Typical 1200 cal per day menu

For breakfast, I usually eat something between 100-200 calories.

Like apples, oatmeal, bananas, combination of all of those, pancakes, yogurt, etc.

Lunch, a small sandwich (whole wheat with ham or turkey and a little mustard!)

Dinner - random. I try to keep that below 300-400 calories.

hi ifyou have a look at mine you can see, i get 1340 cal

Breakfast cereal with rice milk - 300 cals
Vitamin smoothie - 250 cals
Tuna, egg, cottage cheese - 200 cals
green salad with tomatoes, carrots, balsamic dressing - 200 cals
toast or fiber bar - 150 cals
beans, corn or peas, broccoli or cauliflower - 200 cals

I'm mostly vegetarian, that's about 1,300 cals & a typical day for me. I don't get thirty often (unless I'm working out) so I'm constantly trying to drink more water throughout the day, & have a couple cups of tea in the morning (like green) and a calming tea before bed, usually unsweetened.

Got to be honest...I dont go out for too many meals out, these days. Maybe once every couple of months! When I do I dont worry about it too much as I try and not make too many bad choices as for me this is a complete lifestyle change, not a diet. You should be looking at you calorie deficit over the week and dont get too hung up over one day. I have a couple of glasses of wine, usually at the weekend, so its not too bad. Just about getting your head in the right place and you will be fine.

I'm usually up about 1400, but I just logged tomorrow and it is at 1200ish:

Breakfast - 220g of baked beans with a slice of toast

Lunch - 2 tuna patties (made of 140g tuna in springwater, 1 egg, 5g parmesan, 1 tbs of flour and 1 tsp of mixed herbs, fried without oil) & salad of lettuce, rocket and cucumber with 99% FF Coleslaw dressing

Dinner - 200g chicken thigh in satay marinade, broccoli, cauliflower

Snacks - 2 Corn thins with 2 laughing cow cheeses, 3 dill pickles, celery sticks & 40g light hummus.

:ohwell:

Thanks guys. I'm used to WW where fruit and veg is free and you have weeklies, ie an extra 49pp over the week (approx 2000 calories to splurge on a weekend or add to each day). How do you cope if you, say, go out for a meal which takes you over your daily allowance?

If I know have something coming up where I'm going out to dinner, or a birthday or holiday where I'll eat stuff that I don't normally (healthy) eat, or will eat a lot, I really don't worry about it, because 95% of the time I eat really healthy, so that's ok. Different things work for different people, but if I allow myself realistic exceptions, it makes it easier to stick with things routinely. When I go to the grocery store, I only buy healthy things. You can't eat it if it's not there!

What she said.
It's my daughter's birthday tomorrow and we're going out for an Indian buffet. I know I shall eat too much so I am going to keep the early part of the day as low as I can then enjoy the experience. I intend to make sensible choices, eg boiled rice, lighter sauces etc, but I won't panic.
My diary is open, I'm consistantly aiming for 1200 cals. Feel free to look or add me.
Good luck.

My diary is open, feel free to check it out

Hiya...I'm in England too....if you want to add me feel free and you take a look at my diary. I think why MFP works as opposed to WW or SW, both of which I have done with varying levels of success , is because you have to control your portions...WW and SW giving free foods still encourages over eating....I know SW gives muller lites as free and fruit and veg...I don'tthink there is any harm in free veg, especially green stuff, but fruit is very high in sugar and therefore calories....just doesn't make sense to me any more to eat that way...

Personally I find it hard to stick to just 1200 per day so I do excercise to make some back...even it it's just a walk out at lunch time. I also have two meals off per week, usually Fri and Sat night where I eat and drink what I like...I have still lost fairly steadily and am only 4 pound from goal now....anyway...sorry...this isn't meant to be a lecture....I just wanted to share my thoughts with you as I am also on 1200 per day and it's bloody hard!!! Best of luck with your goal..... :-)

i usually aim to split my calories like this:

breakfast - 300
lunch - 300
dinner - 300
pudding - 100
snacks - 200

the only meal that is almost always the same is breakfast, oatmeal everyday with some fruit