately, which foods I have to definitely watch so I don't rise above it! )

[Lovemylife]

You say you are eating clean. I suggest you add some nuts or healthy fats to your food or eat higher calorie foods. Your body will go into starvation mode if you do not give it what it needs. If you are exercising, then you definitely need all your calories. Also, the principles of eating clean say you eat every 3 hours no matter if hungry. The object is to keep your metabolism roaring.