1200 calorie

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sharon1814
sharon1814 Posts: 1 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Just curious what you eat for 1200 cal. a day?

sharon
«1

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  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    Well, more than 1200 calories a day. There are very few people who should be doing a 1200 calorie a day diet. If you do intend to do that you have to pay a lot of attention to getting lots of nutrition into those calories.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
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    Lunch.
  • Sarah0866
    Sarah0866 Posts: 291 Member
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    I would aim for a window instead of 1200, like 1200-1500 cals a day, for starters. It's hard to stay at 1200, and like many will say, there is really no need for it for most.

    Breakfast:
    Egg Whites + Veggie Scramble
    Piece of Fruit

    Snack:
    Piece of Fruit + Lean Protein ( I usually just have 1/2 scoop of whey or almond milk)

    Lunch:
    4 oz lean meat
    2-3 cups of veggies
    1/3-1/2 cup of brown rice/sweet potato/quinoa

    Snack:
    Veggies and a healthy fat
    OR
    Protein Shake

    Dinner:
    4-6 oz lean meat
    2-3 cups of veggies
    Tbsp of olive oil or 1/4 avocado (or some other healthy fat)

    This usually adds up to somewhere between 1350-1500 for me. Good luck!
  • angelbabyskies
    angelbabyskies Posts: 17
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    Veggies ,lean protein, low fat dairy. Unless your very short and just starting I'd recommend eating more than 1200 because once you lose you could slow down later and you won't want to cut more calories. Good luck :)
  • suziepoo1984
    suziepoo1984 Posts: 915 Member
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    You can eat anything you want, as long as you are not too hungry and it fits into your macros as much as possible.
    Please calculate TDEE and then subtract 15-20% to create a deficit and eat at that.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    If you are going to be doing any exercise at all, you will get more than 1200 calories.

    Breakfast 250

    Greek yogurt ... add a sprinkle of high fiber cereal

    Steel cut oats with PB2 (powdered peanut butter) sweeten with maple syrup

    Lunch 350

    Sandwich using whole grain bread or wrap. Veggies & fruit

    Clear broth based soup & side salad and fruit (creamy soups are typically high cal)

    Fat free cottage cheese & pineapple cup. Veggie dippers & whole grain crackers


    Dinner 600

    Lean meat
    Veggies
    Rice, sweet potato, or whole grain pasta


    Snacks ...... I exercise for at least 250 calories
  • Mswalker81
    Mswalker81 Posts: 5 Member
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    Breakfast: Greek Yogurt parfait with granola
    Snack: Grapes or Oranges with Egg Whites or cheese
    Lunch: Lean Cuisine and raw veggies
    Snack: Apple and almonds or PB
    Dinner: 4oz Chicken 4oz of carbs 8oz of steamed veggies

    Its do able just have to check labels and limit sauces and dips.
  • Mischievous_Rascal
    Mischievous_Rascal Posts: 1,791 Member
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    You can eat anything you want, as long as you are not too hungry and it fits into your macros as much as possible.
    Please calculate TDEE and then subtract 15-20% to create a deficit and eat at that.

    Here's a good calculator for that: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    Just be honest with your activity level. And note this includes your exercise, so you wouldn't eat those calories back. I like it because it takes away the whole stress of worrying if the numbers on the treadmill are actually correct. (Which they're usually not - I've yet to see one that asks for body fat %, which is a HUGE factor in your calorie burns.)

    (Oh, and 1200 cals for me is usually dinner and bedtime snacks...I'm at TDEE -10% and I eat 1900-2000/day. So don't be surprised at the number that pops up for you!)
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    You can eat anything you want, as long as you are not too hungry and it fits into your macros as much as possible.
    Please calculate TDEE and then subtract 15-20% to create a deficit and eat at that.

    Here's a good calculator for that: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    Just be honest with your activity level. And note this includes your exercise, so you wouldn't eat those calories back. I like it because it takes away the whole stress of worrying if the numbers on the treadmill are actually correct. (Which they're usually not - I've yet to see one that asks for body fat %, which is a HUGE factor in your calorie burns.)

    Re: body fat% ..... my guess is that machines that ask for your gender are guesstimating your body fat percent using that. But, yeah .... still way off.
  • brtdeh
    brtdeh Posts: 1
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    I'm new to fitness pal and am trying to stick to 1200-1500 calories a day. Leaning toward 1200 and 100 carbs a day for a month. I need to get my A1c numbers down or it's shots for me. I'm not losing anything and in fact, I gained a couple of pounds. I've been walking every day, 8000-10000 steps. I know I should add more exercise but don't have the time. Any ideas on what can help me lose weight?

    I'm drinking a Carnation Instant drink for breakfast, 2 T of peanut butter for a snack in the mid morning and a Smart ones, lean cuisine or similar for lunch 250-300 calories and No MORE than 39 carbs per meal, then for dinner 3-4 oz of protein typically chicken, and veggies and a cup of milk. My evening "snack" is a sugar free popsicle and sometimes some almonds. that's it.

    Any feedback would be appreciated.
  • ehorn625
    ehorn625 Posts: 144
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    fruit, salad, lean protein
    my tdee - 20% is 1300 but I set my goal to 1200 in case any calories sneak in while I am not looking!
    So far I am losing.
  • hulahoopmama
    hulahoopmama Posts: 140 Member
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    lately? beer, fudge, pizza... then I don't eat anything else and exercise it all off until the next day.

    i know, i know....

    hahah... this was only the past few days of me trying to maintain a 1200 calorie while also enjoying the foods I REALLY should not be eating!

    What I just bought from the store for the next few days, however, is much more indicative of what I will be eating on my 1200 cal diet:

    breakfast: 2 cups coffee, 1/2 c soy milk, 2 eggs poached - 200 calories
    snack: apple or orange - 75 calories
    lunch: progresso soup and saltine crackers - 300 calories
    snack: smart popcorn/yogurt - 100 calories
    dinner: rice and beef or chicken - 500 calories
    dessert: skinny cow ice cream or yogurt/fruit - 150 calories

    And I exercise 200-400 calories a day, I'll exercise whatever I eat over 1200.
  • Sarra33
    Sarra33 Posts: 30
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    Interesting.

    MFP tells me I should be eating 1200 cal, I do my best to excercise for another 300.
    The Scooby's workshop link tells me I should be eating 1800 cal.

    I don't have a lot of weight to lose, just that last 10 pounds. I run 35-40 minutes 3 times a week and do weight training 3 days a week which makes up my 300-350 cal exercise each day. Another couple hundred calories a day would be awesome but it's hard to say what the right thing to do is.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    After a few weeks at 1200, I was ready to eat my own arm. :tongue:

    Not enough food, not for me anyway, and really not enough for most women unless you are very tiny to begin with.

    If you set your weekly loss goal to 2lbs a week when you set up MFP, change it to .5lb or 1lb at the most. From the ticker on your profile, you don't have much to lose, so .5 lb a week is really a decent goal for you.

    Do you exercise? If so, eat back those exercise cals as well - your daily goal has a deficit built into it already, which is why exercise cals are added back in. Not doing so leaves you with too large a deficit, which can backfire on ya and stall your efforts.
  • Sarra33
    Sarra33 Posts: 30
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    That is helpful thanks, I didn't realize I had my goals set at 1.5 pounds a week. Just dropping it down to 1 pound gave me an extra 160 cal/day.
  • lindajay3
    lindajay3 Posts: 144 Member
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    Bump
  • hagatron4
    hagatron4 Posts: 4
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    I've just started calorie counting for the first time in my life and I'm aiming to get under 1200 per day for a few week at least to kick start some real weight loss, then reassess my intake from there. I start the day with a coffee with half a sugar and milk (coffee is a hunger suppressant), then I am eating a small late (9:30am-10am) breakfast of a 34g sachet of unflavoured oats and two dessertspoons of trailmix with full fat milk and honey (400 calories). I bought the sachets rather than the regular packet because I know exactly how much are in them and I can't slip up. I am replacing lunch with an apple eaten around 2-3pm then an orange at 4pm or so. That all leaves me with around 650 calories for dinner and it's pretty easy to come in under 650 calories with a dinner of a piece of meat or fish with vegetables (skipping rice, pasta or potatoes for the moment) or a yummy vegetarian soup with red lentils or other "filler". So I find that although I am getting a little hungry between 12pm and dinner, at least I know I don't really have to be too careful with my food intake at dinner and that gives me something to which to look forward. Hope this helps.
  • ellew70
    ellew70 Posts: 222 Member
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    Interesting.

    MFP tells me I should be eating 1200 cal, I do my best to excercise for another 300.
    The Scooby's workshop link tells me I should be eating 1800 cal.

    I don't have a lot of weight to lose, just that last 10 pounds. I run 35-40 minutes 3 times a week and do weight training 3 days a week which makes up my 300-350 cal exercise each day. Another couple hundred calories a day would be awesome but it's hard to say what the right thing to do is.

    Try going to 1400 or 1500 without eat back for a little bit and see if it makes a difference. I've been doing Insanity and the insanity diet guide put me at 1800. I've been at 1500 and its been working really well. I'm 5 2 , 42 yo and 140 now.. I started at 160. I like doing the no eat back because I'm convinced that exercise calories are all guesstimates. I wear an HRM during insanity - durimg the month 2 workouts I clock over 1000 on some days, but I can't believe that's right. I assume its off by at least 20%.
  • ricki011
    ricki011 Posts: 89 Member
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    Exercising helps stay within the 1200 calorie goal. MFP calculates your exercise calories into your goal.
  • Cortneyrenee04
    Cortneyrenee04 Posts: 1,117 Member
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    I went back down to 1200/day and it's working for me so far. Today was my first big slip up so I had to exercise really hard but generally I make it within my goal. I figured I would try it for a month or so and see where it gets me and go from there. I do about 200 cals for breakfast, 300 for lunch and 700 for dinner. Dinner has come much earlier lately though!

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