1200 Calories... What are you eating?

following! I don't know how anyone does it on 1200, I am tryin to cut back to 1800 after being pregnant and eating 2300 for 9 months, struggeling, tips/ideas would be great!

Breakfast - egg white omelet (I use the southwestern egg beaters), add tomatoes, and lean deli ham or turkey breast. Comes to about 150-200 cal.

Snack - light yogurt, 80 cal

Lunch - Flatout wrap or multigrain sandwich thin, 4 oz turkey breast, 1 slice provolone cheese, mustard, tomato, shredded lettuce. 250-300 depending on the cheese.

Snack - 1/2 pkg of Belvita cookies. 120 cal

Dinner - baked boneless skinless chicken breast 4-6 oz, 2 cups broccoli or cauliflower, 1/2 c brown rice. 400-500 cal

Snack = 100 cal popcorn snack bag

The pizza I make for lunch is about 1200 calories.

For bkfst either Fage yogurt w/ fruit, 1 T diced walnuts, 1 T maple syrup or oat bran cereal w/ diced walnuts & maple syrup
snack : 100 calorie almonds
lunch: salad w/ deli turkey (no bread); small homemade muffin
snack: protein bar or fruit
dinner: 1 1/2 cups turkey chili w/ beans; small amount of cheese
I actually usually end up a a bit over 1200 calories (more like 1300 or 1400 or so); I'm aiming to lose only 1 or 2 lbs more and then want to maintain…even going over my 1250 allotted calories I've lost a couple of pounds in a few weeks.

I have found that the key is more protein! I weigh 138 and am down to the last few pounds that I would like to lose. The weight loss is sllooowwww, so I try to net around 1200 - 1400 calories daily.

Breakfast ideas:
advantage protein shake - 100 cals.
egg white omelet with skim cheese and turkey bacon - this is usually around 175 cals. for me
1 cup bran flakes with 1/2 cup almond milk - 135 cals.
sugar free maple oatmeal - 100 cals.
80 cal. greek yogurt

Lunch ideas:
sandwich with 35 calorie bread, ham, & skim cheese (around 120 cals.) - and then pair it with salad, veggies, or soup, baked chips, etc.
lean cuisines under 300 cals (on a hurried day because of all the sodium)
leftover meat with veggies (depending, typically around 200 - 250)
progresso soup (200 cals)
can of tuna with saltines (150 or so)
sandwich thin with pizza sauce, fat free shredded cheese, and turkey or ham (around 170)

Snack ideas:
I eat several things for snacks that I eat for breakfast, as well such as bran flakes, oatmeal, protein shake, greek yogurt
small pink lady apples (usually around 55 cals)
bananas (100 cals)
tuna works as a good protein snack, as well
100 cal. popcorn

I typically have at least three snacks a day, usually one between breakfast and lunch. And two between lunch and dinner. I hope this helps!

For breakfast you can have egg whites with 3 links of Jimmy Dean turkey sausage. All types of salads for lunch or dinner, steamed green veggies like brussel sprouts, broccoli, whole green beans, baked tilapia. sugar free jello, cucumbers, celery and cherry tomatoes make great snacks.

Breakfast
Body Fortress - Whey Isolate-Chocolate Protein Powder, 1 SCOOP

Lunch (stir fry)
Club House La Grille Fiery Habanero & Roasted Garlic - Seasoning, 1/8 tsp
Bick's - Banana Pepper Rings, Hot, 2 g, 2 pieces
Kraft - House Italian Calorie-Wise Dressing, 1 tbsp (15ml)
Mushrooms - Raw, 92 g
Broccoli - Raw, 102 g
Body Fortress - Whey Isolate-Chocolate Protein Powder, 1 SCOOP
Petrelli - Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 15 ml

Supper (mushrooms and broccoli stir fry, cauliflower made into rice)
Petrelli - Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 30 ml
Safeway (Canada) - Soya Sauce - 35% Less Salt, 1 tbsp
Broccoli - Raw, 67 g
Cauliflower - Raw, 165 g
Mushrooms - Raw, 48 g
Club House - Greek Seasoning, 1/2 tsp (1g)
Club House La Grille Fiery Habanero & Roasted Garlic - Seasoning, 1/8 tsp
President's Choice - Barbecue Seasoned Whole Chicken, 300 g edible portion

Supplements
Natura - Ideal Protein (Ip) - Potassium Supplement 99 Mg, 1 tablet
Natura - Multi-Vita, 2 tablets
Natura - Cal-mag (Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc, and Vitamin D Supplement), 2 tablets
Life Brand - Super Concentrate Omega-3 [no Fish Burps], 1 softgel

It was 1400 calories, 37g carbs, 82g fat and 147g of protein.
It would have been 1200 if I had less chicken and not all the olive oil. 200 calories isn't going to lose me any sleep.

Thanks for the replies! this is very helpful. I have moved to another country and so I don't have access to a lot of the foods I'm used to in the States so it's made the process a little trickier. I also do not have an oven so I'm limited to microwave and a hot plate and I needed some ideas so I won't get bored. This has been extremely helpful so thanks for taking the time to share!

definitely try to find some tortilla wraps then because you don't need to cook them.

And smoked turkey sausage is already cooked so you could nuke it in the microwave and that would be good.

Thanks for the replies! this is very helpful. I have moved to another country and so I don't have access to a lot of the foods I'm used to in the States so it's made the process a little trickier. I also do not have an oven so I'm limited to microwave and a hot plate and I needed some ideas so I won't get bored. This has been extremely helpful so thanks for taking the time to share!

Hey where are you? I know your pain, I am currently in Shanghai and there is a huge battle to buy western produce. I also bought a mini counter top oven which has helped a lot.

You look fantastic!

I'm on about 1200 and without an oven. I eat things like:

pittas- chicken/ tuna and salad
soup
omelettes
bowls of chilli
protein shakes
bananas
porridge- chocolate/ syrup and strawberries/ banana
sugar-free jelly with fruit in
fruit bagels with jam
stir fries

I am still pretty new to this, but egg whites are like magic for me at this calorie level. And at least in the US you can get them in the pasteurized cartons so they can be safely cooked in a microwave. I typically just add veggies (usually spinach) and salsa and call it a meal.
Also, I love avocado but there is no way I can eat a whole one in one sitting, so I cut it up into my jar of salsa. That way I can eat it over a couple days and the acid in the salsa keeps it from getting brown.

I just wanted to get a rough idea of how you are filling up those calories in a healthy way. Can those of you who are eating 1200 calories be kind enough to list what you eat for breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner? Any help would be really appreciated.

Feel free to take a look at my diary - you'll find:

Cream of wheat with 1 cup blueberries (200 cal) - sub any fruit

Black Bean and Tomato Stew (can find recipe in recipe section) - 210 Cal depending on your serving and is high in protien

Stir fry - Rice noodles or just veggies with a little soy sauce and sea salt. If you can work lentils in that will give you a good size portion of protein

Rice crackers, hazelnuts, apples, any raw veggie

You'll eventually find your grove and it will be become easier!! Because you have limited resources for cooking food, eat as many raw items as you can!!!

Wow, that would be really tough without an oven! Good luck! Here is what I usually eat for my 1200 cal/day:

Breakfast: Yogurt and coffee with creamer
Snack: Apple or banana
Lunch: Leftovers from dinner or salad
Snack: Popcorn
Dinner: Some kind of meat option with veggies or sweet potato fries, most often baked chicken. My favorite sauces are hot wing sauce, pesto, marinade, or bbq.
Dessert: I usually have enough calories for a small dessert or a glass of wine.