How does one survive on 1200 calories per day anyway??

If you feel deprived some part of you will be working against your food plan.

get your protein,,, find foods you like... you can do it.




October 29, 2012
Foods Calories
Breakfast
Jimmy Dean - Delights Turkey Sausage Whole Grain Bagel, 1 Bagel 260
Lunch
Publix - Microwaveable Carrots, 3 oz 35
Progresso Light Soup - Zesty Southwestern-Style Vegetable, 1 container (2 cups ea.) 120
Chicken - Chicken Breast 1 oz Grilled or Roasted, 2 oz 97
Dinner
Publix - Microwaveable Carrots, 3 oz 35
Wishbone - Light Sweet & Spicy French Dressing, 1 Tbsp (30 ml) 30
Generic - White Minute Rice, 3/4 cup cooked 120
Barber Foods - Fit & Flavorful Stuffed Chicken Breasts Cordon Bleu, 1 Piece 210
Snacks
Planters - Cocktail Peanuts - Lightly Salted, 1 oz (28g/about 35 pieces) 170
Apple - Generic Fuji Large W/Skin - Fuji Apple - Large, 1 apple 116
Jacobsen's - *Snack Toast- Raspberry, 2 slice 80
TOTAL: 1,273

ive been a memeber here per say, like a month. i have found that as the days go by, u can fill or at least satisfy or no be starving as much with less food. for ex, when i first started i have no doubt i was prob eastin close to 2000 cal a day. but the less i ate the less hungrier i got...if it makes sense. of course i still have crazy days but for the most part i think i do ok. usually oatmeal and banana for bfast, tuna and salad for lunch, granola bar, and small portion of dinner. lots of salads and or homemade soups. sigh...itll all be worth it when i lose these darn pounds!

I've been on 1200 since I started in June. I find it very easy to do. Lots of veggies, lean mean, some fruit, and eggs. Most importantly its portion control. I also cut out basically all processed foods. I avoid anything with added sugar, and I don't eat many carbs (besides whats in my veggies and fruit). I also make a lot of my own food, I never eat out unless its a special occasion. I don't torture myself, if I want a piece of pizza, I eat a piece of pizza, just one, and I adjust my calories for the rest of the say accordingly. It is very easy to do and to be satisfied doing it, once you change your lifestyle. If you are used to having a bagel and cream cheese everyday, it might be hard to cut it out. But you can. I did it cold turkey and have had great success. But that's not for everyone, some people need to ween out the bad food slowly. Here is a basic meal for me that falls around 1200 calories:

BREAKFAST:
1 scoop Protein powder in 1 cup fat free milk
-I add 1tbs sugar free coffeemate because the peppermint mocha is amazing!
2 slices turkey bacon
2 scrambled egg whites

SNACK
1 medium apple

LUNCH
3.3 ounces chicken breast (all fat removed)
.5 tbs teriyaki sauce (i really need to eliminate this but sometimes its so tasty)
1 cup steamed broccoli, nothing added
large spinach and romaine heart salad
1 tbs lite raspberry vinaigrette dressing

SNACK
1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese

DINNER
3.5 ounces chicken breast
1 cup mixed veggies
Homemade Greek Yogurt Chocolate Muffin
2 tbs homemade cool whip

Also, lots and lots of water, and try to keep the sodium low.

Good luck!!

My goal,is set to 1400, but most days I'm not hungry past 1200 calories. I try to get 100 grams of protein a day, I guess that helps me stay full, plus all those nasty fiber pills I have to take, I wonder if they make me full or just use up my daily limit for swallowing things.

It takes alot of preplanning but it is doable I have been eating 1200 cals since I started over 2 yrs ago. You are welcome to look at my diary if you want. I would suggest looking at several peoples diaries who eat 1200 cals a day to see what they are eating. If you choose to eat the bagel and cream cheese then you need to cut back somewhere else and you probably need to eat an apple with it to help keep you fool longer. I hope this helps

I have been buying mini bagels for our grocery store. They satisfy my bagel hunger and are only about 150 calories. The bagel thins don't do it for me, I like my bagels thick and chewy! The mini bagels work well.

eat better, less calorie-dense foods. It's really not as hard as it sounds to do. I upped mine only because it is more expensive to buy all the food that's good for you.

I can't tell you if 1200 is enough or not. What I do know is that when your diet is mostly nutritious food (fresh produce), those calories don't add up as quickly.

Hi

I've been set 1200 - however, I'm the opposite to you, I struggle most days to get to 1200; I don't really eat much but I have recently started to make sure I have breakfast in the morning; I used to miss breakfast because I wasn't hungry and would eat at around 12pm-1pm. But please don't get me wrong, my current weight is 211lbs.

I struggle with my calorific intake, but in a different way to you; I would suggest perhaps fore-seeing what you're going to eat during the day - planning what to have for breakfast/lunch/dinner/snacks and calculate how much these calories add up to before actually eating the food so you can avoid it if it takes you over your daily goal and that way, you can change your food accordingly and always stick to your calorific goals.

Hope this helps.

Alana

1200 calories per day is not recommended.

It's all about eating the right foods.

In a whole tomato, there are only 25 calories - that's basically nothing! Pair that with a large salad (lettuce - 20 calories, celery - 5 calories, light dressing - 40 calories), you have a whole FILLING meal for under 100 calories. And yes, that is a rather dull salad. Add cucumbers, carrots, and peppers to give it a little more flavor, while still keeping it under 200 calories.

They calculate your intake based on your current weight and if you did NOTHING everyday, if you eat at least 1200 cals/day you'd lose 2lbs./week! You MUST incorporate exercise and a portion controlled diet. My tracker says my net goal is 1200/day but I'm consuming around 1500-1700 cals./day which is PERFECT for me! I workout 4 days a week and do light jump rope whenever I wanna get moving (since I work in front of monitors all day). I track my exercise which allows me to eat more since i've burned! I'm losing 2 lbs/week and eating a lot of deliciousness, but I do portion control and don't eat junk. I'm eating great meals, I'm cooking more, too. Now I think I'm a chief, hehehehe... It will take time to develop a routine that works for you and your body, hun! GOOD LUCK!

Hey, TJ---I'm Bev. I'm right in there with you. Hungry has been my middle name all my life. We grew up on lots of refined carbs---who wasn't in my generation? My mom just did what most other moms did regarding meals---the result was a family who had screwy metabolisms from all the refined carbs and simple sugars. Here is what i have learned:

USE OF SPICES: when my food is well-seasoned, I am more satisfied with my meals. We have a Nepali student living with us currently, and Sanjay loves to cook (he's good at it!). He uses a lot of spices that were brand new to us: cumin, curry, coriander, red pepper

---

all I ever used before was salt and pepper. I've learned to put these in everything!--potatoes, green beans, eggs, stir-fry dishes---almost everything.

BEANS: get them dried at the groc. You may be familiar with dried beans, but if not, they are so spittin' easy to make: soak them for an hour or so before you cook them in a saucepan with some water---you can still cook them if you DON'T soak them, but you will need to add more water--they will soak it up. Beans are fabulous on your food log---complex carbs with high fiber, so we stay feeling full longer, no fat , no simple sugar, and high protein. Use the above seasonings in the beans as they cook for a flavorful, filling dish which has become my first choice (that's saying a lot---I'm a reformed junk junkiie!) Even 9-5 working gals can make beans when they come home from work. (NB: my husband has purchased me some Beano---not a problem!) Regarding calorie intake, you can eat beans all day long, as much as you can stand, and you will still probably be under your calorie goal. I'm working on a very low 1200 cal daily limit.

SMOOTHIES: I use my food processor (when I am on the verge of a sugar binge) to make smoothies---I prefer bananas, because they make a naturally creamy drink, but I have also used oranges, blueberries, papayas---what ever I've got. I add half water and half soy milk AND I ADD EITHER WHEAT BRAN, PSYLLIUM HUSK OR SOME OTHER FIBER SUPPLEMENT. tj, I am a bit of a food-Spartan---if it works, I tend to eat whatever suits my goals, with not a great emphasis on how it tastes.... but the smoothies are good.

When I am flat-out having a major sugar craving, I have learned to give my self the sugar I crave, but just enough to satisfy it. --eg., a 1/2 tsp of honey or sugar , or a small handful of cranberries. I do not worry about fresh fruit at all--even though fruit has a lot a sugars, they are different from table sugar and they will not make us fat. ... So eat all the apples, bananas, blueberries, peaches etc that you want.

Everyone has a unique metabolism. Your job is to understand the God-designed function of your unique & special body and manage it accordingly.

Hey--if you get any good tips from other memebers, I would love to hear them! Do well, LOve, Bev

PS--remember taht every so often, you still need a waffle!! hahahaha!! I'm in Lynchburg VA--meet me at the Waffle House 1st of the month! hahaha!

Hi, I joined here yesterday.
I eat 1200-1350 a day. I'm 5' and 148lbs. I find that being anywhere near the lower side makes me extremely hungry. However, I agree with splitting up your calories per meal. I find what works best for me is actually having most of the calories in the morning, and having dinner as a light meal. I know that's opposite tradition in America, but it works for me.

Practice. True that's not the right number of calories for everyone but it has been mine for a long time, I thnk because I am short.

Feel free to add me too as I am also on 1200/cal a day. You can see the kinds of things we eat to still EAT and make the goals.

and.. I always eat back my exercise. If 1200 is the minimum my body can deal with to lose weight and be healthy, why would i eat less?

ANYWAY, yes practice and lots of reading of labels and Googling "calories in a..."
and listening to your body and logging EVERYTHING to find out the things that make you hungrier.