Eating plan guide for 1200 calories

azjenny72

The whole point is to make your meals filling. Meal frequency is not an issue, so you don't need to eat 6,7, and 8 meals a day. IMHO, snacks make you fat, and are an indication that your meals are not filling.

I don't agree with this at all. I try to eat 6 meals a day and I do my best to even them out (approx 200-400 cal per). Mainly because I am diabetic and this is the best way to keep my blood sugars at an even level. The "snacks" I eat for the most part are similar to my meals and not "treats". I also know that when I eat "clean" for me, I have a hard time eating much more than 1200 cal because fruits, veggies and protein fill me up and keep me feeling full longer. When I am being really good I even find it hard to eat my nighttime "snack" because I am just not hungry.

It may not be for everyone but just because a meal is labled as a "snack" doesn't mean it's made up of junk food that will make one fat. It is all a matter of the food choices we make and if we are still in a calorie deficit or not.

lesliefb

Plan for your most important/favorite meal first and then adjust the rest of your day around it. Some folks don't snack, so they have more calories at meals. Some like heartier breakfasts and lighter dinners. Others like to go out on the weekends with friends, so they plan for a couple of beers. For me, I like to plan for a healthy and good sized dinner with my family, and I always want a 3pm snack and bedtime snack. So whatever my calories, I work backwards from there. I were doing 1,200 calories, I would do this:

Bfast:200
Lunch:300
Snack:100
Dinner: 500
Snack: 100

If planning to eat out or having a treat one day, I'd go a little short on breakfast and skip snacks.

SeaJenni

This is how I do it:
Brekky - 300cal
Snack - 100 - 150 cal
Lunch - 300 cal
Snack - 100 - 150 cal
Dinner - 400 cal

Roughly. On days I exercise with some sort of intensity I eat more as I am hungry but I never eat back all of my exercise calories, only some. Good luck, and remember if your body stops responding, up your calorie intake

You should have to worry about having your body "stop" responding. The problem is people immediately go bare bones and cut every thing out. You have to look at weight loss as peeling an onion. You have to strip each layer from the onion when you reach a sticking point.

At 1200 calories you have NO room to make any adjustments and you're on way to metabolic rehab. This is not a scare tactic, this is real life. Even if the original poster is severely obese 1200 calories is still not advisable.

The whole point is to make your meals filling. Meal frequency is not an issue, so you don't need to eat 6,7, and 8 meals a day. IMHO, snacks make you fat, and are an indication that your meals are not filling.

1200/3 = 400 calorie meals or 1200/4= 300 calorie meals. Both are a much better choice then having a 100-150 calorie "snack" which will leave you hungry.

1200 calories is very reasonable if your starting weight is not that high... if you are a short person, 1200 is about right and won't mess up your metabolism.

MFP set me up at 1200 calories and I was hungry for the first month, trying to figure out what time to eat, what to eat, etc. I was skipping breakfast and eating way too much at 10PM when I got home from work. It has worked better for me to pace the day evenly, even though it takes some time to break the old bad habits. When I do it, I feel great and not at all hungry.

I started doing what this poster mentioned... breakfast 300 calories, snack 150, lunch 300, snack 150, and dinner, 300. If I skip my snacks, I overeat at dinner. I've never considered myself a snacker type person, but at the same time I am full after 300 calories, so the snacks actually help me pace through the day without adding full sized meals and prevent me from overeating at dinnertime. I leave at 6AM and get home at 10PM, so I really do need those snacks, but I don't need 5 meals.

Also, I am short and have two desk jobs. When I do exercise, usually walking and yoga, I eat back what I burn.

GrannySparkle

My suggestion is to eat more. Good luck trying to make any progress on such a low calorie intake.

This guy right here has it exactly right.

I eat about 2400 and i've lost a few lbs myself

Depending your activity level...yea you can eat that much and loss weight. I have to ask how many hours do you spending lifting weights? The average person here on this site isn't a bodybuilder nor spends hours in the gym.

My best advise...check with your doctor was to how many calories you should be eating. They are your best guide.

AmyRhubarb

My suggestion is to eat more. Good luck trying to make any progress on such a low calorie intake.

This guy right here has it exactly right.

I eat about 2400 and i've lost a few lbs myself

Depending your activity level...yea you can eat that much and loss weight. I have to ask how many hours do you spending lifting weights? The average person here on this site isn't a bodybuilder nor spends hours in the gym.

My best advise...check with your doctor was to how many calories you should be eating. They are your best guide.

Personally - I exercise (combo of weights/strength training and some cardo) less than an hour per day, 5 or 6 days a week. My average calorie burn is 300 - 400 each workout). I eat 1800 calories a day, and I'm losing the fat. You don't have to go gonzo on the workouts and eat like a bird to make this work - in fact over-training & under-eating are two problems that a lot of people have (been there!), which can also stall results.

cubsgirlinny

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meshashesha2012

i've found that i'm losing more fat when i eat about 10% less than my TDEE which is way more than 1200 calories. i know everyone's different, but just saying why eat less when you dont have to?

food tastes good

amy1612

My suggestion is to eat more. Good luck trying to make any progress on such a low calorie intake.

This guy right here has it exactly right.

I eat about 2400 and i've lost a few lbs myself

Depending your activity level...yea you can eat that much and loss weight. I have to ask how many hours do you spending lifting weights? The average person here on this site isn't a bodybuilder nor spends hours in the gym.

My best advise...check with your doctor was to how many calories you should be eating. They are your best guide.

Im guessing he spends no more than 4 hours per week....if you lift heavy your body will thank you for eating more.....

Heres my 2p....Im 5ft2, female, and weighed about 150lbs at my heaviest (that may seem ridiculously light to some, but on my frame it was very noticeable). I managed to lose 20lbsby eating 1200 calories a day and exercising like a madwoman....I used to spend about 14 hours a week in the gym, no kidding.

Last year I really wanted to start looking leaner, and just hammered the cardio, ate less food. No changes. Stayed the same weight, body was the same, was always tired.

A few months ago I changed everything....I started lifting heavy, stopped counting calories, and started eating good, nutritious food (no more just eating a pre-packaged tub of soup for dinner because I knew how many calories was in it). Ive only lost about 5lbs, my body has changed completely and I feel so much better. Im stronger, and look better than ever.

For anyone thats wants to eat 1200 calories a day, go ahead. I dont, and didnt, find it sustainable. Treat your body right, look after it, feed it properly.

caitlyn30

It depends what you personally like. do you like a bigger breakfast, lunch or dinner. I prefer a bigger dinner so I save more for then.

cbrrabbit25

My suggestion is to eat more. Good luck trying to make any progress on such a low calorie intake.

Seriously? A good number of people eat only 1200 calories a day and loss weight. I was on 1200 prior to my surgery and lost 48 pounds. Of course since gastric bypass I only eat 600-900 calories...and am still losing.

Yeah seriously, cause it's not all about losing weight. Losing weight is just one part of the puzzle. You should be concerned about:
1. How much lean body mass.
2. Your metabolic rate.

These are not only concerns of bodybuilders, they should be concerns of everyone. It's not about WEIGHT loss. It's about losing bodyfat and keeping your metabolism healthy.

Anyone can lose weight. The question is can they do it in a safe and effective manner.

I am at about 1600-1700 a day and i am losing better than i was on 1200 like MFP suggested. He is right about the healthy metabolism aspect too.

Melo1966

I am on a 1,200 calorie diet with 20-30g Fiber and 50-70g Protein and some days if the proteins are low cal I am not hungry and have 100-200 to go so I fix a snack that is this. I know if I go under then the next day I am very tired. I do also make sure I burn at least 200 if I burn more then I eat more. Most people who are at 1,500 or more are working out more and are still netting 1,000 so it is all the same. Net 1,000 is good for weight loss of 1-2lbs a week.

DenyseMarieL

I've been doing three 400 calorie meals and one 200 calorie snack, for the most part. I have lost .5 lbs a week. I think 1200 calories is too low.

brandyme

My suggestion is to eat more. Good luck trying to make any progress on such a low calorie intake.

How much would you suggest as a minimum calorie intake?

gingerveg

Originally I went with MFP's 1200 calorie setting for me but I was constantly going under because I was afraid of going over. I recently set my calories to 1350 to make absolutely sure I was getting at least 1200 calories (I actually think 1350 is a better number for me but I'm still learning about my caloric needs). On exercise days I eat a little more but I usually don't eat back all of my exercise calories.

So anyway like others have said I eat 300-400 calorie meals and a few small snacks in between.

BTW, I baked an eggplant the other day and made kind of a lazy eggplant parmesan and thanks to MFP found out this recipe is super low calorie:

slice baked eggplant (1 cup)
cover with 1/4 cup cheese (I usually use vegan cheese, but I've tried cottage cheese and it is also really good)
tablespoon of red sauce

microwave for a minute to melt cheese--yum
This makes a 173 calorie meal!

AntWrig

My suggestion is to eat more. Good luck trying to make any progress on such a low calorie intake.

How much would you suggest as a minimum calorie intake?

That is something that you will have to figure out through trial and error. It would be counterproductive for me to throw some magical number, because it's not that simple. That being said, it much easier to start on the higher end and work your way day, instead of on the lower end. If you start on the lower end, you won't have any wiggle room when you do reach a sticking point.

I for one am tired of of people saying "I am not a bodybuilder". Sorry, actually you are a body builder. You're building a better body. For the most part the protein, carbs, and fat requirements are basically the same. What changes is your overall caloric intake and that is based on YOUR activity level.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/macronutrients_calculator.htm

This is a good calculator. Remember, that a good starting point in losing body fat is to reduce your calories by 20%. If you're overweight, I would enter in my goal weight (please be realistic) and go from there. Eat at those specified levels for 2 weeks to a month and don't change anything. This will allow you to establish a baseline. If you have dropped weight in that month, you know you're eating under your maintenance calories, if you haven't then start dropping your carb intake by 25 grams per week.

As I said, to reach your goals correctly, it's going to take time.

atomicpoppy

What an interesting discussion! I am set to 1200 cal through MFP and while the weight isn't coming off as quickly as I'd like (though it is still in the healthy and safe range - about a pound a week), it's coming off. I did read about TDEE and BMR, and my TDEE is about 1700, BMR is 1350. I am very short, so maybe that's why, but my MFP number doesn't seem that far off if I'm trying to lose 1-2 pounds a week. Maybe I will up my intake to 1350 and see what happens. That said, I've been doing 1200 cals for almost two months and don't have a huge issue with it. I also don't make it a big deal if I go over on any given day (in fact, I usually flirt with +/- 50 most days). I wonder if I'm "doing it wrong?" I have lost about 10-12 pounds in the 2 months I've been weighing regularly. I do always eat my exercise calories, at least most of them. I figure that to be healthy and safe, when I burn more energy, I need to consume more energy.

To answer the OP -
Breakfast - ~250 cal (usually cereal and almond milk)
Lunch - ~200 - 300 cal (a granola bar and usually fruit or meat)
Snack (usually a cup of tea with raw honey) - ~60 cal
Dinner - ~500 - 600 cal (a variety of things, but always includes a big salad)
Snack - ~100ish cal (usually a big bowl of air popped popcorn, don't have this if I'm already over for the night)

amy1612

Lunch - ~200 - 300 cal (a granola bar and usually fruit or meat)

Im not saying this to criticise you, just as a statement....

if I had to eat 200 calories for dinner I'd probably cry. Or eat my office mate.

atomicpoppy

Lunch - ~200 - 300 cal (a granola bar and usually fruit or meat)

Im not saying this to criticise you, just as a statement....

if I had to eat 200 calories for dinner I'd probably cry. Or eat my office mate.

Eh, It's actually a step up from not eating lunch, which was a huge challenge for me. In fact, yesterday I forgot to eat lunch entirely, until about 3 and realized I was hungry. (Lunch is at 11.) I'm a teacher and usually don't have time for much more.

PrimalNorth

There are decades of clinical trials on diets and almost every single one that restricted calories to 1200 or less resulted in health issues, such as hypothyroidism, reduced metabolic rate, massive loss of lean tissue, etc.. after 6 weeks.

I think you should reevaluate based on food choice instead of just dropping calories.

Helloitsdan

OP before taking any advice from any other 1200 peeps be sure to loot at their join date and how much they have lost.
Then look at advice from people who eat more, their join date and how much they have lost.
Its shocking that the most people who have lost the most weight eat more food than 1200.
You are doing it wrong.

I got s PM from one of my first Road Mappers http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

She sent me this.....


I am down almost 60 lbs now. You have been a big big help! Muah. When I plateaued, your advice got me through it inside of 3 days. Like some kind of wizardry. I am not consistently lifting, but consistently working on my diet. That gets me through the down time without losing momentum.


This person eats 1600-2200 daily depending on their routine.

1200 isnt your number.
Trust me.