1200 calorie plan help

kbench80

Kind bars, Cliff bars and trail mixes are a good option for a super easy lunch alternative, since you said you don't typically get to eat lunch. I find my metabolism doesn't do well when I skip meals and put so many calories in the evening, so maybe taking things you can eat quickly with no prep on your lunch break would also help. Costco has a generic version of the Kind bars that are cheaper. Also, you can make your own trail mix from the bulk section at the grocery story - this is often healthier than buying the pre-made mixes as well, which can sometimes lean heavily on sweets. Or, sometimes I'll buy the pre-mixed and then add in additional almonds or something like that. When I make my own or when I buy the bulk trail mix, I'll portion it into smaller grab-and-go bags or containers right away so I avoid the temptation to eat it all at once or avoid the need to package it before work.

Also, if you like eggs, I have discovered sheet pan eggs which could be a super easy replacement for your Jimmy Dean Bowls - you basically mix up scrambled eggs, mix in whatever veggies/meat you want (you could just get the pre-cooked crumbled sausage if that's what you like) and then bake them either on a sheet pan or in a 9x13 pan - then you cut it up into portions. I make them on the weekend and then have an easy-heat breakfast every day.

Before I met my husband, when it was just me, I would mostly stick to some kind of meat/protein and then a side of veggies. I would just cook it stir-fry style and try different marinades/sauces to keep it interesting. And there's so much you can do with a rotisserie chicken as well - pair it with steamer bag veggies, put it on a baked potato cooked in the microwave, have it on a salad.

I also do a lot of crockpot cooking, which feels like way less effort than some other things - especially if you use crockpot liners for easy clean-up.

Dogmom1978

@biengardo1 mfp gave the OP 1700, so she should be eating close to that. 1200 is too low for the OP.

thetreekat

I do meal prep Sundays- takes the pressure out of having to cook every day, and makes it so I know what my caloric intake and macros are going to be for an entire week. I don't care too much about variety, so I'll eat the same thing for lunch and dinner (and sometimes for weeks in a row). Right now it's a big pot of soup (sweet potato and beet bisque with chicken - makes 10 servings at once!) for lunch and roasted sweet potatoes, broccoli, and chicken chopped up to throw on top of a kale salad for dinner. I measure everything into individual containers for each meal so I can just grab it and go - along with a boiled egg for a morning snack and a Sargento Balanced Break for an afternoon snack. Sure, it takes a few hours every Sunday (or every other Sunday if you are doing big batches like the soup), but it takes all the guess work and stress out of eating!

I usually google "high protein meal prep" to get ideas (since my protein goal sits around 120g), or think of favorite meals and go from there. The key is to weigh everything you put into the meal (oils and seasonings included, especially if you are watching your sodium) and then weigh the individual portions out at the end. Eventually you start to get a feel for serving sizes, macros, and calories.


I buy organic veggies, meats, and eggs, so my grocery bills average ~$175/month, and I'm not really a breakfast person (cup of coffee with a scoop of protein powder is good enough for me usually).

Tip: when entering whole foods into recipes/ food diaries, add "USDA" (eg "broccoli, raw, USDA") - it will usually give you the most accurate numbers!

TeaBea

biengardo1 wrote: »

To keep it really easy, go to Sam's or Walmart and grab a whole rotisserie chicken, take it all off the bone and put in bags or container in fridge. Toss over bagged salad, in chicken broth with a few inexpensive veggies (celery, carrots, beans), or I even mix up with a little Frank's hot sauce and serve over a bed of spinach with a little bit of feta sprinkled on it. So very easy. Also, I do a lot of breakfast for dinner - eggs are dirt cheap and I boil a few, slice over a piece of toast and melt a piece of cheese over top in toaster oven with some fruit on side or a yogurt. I buy ground turkey/beef when on sale and then season with taco seasoning, store in freezer bags and when I want something taco-like, will put over a Southwestern bag salad. Just heat in micro or on stove. I do a lot of yogurt parfaits with fruit, some sliced almonds, and drizzle of honey and always have frozen berries in the freezer (buy the big bag of mixed berries frozen at Walmart). It's pretty inexpensive, fast and cures the sweet cravings too. MFP tells me 1200 calories too - I'm 5' and 142 lbs. I raised it myself to 1350 as I went on several online calculators and they all averaged around 1350. I've been at 1200 for years and not gotten anyplace. Maybe going up a little will help!

Increasing calories isn't the answer for weight loss. But it can be the answer for consistency.

At 5' tall your number is going to be on the low side. Keep in mind My Fitness Pal is a NEAT calculation (not TDEE). You get a calorie goal before exercise. If you log exercise in MFP, your earn additional calories.

Also, 1200 is based on "I want to lose xx pounds per week." Unless your weekly goal is the same in other calculators you're not comparing apples to apples.

springlering62

Drop the pawed-over rotisserie carcass in the crock or instant pot with some water, a bullion cube, celery, carrots, and a pinch of cayenne for a tasty chicken soup. Add some quick cook barley towards the end to beef it up. You can even steam some easy bisquick dumplings in it for a nice chicken and dumplings.

yirara

TeaBea wrote: »

biengardo1 wrote: »

To keep it really easy, go to Sam's or Walmart and grab a whole rotisserie chicken, take it all off the bone and put in bags or container in fridge. Toss over bagged salad, in chicken broth with a few inexpensive veggies (celery, carrots, beans), or I even mix up with a little Frank's hot sauce and serve over a bed of spinach with a little bit of feta sprinkled on it. So very easy. Also, I do a lot of breakfast for dinner - eggs are dirt cheap and I boil a few, slice over a piece of toast and melt a piece of cheese over top in toaster oven with some fruit on side or a yogurt. I buy ground turkey/beef when on sale and then season with taco seasoning, store in freezer bags and when I want something taco-like, will put over a Southwestern bag salad. Just heat in micro or on stove. I do a lot of yogurt parfaits with fruit, some sliced almonds, and drizzle of honey and always have frozen berries in the freezer (buy the big bag of mixed berries frozen at Walmart). It's pretty inexpensive, fast and cures the sweet cravings too. MFP tells me 1200 calories too - I'm 5' and 142 lbs. I raised it myself to 1350 as I went on several online calculators and they all averaged around 1350. I've been at 1200 for years and not gotten anyplace. Maybe going up a little will help!

Increasing calories isn't the answer for weight loss. But it can be the answer for consistency.

At 5' tall your number is going to be on the low side. Keep in mind My Fitness Pal is a NEAT calculation (not TDEE). You get a calorie goal before exercise. If you log exercise in MFP, your earn additional calories.

Also, 1200 is based on "I want to lose xx pounds per week." Unless your weekly goal is the same in other calculators you're not comparing apples to apples.

Yes, but MFP is giving her 1700 to eat. She'd be undereating with just 1200.

kellyskitties

I do a flexible thing where sometimes I do more convenience foods like you do (and sometimes I cook). My meals run around 1200 but I add in snacks around that. I do 300 cal 20g prot breakfast, 400cal 30 g prot lunches and 500cal 40g prot supper. That gives me a high protein 1200 cal meal plan. Then I add in snacks where I feel I need them - so that adds a few more 100's in calories. I just try to hard stop at 1800 and hit a 100g protein goal. Breakfast is usually some combo of egg whites, fat free cheese, whole eggs, turkey sausage, canadian bacon, American bacon - chaffle, omelet, sweet omelet with cream cheese pats on top and cinnamon (plus cott cheese inside) plus coffee. Lunch = some sort of salad or leftover but is based mostly on lean meats and steamer veggies sometimes it's a frozen dinner as I've found several that fit. Supper - lean and greens. Usually a simple marinated indoor grill meat or burger patty plus side of steamer veggies. Snacks are any 100 calorie thing and I'm always hunting an idea for that but they are my over 1200 part.