1200 Calories... What are you eating?
Replies
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What am I eating when I eat 1200 calories?
Lunch.
(I keed! I keed!...
...but seriously.)
ETA: Most people don't need to eat 1200 calories to see results. Most people will likely fare much better long-term by not trying to restrict themselves to such a deficit. (Inb4: 4'9" or shorter is not "most people".)
ETAM: And if you're doing any kind of load-bearing exercise 24/7, you'll definitely need more than 1200 calories to fuel your efforts.
Hey, I'm 4'8 and eat 1400 calories while working out 3 times a week. MUCH MUCH HAPPIER than when I ate 1200. So even for us shorties, more than 1200 does work.0 -
What am I eating when I eat 1200 calories?
Lunch.
(I keed! I keed!...
...but seriously.)
ETA: Most people don't need to eat 1200 calories to see results. Most people will likely fare much better long-term by not trying to restrict themselves to such a deficit. (Inb4: 4'9" or shorter is not "most people".)
ETAM: And if you're doing any kind of load-bearing exercise 24/7, you'll definitely need more than 1200 calories to fuel your efforts.
Hey, I'm 4'8 and eat 1400 calories while working out 3 times a week. MUCH MUCH HAPPIER than when I ate 1200. So even for us shorties, more than 1200 does work.
:drinker:
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I set my goal to 1200, but I'm good as long as I'm under 1300 most days. My diary is wide open, so take a gander. 1200 - 1300 may not seem like a lot of calories to most people, but I choose lots of little protein-rich stuff that fills me up. And best of all, most weeks I lose 2+ pounds without feeling like I'm "dieting" or living in the gym- just eating right and reaping the rewards!
If I have a leisurely morning (weekends), I'll make an egg white omlette with onions, garlic, tomatoes and melt in a babybel and wrap it all in a low carb wheat tortilla. Most mornings, however, I grab a freezer lunch bag and hurriedly stuff it with: a hard boiled egg, 2 cans of Pure Protein, string cheese, a tub of Dannon 80 calorie Greek yogurt, a ziplock bag with a handful of almonds, and a banana. That all adds up to about 600 calories and I'll eat random items from the freezer lunch bag from 6:30am - 12:30pm. That leaves me with 600ish calories for dinner and dessert, which is usually Costco marinated salmon or rottiserie chicken or baked marinated chicken or tuna salad stuffed lettuce wraps, and 1/2 a store-bought microwaveable steamed veggie bag. For dessert, I like the 100 - 150 calorie Skinny Cow ice cream bars and sandwhiches.0 -
Breaky: Porridge made with water and grated apple, when cooked stir in 1-2 tblsp Alpro soya yogurt..
Maybe some fruit after
Lunch- Large salad, either veggie sausage or veggie burger, 1 tblsp salsa sauce
Dinner- Today was 2 veggie sausages and home made chow mein noodles with lots of veg
Snacks- Snack a jacks, a few squares of chocolate, pineapple chunks, strawberries
Have cut out bread, dairy, pasta, just happened naturally wasn't intentional, but it's only been 2 weeks and my stomach has really deflated yeeeeeaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!0 -
Breakfast is usually: cereal, oatmeal, or eggs. Lunch: TV dinner, soup. Dinner: whatever I make for my family but watch portion and I usually have light ice cream at night with a few pretzels0
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I"m not a breakfast eater so I start my day out with coffee with almond milk
Typical lunch:
packet of oatmeal
packet of splenda
small red apple that I slice up and put in the oatmeal
key lime yogurt
cup of mini carrots
sometimes a 5 calorie jello or a 100 calorie chocolate pudding
Note: when I get sick of oatmeal I switch it up with soup
Dinner:
5-6 ounces of meat of my choice...I like steak of pork chops
a couple cups of the veggie of the day, usually green beans, sauteed cauliflower or broccoli
sometimes a 1/2 cup of rice or 1/2 cup of boiled red potatoes
Snack
Oil popped popcorn and if I have the calories to play with I put butter on it.
Feel free to look at my diary. I've been under a lot the past couple days...soooo busy! But I plan on making up for it this weekend so it will all even out in the end.0 -
Similar to whatever everyone else is eating. I load up on veggies because, volume wise, it is a lot!
My favourite for breakfast is a broccoli and egg bake.
1 medium head of broccoli cut into florets, 4 eggs, 8 egg whites. Mix everything up and season to your liking (you can even add in ham or red peppers or something). Pour into a 9x9 dish and pop in the oven. Makes 4 servings around 150calories.
I eat a ton of tilapia and cod, I use ground extra lean turkey breast in salads for lunch, roasted seaweed, applesauce, Kaizen whey (after workouts), homemade butternut squash soup, carrot and tomato soup, and almonds. I'll have a small banana or apple once a day.0 -
For the record, if I was trying to stick to 1200 calories...(*shudder*)...I would completely skip breakfast. Seriously. Eating breakfast tends to make me hungrier throughout the day. I generally don't worry about being hungry because I've learned that it's okay to be hungry, especially when on a cut like I currently am...so I have breakfast now to help meet my protein minimum, but that's because I'm at 2100 and that level of hungry is bearable. If I was trying to stick to 1200, I doubt I could weather that level of hunger.0
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I opened my diary
58 day streak, I've been logging everything since I started
Breakfast: oats with milk and fruit
Lunch: tuna/cottage cheese/eggs
Dinner: anything really with portion control
Snack: anything I feel like as long as it fits my calories0 -
Grass......and that's about it.0
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Feel free yo look at my diary.....0
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1200 Calories... What are you eating?
....1750 because 1200 is well below my BMR.
Yep - this!
My BMR is lower than yours (I'm old) ....but same principal. I need to keep all the muscle mass I can.0 -
I've never low as 1200 before, when I am in the lower caloric intake I have tons of veggies: (spinach, lettuce, cabbage, broccoli) basically green vegetables help provide more volume to my meals and help in satiating me
Secondly, protein sources are pretty lean as fat macros can add quickly: egg whites (I suggest buying the egg white or egg beater bottle - they sell these at Walmart) lean chicken, lean ground beef 96%, etc.
Then fill in the gaps with maybe 100 calorie snack packs, fruits, and drink LOTS OF WATER!!!!
(Last suggestion, I also tried Intermittent Fasting when on lower calories, and it allows u to have "bigger" meals, just have them within a certain time period if your schedule allows for it)
Good Luck!0 -
1200 Calories... What are you eating?
....1750 because 1200 is well below my BMR.
Yep - this!
My BMR is lower than yours (I'm old) ....but same principal. I need to keep all the muscle mass I can.
Well some of us have low BMR's. Mine is only 880 - 9110 -
Greek yogurt and eggs are my best friend! They are low cal and super filling.
Also, a lot of veggies, either steamed or roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper. For protein, I eat a lot of eggs (did I mention that already) and roast chicken, pork chops, and broiled steaks.
Rice cakes fulfill that need to crunch on something for me and when I want something sweet, I'll have an apple or banana with all-natural peanut butter (Trader Joe's is my fav!). Hope this helps!0 -
For me, I find that the more whole foods I eat (e.g. whole eggs instead of beaters, chicken with skin instead of just the breast, no breads, no pastas, etc.) the easier it is for me to stay at 1200 without wanting to stab and eat anyone near me. ;-) Fruits, vegetables, all kinds of unprocessed meats (e.g. steak not sausage), avocados, whole eggs, raw almonds all keep me really satisfied. I have a harder time keeping to those calories if i'm eating breads, cheeses (even low fat), and other processed foods. Good luck! Oh, and by the way, other than roasting vegetables (which are awesome!), I rarely use my oven. Most things are most easily cooked in a saute pan on a burner.0
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Breakfast
2 cups coffee with 2T sugar free creamer 30 cals. Plus one of these:
Whole grain oats, either old fashioned or steel cut. 1/2 cup uncooked, plus 1/2 cup frozen berries that I thaw and mash, then add the cooked oatmeal to
2 whole egg, 1 white egg omelet, sometimes with bacon, always with tons of peppers, onions, mushrooms.
A container of low fat Greek yogurt with nuts and/or fruit.
Scrambled eggs and toast made with 35 calorie Healthy Life brand bread.
A sandwich made from low cal English muffins, turkey sausage, egg.
Lunch
Sandwich made with 2 slices of Healthy Life bread, turkey, lots of lettuce, tomatoes and spicy, salt free mustard. 1 cup or more of raw veggies with low cal ranch dressing.
For convenience, since I don't like the sodium, I sometimes have Lean Cuisine lunch meals.
Homemade soups.
Grilled chicken and salad.
Grilled chicken with grilled veggies, brown rice.
Dinner
Any lean meat (we use fish, chicken, top sirloin) grilled, 4 oz. More if I had a heavy cardio workout. Tons of veggies, raw or grilled/sautéed.
Whole grain pasta.
Margherita pizza
Kabobs
Brown and wild rice
Snacks
Yogurt, nuts, fruits, raw veggies,cottage cheese, boiled eggs, sugar free jello with 2T whipped cream, hummus, guacamole.
When I first started this, I ate a lot of boiled egg whites. One large has only 17 calories vs 70 for a whole egg, and its very filling.
If I exercise a lot, I pretty much eat what I want but try to keep the portions under control. I always give myself a 'treat' on the weekend. That way I don't feel deprived.
I also look at this as a lifestyle, not a diet or anything restrictive. Otherwise, Id crave stuff 24/7.0 -
I've very recently upped my calories to 1400 but here's an example of a day I age 1200 (this was a day I didn't have any exercise calories to eat back, usually I would have more than this)
Breakfast:
Potato waffle with 1 poached egg
Morning snack:
Toffee cereal bar
Pot of sugar-free jelly/jello
Lunch:
Chicken sandwhich made with wholewheat bread
10 grapes, 10 raspberries, 12 blueberries & 2 strawberries
Afternoon snack:
Clementine
2 x Rivita Crackerbread
DInner:
3 cod fish fingers
30 g garden peas
1/2 carrot
30g broccoli
30g sweetcorn
1 baked potato
Dessert:
50ml vanilla icecream
3g chocolate chips
1 teaspoon sprinkles
Other snacks:
2 Wheat Biscuits with 120ml fat-free milk
2 x Rivita Crackerbread0 -
I eat pretty low carb 5 days/week, and that helps keep under 1200 (sometimes I do go over, usually no higher than 1500). I eat A LOT of salmon, eggs, veggies, and this week I started having a protein shake in the morning (I got the recipe base from a website dashing dish I think? It has Designer Whey, cottage cheese, ice, water, and then flavorings - it's satisfying and DELISH). 1200 seemed REALLY limiting at first, since I was probably at around 2000 DAILY before I tightened to 1200 several months ago, but what I realized is that, if I were to eat a pasta dish each day or something with a lot of bread, those calories I could consume fast - veggies, seafood, chicken, etc. still leave me with the occasional leeway for a margarita or two 0
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Breakfast: a sachet of my Special K porridge made with skimmed milk or water
Lunch: salad with fat free cottage cheese, or a slice of ham, or portion of tinned mackerel , a potion of fat free yoghurt and a portion of strawberries or blueberries
Dinner: chicken with lots of carb free veggies and small portion of sweet potatoe or chicken or fresh tuna stir fry with small portion of rice or noodles
Snack: banana or skinny popcorn
Hope this helps0 -
This is what I ate yesterday
Breakfast - small bowl of dried fruit compote, wholewheat bread, bit of butter and marmalade
Lunch - Salad I made with farro, preserved lemons, celery, parsley, olive oil, cannellini beans and a bit of cheese (it was lurking in the back of the fridge.. gross, I know)
Dinner - egg fried rice (cooked rice with a tsp olive oil, 1/3 egg), with steamed pak choi, bell peppers, capers, a couple of anchovies and toasted pine nuts, 1/2 an apple
Snacks - 1/2 cup of skim milk (usually in tea and coffee) and a small glass of fizz in the evening
This probably isn't exactly 1200 calories, but I think I'm usually reasonable at guessing. The calories are usually evenly spaced throughout the day, I usually cook pretty much everything (I work from home so I can) and I don't usually feel hungry.0 -
I've been averaging between 1200-1400 so far.
I make a batch of steel cut oats in the crock pot and have it for breakfast over a few days.
1/4 steel cut oats
1/2 c unsweetened almond milk
1/2 banana
2 tbsp half & half for my coffee (unsweetened)
For lunch:
tofu "scramble" made with 4 oz. firm tofu
3 oz. yellow potato
1 c mushrooms
1 small roma tomato
cooked in 1 tsp organic coconut oil
Or maybe it's steamed tofu (4 oz) with a veggie (broccoli, asparagus) served over shirataki noodles or steamed 1/2 c brown rice or farro. Seasoned with soy sauce or ponzu sauce.
Some days it's gardein veggie "chickn" tenders tucked into 2 small corn tortillas with a bit of non-dairy cheese shreds, pico de gallo, and 1/4 sliced avocado
Dinner -
Grilled chicken and veggies including whatever's on sale that week - eggplant slices, zucchini, slices of yellow or sweet potato (trying to keep the potato under 3 oz). I might use 1 tsp of coconut oil in the grill pan to keep everything from sticking.
Serve with a homemade yogurt sauce, tikka masala sauce, whatever I'm in the mood for. Try to keep the "sauce" under or around 100 calories.
Some days i might do a gluten free pasta with sauteed shrimp and tomatoes, and have a bit of greek yogurt with fruit for dessert.
I also allow for a 6 oz glass of red wine or small cocktail (under 3 oz.) a few days a week.
I've tried to cut back on refined carbs like bread, sugar, and wheat pasta. I also eat more on the vegetarian side of the fence than the carnivore side.
I'm only 2 weeks into this and I'm finding it a lot easier to track my calories this time around.0 -
bump for ideas0
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My diet didn't change TOO much, I just eat less of it. Minus the bread and butter and juice. Lots of water.
Breakfast: usually 2 eggs, a banana, cup of tea with milk & Splenda.
Lunch: Chicken kebab, small amount of rice (maybe 4 Tbsp), 1 Tbsp hummus, 1 slice pita bread, small Mediterranean salad.
Dinner: Lightly seasoned tilapia or some other type of fish, more tea. Maybe some veggies.
Snacks: caramel mini rice cakes, lite popcorn, Greek yogurt, fresh strawberries. (Not all of those, just some.)
If I want something sweet like a cupcake, or something heavy like a big, juicy burger, I'll eat it. I'll just exercise more. I eat a little something every 3 hours. I'm not aiming to lose a lot of weight, just a few pounds.0 -
How do people eating 1200 calories reach an optimal protein and fat minimum? (I struggle sometimes and I have 900 more calories to work with.)
ETA: Where optimal is .8-1g/#BW for protein and .35g/#LBM for fat.0 -
How do people eating 1200 calories reach an optimal protein and fat minimum? (I struggle sometimes and I have 900 more calories to work with.)
ETA: Where optimal is .8-1g/#BW for protein and .35g/#LBM for fat.
I get plenty of protein with fish and seafood. I'm usually well under my fat minimum unless I cook with olive oil, in which case I don't worry about it.0 -
How do people eating 1200 calories reach an optimal protein and fat minimum? (I struggle sometimes and I have 900 more calories to work with.)
ETA: Where optimal is .8-1g/#BW for protein and .35g/#LBM for fat.
I get plenty of protein with fish and seafood. I'm usually well under my fat minimum unless I cook with olive oil, in which case I don't worry about it.
Being "well under [your] fat minimum" is not a good thing though.0 -
I understand. Like I said, I don't deprive myself of heavy foods like cheeseburgers or desserts or whatever my little heart desires. The days that I go well OVER my fat requirements make up for the days when I'm well under. It all evens out to be "just right." :happy: Like today I had a Turkey Club (with turkey bacon, I don't eat pork). I'm already over my fat requirements for the day and I haven't even had dinner or snacks yet. nom nom nom...0
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This has been unbelievably helpful! Thank you all for taking the time to help! you have made it seem like it is not such a big mountain to climb and I thought I would get bored eating the same things over and over but you all have provided such different ideas that has really made me believe I can do this! A huge thanks!!! 0
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How do people eating 1200 calories reach an optimal protein and fat minimum? (I struggle sometimes and I have 900 more calories to work with.)
ETA: Where optimal is .8-1g/#BW for protein and .35g/#LBM for fat.
I have wondered the same thing. I don't try to get 1 gram of protein per pound of my current bodyweight though, I aim for 0.8-1 gram per pound of LBM... so around 100-124 grams per day, and I find it hard to do eating much more than 1200!
Of course, it might be different if you are netting 1200, you could feasibly burn 500 cal in exercise, which would let you eat 1700 and still net 1200, and that would be a little more feasible to get the protein.
I've checked out a few diaries though, and most of the people who actually EAT 1200-1400 only get around 60 grams of protein on a good day, as low as 20 on a bad day. Maybe its enough for them, but not for me!0
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