1200 calorie meal plans

Lululucyloo
Lululucyloo Posts: 64
in Food and Nutrition
Hello

I am in New Zealand and wondered if people would share their 1200 calorie meal plans...
I have tried searching online but the food in them isn't available here or at least not at a reasonable price
I would really appreciate some ideas
I dont eat processed foods really, the occasional thing but not a lot
Thank you

Replies

  • whatascene
    whatascene Posts: 119 Member
    I hate to admit it, but most of my low calorie meals are from pinterest. That site is great for some good meal ideas- also skinnytaste.com
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    You just need to start eating the things you already like, and logging the food in the food diary here. Study your food/nutrition and adjust as needed. Everyone has different likes and dislikes, so it's more about portioning than anything. Buy a digital food scale and some measuring cups and spoons.

    It's just a learning process.
  • hannahbayls
    hannahbayls Posts: 53 Member
    hiya :)
    I'm on a 1200 calorie meal plan, and I know it can be quite hard finding meals/foods that are low enough in calories to fit into it haha. it's so easy to go over. feel free to add me or look at my diary (today isn't such a model day but you can get an idea for some meals) :)
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    Roughly:

    Breakfast - eggs
    Lunch - home-made vegetable soup
    Dinner - Lean meat or fish with veggies, small portion of carbs (potato, pasta, rice)
    Snacks - cheese, nuts, fruit.
  • freelancejouster
    freelancejouster Posts: 478 Member
    ...eat more? 1200 cals can be harmful to your body in the long run and weightloss on plans like that is not sustainable. AT least figure out your BMR and eat that, if not closer to the TDEE - 20% plan.
  • Lululucyloo
    Lululucyloo Posts: 64
    I am working with a personal trainer, so will follow their advice as long as it is safe and I am happy with it
  • Lululucyloo
    Lululucyloo Posts: 64
    Thank you for advice, Im not a breakfast person, might have to start having a shake or something
    I have meat and salad or meat and veges every night, a bit over it
  • kae_blah
    kae_blah Posts: 180 Member
    I eat close to 1200 most days (though my goal is now 1390 and I eat most exercise calories). My diary is open to friends. I eat a fair amount of process stuff but I am sure you can find some suggestions.

    I am in New Zealand and try to pick NZ brands and metric measurements.
  • ChristaNorris
    ChristaNorris Posts: 52 Member
    I'm currently doing Arbonne's 30 Day Fit Kit. The shakes I have (with their fiber boost added in) is 220 each. Feel free to PM me if you want to know more. :)
  • bbrookemann
    bbrookemann Posts: 1
    Here are some sample menus:

    * 1200 Calories: http://www.freedieting.com/1200_calorie_diet.htm

    * 1500 Calories: http://www.freedieting.com/1500_calorie_diet.htm

    And this article from Eating Well has 22 low-calorie / high-fiber recipes (fiber helps you feel more full): http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/recipe_slideshows/high_fiber_low_calorie_dinner_recipes?slide=1#view_toggles

    :-)
  • CristinaL1983
    CristinaL1983 Posts: 1,119 Member
    1/2 cup oatmeal (75 cal) + 50 g berries (35 cal)

    Tuna 2.6 oz (80 cal) + Multigrain sandwich thin (100 cal) + Ultra thin slice Swiss cheese (40 cal)

    Salmon 4oz (200 cal) + 1/2 cup brown rice (95 cal) + stir fry veggies (zucchini, carrots, broccoli) 70 cal

    2 eggs (140 cal) + 2 slices of bacon (70 cal) + bread roll (60 cal)

    Broth based soup 2 cups (120-190 cal)

    Chicken breast 90 g (150 cal) + Veggies stir fried (70 cal) + Teriyaki sauce (60 cal/2 tbsp)

    These are kind of my go-to's but, really, pretty much anything. IMO, it's more about portion control than anything else. I try to make most of my snacks either fruits or veggies. I'm a big fan of honeycrisp apples. Desserts those single servings of ice cream or an apple chopped up with a couple tsp of brown sugar and cinnamon cooked are awesome.

    I try to eat a ton of veggies to allow for more bulk/meal with less calories. Also adds a bunch of micronutrients (vitamins, etc..).

    I'm about to have a snack of Zucchini cooked in olive oil with garlic topped with parmesan cheese (almost like garlic bread but only 150 calories for all I can eat comfortably).

    Edit to add: Egg Beaters Original is awesome! 1/2 cup of eggs (50 cal) + Swiss and Parmesan cheese (50 cal) so 100 cal and 14g protein! Awesome!
  • Sweet_Gurl_Next_Door
    Sweet_Gurl_Next_Door Posts: 735 Member
    there is a group here called 1200 calorie club. they may be able to help you.
  • kimosabe1
    kimosabe1 Posts: 2,467 Member
    I eat a lot of cereal, soup and fresh fruit. I LOVE Kellogg's granola bars and yogurt makes a great breakfast and I always eat soup for lunch.......
  • Sweet_Gurl_Next_Door
    Sweet_Gurl_Next_Door Posts: 735 Member
    eat as close to natural as possbile such as fruits, nuts, veggies etc. on my daughter's research sweets can cause excessive sweating, play havoc with your energy and supress release of human growth hormones to name a few.
  • _SABOTEUR_
    _SABOTEUR_ Posts: 6,833 Member
    I have two 1200 cal meal plans. I eat both of them in the same day.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    1200 calories. aka "dinner"
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    I'm on 1200 and my diary's open, feel free to have a nosy. Probably best to ignore the past few days they're not the best.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    I am working with a personal trainer, so will follow their advice as long as it is safe and I am happy with it

    Are you going to be able to eat 1200 calories the rest of your life??
  • Agkerrick
    Agkerrick Posts: 22 Member
    My nutritionist put me on 1200 calories a day. She has me break it up between meals, with 300 @ breakfast, 300 @ lunch and 600 at dinner since that is with my family and none of them are looking to lose weight.

    Breakfast: 1 Go Lean shake from GNC, 2 slices of toast (Sara Lee Whole Wheat bread 45 calories per slice) & spray butter
    Lunch: 1 small - med baked potato with 1-2 oz cooked lean beef, 1 oz or less of cheese, 1/4 cup salsa
    Dinner: Lean meat or fish, small serving of rice and half plate of veggies

    It is working well for me, so far and I have remained satisfied. This is just a sample of what I eat, I have to have variety if I want to maintain my sanity!
  • mathteacher2010
    mathteacher2010 Posts: 85 Member
    I normally do some lean meat, chicken, or fish, with a veggie and a small amount of rice or sweet potato. But sometimes I do salad and a small serving of pasta and sauce with chicken sausage or meatballs. Or you can do a stir fry with shrimp or chicken with tons of veggies and a little rice. It's surprising how much you can actually eat for 300-400 calories if you choose wisely!
  • DonnaLeeCattes
    DonnaLeeCattes Posts: 492 Member
    I was on the 1200, now I'm doing the maintain :) but you can go look at my diary it's open for all to see ;)
  • PrettyPearl88
    PrettyPearl88 Posts: 368 Member
    Honestly, keeping up with a 1200 calories/day diet is difficult for me. I can do it some days in a given week, but not EVERY day. No matter what type of foods I eat, I just don't feel satisfied throughout the day. I always feel hungry and weak. I feel much better at 1300-1400 calories/day. And on days that I exercise, I eat more. I do try to make sure that I'm still in a deficit of at least a few hundred calories though.

    But if you can do a 1200 calories/day diet, power to ya! There are many websites and cookbooks that will suggest some great meal options. A google search, Pinterest, and browsing your local library or bookstore will help! :)
  • yokumsm
    yokumsm Posts: 13 Member
    I stay fairly close to 1200 a day although I am not really strict on myself...if I am hungry, I eat...I just try to be smart about what I eat. MFP set my limit at 1200 when I joined so I just went with it. On days I am more active, I will eat back some of my extra calories. I find that my best days are the ones where I eat something every few hours and make sure I include plenty of fruits and veggies. I don't follow a meal plan as I have a family to feed and they would groan with eating the same thing everyday. And drink lots of water! I have an open diary, so you are welcome to check it out.

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