How to meet 1200 calories?

KirstyGC1
KirstyGC1 Posts: 4
in Food and Nutrition
Hello everyone,

I'm fairly new at this, so would really appreciate the advice of you seasoned professionals :)

The app says I should be aiming for 1200 calories a day. This morning, I burned approximately 360 calories at the gym.

For breakfast: homemade smoothie, with Greek nonfat yogurt, 1/2 banana, apple juice and frozen strawberries (203 cals)
For lunch: chicken, sliced carrot, lettuce, lite Italian dressing, 1/2 banana (404 cals)
Plans for dinner: quinoa, grilled salmon fillet, steamed broccoli, raw spinach (280 cals)

This puts me at 888 calories for the day, and having done my workout, the app is telling me I have 695 calories remaining.

The trouble is, I'm not sure how to go about doing this. I suppose I could add a hard-boiled egg, maybe another yogurt, but I'm just surprised that I've got what I thought seemed like a reasonable meal plan - the kind of stuff I'm used to seeing recommended, and yet it puts me unhealthily low for calorie intake.

I certainly don't want to go into starvation mode, but how do I reasonably and healthily add the necessary calories? Is there something important I'm missing from my meals? Should I be snacking more?

Thanks so much!
«1

Replies

  • mariapuhl
    mariapuhl Posts: 529 Member
    Add some healthy high calorie fats as snacks. An avocado, nuts, some peanut butter, etc. Add more things to your lunch salad, like a dried fruit or crouton or cheese.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    Eat the whole banana, put butter on your broccoli, add something to your quinoa, have a mid morning and mid afternoon snack of some almonds or cheese, add an egg at breakfast, forget non fat yogurt and go for the full fat version, use regular salad dressing instead of lite, lots of ways to add calories.
  • southernmom3
    southernmom3 Posts: 181 Member
    I was wondering the same thing, if we start our day with 1200 and then exercise we have more calories added to our daily intake, how will we lose weight if we keep adding more calories??
  • BlueObsidian
    BlueObsidian Posts: 297 Member
    I was wondering the same thing, if we start our day with 1200 and then exercise we have more calories added to our daily intake, how will we lose weight if we keep adding more calories??

    That 1200 calories already includes a deficit, so if you didn't work out and ate that number, you would lose weight. Adding back your exercise calories keeps you from having too large of a deficit. Your body needs calories to function properly.

    As for increasing the number of calories, I agree with the suggestion about healthy fats. You don't have to use light and nonfat products. Instead of light salad dressing, I like to make my own with olive oil and vinegar. Add a little cheese or some almonds to your salad. Put some oil (or even butter) on your veggies, if you like.
  • CoraGregoryCPA
    CoraGregoryCPA Posts: 1,087 Member
    Don't forget oils that you may use for cooking. They count too.

    Are you measuring and weighing everything? Yes, you need some snacks. What about dessert?
  • KirstyGC1
    KirstyGC1 Posts: 4
    Thanks for your help, everyone. I really appreciate it!
  • sunlover89
    sunlover89 Posts: 436 Member
    Instead of this..

    For breakfast: homemade smoothie, with Greek nonfat yogurt, 1/2 banana, apple juice and frozen strawberries (203 cals)
    For lunch: chicken, sliced carrot, lettuce, lite Italian dressing, 1/2 banana (404 cals)
    Plans for dinner: quinoa, grilled salmon fillet, steamed broccoli, raw spinach (280 cals)

    Total : 890

    Do this...

    For breakfast: homemade smoothie, with fullfat Greek yogurt, whole banana, apple juice and frozen strawberries (approx 400 calories)
    For lunch: chicken, sliced carrot, lettuce, regular Italian dressing, whole banana (500 cals)
    Snack: Cottage cheese with pineapple (200 cals)
    Plans for dinner: quinoa, grilled salmon fillet, steamed broccoli, raw spinach (280 cals)
    Snack: 20 Almonds (140 cals)

    Total : 1520

    Easy
  • krumpli
    krumpli Posts: 76 Member
    Snacks. A bit of healthy fat. The occasional cookie. Sure, you can eat SUPER healthy and SUPER clean for awhile, but can you live like that forever? Would you want to? I NET 1400ish a day, but I eat 1800-2000 a day. I've NET 1400 (actually eating 1800-200) a day for over a year now, and I've lost almost 70 pounds.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    you can add in eggs, oatmeal, chicken, steak etc...brown rice or sweet potato never hurt either...
  • KirstyGC1
    KirstyGC1 Posts: 4
    This is all super helpful and the kind of direction I was looking for.

    And krumpli, you're right, it seems much more sensible to figure out a sustainable and enjoyable plan if I'm going to keep this up.

    Thanks!
  • faireplay
    faireplay Posts: 126
    First thing you do is ditch that lite stuff. Eat regular fat everything. You will meet those 1200 cals no problem and be wishing you had more. As you get close to goal and it becomes harder to lose then you can decide if you want to incorporate fat free/sugar free stuff into your menu. But even then if you are exercising you probably won't need to.
  • tabinmaine
    tabinmaine Posts: 965 Member
    quinoa, grilled salmon fillet, steamed broccoli, raw spinach (280 cals)


    There is no way your #'s are correct..... just the salmon alone would be that

    Salmon- 240 calories for 4 oz ( size of a deck of cards)
    Quinoa- 172 calories for 1/4c dry ( about 1/2c cooked)
    Broccoli and Spinach @ 1/2c each...about 80 calories....
  • 1ConcreteGirl
    1ConcreteGirl Posts: 3,677 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013

    Please read this. It has all the information you will need and education will be the linchpin of your success here.
  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,010 Member
    I had a medium shamrock shake last night and it had 660 calories. It seems like that would get you most of the way to your goal.


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  • Ge0rgiana
    Ge0rgiana Posts: 1,649 Member
    Peanut butter. The answer is always peanut butter.
  • skinnydreams19
    skinnydreams19 Posts: 282 Member
    quinoa, grilled salmon fillet, steamed broccoli, raw spinach (280 cals)


    There is no way your #'s are correct..... just the salmon alone would be that

    Salmon- 240 calories for 4 oz ( size of a deck of cards)
    Quinoa- 172 calories for 1/4c dry ( about 1/2c cooked)
    Broccoli and Spinach @ 1/2c each...about 80 calories....

    It depends on her portions...
  • wibutterflymagic
    wibutterflymagic Posts: 788 Member
    I was wondering the same thing, if we start our day with 1200 and then exercise we have more calories added to our daily intake, how will we lose weight if we keep adding more calories??

    Because after exercising your body isn't getting 1200 calories. The 1200 calories should be net.....that means you should have 1200 calories at the end of the day after subtracting your exercise calories.
  • emagz76
    emagz76 Posts: 1
    along with the snacks mentioned above you might want to get protein powder, or some post workout supplement.
  • tabinmaine
    tabinmaine Posts: 965 Member
    quinoa, grilled salmon fillet, steamed broccoli, raw spinach (280 cals)


    There is no way your #'s are correct..... just the salmon alone would be that

    Salmon- 240 calories for 4 oz ( size of a deck of cards)
    Quinoa- 172 calories for 1/4c dry ( about 1/2c cooked)
    Broccoli and Spinach @ 1/2c each...about 80 calories....

    It depends on her portions...

    I just explained the portions.... and the portions I quoted are what a normal meal should look like. If you are feeding anyone over the age of 5yrs old lol
  • weloveourboys
    weloveourboys Posts: 133 Member
    Eat larger portions. Your dinner caloric calculation sounds low. Eat a 6 oz portion of salmon and 3/4 cup of quinoa, dress it with olive oil and lemon, and you will easily be able to log 700 calories at least.
  • KirstyGC1
    KirstyGC1 Posts: 4
    quinoa, grilled salmon fillet, steamed broccoli, raw spinach (280 cals)


    There is no way your #'s are correct..... just the salmon alone would be that

    Salmon- 240 calories for 4 oz ( size of a deck of cards)
    Quinoa- 172 calories for 1/4c dry ( about 1/2c cooked)
    Broccoli and Spinach @ 1/2c each...about 80 calories....

    It depends on her portions...

    I just explained the portions.... and the portions I quoted are what a normal meal should look like. If you are feeding anyone over the age of 5yrs old lol

    Just for clarification, I used the barcode scanner in the app to input the salmon and quinoa. One 4oz salmon fillet (of the frozen Walmart variety) is 100 calories, 1/4 cup of this dry quinoa (Safeway, organic) is about 140 calories, then the spunach and broccoli. Perhaps I need to get bigger salmon fillets...

    As for everyone's suggestions, this whole thing sounds much more straightforward than I had thought. Tomorrow will be much better, I'm sure!
  • JennDoesKeto
    JennDoesKeto Posts: 244 Member
    go full fat on things first things first don't deprive yourself if you feel jipped on what you are eating and you aren't having fun then you won't stick to this. good luck!
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    I like to add things like pecans, sliced almonds, berries, cheese, etc. to my salads. Or avocado and some crumbled hard boiled egg.

    You can also add flavorings like bacon or Parmesan cheese to your broccoli or roast your veggies in some olive oil for a tasty boost.

    Add granola or crushed nuts to your Greek yogurt in the mornings. Or toss a handful of chocolate chips into your smoothie.

    Dip your carrots in some tasty hummus or other dip at lunch.

    1200 calories is really easy to hit if you ditch the diet food mentality and add in some of those healthy fats, dressings, and flavorings.
  • WinnerVictorious
    WinnerVictorious Posts: 4,733 Member
    Hello everyone,

    I'm fairly new at this, so would really appreciate the advice of you seasoned professionals :)

    The app says I should be aiming for 1200 calories a day. This morning, I burned approximately 360 calories at the gym.

    For breakfast: homemade smoothie, with Greek nonfat yogurt, 1/2 banana, apple juice and frozen strawberries (203 cals)
    For lunch: chicken, sliced carrot, lettuce, lite Italian dressing, 1/2 banana (404 cals)
    Plans for dinner: quinoa, grilled salmon fillet, steamed broccoli, raw spinach (280 cals)

    This puts me at 888 calories for the day, and having done my workout, the app is telling me I have 695 calories remaining.

    The trouble is, I'm not sure how to go about doing this. I suppose I could add a hard-boiled egg, maybe another yogurt, but I'm just surprised that I've got what I thought seemed like a reasonable meal plan - the kind of stuff I'm used to seeing recommended, and yet it puts me unhealthily low for calorie intake.

    I certainly don't want to go into starvation mode, but how do I reasonably and healthily add the necessary calories? Is there something important I'm missing from my meals? Should I be snacking more?

    Thanks so much!

    1200 is probably too low for you. if you don't have a lot of weight to lose, but choose the 2lb/week weight loss rate, the MFP calculators will almost certainly give you 1200 as your goal. if so, it's too low. recompute your numbers with a more realistic loss rate. if you have less than 25lbs to lose, you probably shouldn't choose more than a 1lb/week rate. if you are at 10lbs or less to lose, choose 0.5lb/week.

    adding calories to your food plan is easy. a peanut butter and jelly sandwich would add perhaps 350-400 calories all by itself.
  • NSMustanggirl
    NSMustanggirl Posts: 70 Member
    KirstyGC1 - THANKS for posting this question! Got lots of great info and and pretty sure that I'm headed in the right direction! Good luck feeling this all out - it's a great tool, but these message boards make it even better!
  • firenice24
    firenice24 Posts: 7
    quinoa, grilled salmon fillet, steamed broccoli, raw spinach (280 cals)


    There is no way your #'s are correct..... just the salmon alone would be that

    Salmon- 240 calories for 4 oz ( size of a deck of cards)
    Quinoa- 172 calories for 1/4c dry ( about 1/2c cooked)
    Broccoli and Spinach @ 1/2c each...about 80 calories....

    It depends on her portions...

    I just explained the portions.... and the portions I quoted are what a normal meal should look like. If you are feeding anyone over the age of 5yrs old lol

    Some people who have had bariatric surgeries, chrons surgeries, other gastrointestinal issues/problems, etc... who don't have their entire intestines, colon, stomach, whatever... must eat very small portions (max 3-4 ounces) at a time, more often throughout the day. ;-)
  • diaryofaskinnygirl
    diaryofaskinnygirl Posts: 146
    Peanut butter. The answer is always peanut butter.

    AMEN.
  • BflSaberfan
    BflSaberfan Posts: 1,272
    Hello everyone,

    I'm fairly new at this, so would really appreciate the advice of you seasoned professionals :)

    The app says I should be aiming for 1200 calories a day. This morning, I burned approximately 360 calories at the gym.

    For breakfast: homemade smoothie, with Greek nonfat yogurt, 1/2 banana, apple juice and frozen strawberries (203 cals)
    For lunch: chicken, sliced carrot, lettuce, lite Italian dressing, 1/2 banana (404 cals)
    Plans for dinner: quinoa, grilled salmon fillet, steamed broccoli, raw spinach (280 cals)

    This puts me at 888 calories for the day, and having done my workout, the app is telling me I have 695 calories remaining.

    The trouble is, I'm not sure how to go about doing this. I suppose I could add a hard-boiled egg, maybe another yogurt, but I'm just surprised that I've got what I thought seemed like a reasonable meal plan - the kind of stuff I'm used to seeing recommended, and yet it puts me unhealthily low for calorie intake.

    I certainly don't want to go into starvation mode, but how do I reasonably and healthily add the necessary calories? Is there something important I'm missing from my meals? Should I be snacking more?

    Thanks so much!

    1200 is not enough. You need to find your TDEE (google) and reduce that by 20%....you're probably more like 1600-1800 calories per day
  • tabinmaine
    tabinmaine Posts: 965 Member
    quinoa, grilled salmon fillet, steamed broccoli, raw spinach (280 cals)


    There is no way your #'s are correct..... just the salmon alone would be that

    Salmon- 240 calories for 4 oz ( size of a deck of cards)
    Quinoa- 172 calories for 1/4c dry ( about 1/2c cooked)
    Broccoli and Spinach @ 1/2c each...about 80 calories....

    and obviously one would know that..... but we are talking a normal person here with no medical history that would require such small amounts of food....

    It depends on her portions...

    I just explained the portions.... and the portions I quoted are what a normal meal should look like. If you are feeding anyone over the age of 5yrs old lol

    Some people who have had bariatric surgeries, chrons surgeries, other gastrointestinal issues/problems, etc... who don't have their entire intestines, colon, stomach, whatever... must eat very small portions (max 3-4 ounces) at a time, more often throughout the day. ;-)

    and obviously one would take that into consideration if it were the case..... but we are talking a normal person here with no medical history that would require such small amounts of food....
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Hello everyone,

    I'm fairly new at this, so would really appreciate the advice of you seasoned professionals :)

    The app says I should be aiming for 1200 calories a day. This morning, I burned approximately 360 calories at the gym.

    For breakfast: homemade smoothie, with Greek nonfat yogurt, 1/2 banana, apple juice and frozen strawberries (203 cals)
    For lunch: chicken, sliced carrot, lettuce, lite Italian dressing, 1/2 banana (404 cals)
    Plans for dinner: quinoa, grilled salmon fillet, steamed broccoli, raw spinach (280 cals)

    This puts me at 888 calories for the day, and having done my workout, the app is telling me I have 695 calories remaining.

    The trouble is, I'm not sure how to go about doing this. I suppose I could add a hard-boiled egg, maybe another yogurt, but I'm just surprised that I've got what I thought seemed like a reasonable meal plan - the kind of stuff I'm used to seeing recommended, and yet it puts me unhealthily low for calorie intake.

    I certainly don't want to go into starvation mode, but how do I reasonably and healthily add the necessary calories? Is there something important I'm missing from my meals? Should I be snacking more?

    Thanks so much!

    1200 is not enough. You need to find your TDEE (google) and reduce that by 20%....you're probably more like 1600-1800 calories per day

    I am curious how you are able to determine thisis not enough? I did not see exercise routine or any other info about the OP in the post, yet you have somehow divined what the OP's calorie intake should be?

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