Those of you at 1200 cals. a day...

jtintx

For those of you who are at the 1200 calories per day level, what does your food intake look like for the day? What do you have for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks? I'm finding it very hard to stay at 1200 cals. Having some exercise calories to eat back helps, but on my rest day or days I just can't workout I need to stay at 1200 and need some food ideas. Thanks.

jtintx

For those of you who are at the 1200 calories per day level, what does your food intake look like for the day? What do you have for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks? I'm finding it very hard to stay at 1200 cals. Having some exercise calories to eat back helps, but on my rest day or days I just can't workout I need to stay at 1200 and need some food ideas. Thanks.

harleygirl6363

breakfast- fat free cottage cheese and some fruit usually what i have when i get bored i switch the cottage cheese for yoguart

lunch-lean pocket of some sort they are super super yummy and maybe a sugar free puddng if i still feel a lil hungry

dinner-depends on the day anything from grilled chicken breast with veggies, anothe lean pocket with some sort of treat, turkey sandwhich

snakcs-pudding (sugar free), special k bars, 100 calorie snacks, fruit,yogurt, mini rice cakes

i know it seems boring but it really really is working for me. GOOD LUCK!!!

kimber607

Hi

I can give u some of what I ate
BUT when I was loosing I ate 1490 (even though this site rec 1200) and lost almost 30 pounds
Now, I eat 1800-2000

100 cal english muffins
low cal yogurt (dannon fit is only 80)
low sugar oatmeal (packs are only 120 cals each)
string cheese for 60-80 cals
If u live by TJ they make light bread which is only 40 cals a slice and muffins for 100 cals each

GOOD LUCK!

Marla64

cereal for breakfast-- peanut butter and jelly usually for lunch, regular wheat bread-- dinners vary, but I keep it to 300 cals or so, when I can-- and squeeze a snack in, where I can. Exercise buys me an evening snack, usually-- I eat "real" food, no sugar free/sodium free/fat free crap. I want taste, and it's worth it to me to have less of something in order to get real taste.

LuckyLeprechaun

i peeked at your profile, jtinx, and if you only have 8 lbs more to go, are you sure 1200/day is enough for you? are you really short or some other factor? cause 1200 is REALLY low. and since you're so close to your goal, I was just wondering.....

jtintx

i peeked at your profile, jtinx, and if you only have 8 lbs more to go, are you sure 1200/day is enough for you? are you really short or some other factor? cause 1200 is REALLY low. and since you're so close to your goal, I was just wondering.....

Eight more pounds will put me at 145. But I think I want to get to 135. So 145 is my intermediate goal...but I'm finding it hard to get there....I've kind of stalled out at 153.

Also, how many calories are you eating at each meal?

kallio

I have special K cereal in the am with a homemade soy chai latte. About 395 cals
Then I usually have a small lunch like yogurt and fruit.
Dinner is dependant on if I am cooking for the family or just myself. I try to keep it in the 3-400 range and then have a small snack before bed.

LuckyLeprechaun

perhaps you have stalled out because your calories are too low. it happened to me like that. I was staying at 1300, and stalled out, and when I increased to 1500, I started losing again.

just a thought:flowerforyou:

jtintx

perhaps you have stalled out because your calories are too low. it happened to me like that. I was staying at 1300, and stalled out, and when I increased to 1500, I started losing again.

just a thought:flowerforyou:

I exercise most days and therefore have an extra 300-600 calories to eat, but even with that I'm stuck.

AllyKM

I'm at 1,000 a day and sometimes got to 1,200 to treat myself.

Breakfast: Reduced Sugar Instant Oatmeal
Lunch: Weight Watchers Yogurt, Honey Wheat Pretzels or Carrot Sticks
Dinner: Trying lots of new recipes - mostly 300 or less per serving, plus a serving of veggies and/or salad
Snacks (2 per day): Fiber One Chewy Bar, 2 Clementines, 1 oz. reduced fat cheddar and whole wheat crackers

exercisediva

I eat 4 egg whites and 1 veggie sausage
Lunch - turkey burger (no bun) lettuce and tomatoe
dinner - tilapia or salmon and broccoli
snacks consists of hummus and veggies and protein shakes.

jomane81

I eat instant oatmeal and a hard boiled egg for breakfast or a smoothie with a piece of toast. I try to keep breakfast at less than 200 cals (I never have much of an appetite in the morning), but the oatmeal seems to really suppress my hunger until lunch.

Lunch is usually something prepackaged and microwaveable, like lean pockets or a Smart Balance or Lean Cuisine meal, but I always add fresh veggies as a side. I love baby carrots, and they're really low cal.

Dinner varies quite a bit for me. If I'm going to be at home all night without any good distractions (like it's raining so I can't exercise,etc.), I tend to pick out several 100-200 calorie items and eat them over the course of the evening, rather than focusing on one meal. I really like the 100 cal popcorn bags, baked potatoes (sweet or regular), and cottage cheese with baked lays. I also eat eggs for dinner quite often, or soup. Progresso soups can be as little as 200 calories for the ENTIRE CAN! That's pretty filling and leaves room for toast or crackers, too.

Obviously, I do more eating later in the day, so that might not work for you, but it fits my schedule significantly better than a huge breakfast.

sassekel

Breakfast
Oroweat Double Fiber - English Muffin, 1 Muffin 110 cal
Jimmy Dean - Turkey Sausage Links (Fully Cooked), 3 Cooked Links 120 cal
total= Meal 230
Lunch
Kraft - 2% Sharp Cheddar Cheese Slices, 1 slice 50 cal
Ball Park Fat Free Hot Dogs - Fat Free Beef Hot Dog, 2 frank 100 cal
Sara Lee - Light Bread-45 Calories, 2 slices 90 cal
total= Meal 240
Dinner
Birdseye Steamfresh - Broccoli & Cauliflower, 1 container (3.5 cups ea.) 105 cal
Chicken - Baked Chicken Breast, 1 Chicken Breast 250g 284 cal
total= Meal 389
Snacks
Quaker - Chewy Granola Bar - Chocolate Chip - 25% Less Sugar, 1 piece 100 cal
Jell-O (Jello)-Chocolate Sugar Free - Pudding Cup, 1/2 cup 60 cal
Hostess - 100 Calorie Pack-Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cakes, 3 Cakes 100 cal
total=snacks 260
daliy Total: 1,119

stewbigelow

Br.=whole wheat english muffin with cream cheese and coffee
1 egg, 2 strips bacon and 1 slice whole wheat toast
piece of fruit

Lunch= lean gourmet meal
chef's salad
turkey sandwich

dinner= anything that i would normally eat just smaller amounts

snack=whole bag of popcorn
fruit or veggies
croutons

The main thing that I have done is cut out a lot of sweets and also sweet tea and chips or fries.

Hope this helps!

LuckyLeprechaun

perhaps you have stalled out because your calories are too low. it happened to me like that. I was staying at 1300, and stalled out, and when I increased to 1500, I started losing again.

just a thought:flowerforyou:

I exercise most days and therefore have an extra 300-600 calories to eat, but even with that I'm stuck.

I'm talking about net calories. if you exercise and earn more, those two things cancel each other. 1500 net calories was much better for me than 1200 was. if I exercise, eat the cals I earned, but I still have a higher amount of net cals.

LuckyLeprechaun

I'm at 1,000 a day and sometimes got to 1,200 to treat myself.

Breakfast: Reduced Sugar Instant Oatmeal
Lunch: Weight Watchers Yogurt, Honey Wheat Pretzels or Carrot Sticks
Dinner: Trying lots of new recipes - mostly 300 or less per serving, plus a serving of veggies and/or salad
Snacks (2 per day): Fiber One Chewy Bar, 2 Clementines, 1 oz. reduced fat cheddar and whole wheat crackers

this is VERY VERY low for any adult. even that you are short, you should be aiming for at least 1200. not because it's a treat, but because your body needs fuel. you aren't "treating" your car when you fill it up, right?

IUChelle423

My strategy is to focus on getting my daily fruit/vegetable servings everyday. According to the CDC's website (below), I know based on my age and activity level, I need 2 cups (4 servings) of fruit and 3 cups (6 servings) of vegetables every day. So with that in mind, I plan my meals and snacks to include those. I find that this alone helps me make healthier choices in what I eat.

http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/

Breakfast options (always includes 1-2 fruits)
1. Yogurt w/ 1/2 C blueberries & 1/4 granola (around 250 calories)
2. Cutie (40 cal) + granola bar (Fiber One Chocolate are 140 calories)

Lunch options (at least 2 veggies)
1. Leftovers from dinner (these typically have 1-2 veggies already, but if not, I have some carrots)
2. Veggie patty (the garden veggie patties I get count as two veggie servings) with BBQ sauce & a side
3. Low fat burrito (260 cals) + carrots or steamed veggies
4. PB & J (sometimes you just need one!) + carrots

Dinner options:
1. Pasta with ground turkey & veggies
2. Small salad & potstickers
3. Soup & salad (we've been making potato soup lately that is really good)
4. Grilled chicken w/ steamed veggies

Snacks/treats:
Cuties (clementines)
Carrots (I bag them ahead of time so they're pre-portioned and easy to grab)
Apple
100 calorie popcorn
Sugar free jello
Gummy bears

Bunnies_Revenge

Two packs of Instant Oatmeal for breakfast using water instead of milk. Fat free half and half works as well, I usually mix that with water still. Sometimes I change my routine because eating oatmeal everyday isn't always fun so sometimes I have yogurt with a glass of milk. Other days I'll have a bowl of fruit, mostly canatouple, honeydew melon, strawberries and pineapple.

For lunch I usually have one tuna fish sandwich with hard boiled egg whites, onion cucumber, a tablespoon of mayo and a table spoon of mustard, and a apple. Sometimes I eat an openface grilled cheese using I can't believe its not butter, I use only one piece of bread and cut it in half (hint the word open face), I use low fat cheese as well, then I'll have a chopped up orange and some broccoli. Other times I'll drink a protein shake if I have to get to work and don't have much time to eat. Although, I try not to make that habit as it's not too healthy to do that.

For dinner, I'll make probably some type of helper (I have to feed a family), and I'll take only a cup of that. Tuna Helper Parmesan is 290 for a cup of prepared. And I'll eat a slice of toast with that. I will also order pizza once in awhile, I get just cheese, and that is usually about 233 for a slice, so I eat just one slice. Dinner to me is all about proportion.

If I have any calories left over at the end of the day (usually three hours before I go to bed), I'll have jello, or a fruit cup. Sometimes, I'll have a handful of nuts as well.

Before I eat any meal, I drink two glasses of water. And then after I get done eating a proportion that I know should have filled me up but didn't, I'll drink two more glasses of water. That's also how I get my eight glasses of water in a day. Usually, when we think we're hungry, we're just thirsty.

mpelc

It does get boring, but I have Old Fashioned Oatmeal with skim milk and a packet of Splenda every day for breakfast. I put it in the microwave for 2 and a half minutes, and, once again it gets boring sometimes, but it keeps me full until lunch at 11:30. For lunch I have a salad with lots of veggies and the leftover meat from dinner the night before. If I'm exercising that day I will have a ham sandwich on whole wheat with mustard. And even though the 100 calorie snack packs of Little Bites aren't the best for you, I induge in those every once in awhile to keep the cravings for sweet carbs away.:glasses:

1Corinthians13

This is today's (except I have more today b/c I'm running this afternoon. This is if I don't run...)

Breakfast
Blueberries - Raw, 0.25 cup
Strawberries - Raw, 2 large
Coffee - Brewed from grounds, 12 fl oz
Giant - Instant Oatmeal Peaches & Cream, 1 packet (35g)


Lunch
Cedar's - Sundried tomato & basil hommus (on my sandwich)
Trader Joes Low Calorie Light Whole Wheat Bread - Bread, 2 slice
Applegate Farms - Smoked Turkey Breast, 1.5 oz.
Apples - Raw, with skin, 1 small

Dinner
Wegman's - 98% Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, 3 oz.
Asparagus - Cooked, boiled, drained, 8 spears (1/2" base)
Mccormick - Grill Mates Zesty Herb Marinade, 1 tsp (on chicken)
Wegmans - Baby Bella Mushrooms, 3 oz

Snacks
Cucumber - With peel, raw, 0.5 cucumber (8-1/4")
Luna Bar - Nutrition Bar - Nutz Over Chocolate, 1 bar
Yoplait - Yogurt - Light Fat Free - White Chocolate Strawberry, 1 Container
Kroger - Grape Tomato, 10 tomato
Cedar's - Sundried tomato & basil hommus (giant), 1 TBLS (for veggies)
Milk - Fluid, nonfat, calcium fortified (fat free or skim), 1 cup
Reese's - Peanut Butter Cups Individual Cups, 1 cup

That comes to 1098 - so I still have some calories left, and look how much I've eaten!!

jmdolan

Today I had

An arnolds sandwhich thin with a table spoon of teddie peanut butter - 200 cals

Mid morning I had carrot stick with laughing cow cheese and an apple

For lunch i had a salad with Fat free italian dressing and a chobani yogurt

Mid afternoon i will have a lower sugar instant oatmeal they are very low in calories

For dinner spagetti squash with broccoli, spinach, onions and peppers with 1/2 cup sauce

Ill have some calories left over - so ill have a snack- maybe some jello and fat free cool whip, or a 100 cal popcorn snack, granola bar or some dry cereal

kelligirl

To start with (at about 7:30 a.m.) I usually have 1/2 c frozen berries w/ 3 oz. of Dannon nonfat yogurt mixed in. (the yogurt freezes and attaches itself to the berries...mmmmm) Between 9-11 I have a lowfat, lowcarb whole wheat tortilla with .5 -1T peanut butter (mixed w/ ground flaxseed and hot water to spread it out) & 1/2 small banana wrapped up in it OR a few baby carrots & a Weight Watchers string cheese. At noon I have 1/2 - 1 c. lowfat cottage cheese and loads of veggies.... tomato, cucumber, yellow pepper strips, 1/4 avacoda and 1 slice Wasa Multigrain Crisp Bread. 1-3 I usually snack on the other 1/2 of my yogurt and a few raw almonds. For dinner, usually a salad or cottage cheese w/ little lf dressing, meat - chicken, fish or some steak with loads of steamed or roasted veggies. Depending on where I'm at with my calories for the day, I might make a shake w/ skim mik, 1/2 c frozen blueberries, 1/2 sm frozen banana & a scoop of beachbody whey protein powder. It's thick like ice cream! I don't eat much of anything that has added flour or sugar or is processed, and it all looks great, BUT I'm also not losing, so..... go figure! Oh - and I drink about 120 oz. of water everyday.

molsongirl

Mushroom omelet out of 2 eggs and 5 fresh medium mushrooms cooked with Pam spray, 1 slice of low-fat American (sandwich) cheese, 1 teaspoon low-carb Heinz ketchup
Calories:245

Low fat fruit yogurt (100 grams / 3.5 ounces), half a grapefruit
Calories: 136

Tuna Salad with 100 grams / 3.5 ounces of mixed lettuce salad, 80 grams / 2.8 ounces of canned tuna light (in water), 1 medium tomato, one quarter onion and two tablespoons of one carb olive oil and vinegar salad dressing
Calories: 286

Chicken fingers: 80 grams / 2.8 ounces of skinless chicken breast, cut into stripes, cooked with Pam spray and seasoned with salt and pepper
Calories: 90


200 grams / 7.1 ounces cod filet cooked with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and with half a onion, 100 grams / zucchini, 1 cup (92 grams / ) sliced green (sweet) pepper, 70 grams / fresh mushrooms
Calories: 353

1 cup of Strawberries (152 grams / 5.4 ounces)
Calories: 50

Total for meal:1160 calories, this leaves me room, for some almonds before I go to bed and as you can see, i'm eating quite often, this was my last entry in my fod log before my accident, i'm on a semi-liquid diet right now THAT SUCKS!

velezdina

Breakfast:
Light whole grain English muffin (100 cal.) with scramble Egg beaters and 1 slice of Kraff 2% sharp cheddar and a cup of black coffee.The whole thing is about 200 calories and very fulfilling and yummy.
Also good for breakfast, Quaker instant oatmeal, low sugar, only little bit over 100 calories and it's very fulfilling.

Lunch:
Progesso light soup (1 cup) and a sandwhich (light Wonder bread with one slice of 2% sharp cheddar, 1 slice of 99% fat free Smoked Ham, 1 big tomato slice) or a salad (tomato, lettuce and olive oil with wine vinegar). I try to keep lunch at 350-400 cals.

Dinner:
I try to keep it at 400 cals or less. It's all about portion size. Sometime I have small portion of spagetti with marinara sauce and a 3-4 oz baked (or boiled) chicken breast. Or a 3 oz lean sirloin steak (grilled) with steam veggies.

I allow myself 2 snacks a day (100 calories each). Chips Ahoy (100 calorie packs) are awesome! or Yoplain fat free. Other options are Curves 90 cal microwave pop-cornand Jello sugar free gelatin is delicious and it's only 10 calories a cup....sometimes I eat 3 a day of these!
And, very important, I drink lots of water thorughout the day, and I am never hungry.


Best of luck!

bareden

My doctor has put me on 1200 cals a day and I am having the same problem as you. I am SO hungry and the calories get used up SO fast. She has also restricted 5 things from my diet: pasta, bread, rice, potatoes and sweets. I am having a very hard time. Hope it gets easier for you

jtintx

One thing I've noticed is that everyone seems to eat more fruit than I do...which is almost none - I eat apples at Subway. Lunch is usually right at 350 cal. I'm eating over 300 cal. for breakfast and 300+ for snacks....maybe I should cut back in those areas? Or maybe I'm just expecting to eat too much for dinner? I guess I need to get out of the mindset that dinner needs to be a "real" meal and the big meal of the day.

LuckyLeprechaun

maybe you should eat more calories.

jtintx

maybe you should eat more calories.

If I eat more calories I won't be at a deficit....how can you lose weight (fat) if you aren't at a deficit?

LuckyLeprechaun

what are your stats?
height weight age?

jtintx

what are your stats?
height weight age?

5'5"/153/47