1200 calories/day is SO HARD, can anyone share their meal plan?

maidentl

kaspatore wrote: »

BREAKFAST- 1 WHOLE EGG, 1/4 C EGG WHITE, 1 TBSP COTTAGE CHEESE, SPINACH, LAUGHING COW, COFFEE WITH CINNAMON AND CREAMER.
LUNCH- A BUNCH OF GREENS (KALE/SPIN/ROMAINE) TOMATOES, A BIT OF CHEESE (PARM/GOAT/ FETA), DELICIOUS VEGGIES, AND HOMEMADE VINEGRETTE WITHOUT TOO MUCH EVOO.
DINNER- BIG BOWL OF LIGHTLY STEAMED BROCCOLI, 1-2 TBSP CREAM CHEESE, 1 HANDFULL CHOPPED CHICKEN, FRANKS BUFFALO SAUCE
SNACKS- RED GRAPES, MELON, FIBER ONE BAR, TURKEY PEPPERONI,

So apparently gifs aren't animated anymore and you can't delete a post anymore.

odinalove1

breakfast= 1egg 1egg white fried in non stick pan rubbed with 1/4 teaspoon of oil eaten with a mini pitta bread, 1/4 cup of baked beans and a cup of tea with skimmed milk. . almost 300cal

lunch= blue dragon whole wheat noodles stir fried with onions, defrosted mixed vegies, chili and prawns in 1 teaspoon oil=almost 400 cal

dinner= baked chicken thigh and salad dressed in 1 teaspoon olive oil and salt.=250 cal

snacks- seaweed crisps
walkers sunbites
0% Greek yogurt... may come up to 200 cal
2 cups of barley tea

but these are the days i actually plan and then get busy. most times i take up to 1500-1800 since i jog for 3-6 miles on some mornings

odinalove1

chaos416 wrote: »

Hi, I'm just a shade over 5 foot and quite sedentary. I have my doctors approval to do 1000 calories and under. Feel free to send a friend request and browse through my food diary. The weight isn't exactly falling off as my maintenance calories aren't far above that, but I am losing a little. Been logging for 30 days. I do better when I get close or above my protein, especially if I get it early in the day.

true, if i hit the protein right especially with eggs in the morning it get's easier to wait for lunch, and at lunch if i eat more protein with veggies it gets easier to wait for dinner, at dinner i love salads or soups , fiber and protein for me really.. but then out of boredom and not really hungry i still average over 400cal in sweet snacks. this has nothing to do with satiety , just bad habits i'm dealing with

jilljhunter

I eat a little under 1300 (as set by MFP). Lots of protein is key for me or I'm STARVING. This is my typical day.

B - 1 egg, 1 egg white, lean turkey sausage (1 1/2 links lean) or 1 slice bacon, 2 TBSP cheese scrambled together AND 1/3 cup oatmeal with 1/2 chopped apple

L - Protein shake (I use Shakeology) with 35 calorie almond milk, 1/2 cup fruit, 3 TBSP liquid egg white, ice

S- 1/2 cup LF cottage cheese, 1/2 cup fruit, 1/2 TBSP almonds (or) apple w/2 tsp peanut butter and 3 almonds (or) veggies with 2 TBSP hummus

D- 3 oz chicken breast, 1 cup green veggie, 1/2 cup carb (either potato or bean)

S- chocolate or Chobani Flips yogurt

I also exercise a good bit (run 3X week, lift weights 2X week, Zumba once week). After reading all the above posts, I wonder if I'm eating enough calories. I'm 5'8 and was eating around 1400, but when I went under 170, MFP calculated my calorie intake a little below 1300. I lose about 1/2 pound a week. Hmmmm.....

ht1211

jilljhunter wrote: »

I eat a little under 1300 (as set by MFP). Lots of protein is key for me or I'm STARVING. This is my typical day.

B - 1 egg, 1 egg white, lean turkey sausage (1 1/2 links lean) or 1 slice bacon, 2 TBSP cheese scrambled together AND 1/3 cup oatmeal with 1/2 chopped apple

L - Protein shake (I use Shakeology) with 35 calorie almond milk, 1/2 cup fruit, 3 TBSP liquid egg white, ice

S- 1/2 cup LF cottage cheese, 1/2 cup fruit, 1/2 TBSP almonds (or) apple w/2 tsp peanut butter and 3 almonds (or) veggies with 2 TBSP hummus

D- 3 oz chicken breast, 1 cup green veggie, 1/2 cup carb (either potato or bean)

S- chocolate or Chobani Flips yogurt

I also exercise a good bit (run 3X week, lift weights 2X week, Zumba once week). After reading all the above posts, I wonder if I'm eating enough calories. I'm 5'8 and was eating around 1400, but when I went under 170, MFP calculated my calorie intake a little below 1300. I lose about 1/2 pound a week. Hmmmm.....

Thank you so so much!!! This is really helpful.

ht1211

drabbits3 wrote: »

I have been on here since June 30 and I have been doing okay with 1200 calories. It did take me a while to figure out what kept me full at the number. Feel free to look at my diary--it's open. Aim of really calorie dense foods--fat free greek yogurt, one tablespoon of fresh ground peanut butter on a slice of lite bread/toast, green smoothies. I have been pretty good at measuring portions, although I do not have a food scale. By and large I have not been STARVING on the 1200. A little not full, but I used to go to bed feeling stuffed and get up feeling sluggish, so this is better. Think about lots of volume for not many calories-cherry tomatoes, watermelon, carrots, berries. I find I make choices much more carefully when I don't have as much to "spend" on food.

Will do. Thank you.

TeaBea

Suedexter wrote: »

That's interesting

I'm 5'2. My weight loss seemed to slow down on 1,200 calories a day.

So for the last week and a half I've tried the 5:2 diet. 2 days of 500 calories ( essentially Weetabix for breakfast and Weetabix for supper) and then 1,500 calories other days

I don't know how long I'll do this for, but for now it seems to have kick started me back into losing

Sorry but this isn't 5:2.....this is just zig-zagging, a rotation diet, or a diet + a fast.

5:2 is 2 days at 500 calories (for women) plus 5 days of maintenance. You are averaging 1200 calories over the week....this is just a different 1200 calorie diet.

Fast weight loss is muscle loss....I do 5:2 in hopes on minimizing muscle loss.

To find your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) aka maintenance .....http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

ht1211

throoper wrote: »

You're pretty short, and depending on what you weigh, 1200 isn't unreasonable. My daily goal is also 1200 but I usually eat back exercise calories too. On days that I don't exercise, and that I actually meet my goal (which I agree is hard!!), here's what my meals look like.

Breakfast - a couple cups of coffee + low-fat milk plus either a fried egg or a spinach/fruit/bit of protein powder smoothie = ~150-200 cals

Lunch - either a big spinach salad with chopped bell peppers, 4 oz of grilled lean meat, and balsamic vinegar, or a reasonable portion of healthy leftovers, or a Lean Cuisine / 6" Subway sub in a pinch = ~250-350 cals

Dinner - my FAVE is a big plate of oven roasted veggies (dice and toss broccoli, asparagus, beets, or brussel sprouts with a little olive oil and a lot of garlic, bake at 375 for ~20 minutes, broil for a couple minutes, HOLY GOOD!) plus 4 oz lean grilled meat, or some homemade veggie-rich stew or soup = ~400-500 cals

Snacks - apple, mini sweet peppers, snap peas, carrots, low-fat string cheese, Laughing Cow cheese wedges, raw almonds, etc = ~200 cals

Total = 1100 - 1350

Thanks!

GulfcoastAL

feel free to add me, any of you. I'm 5'4" and adding in the protein has been GREAT! I was a mostly non- meat eater so I am also doing a food quality overhaul. I probably had maybe 20 grams of protein prior to logging it on MFP. Each week I add in something new that is high in protein like eggs, flax seeds,almonds, chickpeas on top of my veggies or whole wheat pasta. I find I must eat often especially in the morning- this is when I consume the yogurt and cottage cheese.
- 7:30 AM Greek yogurt 1/2 cup is plenty filling.
- 10:00 AM 1/2 cup Cottage Cheese with flax seeds or scrambled eggs with cheese & salsa
- 12:00PM Lentil soup, turkey with spinach, or veggie quesadilla, usually Feta cheese crumbles too!
- 2:00 PM some kind of healthy snack, maybe even a Nutribullet drink. Something salty like cucumbers with tomatoes- prefer raw veggies if possible.
- Condiments: I use lite balsamic vinaigrette, salsa, and Grey Poupon type mustard.
5:00PM dinner.
Later if hungry- I usually have a different Greek yogurt with the flax seeds. The golden flax ones ground up taste like graham crackers a little!!!
My diet at first (a month ago) was under 1200 because that's what MFP said but I have tentatively upped it to 1300 calories after losing 4 pounds in first month( took 3 weeks for first 2 pounds to come off). I am playing around with eating back my exercise calories if I am hungry. Usually I am not. My TDEE is 1710 and my BMR is 1368 ( INCLUDES exercising 3x a week!) so that's not a lot of cut back room AND I'm 45 years old.
I try to avoid processed " healthy" cereal due to the sodium but have it sometimes for convenience and the iron.

Looking to add shellfish and tuna about 2x a week next.

Really happy with what I am eating- seems to have made the sweet cravings truly GO AWAY.