And this is why people get fat in the first place -_- 1200 calories is WAY too low especially when you are exercising and isn't it common sense to eat your calories of healthy food to fill nutritional gaps NOT junk to fill calorie gaps if you want to lose weight??!!

Is that your weight loss so far? If so go you!! how did you get that widget?

I can so relate to this...wish I had that problem!

Also, it's not just "eating too much", could be medical reasons, low muscle tone, or not eating enough which "puts the body into starvation mode"

You must eat:

A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF GREEN VEGETABLES.

That is the main way to make you fill up and feel full and happy.

Secondly,

IT IS ONLY FAT that makes you feel satisfied/full. You will eat a surprising amount of - say - absolutely pure plain full-ccream greek yoghourt, pure cream, and perhaps some butter.

Obviously, you will never, ever, ever eat even a mouthful of: bread, potatoes, rice, fruits, pasta, and obviously any sugar or cakes/sweets/etc. That goes without saying.

For sweets, you can basically ONLY EAT strawberries and perhaps raspberries, and perhaps watermelon. As you should know, strawberries are the "miracle" fruit that taste incredibly sweet but have incredibly few carbohydrates -- due to the biomechanics of the way your mouth works.

You'll have to choose the absolutely leanest cuts of meat, basically chicken breast/pork with no fat whatsoever. (There's nothing at all bad about fat in meat, just that it has high calories, if you're aiming for 1200 or lower.)

It is VERY EASY to live on 1200 calories, if, you load up on an incredible amount of green vegetables (cabbage, zucchini, broccoli -- everything like that), use fat (typically pure 100% natural extreme full-fat greek yoghourt) so you never feel hungry, and obviously slash carbohydrates.

You should aim for precisely 72 grams of carbohydrates per day, as Dr Lutz says, and you will never in the slightest feel hungry, etc.

That's exactly how to do it, with ease, and feel stuffed all the time, and live like a gourmet!

Lara Bars are my favorite calorie fillers. They're just dates and nuts mashed up into a tasty. Gives me a bunch of fiber, good fat, and a decent amount of nut protein.

I also like to have smoothies. High protein smoothies even out my macros. Scoop of chocolate whey, banana, tbs peanutbutter, milk, and I can honestly convince myself I am shoving a peanut butter cup and a banana in my mouth at the same time.

I think it's easier for those of us who eat frequently- I eat 5-6 times a day, and if I'm hitting every meal, there's no reason not to meet my calorie goals, which are significantly higher than 1200. ...

Apple pie and icecream

I agree with adding good fats: 1 tsp. evoo (extra virgin olive oil) contains 30 calories.

1200 calories is too low - OP needs to up their calories and look at a strength training program if they aren't already because they only have a small amount of weight to lose.

Up your calories, then you can have like 3 cupcakes everyday. I'm pretty sure that is healthy and an awesome way to lose weight.

Having the same problem too. No matter how much I eat in one day I can't seem to hit the 1200 calorie spot. I'm either 995 calories away or 9 calories away. I don't eat junk food at all, except when my bf forces me to eat a hamburger or pizza when I'm with him(which is like twice a week).

Most of the food you guys listed above I don't even like.
...it's hard...

was thinking the same.
if i ate junk food to fill a gap, i'd definitely binge.
wouldn't just be ONE taco.

It's pretty simple. If you want to be 100% "clean" eater then just eat more "clean" foods.

If you're happy with you're macronutrients and have consumed a variety of foods to fill you're micronutrient needs then have whatever you want that gets you to you're calorie target.

You are not alone! I, too, am having trouble reaching 1200 calories a day. With the exercise I do, I really should be eating somewhere around 1700 calories. But just looking at that number makes me a litle sick! One step at a time, I guess. I really don't want to go back to my junk food days. I like eating healthy food.

just had 1200 "clean" cals for breakfast. Seriously, not that hard people!

yeah i never get how people have trouble reaching this number.

i pretty much had to only 1200 calories to eat today because of a midnight snack i had yesterday before going to sleep.

i had normal breakfast and lunch for me - a protein shake made with a frozen banana, iced coffee and 2 scoops of cookies n cream protein powder for breakfast then eggs, sausage, half an avocado and side salad for lunch. this only left me with 200 calories for dinner and i had half a serving of jambalaya, a side salad and strawberries.

definitely not something i'd want to repeat on a consistent basis. i like staying around 1800 calories

well... start by eating 100-200 calories every 2 to 3 hours... A fiber one bar... an apple... some carrots (NO RANCH) some baked Chicken Strips, a Cucumber... I eat WAY more now than I EVER did before. I just don't eat JUNK. I even treat myslef to a Skinny Cow Truffle Ice cream bar occasionally (The Caramel ones are 100 calories) Feel Free to Check out my food diary

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/7111-mfp-speed-eating-competition

HTH

I'm glad to see people posting good ideas, but I don't think it's a good idea to bulk up your calories with things like Taco Bell or junk food. It's okay to have something a little bad, but eating those regularly is counter productive.

I have the same problem and I've been trying to give myself bigger portions of things I would normally cut down to so little because of the calories. Instead of boiling chicken I bake it with some evoo now.

I'm not sure why some people here are being negative towards you asking a simple question. I have difficulties reaching it on some days when I'm just simply not hungry anymore and I really have to push to find things to eat. Have some extra veggies, some peanut butter, a protein shake, smoothie, some eggs (you can add cheese/other veggies for some extra calories).

I agree with you about junk food but people don't get fat in the first place by eating too few calories and exercising. That is forum myth. It takes energy (calorie surplus) to create mass (fat). Our BMR doesn't shut down and shovel everything into fat cells. Not saying you above think that but I'm just saying it preventatively because some do.

It's common to feel satisfied on much less not only because you're eating healthier and exercising but because you're paying attention for a change. You realize your body is saying "ENOUGH", not "more". So you really don't want to start buttering foods and snarfing down nuts to meet some arbitrary web forum goal when your body is saying ENOUGH. Not paying attention is how a lot of us got fat in the first place.

I was having this problem because I feel full and I eat every 2-3 hours and I was still only ending up with 945 cals approx. I drink more V8 and 1% milk. In V8 there's an extra 50 calories with your mean (I get the low sodium one). And the 1% Milk I eat it with my egg and yogurt or what have you in the morning and that's an extra 110 calories (: If you're having trouble reaching your calories and you just can't eat any more food try those two. You can get your extra calories through drinks, although I wouldn't recommend soda or even diet soda and so on and so fourth. And those that said eat a candy bar or something. Calories aren't just calories. The 100-300 calories you can get in a candy bar are not going to have the same effect as say a salmon fillet, pinto beans, and broccoli. You see. It does matter where you get your calories.

I'm having the same problem (with the exception of this past Friday). I am trying to be gluten free because it aggravates my reflux and anxiety. I feel like I'm eating fairly clean. I'm just not hungry or I fill up quickly. Im going to try some peanut butter spoons to see if that will help.

Are you serious?

food...more of it.