High Protein Meals on 1200 day calorie intake

oh yea and egg whites. you can make some really yummy breakfasts with egg whites and veggies in a scramble or omelette.

Pretty much the only way to do 1200/day is to do it with high protein intake. If you look a few weeks back in my diary, there are some good examples of what I ate those days. Usually a protein bar for lunch and a lean protein with veggies for dinner with some snacks thrown in throughout the day. I also tried to make sure I was getting lots of healthy fats.However, I went on vacation for a week and went unrestricted and getting back to 1200 has been a real challenge. If you want to do it, I would highly recommend tapering down to that daily goal as opposed to jumping straight there.

I personally would not recommend the 1200 calorie diet (been there, done that).

But here are some good sources of lean protein regardless of calorie debates:
> Any lean meat (chicken, turkey)
> Nonfat (or low fat) plain greek yogurt
> Eggs (you can omit the yolk if you so desire)
> Chia seeds - sprinkle on any food or blend into smoothies.
> Quinoa
> Corn (or air popped popcorn)
> Beans
> Dark greens (Kale, spinach, collard greens, etc)

Hope this gives you some ideas. Egg whites and air popped popcorn are protein packed and are both pretty low in caloric intake. But please don't be afraid to eat more. :]

great advice. I am trying to lose weight but cannot seem to get started.

I am on 1200 a day as well. GNC has high Protein shakes and meal bars. I am using the GNC high protein shake. You can either mix with water or milk. I am doing 2 shakes a day. So, I use milk for help with the calorie in take. They have meal bars and other thing that help with a high protein diet. Cottage cheese, skinless bone less chicken breast, fish like salmon, eggs, milk, yogurt, (with dairy be careful of the fat content) nuts and seeds.

Remember to drink lots of water!!! Also, add in a little exercise. 30 mins of yoga burns like 130 calories. So, then you can add back in snacks and things as you need them. You tube has some great yoga videos for beginners and woman who are overweight and traditional yoga is a challenge for them. That's what I use search for Just my Size Yoga!

Also, if you are a vegetarian and not a huge fan of tofu.... quinoa, beans, peanut butter, peas, brussel sprouts, spinach, brown rice, whole wheat pastas

Hope this helps! Good luck!

A typical day for me looks like this.....

Breakfast=Shake

Lunch=Shake

Dinner= large baked (seasoned how you like) chicken breast, steamed broccoli, plain buttered whole wheat pasta

Snack= Cottage cheese, kettle chips (ie krunchers I use the chips to get my crunching in. I have found just the act of crunching down on some chips or crackers really helps curb my cravings. I also use sunflower seeds for this as well. I am not a big nut fan I like cashews and they are super high in fat. So, I try to stay away from the nuts.

time for me to gorge on some popcorn!!

Gorge away good man!
And feel no guilt!

You can look at my diary for today, if that helps. Granted, my base calories are 1410 and then I have some exercise calories. But, even with that, I could eat Tilapia steamed in a tinfoil pouch with butter and lemon and some grilled vegetables and hit my protein ratio without going over 1200 today.

For the most part, you can always rely on:

Boneless skinless chicken breast
Spinach
Pork tenderloin
Ground turkey
Tilapia, or any white fish
Flank steak
Shrimp
Egg whites
Greek yogurt

ETA: I drink a protein shake after workouts, which helps. Also, Quest bars in a pinch.

Glad to have found this post, as I also really need to up my protein intake and am also on a 1200 calorie intake. Lots of good suggestions. Thanks!

Check out highproteinfoods.net, they have a great search tool that will give you more options depending on what kind of foods you like to eat.

Do you eat back any of your exercise calories?