Advice on my 1200 calorie mission

kittyroseb

Hello I'm sticking to 1200 calories atm and being quite regimented with it as I want to get a routine down as i'll be working a lot in the coming weeks.

Breakfast - protein shake and banana (and caffeine!) -210 cal
Mid morning snack - banana -110 cal
Lunch fruit salad (big) and golden syrup porridge - 360 cal
Mid afternoon snack - protein bar -160 cal
Dinner - Greek yoghurt and 4 weetabix with almond milk - 360 cal

I know it's not the most nutritious but as I'll be either at lectures or at work (7 day weeks ) it needs to be easy.

I can't change it for now as have bought everything and I'm a broke student. But any advice for future to make it better? ON a restricted budget. I am prepared to increase to 1500 calories. Just want to be healthy

I also drink loads of water, take a multivitamin and drink peppermint tea and one green tea a day (too much caffeine otherwise!)

anthony150paolucci

How much of a calorie deficit are you on to be eating 1200 calories?

kommodevaran

Glad to hear you're going to change things up a bit - on 1200 calories you'll need more than just carbs. Remember that you need your strength and focus if you are going to be working - fuel up right!

Healthy eating doesn't have to be expensive. What it boils down to(!) is mostly if you can cook, have fridge/freezer/pantry space, and avoid waste. Some people go bananas(!) with protein - I suggest using your food diary and make sure that you're hitting your macros; MFP's default (50C/30F/20P) will work fine unless you have some very unusual goals/issues. There are lots of threads in here on all combos of healthy eating and eating on a budget and being a student - but my own strategies include meal planning and buying just what I need and truly want, choosing store brand over name brand and conventional over organic, looking for unit price, and try not be conned by "sale" prices or to buy something that I can't use up before it spoils, or will cause me to overeat, or I don't have room for, or may get tired of before it's eaten.

From the hows to the whats: A variety of fruit and vegetables, whole grains, meat and fish, eggs and dairy, nuts and seeds, butter and oil.

aalixandruh

Meal prep, meal prep, meal prep! I work 10 hour days 4 days a week and I'm more than a full time student. Most days I go straight to class from work. The thing that has helped me stay on track the most is prepping my breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for the entire week on my only day off. It's literally an entire day event doing this but it is so worth it. It can be super cheap too. 12 dozen hard boiled eggs, Mexican casserole (beans, corn, rice, chicken), fresh fruits or smoothies... Staying at 1200 cals would be the hard part though.

Good luck!

kommodevaran

144 eggs

Judymnelson

Im eating 1400-1500 calories a day. Things like eggs, fruit, veggies and some Amys frozen dinners. I am losing about a pound and a half a week and go to TOPS once a week for weight loss. I keep a journal and log all my food on this site too. Good luck with your weight loss.

Ninkyou

Variety is the spice of life. Also, weigh your food if at all possible.

coalz

I would invest in a crockpot & pick up a low cal recipe book for it. You'll have a lot of leftovers to eat/ freeze for future meals. Smoothies are awesome but I question more than 1 banana a day. I normally do half a day tops. You can also makes soups & get some salad fixing for fairly cheap.

coalz

I want new tupperwares!!!
http://dailyburn.com/life/health/best-meal-prep-clean-eating-instragam/

capaul42

You should also be weighing everything. Even bananas. I've been taking them to work with me for snacks and was surprised at the difference in weights (and calories) in two identical looking bananas. 30-50g difference is a fair amount of calories.

Tsartele

For every self appointed expert on here who is going to tell you that you can not do a 1200 cal a day diet and succeed I am here to say BS !!! I have been on a 1200-1350 cal a day diet 7 weeks and lost 21 lbs.. There was just a story on MPF today where a gentlemen lost 147 lbs in 6 mo by using a 1400 cal a day diet and walking several miles a day. Find what works for you.. and use it. For me its low cal and exercise. Try to stick to lean proteins and fruits and veggies. Go easy on your carbs and do light exercise and watch the weight fall off. The most important thing is to find a program that you can stick too consistently while remaining in a deficit. For me its adipex (gasp), exercise, low cal, will and determination.

arditarose

Is all that fruit/carbs going to keep you full? Seems very low volume, low protein, low fat to me.

jennifer_417

arditarose wrote: »

Is all that fruit/carbs going to keep you full? Seems very low volume, low protein, low fat to me.

This is what I was thinking. Chances are you're going to be hungry a lot. On your next grocery venture, look into some foods that have more protein.

kittyroseb

jennifer_417 wrote: »

arditarose wrote: »

Is all that fruit/carbs going to keep you full? Seems very low volume, low protein, low fat to me.

This is what I was thinking. Chances are you're going to be hungry a lot. On your next grocery venture, look into some foods that have more protein.

Thanks guys , more protein is something I'll introduce at lunch time , and dinner time . This time round I couldn't afford the meat. My next shop will be Monday to start a new plan next Saturday. I'll introduce chicken breast at dinner, with veg and either rice of sweet potatoe

punkrockgoth

kittyroseb wrote: »

jennifer_417 wrote: »

arditarose wrote: »

Is all that fruit/carbs going to keep you full? Seems very low volume, low protein, low fat to me.

This is what I was thinking. Chances are you're going to be hungry a lot. On your next grocery venture, look into some foods that have more protein.

Thanks guys , more protein is something I'll introduce at lunch time , and dinner time . This time round I couldn't afford the meat. My next shop will be Monday to start a new plan next Saturday. I'll introduce chicken breast at dinner, with veg and either rice of sweet potatoe

You don't need to eat meat for protein. Beans, lentils, nuts are all sources of protein and fibre that will help to keep you full. Beans and lentils are super cheap and relatively low cal. They can be prepped ahead of time and snacked on or tossed into salads or used as a main. Eggs are usually cheap and can also be prepped ahead of time. They are a great source of protein.

girlinahat

Cut the snacks and have bigger main meals. All that sugar isn't going to keep you full for long - bananas are good for quick energy, but it wears off soon.

Personally I'd go for bigger main meals with a high protein element (beans and lentils are cheap), lots of vegetables and some grains.

brala90

Fuaaark!