Little help for a newb?

I am a complete newb. lol. Was wondering if anyone had any advice. I calculated my target calories as 1278 per day and I get hungry or just cravings. My exercise it walking for about 2 hours per day (mostly up hills and stairs and whatnot) so I always break a sweat. And as much as this sound like a stupid question, but when you talk about a calorie deficit, do you mean the difference between consumed and burned? I'm just finding it a little confusing and would like some sort of advice since I'm just starting. lol.

Thanks :)

yes, the "deficit" is the difference between what you ate and what you burned.

as far as your target calories & hunger - what are you eating now? Are there any substitutions you could make that would give you more food with less calories?

I'm at 1200 too, I eat a lot of veggies, fruits, yogurt, chicken, fish, crackers, cheese, eggs. I am hungry at snack and mealtime, but I haven't been starving or craving.

I also allot a few calories for something that I really really like - right now it's chocolate ice cream, before it was the little dove chocolates. You don't have to cut out your favorites - just limit.

Have you already planned a 1278 calorie day and were hungry ... or are you hungry on your current plan and worry that 1278 will still leave you hungry?

Calorie deficit does mean the difference between what you eat and what you have burned. 

But 1278 seems really low.  Did you calculate this as "sedentary"?  If so, you should probably recalculate as "moderately active".  Walking 2 hours a day is NOT sedentary and its more than "lightly active".  Since it sounds like you are ALWAYS hungry it is a good bet that you are not eating enough.

With the right calorie balance and eating a healthful diet you will feel hungry when you should but no so hungry you could eat your own sneakers. 

Ah that makes more sense now :)

I calculated it as being moderately active. I did today keeping it below 1278 and was still hungry. I included a few treats that I was craving but I ate 3 proper meals with wholewheat bread and fruit and stuff. I am worried that if I drop my calories down this low 1) i will always be hungry, 2) my body will go into starvation mode because I'm used to eating alot more and just giving into cravings all the time. I quite often just snack all day because I'm bored, and I'm quite stressed at the moment preparing for exams.

Oh, and today I had a deficit of 563 :)

I would be careful dropping your calorie count so low so fast.  I'm a newbie too (I joined Tuesday) and decided to track what I eat normally in a week before deciding my daily calorie goal.  If you normally eat 2200 calories and suddenly drop it to 1200 you will go into starvation mode.  Make sure that whatever you drop to is sustainable.  Our bodies adjust.  If you get it used to 1200 then go up at some point to say, 1600, you'll put on pounds instantaneously.  I'm a big eater (though I try to keep it healthy and load up on fruits, veggies, grains and lean meat), there's no way I could maintain a 1200-calories-a-day diet.  Whatever you do, make sure it's right for you.

Best of luck,

Karen

I have increased it now to 1500 per day :) I don't think I could handle 1200 per day! lol. So i'm keep roughly to 1500 per day for a while, I have gone a bit over the past couple of days, but I'm trying to keep it round about the 1500 mark and i'm trying to exercise a little more. :)

Thanks for all the help and advice peeps :) Good luck everyone!