1200 calorie diet

mommy2ans

I need to be on a 1200 calorie diet (per docs orders).

Need some good snack ideas as well as flavorful meal ideas that will be satisfying but allow me to keep my goal.

Thanks in advance!

lschuttem

I love making soups or a good turkey/bean chili. You can have a big bowlful and feel satisfied for a very reasonable amount of calories. Also, I make a spaghetti dish using spaghetti squash, Ragu light sauce, and then tons of onions/garlic/pepper/mushroom. Again, you can have a pretty decent serving size of that for hardly any calories.
skinnytaste.com has tons of great ideas and recipes.
Since its fall, I also have been making a lot of pumpkin recipes. for breakfast (or even dessert) try mixing about 1/3c pumpkin puree, 1/2c cottage cheese or vanilla greek yogurt, a packet of splenda, and some cinnamon/nutmeg. Super delicious and around 140calories.

renatte68

I just posted a recipe called Chicken & Rice (it may not have cleared yet). My husband liked it and it came out to be about 250 calories per serving. Good luck on your calorie intake!

kristilovescake

Lots of veggies are great snack ideas. I'm on about a 1200 calorie diet and I find it easier to stick to if I fill my meals with lots of veggies

Faye_Anderson

perhaps if you type 1200 calories or something similar into the search area one of the other 30000 posts about this might help you? :flowerforyou:

chrisdykes

I drink lots of smoothies to keep up energy and keep calories down. I usually add 100 to 150 calories of frozen fruit (you'll have to measure or weight it to estimate the calories) and a scoop of protein powder (about 100 calories depending on the brand).

Kagami_Taiga

Turkey/chicken breast with spices dry rubbed then onto a GF grill. I mix hot and spicy with bbq flavour.

Snack: if you can find it, peeled chestnuts.

cbrrabbit25

egg whites, tuna, chicken, salads with very little dressing, fruits, turkey.

Heather_Rider

I need to be on a 1200 calorie diet (per docs orders).

Need some good snack ideas as well as flavorful meal ideas that will be satisfying but allow me to keep my goal.

Thanks in advance!

im on 800-1200 cal per day per my doctor. Fruit will be your friend. one half a pound of mixed fruit (strawberries, cantelope, grapes, pineapple, honey dew) plus one medium apple is approx. 130 calories and will fill you up. I eat this for breakfast and lunch most days.

this leaves me open for 2 snacks of 100-150 calories and a supper up to (for a 1200 calorie day) 700 calories.. so basically, anything you want) I do not limit my foods, i only use portion control. So, tonight, chili beans. Other meals are lasagna, any kind of beans or bean soups, chicken and dumplins.. meatloaf, mash taters & peas, sausage gravy (no toast or bread, unless i want it) ham steaks and eggs) salads are great to add with about any meal for 100 calories.. steak and paked potato.. you can really do A LOT with 700 calories!

Send me a friend request if you like. I dont do the "green" thing because #1, i wont do it for life... #2.. its not my thing.. i love food too much, and #3, i cant afford to cook 2 seperate meals.. one for me, one for my family (my man loves red meats & potatos.. lol) i have a food blog, and you can sign up for emails when i add recipes. (its not often, maybe twice a month and lots of crock pot ones!)

Im all about cheap, easy and MOST of them are like 650 calories or less.. and because i use portion control.. i like BIG portions for little calories. LOL!

Hope to have you as a friend soon!

Edited to say that when you look at my diary, please look past the last week and a half (other than the last 2 days) i had a recent medication change, as you will see in my notes, and my food intake SUCKED because it killed my appetite. Also, cheat days are every saturday.. (so overlook those days. HAHA!)

XXXMinnieXXX

Home made popcorn. Low calorie and very filling as there's tonnes of fiber. My advice would be keep fiber, water and protein high, carbs low.... Will all help with the hunger. Look at 40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat as your goals. Will make things much easier hunger wise x

emmalene1984

i'm on 1200 cal or there abouts diet, feel free to add me to look at my diary :-) x

lilphiler05

I bought some raw, shelled pumpkin seeds and toasted them myself at home then tossed them in some pomegranate wine vinegar and let them cool. Gives them lots of flavor and crunch without all the sodium of the store-roasted ones.
I also keep Special K protein shakes handy- they're 190 calories and great for a quick breakfast or post-workout meal. Very satisfying and not sugary sweet.
I am on a 1400 calorie a day diet and an hour of exercise a day, and I find that a salad with nuts of some kind and balsamic dressing is plenty filling and under 300 calories if you just add some seeds for protein and mix in alot of different kinds of greens- arugula, heirloom lettuce, sorel... always different flavors instead of the same old salad.

Heather_Rider

perhaps if you type 1200 calories or something similar into the search area one of the other 30000 posts about this might help you? :flowerforyou:

being a smart *kitten* helped how? :flowerforyou:

BR3ANDA

You can stroll through my diary if you like. I average 1200 cals.

camelgirlmn

I too am looking for some ideas for 1200 calorie diet. because lately i cant seem to stay within reach. i been maintaining between 15 and 2000. but trying to get to 1200. i need to lose 20 more pounds. Add me if you liked

crunchienugget

this will sound horrible, but some porridge made with water and a sprinkle of cinnamon always fills me up. 140g is aboout 155 calories (using water) And now its cold (in Ireland anyway) its a nice snack to make you feel warmer

mcpjan

I use the fiber one bars that are 90 calories. There are great when you need to be out and not want to be temped to stop somewhere to get pickup fast food. I also like Greek yogurts.

pohlcm08

I like to mix plain greek yogurt (tastes like sour cream) with packets of dry ranch and dip veggies in it. Very low cal!

TaraMiley

my max calories are 1200/day as well. My suggestion is to get aquainted with Lisa Lillian (AKA Hungry Girl), she has several cookbooks and a great website (and daily email) with 1000s of low cal recipes that combine convenience with fresh foods. It's a nice balance. I prefer to stay closer to the whole foods end of the spectrum so I often times will tweak her recipes to be more whole foods and it's still totally doable (if that kind of thing is a concern). Also take some time to find out what types of foods work best for your body. For example, I find that a high protein breakfast controls my hunger much better than a high carb breakfast. Also experiment with some new foods. Spaghetti squash in place of pasta/potatoes, grated cauliflower instead of rice, etc. Great way to up your veggie intake and reduce those calories all without going hungry!

AllonsYtotheTardis

skinnytaste.com has some fantastic, filling recipes that will fit in very well with a 1200 cal diet.

gingerjen7

I need to be on a 1200 calorie diet (per docs orders).

Need some good snack ideas as well as flavorful meal ideas that will be satisfying but allow me to keep my goal.

Thanks in advance!

For snacks I like raw natural almonds, beef jerky, fruit, cheese, popchips, and healthy choice greek frozen yogurt. My breakfast is usually a gluten free cereal/granola/oatmeal. Lunch, I eat a lot of tuna or lunch meats (dietz and watson has an incredible low sodium turkey, but I'm currently obsessed with pastrami), cheese, carrots. Hummus is good, and I really like it with sesmark parmesan herb crackers. For dinner I usually stick with lean meat (this week I'm eating a ton of pork--had a hankering when I was at the grocery store and ended up with a ton of pork and little else by way of meats), veggie, and a side. You don't necessarily have to change the things you eat to successfully eat a 1200 calorie diet, you just have to pay attention to your portions. That's not to say that you shouldn't modify your diet, but I don't know what it's like. If you don't have a food scale, get one! Lord knows how many meals I underestimated portions for because I wasn't weighing anything before I got my scale. My 1200 calorie diet had plenty of things I liked to eat, just in smaller portions--but they were the recommended serving sizes! I was able to do it without feeling deprived or hungry by eating smaller meals with plenty of snacking and drinking an appropriate amount of water. I've upped my calories now because I'm shifting my focus to recomposition rather than weight loss, and I think I was approaching a stall anyway. I'm close to my goal weight, so it's an appropriate time to start slowly increasing.

greentart

Spinach salads, with some walnuts, feta and low fat balasmic dressing. Raw spinach is only 7 calories per CUP. Go crazy.
Fish. Don't fry it, don't slather it in butter. Bake it or grill it. Most white fish (tilapia, trout, swai) are filling, have low calories, and are amazingly good for you.
Hummus and celery. Celery has minimal calories, and hummus is great for protein and for filling you up.
Also, brussel sprout and kale chips are amazingly delicious.

I'm on a 1300 calorie restriction, and it's been mainly snacking on fruits and veggies, cutting out most processed food (especially all boxed foods), cutting WAY DOWN on bread, cheese, and red meat, and sticking to very lean meats.

Good luck!

emilygh1974

Lots of fish

hnybunni2

For snacks, the 100 cal packs are usually good if you just need a sweet taste of something, and it keeps your portions in control.

yhaggerty1

Last night I had a microwaved yam and fake butter. If I have eggs for breakfast, I cut down to one slice of toast, No more cream with coffee. I really enjoy fresh tomatoes and sliced avocado with balsamic vinegar.

jdennisj

If you can find it, I have used Better Homes and Gardens New Dieter's Cook Book. They have hundreds of easy recipes that are very low in calories. Each recipe includes the various nutritional amounts. The book is well organized and the recipes are great. I would suggest that you obtain a copy - maybe try Amazon. It also has great diet suggestions and loads of information. Good luck with your calorie goal.

mommyshortlegs

SNACKS

- apple slices dipped in nonfat Greek yogurt

- veggies -- cucumbers, carrots, celery, bell peppers -- with hummus (easily homemade) or salsa

- low-fat cheese sticks


MEALS

- pizza omelet, e.g., http://www.thewannabechef.net/2011/07/15/pizza-omelet/

- omelet loaded with vegetables, low-fat cheese, even a dollop of nonfat Greek yogurt; I create a mock sausage flavor using baby bella mushrooms sauteed with ground black pepper and Italian seasoning

- sandwiches made with lean deli-sliced turkey, layered vegetables, low-fat cheese, plain nonfat Greek yogurt as "mayo" (flavor as you like), and low-calorie bread (e.g., Sara Lee's 45-calorie multi-grain)

- green salad with tomatoes and feta -- and any number of other vegetables -- with a lean meat such as grilled chicken

- soups of all varieties (last night I had acorn squash bisque with brown rice tossed in)

- green smoothies, e.g., http://iowagirleats.com/2012/01/04/my-top-secret-diet-weapon/

- fish

- stir fry

- try spaghetti squash (40 cal./c.) as opposed to pasta; rely on the sauce for flavor


Purchase a kitchen scale to track your fruits and veggies by grams -- every calorie counts when you're on a minimum daily calorie requirement. Opt for low-calorie, high-nutrition foods that offer the most bang for your caloric buck -- you'll find fatty dairy, many bread products, and most processed foods in general no longer fit into your day-to-day eating, at least not without consuming a massive quantity of your daily calorie limit in one fell swoop, only to leave you hungry an hour later. Consider switching to unsweetened almond milk, e.g., Silk brand, 30 cal./c. Imbibe water (preferably straight) like you've been stranded in the desert for days. Keep on hand plenty of plain nonfat Greek yogurt, fresh fruit, and especially fresh vegetables, to the point you'll be wishing you had larger-capacity produce drawers.

mikurulove10

try snacking on celery every so often!! it tastes great, its filling, and its 5 calories per stalk

PeteTheRef

I think that the minimum per diem requirement to avoid your body believing it is starving is 1200 calories. Perhaps a second opinion would be appropriate. Weight loss is like everything else in life. It is best done gradually and it is best done together with exercise. Exercise can mean just walking fast enough to make you sweat or puff. Gradually you will do more and get fitter and go faster. If you start fast you will almost certainly injure yourself.
Best practice is to set a long term goal and see yourself in your imagination as you want to look. Then work steadily towards it using very short term goals and intermediate goals. S, for example. I have a long term goal to weigh just below 80kg. I started at 95.5. I have set intermediate goals to lose just under 1 kg (actually 1 lb) per fortnight. I have daily goals to live within the goals set by "myfitnesspal". I am succeeding. I have a vivid image of how I want to look when I am 79.6kg. It is a clear motivator for me.

gr8pillock

My favs...

Light High Fiber English Muffin to start all of these snacks.


English Muffin + 1 serving light cream cheese + as many fresh strawberry slices as you like = Fruit Pizza (Under 150 calories)

English Muffin + 1 serving light cream cheese + a few pieces of smoked salmon = Light 'Bagel' with Locks and Cream Cheese (under 150)

English Muffin + Spray I can't Believe it's not butter + diced fresh tomatoes + fresh basil + spray of olive oil + sprinkling of grated Parm cheese = Healthy Bruschetta (under 150)

There ya go! They're ALL effing phenomenal and the fiber is higher than other muffins, which is also good.

lizziebeth1028

I think that the minimum per diem requirement to avoid your body believing it is starving is 1200 calories. Perhaps a second opinion would be appropriate. Weight loss is like everything else in life. It is best done gradually and it is best done together with exercise. Exercise can mean just walking fast enough to make you sweat or puff. Gradually you will do more and get fitter and go faster. If you start fast you will almost certainly injure yourself.
Best practice is to set a long term goal and see yourself in your imagination as you want to look. Then work steadily towards it using very short term goals and intermediate goals. S, for example. I have a long term goal to weigh just below 80kg. I started at 95.5. I have set intermediate goals to lose just under 1 kg (actually 1 lb) per fortnight. I have daily goals to live within the goals set by "myfitnesspal". I am succeeding. I have a vivid image of how I want to look when I am 79.6kg. It is a clear motivator for me.

^^^^^This!! 1200 is below most people's BMR. And sometimes Doctors are idiots. Wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion.