1200 calories a day?

chanemily85
chanemily85 Posts: 3
edited September 22 in Health and Weight Loss
hello,

i just want to get some insight as to how to eat 1200 calories a day

i just did my food diary a few times and 1200 calories was my lunch for the past 2 days ONLY (sometimes even more)

Replies

  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
    Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits, whole grains, lean protein and drink plenty of water.

    Make sure you're eating the appropriate portion sizes and cut out liquid calories, reduce the amount of butter, cheese, salad dressings, etc.
  • krasay
    krasay Posts: 23
    'Breakfast'

    1 whole wheat English muffin

    1 tablespoon peanut butter

    ½ banana

    'Mid-morning Snack'

    20 almonds

    1 apple

    'Lunch'

    2 slices low-calorie whole wheat bread

    2 oz. low-sodium turkey breast

    1 oz. cheese

    1 tablespoon mustard

    Lettuce

    Tomato

    1 orange

    'Mid-afternoon Snack'

    8 oz. low-fat yogurt

    'Dinner'

    3 oz. grilled, baked or broiled chicken breast (skinless)

    1 cup cooked broccoli (or vegetable of choice)

    2/3 c. brown rice

    'Evening Snack'

    1 cup 1% milk

    2 low-fat fig cookies
  • DawnOf1969
    DawnOf1969 Posts: 726 Member
    :laugh: hey, krasay, can you plan my whole month for me? I am set at 1200 and am never hungry. Dont look at today's diary though. Today I had a cheat lunch.
  • chanemily85
    chanemily85 Posts: 3
    thanks krasay... are you hungry after eating those ?
  • Galathea
    Galathea Posts: 420 Member
    Nobody said you have to do perfectly right from the start. If it is really that hard for you, cut out little things you won't miss in the beginning. Try to work out, this will give you extra cals you can eat. Take it step by step. Try to stay away from proceeded food and load up on veggies. Drink water, water, water, that will keep you full. Good luck.,
  • twinsmomma02
    twinsmomma02 Posts: 79 Member
    Here is an example of my daily menu. I am eating 1200 calories per day as well and I actually find that I am usually anywhere from 50-100 calories less than that! I am NOT hungry on this plan, at all, and most of my days are very similar with the exception of dinner each night.

    Breakfast (6am)
    Coffeemate - Sugar Free French Vanilla Liquid Creamer, 2 tbsp
    Coffee
    Special K Protein Plus - Cereal, 1 cup
    Silk - Light Soy Milk Original , 0.25 cup
    182 calories total

    Snack (9am)
    Pure Protein - Chocolate Peanut Butter- Small Bar, 50g, 200 cals

    Lunch (12pm)
    Dannon Lite & Fit Carb and Sugar Control -Diabetic Friendly - Yogurt, 1 container 45cals
    Jennie-O Turker Store - Reduced Sodium Turkey Breast, 4 oz 68 cals
    Arnold's - Sandwich Rounds, Multi-Grain, 1 roll 100 cals
    213 calories total

    Snack (3:30pm)
    Eas - Vanilla Whey Protein Powder, 1 scoop 120 cals

    Dinner (6:30pm)
    HomeMade Spicy Shrimp Marinara with Fat Free Feta, 1 serving(s) 232 cals
    Publix - Tossed Salad, 2 cups 20 cals
    Ken's - Light Northern Italian With Basil and Romano, 1 Tablespoon 25 cals
    277 calories total

    Snack 9:00pm
    Publix - Quick Cooking Oats, 1/2 cup (39g dry) 140


    Totals 1,132
  • msemejuru
    msemejuru Posts: 229
    Workout! I am on a 1220 calorie plan but most days I get to eat 1800 due to an hour of cardio. Then follow some of the other great suggestions listed for drinking water before meals and eating more "whole" foods like vegetables and grains. Good luck, with time you won't notice the restriction as much.
  • Claudia007
    Claudia007 Posts: 878 Member
    I have a 1200 cals a day goal.
    I have a bowl of bran flakes for breakfast or when I have more time I make an "egg Mcmuffin" using bagel thins, a veggie sausage patty, 1/4 cup of egg beaters, and fat-free cheese. (takes 1min in the microwave) 150-200 cals.

    for lunch I have a salad or soup or dinner leftovers. I make sure to keep this around 300 cals, unless I know I'm making a very low cal dinner, then I'll splurge and have a sandwhich.

    I have an apple or banana for a snack, or a fiber one bar. I also drink 8 to 10 glasses of water a day.

    I use the rest of my cals for dinner, as I like to make a nice dinner for my family. I've done pretty well staying under for the most part, but I am only 5' tall. This amount may be too low for you, and you should set them higher.
  • 4lafz
    4lafz Posts: 1,078 Member
    Oh boy do I know - that's how we got this way. You will find LOTS of low calorie options for the food you are eating now. No fast food and no pre-packaged or frozen meals. Gotta cook and use lots of chicken, fish, pork, veggies, fruit. GARLIC works wonders for steaming with your veggies - no need for even salt. I spent hours reading labels at the grocery store. Out with all the fattening food and bring in the healthy food (your family, if applicable, will benefit as well). Believ me - you can eat a ton of food as long as it is HEALTHY! Good luck!
  • jamie1888
    jamie1888 Posts: 1,704 Member
    Add some friends on here and take a look at their food logs! You can get great ideas!

    Things to remember:

    Drink lots of water

    Eat a lean protein with your carbs (this helps your body process the carbs and helps you to feel full)

    Don't forget to eat healthy fat sources (avocado, olive oil, nuts, natural nut butters, etc), the fat is good for you, also
    helps your body process the carbs & protein that you eat and also helps you feel full (I also just recently read that eating a good fat source at breakfast helps you stay full AND burn fat all day long

    Nutrient dense foods as suggested above, will help you feel and stay satisfied longer than simple carbs & processed foods.
    (whole grains, veggies, lean protein, etc)

    When you are feeling really hungry, pile on extra veggies! Filling with few calories
  • bcrevolin
    bcrevolin Posts: 1
    Wow it appears you have been doing awesome. Thanks for the boost of modivation. :smile:
  • givprayz
    givprayz Posts: 328
    Great advice here so far. I agree that to start, get rid of what you will miss the least, which usually means fluid calories (fruit juice is horrendous), dressings, white carbs. If you just can't eat salad without gobs of dressing, then salad is a bad food for you and you are better off eating a different vegetable. Try trading out lower calorie choices, like yogurt for sour cream, buttery spray for butter or margarine, water with a squeeze of lemon for fruit juice, half a cup of skim milk for a cup of whole milk, chicken breast for roast beef. 1200 calories is low, but if you add 200-300 calories for a workout daily, it is pretty reasonable.
  • beccajack
    beccajack Posts: 1
    As you track your food/calories, you learn what is shockingly high in calories and what is low in calories and fills you up. And as you do this, you change your habits. I was shocked to learn how many calories I unwittingly ate when I went out to eat at certain restaurants. A single dinner roll at a place I frequented was over 200 calories! And I used to eat 3 or 4 when we went there! 0_0

    Anyway, I've been on 1200 calories a day since November 1, and at first it was tricky. Now, I find myself with hundreds of calories left over after dinner because my eating and snacking habits have gradually changed. AND exercising is so helpful when you're on 1200 a day because it gives you a couple hundred extra calories! I exercise every other day and am able to eat more the days that I do, it's good motivation. And so is stepping on the scale and seeing the numbers drop, as well as looking better in my clothes. You can do it, good luck!
  • krasay
    krasay Posts: 23
    I am not on a 1200 Calorie a day diet, I used the MFP calculator and set my loss at 1 pound a week. It has me currently at 2600 calories a day. I found the example I showed you by going to Google and typing "a typical 1200 Calorie a day diet. There were plenty of examples.

    BTW on average I come in at about 500 - 600 calories under my current daily goal. I hope you don't mind me cheating and using Google but I thought you needed an example to get some ideas.
  • mmattingly
    mmattingly Posts: 1
    I'm on the 1,200 too. I think it's about training yourself to think differently about food. I take my vitamins, I make sure I get enough protein and fiber for the day...ect. I think, "I have nourished my body, I don't need to eat anymore." Sometimes I am still hungry, in fact a lot of the times, especially after lunch, I'm a "little" hungry throughout the day. I could eat, but I choose not to.

    Changing from a meal setting to a snacker attitude is one way around it for me. I eat 6-8 snacks a day and avoid large meal settings while dieting, that's where your calories kill you. I know it sounds like it sucks, but you will honestly have more energy and start feeling healthier without the large meals.

    Another thing I do is cook all my food on Sunday for my Monday-Thursday work week. Starting with a 1/2 cup of plain oatmeal in the morning and packing my food for the rest of the day in a lunchbox. This way I know exactly what I'm eating and how much I have left that I can eat throughout the day. It takes the guess work out of dieting. I'll recook on Thursday night for my Fri-Sun.

    Good luck!
  • krasay
    krasay Posts: 23
    One more point, the biggest thing that helped me break the soda habit was for 2 weeks I only drank coffee in the morning and water throughout the day. After the two weeks, I added in hot teas and crystal light for flavor, I don't miss the soda's any more and actually feel much better.
  • mrsdiaz
    mrsdiaz Posts: 29 Member
    Make sure that the goals you have set in the system are realistic for your lifestyle. My original starting allocation on here was 1200 calories a day and I usually went over by a couple hundred. I readjusted my goal and now it has me set at 1410 a day and I am almost always under or right at and am still losing weight!
    Good Luck!!
    Keep up the hard work!!
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
    hello,

    i just want to get some insight as to how to eat 1200 calories a day

    i just did my food diary a few times and 1200 calories was my lunch for the past 2 days ONLY (sometimes even more)

    That may be from fast food. You might want to start packing a lunch.
  • abyt42
    abyt42 Posts: 1,358 Member
    My diary's public, and my daily goal is 1200.... And some days I do a much better job than other days in making all 1200 reflect good nutritional choices. (And other days, I don't have a beer?)
  • DawnOf1969
    DawnOf1969 Posts: 726 Member
    Here's some sample meal plans: http://www.firstpath.com/1200_day1.htm
  • chanemily85
    chanemily85 Posts: 3
    thank you everyone for your advice! :)
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