1250 cals a day leaves feeling very very very hungry

I need at least 200 more calories but even if I do excerise the calorie goal for the day does not change...am I reading this thing right?  If I do more excerise than normal shouldn't I get more to eat? 

I've eaten a banana, an oatmeal to go bar with some orange juice for breakfast, a wieght watcher's tv dinner and a yogurt for lunch and now i'm home from work and I have to wait an hour before dinner. . . It's all I can do to stay away from the fridge and cupboards.  I know going to still be hungry after dinner like last night. T_T

I am in the same boat. 1250 calorie limit. I thought if you increased your calories burned (exercise) you could eat more? I am pretty sure that makes sense.  I sure hope so. I know it was that way with the WW plan that I used to be on. I am really struggling to make 1250 calories.  I like the weight watchers bagels with a tablespoon of peanut butter for breakfast. That at least makes me feel like i've actually eaten a meal.

I will have yougurt for lunch sometimes too, and after I inhale it, I think to myself, thats it? I am still so hungry! Maybe I should eat the carton...that must add some fiber :)

Also, chewing gum helps me with cravings, sometimes! Good luck!

I've noticed that when you eat more high volume, low calorie foods, it really helps.  Because your belly is fuller, you don't feel the need to continue eating.

So, instead of a frozen dinner, have a salad with 3 oz. meat (200 cals), and add more snacks in between meals (raw veggies, fruit, nuts).  Also, I've noticed when my meals are balanced between f/p/c, they keep me full longer.

It all sounds cliche, and you'll hear it 1,000 times, but it really helps.  Whenever I have a super carby day, and don't have enough volume, or fat or protein, I'm STARVING.  When I plan out my day right, I often don't even feel "hungry."

I eat around 1200 a day but definitely add in snacks throughout the day.  So I have breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack.  That definitely helps with the hungry feeling.  You don't have to overdo it, save the yogurt for an after lunch snack an hour or two after lunch.  It may hold you better till dinner.  Don't let yourself get into the starvation mode in between meals, then you can lose control during your meals and lead to eating too much.  I am not an expert, but it definitely helps me control myself. 

Will try to help, but not sure of your exact stats.

When it comes to your calorie goal, it only changes when you go into your account settings and change it. It will not change based on your logged activities (your burn meter total will adjust with activities, though).

Since you are asking about exercise affecting goal calories, I have to wonder, too, if you might not have your activity level set wrong. I was starving while I had mine set to sedentary. I figured that if I set it to sedentary and logged all my exercise it would be fine. The difference is that when I started exercising regularly.... I now consider myself lightly active! If you use the tools to suggest what your calorie goal should be, it will use your activity setting to determine how much you should eat.  Telling it I was sedentary made the website think I should eat less too! I now eat 1500-1800 calories a day and I'm still seeing results!

The biggest thing to remember is this... if you are starving you will probably not stick with the eating habits! Find some low-cal, healthy fill-in foods to tide you over. This is a lifestyle change, not a diet. If I need an extra apple or bran muffin to keep me from losing my dedication, I'm goin to eat the snack. Eating 1400 calories most days to keep from starving on the 1200 might show slower results... but its more likely you will stick with it and reach your goal!!

Good luck!!!

I cant comment on your exercise and calorie count, but it does seem like you could make better food choices. I too am a petite person on low calorie target. I've learned that you need to incorporate lots of veggies, fruit and fiber to stay within your goal. Fiber is key to keeping you full.

Example: Instead of eating the oatmeal bar for breakfast it just takes a 2 minutes to cook raw unprocessed oatmeal in the microwave. 1/2 cup is only 150 calories, slice that banana in there and add some brownsugar splenda and you've got a hearty, filling YUMMY breakfast that sticks to your ribs.

O.J. and fruit juice in general are high in calories, sugar and not filling so I would cut it. Instead have a large cup of your favorite tea- the liquid helps fill you up and no calories. BTW- are you drinking your 8 glasses of water a day?

Do you like Apples? They travel well and make great snacks to get you through to the next meal.

 If you are short on calories - How about a green salad with 0 WW point ingredients, i.e., tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms, etc and a 0 cal rice wine vinegar dressing - you can make a huge salad for less than 100 calories. Packing a small salad to eat with your WW meal will add hardly any calories and help fill you up. For a meal, add chicken, feta, bacon bits. I like Kens lite Italian dressing -just 25 calories in one tablespoon.

You sound like you're on the go, but have access to a microwave. It may be that you need to plan ahead and prepare healthy veggie dishes. You can eat huge quantities for low caloric value.

I make "pasta" with spagetti squash, zuchini, shrooms, etc. and add a cup of low fat pasta sauce. Top with a parmesean and you've got an excellent dinner - and enough calories left for a glass of wine!

Good luck!

The program isn't going to change your calorie goal each day for you... if you burn more calories and see your deficit increasing, then it's up to you to decide whether to make it up. If 1250 calories is leaving you starving, then eat a few more!

Beautifully stated Kajikat (I was gonna say the same thing)

thanks for the advice!  I'm afraid if I start going over the cal goal I'll make a bad habit of it though. 

still, thanks to some of the advice here, today worked out rather well. 

I drank water instead of orange juice, had one slice of raisin bread instead of oatmeal and drink tea with a lot less milk and sugar than usual to make it low cal. So, now I have enough cals for a good dinner!

Sorry, I can't follow the salad love and "prepare-ahead of time" advice parts though.  I dislike the taste of most salads and veggies and I already know myself well enough to know if it isn't grab and go food on a work day i won't get a  chance to make or eat it.

Ok, I know this is kind of late, but most people can still lose weight eating a more than 1200 calories.  Really, 1200 is the bare minimum that a woman needs and that is if she is very petite, tiny and already at a low weight.  If you are not already at a low weight, I wouldn't think that another couple hundred calories would not hurt anything.

I don't know what your stats are, but I'm 28 yrs old, 5ft 5in, medium build and 135lbs and I can eat 1700 calories and still not gain....and 1200 would be way too little for me to eat.

It must be the extra inches you have on me lol

I'm 160ish but only 5'1 (average for my height is 115-125)

I've a desk job now so add the fact that`I  really enjoy reading and computer playing -I think sed. is the setting for me.

The calorie needs are not based on height as much as they are on your weight.  The less you weigh the less calories you will need to maintain.  The closer you get to your goal weight, the slower the process will be because the smaller your deficit gets. 

The key to weight loss is creating a calorie deficit.  Before you add exercise/activities to your Burn Meter, what is the estimated calorie burn for the day?  What is it usually at after you do add exercise/activities?

The suggested calorie deficit is 500-1000 calories but as long as you have a calorie deficit you will lose weight. 

It is also suggested that you shouldn't go below your BMR as this is how many calories your body needs just to function if you were laying in bed all day doing absolutely nothing. 

Since you are 31, 5'1" and 160lbs, your BMR comes out to 1492.  Most will recommend that you do not eat below 1492 calories a day. 

I just couldn't do 1200 cals either. I tried and was starving. I did more like 1500 cals, up'd my exercise to 6 days, 4 of cardio, 3 circuit training and lost at a rate of about 1.5 every 2 wks instead of 1 lb every wk. It's still a loss and I'll take it. Lol.

 And the best food advice I was ever given was oatmeal. It really does keep you full longer with only 100 cals. Banana's are good for you but did you know you shouldn't eat more than 1/2 per day. Until you get on track eat more cal dense foods as recommended. I also eat lots of fish, chiken, SF jello for snacks, 1/2 grapefruit...etc. You just have to play with it till you get it right.

Good luck!

oh and I have to add, now after looking at your stats... you are going to lose much faster than I. I was down to my last 5 lbs and those are hell to get off.

Just eat 1500 and do your exercise, drink lots of water... you should start to see a difference soon. Best wishes.