How do you eat 1200 calories?!

torontochick13

I am really struggling with how to plan out meals that lead up to only 1200-1500 calories...I feel like I could eat that in one meal! I know that my old habits need to change, OBVIOUSLY...I would really appreciate any sort of meal plan or advice, tips or guidance on how to even begin!

Thank you!!

kkerri

That's the range I eat when I am losing.

The only way I can do it is to eat low carb.

B - string cheese & coffee

S - plain greek yogurt & apple

L - grilled chicken salad w/veggies

S - 1/2 serving almonds (or whole) and apple/orange

D - meat & veggies


*Sometimes there are extra calories available and I always have trouble fitting in wine.

But, at my age, and with certain joint/back issues that prevent me from doing hard core workouts, I need to keep my calories low. I do try to get a couple hundred from workouts for buffer.

kkerri

Low refined carb that is - I know fruit is a carb :-)

Mokey41

0% fat yogurt and 2 eggs for breakfast, small apple for snack, 250 calorie microwave boxed crap for lunch, 130 calorie All bran bar for snack, 3 oz meat and lots of veggies for supper, see what's left and have a snack mid evening.

servilia

With exercise you can eat more. Also try for high protein. What I did for a long to e is save my cals for dinner, yum yum.

gk03ub

1200 is impossible for me, but I eat between 1500 and 1600 daily.
The key is eating fibre-rich or nutrient-dense foods because they keep you full for a long time. Try to choose oats, potatoes, squash, brown rice, eggs, fruit, veg, lean protein, whole grains, nuts, and other nutrient-dense foods as the bulk of your caloric intake. Eating these foods, you can fill up your plate and have it look and feel like a whole lot of food, and it is quite filling. Its also important to listen to your body and to eat if you are really hungry because 1200 calories is extremely low.

Yooperm35

I don't - I go to
http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

I input my current weight and my goal weight the same (what my weight is now) and then I calculate my calories and I eat 400-500 less than my activity level. I am currently eating around 1500-1600

metaphoria

I wash it down with 400 more...

Yooperm35

0% fat yogurt and 2 eggs for breakfast, small apple for snack, 250 calorie microwave boxed crap for lunch, 130 calorie All bran bar for snack, 3 oz meat and lots of veggies for supper, see what's left and have a snack mid evening.

I'd be starving!

Yooperm35

I wash it down with 400 more...

YEP!

QuietBloom

Whether you do TDEE or just net 1200, it's the same thing. The only way (usually) that I can net 1200 and meet my macros is to burn calories. My favorite activity is walking!

mosommer

Eggs and bacon for breakfast, yogurt and or fruit for snack, big salad with a little chicken, tuna, or beef at lunch, lean protein and veggies for dinner. No sodas. I drink coffee with creamer only, then lots of water. My treat is sliced strawberries dipped into jello sugar free dark chocolate pudding. It tastes like chocolate covered strawberries.

randomtai

I don't - I go to
http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

I input my current weight and my goal weight the same (what my weight is now) and then I calculate my calories and I eat 400-500 less than my activity level. I am currently eating around 1500-1600

This and

I wash it down with 400 more...

This.

seltzermint555

I don't wanna sound like a jerk or anything but I see this Q posted constantly on these forums, and I don't really understand. My current calories (no exercise) are at 1,410 and I find that pretty easy to meet. MANY days I am close to 1,200 and I don't feel like my diet is very restrictive at all.

Typical for me would be 200 cal breakfast, 400-ish calories for lunch, and 500-ish calories at dinner. That still leaves 100 cals to play with at the minimum 1,200.

I'm just not sure where the problem is for you. Do you drink any of your calories? That can add up very quickly.

QuietBloom

I don't wanna sound like a jerk or anything but I see this Q posted constantly on these forums, and I don't really understand. My current calories (no exercise) are at 1,410 and I find that pretty easy to meet. MANY days I am close to 1,200 and I don't feel like my diet is very restrictive at all.

Typical for me would be 200 cal breakfast, 400-ish calories for lunch, and 500-ish calories at dinner. That still leaves 100 cals to play with at the minimum 1,200.

I'm just not sure where the problem is for you. Do you drink any of your calories? That can add up very quickly.

I suspect that we are poor meal planners. :ohwell:

kaydeedoubleu1

eat calories that have the biggest bang for your buck. by that i mean get your calories from protein, low-gi carbs, fibre etc. For breakfast, for example, 2 slices of toast and a tablespoon of peanut butter is around 400 cals, but about 2 hours later you will be starving again. Instead, you can have 30g of oats cooked in water with some seeds/nuts (i personally use chia seeds and linseeds, which have plenty of benefits within themselves) for around 350cals and you will find yourself full for hours. So for less calories, you are getting more benefits than just simple fuel; you are getting a good source of fibre, protein, omega 3 etc.

Steering away from too many fruits (1 piece a day is sufficient, find one that has a high fibre content etc) can help (they don't keep you satisfied for long are are generally loaded with sugar). Instead, i find snacking on natural almonds, pumpkin seeds etc works much better at keeping hunger at bay, and plus you are doing it without the sugar. Be careful with nuts though, try to stick to a handful a day, they are calorie dynamite if consumed heavily.

I personally steer away from rice/pasta and other starchy foods like potatoes. Instead, i will have sweet potato/pumpkin, beans and legumes and a large array of greens. You can have a very satisfying meal using those things, without the bloating and massive calorie usage.

Drinks. Stick to water/tea's and coffee (although do try and limit sugar and try ordering long blacks instead of lattes)-fruit juice/soft drinks and alcohol are killers, and are basically just empty cals.

Anyway these are things I have been sticking to, and I have found them to be most effective.
I hope they help you! (i am for 1200 a day and usually have not too much of an issue sticking to it)

SLLRunner

I don't. Not even when I first started on the healthy jounrey. 1,200 is way low and most likely for a person who wants to lose 2 pounds a week with no exercise.

I eat between 1,750 and 1,850 every day, but I also exercise every day.

mariabrumberg

I eat lots of veggie soups, steamed veggies, steamed fish, red meat or chicken meat cooked in the oven with vegetables and tomato sauce, fruit, low calorie cottage cheese and yogurts.

Mellyajc

Breakfasts of cottage cheese and fruit, oatmeal, or a bagel with light cream cheese and tomato... rarely more than 300 cals.

Lunches of PBJ, lentil or cous cous salad, or leftovers from last night's dinner..usually around 400.

My dinners are larger, probably 700-800 calories, so I average around 1200 after the exercise deficit.

High protein foods are the most filling. I'm vegetarian so that helps too (fake meat is half the calories of the real stuff). Beans, lentils etc..can feel full without using up a ton of calories.

laursoar

I eat about 1450 calories a day. I always have room for snacks between meals and everything too. I do plan my days in advance though and then modify from there. My breakfast almost always consists of oatmeal, pb2, and then either pumpkin puree with pumpkin pie spice or berries. That's under 200 calories, but filling. My other almost daily staples include a smoothie before dinner with a coconut milk, spinach, and half a banana base and then whatever else I like to add. I tend to snack on fruit, portioned out granola, rice cakes, apples and cinnamon, graham crackers, and 2% string cheese. I've also upped my vegetable intake, especially with green low cal veggies like broccoli and spinach. Feel free to friend me and check out my food diary!

kkerri

1200 calories is totally doable, IMHO, for food/meals.

It does not leave a lot of room for snacking, alcohol (I just had 2.5 glasses of wine that was no in my 1200 calories, but was much needed for my sanity). That bumped me over my day of rather well eating.

Sad, but true reality is that you cannot eat like most people on 1200 calories, but you can eat well and what your body NEEDS.


---> My body didn't need wine, but my head did ;-)

ctwachal

I don't. I hit about 1400. When I started it was almost 1600, and the first couple weeks I gave myself a break, so if I didn't meet it, I didn't beat myself up, because I was still learning about the calorie content of foods, choosing better foods, and exercising more than I was the week before. After a few weeks it wasn't so hard to eat 14oo, so I suggest allowing yourself the adjustment time,
Also I did 1200 for a while, and didn't really lose weight, but when I bumped it back up to 1400 I lost right away. For me I think 1200 was too low to keep my metabolism working effectively.
And drink a lot of water. It's repeated over and over, but it helps. Sometimes I think I'm hungry but I'm really just thirsty.

meeper123

When I first joined I ate 1200 cals hated it so badly! I now eat 1600 with exercise and feel way better.

Cindyinpg

I don't. Not even when I first started on the healthy jounrey. 1,200 is way low and most likely for a person who wants to lose 2 pounds a week with no exercise.

I eat between 1,750 and 1,850 every day, but I also exercise every day.

This. I am tall, very active and only aiming to lose 1lb a week at the very most, so I average around 2,000 everyday. :drinker:

dellaquilaa

It's pretty easy to maintain 1200 calories on a whole foods, plant based diet: unsweetened oatmeal and fruit for breakfast, a huge salad with no oil, dressing or meat on top for lunch with a baked potato, and brown rice with a veggie stir fry for dinner. Drink only water, snack on plain veggies or fresh fruits and voila! I maintained that for a few weeks before refined sugar crept its way back into my life. Even with the sugar, though, I usually stick around my 1500 goal :-) :-)

Littlestandrews

Breakfasts: 160 calorie oatmeal. 100 calorie banana. 200 calorie yogurt and granola. 250 calorie fruit/spinach smoothie.

Lunches: 285 calorie PBJ. 260 calorie avocado and tomato sandwich. 190 calorie turkey sandwich. 250 calorie lean cousine.

Dinners: 400 calorie chicken and veggies. 350 calorie fish and veggies. 500 calorie steak and veggies. 400 calorie chicken salad.

Snacks: 160 calorie Oreos (3 cookies). 90 calorie ounce of cheese. 200 calories of tuna and crackers.

These are just a few but I find I have a lot of variety. I still eat practically anything I want...it's all about moderation.

froeschli

how to eat 1200 calories? easy, make yourself a generous peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
seriously, i don't think i could manage on 1200. i'd rather run my behind off so i can eat more :-)

xmysterix

I don't find 1200-1500 too hard. Today I've had:

b: 2 eggs, scrambled, 1 piece of toast, half a pear, 3 coffees w/ a splash of milk
l: 1.25 cups seafood jambalaya (mostly veggies, a bit of rice and fish)
s: a seriously badass banana-walnut muffin I baked up today
d: 150g corned silverside w/ a dollop of peppercorn gravy, 1 cup mashed potatoes (made w/ skim milk, no butter), and somewhere between 50 and 100g of peas (haven't had dinner yet). Will probably have a cup of decaf coffee or two w/ milk afterward.
My total for the day is almost dead on 1200, more if I go for the extra peas

Heck, yesterday's lunch only came to 169 and it was a giant bowl (2 cups) of minestrone loaded with veggies.

My lunches are often mostly veggies (soup, salad, wrap/sandwich, raw w/ hummus) a> to get in my nutrients for the day and b> because Iike big/rich dinners and need to budget the cals hehe. Being mostly veggies, you get a lot of bulk in the meal without a lot of calories.

geekyjock76

I am really struggling with how to plan out meals that lead up to only 1200-1500 calories...I feel like I could eat that in one meal! I know that my old habits need to change, OBVIOUSLY...I would really appreciate any sort of meal plan or advice, tips or guidance on how to even begin!

Thank you!!

Is your weekly weight loss goal suitable for you? How much do you weight? What's your goal weight? How many days a week do you exercise? It is very possible that you could lose fat mass by eating more.

Yooperm35

I did eat 1200 calories when I first started MFP - and knew NOTHING about dieting - this is why I came to MFP - it was all mapped out for me and all I had to do was follow it. I lost #38

I kept that weight off for about 1½I went up into a maintenance level - and within 6 months, I gained back #18. From only eating 1200 calories for so long, I'm pretty sure I slowed my metabolism down, so when I started eating 'normal' again - My body couldn't handle it. Not to mention I was losing my hair, I was tired, and my nails were tearing and brittle on the 1200 calorie diet. Lost weight, yes, felt great? NO!

xmysterix

Yanno, some of us are genuinely sedentary, short, etc, and eating at 1200 isn't a death sentence. Feeling great, here! And if I want more food I just make sure I go for a long walk/jog/swim/whatever to burn it off!