1300 calorie meal plan?!

Soooo as u guys guessed it that's my calorie I take for each day! I can barely eat anything! Anybody have some tips on foods I can eat without feeling guilty?! Or foods that I can consume in large quantities with minimal calorie intake?

Thank u :)
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Replies

  • Make friends with baby spinach.
  • Too funny... I just started a thread asking for help in meeting my 1220 daily goal!

    I eat a lot of vegetables and fruit. Protein shakes fill me up pretty well, too. One favorite is a salad of cucumber and tomato - toss in a tiny bit of garlic salt, and it is divine. Hardly anything in the calorie metric, but is very filling.
  • I just started tracking my calories and all those other wonderful nutritional levels. I was building a lot of fruits and veggies into my meals, but I was amazed at how much sugar is in a banana!! I thought those things were good for you! :cry:
  • mountainjo12
    mountainjo12 Posts: 1 Member
    Squash & zucchini are your best friends. I have also come to adore rice cakes, they make great snacks, as well as a good low calorie replacement for bread.Overall, lots of fruits and veggies.
  • Vanilla Greek yogurt with a half scoop of chocolate protein powder is delicious. If I want a crunch I add just a sprinkle of kashi cinnamon crunch on top. It tastes like a creamy chocolate pudding and it's very filling!
  • Derouge
    Derouge Posts: 3
    What I eat ...

    Breakfast:

    1) 225g (1 cup) of Dannon plain non fat yogurt with 32g (2 T) of milled flax seed is 160 calories; I usually add in some sort of frozen fruit (blueberries are the best) for another 30+ calories.
    2) Two slices of Sara Lee's 45 calorie/slice wheat bread (90 cals total) and two fried eggs (185~ cal total) for 275 calories

    Lunch:

    1) A HUGE salad, usually with romaine lettuce, spinach, carrots, tomatoes, and olives. I add a low calorie dressing (raspberry vinaigrette with poppyseeds or fat free caesar italian are my favorites, both by Kraft; 60 and 20 calories for 32g which is more than enough for me). You could eat a massive salad for well under 150 calories I'd think.
    2) Medium side salad of whatever; grilled cheese (2 slices sara lee = 90 calories and 1 oz of silver goat chevre = 70 calories; lightly toast with a bit of Pam / spray of choice); total here should top out at 300 depending on your salad.
    3) Rice and beans; 1 cup of brown rice (=220~ cals) and a half cup of chili beans with sauce (=110 calores) makes a filling 330 calorie and very fast meal.

    Dinner:

    Pretty much whatever I want within reason. At 1300 cals total you will probably have at least 500 calories left at this point, and maybe closer to 6-700. I eat lots of vegetables and fish. A single serving of pasta makes a decent side dish, just control your portions. Add a big salad to make it seem like you're eating more. Make your dinner a social occasion (if possible) ... which means eating slow. Bring out courses one at a time. Stretching your meal out will fill you up, in my experience.

    I've found that the thing that helps the most is to eat breakfast and then have a controlled lunch. I like to eat a big dinner - sometimes even with some not so healthy things (homemade pizza, pasta, CHEESE!). I find that skipping lunch results in bad eating habits, but a smaller (calorie-wise) lunch gives me enough energy to make it to dinner. The calories I save on a small lunch allow me to eat a big dinner that I truly enjoy. Unlike many others on this forum I don't do much snacking; if you need to snack obviously just make it healthy (carrots, nuts, etc. I really like olives...).
  • Effpcos
    Effpcos Posts: 350 Member
    My food dairy is public, though I've only been on here for a couple of days, I live in New Zealand so my food's maybe a bit different, but feel free to have a look for ideas. I don't feel hungry often.
  • allibazzer
    allibazzer Posts: 11 Member
    I am also on about 1,300 calories. I try to eat Lots of salad and low cal dressings. Sonoma/La Tortilla low carb tortillas (50 calories!). EGG WHITES. A tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese goes a long way. Zucchini, summer squash, spaghetti squash. Trader Joe's chicken hot dogs (60 calories). apples. Any and all vegetables. Almond milk unsweetened has about 40 calories for a full cup. I add a little vanilla and sweetener and warm it up. Trader Joe's spicy spinach pizzas 140 calories- no cheese on them. I like to top them with a pile of arugula and scrambled egg whites, a T of parmesan.
  • foreversunshine1
    foreversunshine1 Posts: 46 Member
    I am at 1280 per day before exercise... I actually have to say that I don't feel deprived of things I like. I stick to 300 cal or under with breakfast, 400 calories at lunch about 100 calories late afternoon snack , leaving almost 500 for dinner. I think it depends on which meal you like to be your bulkiest meal... for me, on days I work out, I eat more calories before dinner (I work out late, putting me eating dinner around 8)...then I have a lighter dinner and a dessert I want. Some ideas might be:

    300cal or under breakfasts:

    whole grain toast with peanut butter and a glass of skim milk
    1 egg, 2 turkey sausage links, 1 piece of whole grain toast with jam
    bowl of cereal with fresh fruit
    nonfat greek yogurt with fruit and whole grain toast
    jimmy dean breakfast sandwich (lite)...
    bowl of flavored oatmeal with fruit and a few nuts

    400 cal lunches:

    sandwich on whole grain bread with any kind of lunch meat, your favorite cheese, load on the spinach, tomato, etc
    cheese quesadilla with chicken breast, cooked veggies, salsa, lf sourcream
    bowl of favorite hearty soup and 1/2 sandwich
    chinese food -1/2 order of schezuan beef over veggie lomein
    bowl of good chilie with 1/2 grilled cheese
    grilled chicken salad, add egg, cheese, lo cal dressing (dip your fork into the dressing, then into the salad for a bite--you will use less)

    500 cal dinners:

    Pasta with lotts of cooked veggies, pasta sauce and salad
    Grilled chicken breast, small sweet potato and salad
    Grilled burger (lean meat) with slaw and corn
    BBQ chicken sand with baked beans



    Be as creative as you like with these meals... Just watch the portions, add veggies to meals whenever possible. Arnold brand makes several whole grain bread options that are 80 cal per slice... it's good taste/texture bread.

    I know there are viewpoints either way, but I eat my exercise calories back on my exercise days. I use those days to have anything I have been craving or a favorite dessert. I have lost more weight on weeks doing this, than on the week I didn't eat them back... so I think it's valid to do so.

    Good luck!
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    Exercise and eat more.
  • CassiusKnox
    CassiusKnox Posts: 305 Member
    Exercise and eat more.

    Yes... spend 30 mins walking on a treadmill burning 400 calories and you don't JUST get the exercise... you get to eat those calories back.

    It's a win / win situation. :drinker:
  • amykff
    amykff Posts: 80 Member
    to be honest i think its all about filling up on salad, fruits and veg and keep the high carb products to a minimum......it seems to be the only way i can keep the cals down and im on 1200 a day......hope that helps :smile:
  • PNCTink
    PNCTink Posts: 232 Member
    Yes, eat plenty of fruits, veg., rice, legumes, and/or quinoa. You'll feel satisfied. I'm on 1200/day, but I do eat back nearly all of my exercise calories, which total about 400 calories per day.
  • Fill up on salads and proteins, which are filling and low in calories. My breakfast is usually eggs - hard boiled, scrambled, or in a quiche. For lunch almost every day I have a big salad (spinach, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, bell pepper - whatever!) topped with some grilled chicken or steak. Toss it in a little bit Italian dressing (I like the full fat kind because it keeps me full longer) and the whole meal is only about 300 calories. I usually have a Greek yogurt (FAGE) in the late afternoon as a snack before I exercise. For dinner it's lots of veggies (either cooked or in a salad) and a protein - again, a filling meal for 300 or so calories.

    I'm not strictly low-carb (I eat a ton of veggies and some fruit, plus the yogurt), but I do find that I eat a lot less and don't get as hungry when I limit sugars and breads. Those tend to be high in calories and seem to make me hungrier.

    Honestly, I have a hard time meeting my calories even when I don't "eat back" my exercise calories. These types of foods keep me full for a long time!
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    Exercise and eat more.
    This
  • i would still eat them haha! better than a candy bar with the same (or more) amount of calories...
  • allibazzer
    allibazzer Posts: 11 Member
    Hi, I'm also on 1300. My food diary is public, I think, or at least to friends so you can look at it. Lots of fruits and vegetabls. I eat enormous amounts of steamed vegetables with parmesan cheese on it. I make a yummy red lentil soup that is pretty watered down but flavorful, that I spoon over steamed vegetables and it is delicious and sustaining. Also, low carb La Sonoma tortillas (only 60 calories), EGG WHITES. I don't have a lot of variety in my diet really! But I loosen up a bit on the weekends. Spaghetti squash! Kabocha squash!
  • purple_orchid
    purple_orchid Posts: 129 Member
    bumping
  • jasminetoi
    jasminetoi Posts: 62 Member
    my goal is around 1200 a day

    i was UNDER yesterday

    my day consisted of:

    -coffee and oatmeal for breakfast
    -orange, a tblspn of peanut butter, and light activia yogurt for snacks
    -half a turkey sandwich and soup for lunch
    -tilapia and asparagus for dinner
    -30 min of cardio and a little weight training
    -9 glasses of water!

    ITS NOT IMPOSSIBLE - JUST STAY AWAY FROM CARBS AND FATS! GOOD LUCK!!
  • matcartmill
    matcartmill Posts: 98 Member
    Check out my Diary. I'm usually at around 1300-1400 calories total per day recently.

    However, make sure you are eating enough calories. If you're not getting enough, the body will actually start slowing down metabolism to store fat, because it thinks it's starving..

    If you continue with your low calorie diet and find that you're constantly hungry and not losing as much as you feel you should be, try increasing your caloric in-take by a hundred or two.
  • labrennan
    labrennan Posts: 132 Member
    bump
  • Bikini27
    Bikini27 Posts: 1,290 Member
    Exercise and eat more.

    Yes... spend 30 mins walking on a treadmill burning 400 calories and you don't JUST get the exercise... you get to eat those calories back.

    It's a win / win situation. :drinker:

    Exactly why I workout everyday!
  • joleenl
    joleenl Posts: 739 Member
    Add me or check out my diary. I eat a lot of the same breakfasts and lunches. I switch up dinners. I prepare some of my meals up to 5 days in advance. Like breakfast, I make steal cut oats for the work week sunday night. I eat salad everyday at lunch which consists of (but not limited too) berries, cucmber, carots, mixed greens, grape tomatos, snap peas, bell peppers, chia seeds and hemp hearts. Some of the salad stuff I buy prewashed and ready to add and some I cut up in advance so its fast to make every morning. In addition I make my own dressings -usually lemon juice, lime juice, or a vinegar mixed with olive oil. I will also boil eggs and in advance and take them too eat. When my diary says mixed fruit, this means I bought a whole brunch of melons, pineapple and cut it up on sunday for the work week. I'm rarely hungry and I mostly eat whole unprocessed food. The only processed foods I really eat or frozen or canned fish, peanut butter, whole grain rice cake crackers, gluten free/rice pasta and frozen veggies. Most of my meat is wild or from a farm not a chain store. I think I eat alot.
  • Bump
  • avskk
    avskk Posts: 1,787 Member
    Breakfast:

    Light English muffin (100kcals)
    Laughing Cow wedge (35kcals)
    One strip turkey bacon (35kcals) or half-ounce slice fried ham (~20cals)
    One medium egg, cooked to preference (60kcals)
    Optional: 50g veg of choice scrambled with egg (~30kcals)

    Total: 215-260kcals, not including coffee/tea/cream/sugar

    Lunch:

    50-100g spinach (12-25kcals)
    50g avocado (80kcals)
    100g sweet pepper (20kcals)
    100g tomatoes (18kcals)
    100g baby carrots (35kcals)
    100g (raw weight) grilled chicken breast (110kcals)
    Optional: yogurt dressing or light dressing, 30g (40-50kcals)

    Total: 288-338kcals

    Dinner:

    Turkey burger of choice (~240kcals depending on brand)
    One ounce cheddar cheese (110kcals)
    Whole-grain sandwich thin (100kcals)
    200g (uncooked weight) broccoli, steamed and dressed with lemon juice (65kcals)
    Optional: 15g light mayo (35kcals), 10g mustard (1kcal), 15g ketchup (20kcal)

    Total: 515-571kcals

    Total for the day if you take all the extra options is 1169 calories; 1018 without any extras and using the lowest calorie options. This leaves you 150-300 calories for snacks -- 122g of low-fat cottage cheese (90kcals) and 10g of honey (30kcals), some snack-pack pudding or frozen Greek yogurt, air-popped or portion-controlled popcorn, whatever. And this is just one possible permutation of an infinite variety of healthy meal combinations open to you. You could ditch the English muffin in favor of more meat or eggs to up your breakfast protein; you could skip the sandwich thin at dinner in favor of a serving of lentils as well. It's customizable.
  • kennie2
    kennie2 Posts: 1,170 Member
    I just started tracking my calories and all those other wonderful nutritional levels. I was building a lot of fruits and veggies into my meals, but I was amazed at how much sugar is in a banana!! I thought those things were good for you! :cry:

    sugar isnt bad for you....

    but yeah
    eat lots of veggies, add grapes and figs to your salad for a different texture and make your own salad dressing!
    Same goes for sauces, always make your own and you can control what goes in it
    lower you carb portions.
    i.e. a serving of rice or pasta is 75g (dry) having 50g will fill you up exactly the same and save you like 120 calories!
    if youre craving icecream make banana and berry icecream!
    theres loads of dessert recipes that can be made low calorie.
    have you tried stevia meringues? theres like 20 calories in a huge one!

    but yeah also exercise so you can eat more :D
  • I'm on 1,200 calories a day, but I have a lot of walking built into my day with my commute so it usually works out to be 1,300.

    Some things that have helped me:

    -Vary up your salads. I usually stick to a garden salad that is mostly veggies and alternate with a "sweet" salad with fruits and lettuce. I've noticed that the latter has more sugar, so you'll have to be careful with that one. A small apple or even half an apple cut up in squares makes for great mock croutons. Halving serving sizes for small salads is a good way to get more variety in your salad for half the calories. For example, cut up three dried apricots instead of a typical serving of six. I also got a container that's customized for salads on the go.

    -Soup. I have access to a stove for lunch, but there are definitely microwaveable soups. Look for something low in sodium.

    -Nuts make for a great snack, and you don't need too many to fill up (I'm looking at you, almonds)

    -Switch from coffee to tea. It'll cut out calories that you would normally add for sugar and milk/cream.

    Hope this helps!
  • qtgonewild
    qtgonewild Posts: 1,930 Member
    1 example: 4-5 oz chicken breast for dinner with whatever veggies you like.

    my goal is 1400. and i eat good. feel free to look at my diary as it is open and completely filled out for the 82 days Ive been on here.
  • yo_andi
    yo_andi Posts: 2,178 Member
    I work out so I can eat more than my lousy calorie allotment.
  • dswolverine
    dswolverine Posts: 246 Member
    I would say veggies are your best friends, as a lot of others have said. Fruit, while good for you, is much higher in calories due to the natural sugar content. I like spaghetti squash because it's only (i think) 42 calories per cup. If i'm wrong someone correct me. But i love mixing that, light pasta sauce and turkey meatballs for a satisfying, delicious dinner!