How to successfully manage a 1200 calorie diet.

Vanessahogan03
Vanessahogan03 Posts: 27 Member
edited October 2024 in Food and Nutrition
I have quit this diet regimen in the because I always feel hungry. What are some ways to evenly disperse my calories so that my metabolism does not slow down. What are your favorite low cal meals that fill you up?

Replies

  • killerqueen17
    killerqueen17 Posts: 536 Member
    1200 is tough, that's what MFP reccommended for me and I bumped it up to 1250. I would reccomend doing some sort of exercise every day, in order to get some more calories!! That's what I do...
  • jkmurphy06
    jkmurphy06 Posts: 28 Member
    I eat about 1200 calories a day give or take. It used to be hard for me to keep my three meals under the calorie goal, but then I started eating about 5-6 small "meals" a day. I dropped about 4lbs in a short period of time and have kept it off for a couple weeks now. I have a feeling that eating smaller meals has boosted my metabolism and my energy is pretty steady throughout the day. I found a site online that breaks the meals down into calorie sizes, of course you can divide it up how you please. The following is a plan for about 1200-1300 calories a day (if you eat your exercise calories like I sometimes do.)

    Breakfast -150
    Snack- 100-200
    Lunch- 300
    Snack2- 200
    Dinner- 250-350
    Late Night Snack 200

    My meals tend to be fairly protein rich and I eat a lot of fresh fruit in the early a.m and more veggies later in the day.

    I really like the following meals- Whole wht toast and natural peanut butter, non-fat greek yogurt and berries, strawberries and light whipped cream, brownrice and stir fried veggies, salad with turkey and sliced bell peppers.
    Feel free to add me as a friend, my food diary is open to the public.
    Hope this helps.
  • LeanMeanFitnessMachine
    LeanMeanFitnessMachine Posts: 659
    I eat about 1200 calories a day give or take. It used to be hard for me to keep my three meals under the calorie goal, but then I started eating about 5-6 small "meals" a day. I dropped about 4lbs in a short period of time and have kept it off for a couple weeks now. I have a feeling that eating smaller meals has boosted my metabolism and my energy is pretty steady throughout the day. I found a site online that breaks the meals down into calorie sizes, of course you can divide it up how you please. The following is a plan for about 1200-1300 calories a day (if you eat your exercise calories like I sometimes do.)

    Breakfast -150
    Snack- 100-200
    Lunch- 300
    Snack2- 200
    Dinner- 250-350
    Late Night Snack 200

    My meals tend to be fairly protein rich and I eat a lot of fresh fruit in the early a.m and more veggies later in the day.

    I really like the following meals- Whole wht toast and natural peanut butter, non-fat greek yogurt and berries, strawberries and light whipped cream, brownrice and stir fried veggies, salad with turkey and sliced bell peppers.
    Feel free to add me as a friend, my food diary is open to the public.
    Hope this helps.

    I'm an exercise science major with a minor in food sciences, this is what I reccommend to everyone to help ward off hunger & keep metabolism rates high.
  • cxdyer
    cxdyer Posts: 105 Member
    I try to eat a large breakfast, thats where I spend most of my calories. Fresh veggies and fresh fruit is a great way to get more food intake and low calorie intake. Hope those tips help.
  • fibrogirl
    fibrogirl Posts: 170 Member
    I eat about 1200 calories a day give or take. It used to be hard for me to keep my three meals under the calorie goal, but then I started eating about 5-6 small "meals" a day. I dropped about 4lbs in a short period of time and have kept it off for a couple weeks now. I have a feeling that eating smaller meals has boosted my metabolism and my energy is pretty steady throughout the day. I found a site online that breaks the meals down into calorie sizes, of course you can divide it up how you please. The following is a plan for about 1200-1300 calories a day (if you eat your exercise calories like I sometimes do.)

    Breakfast -150
    Snack- 100-200
    Lunch- 300
    Snack2- 200
    Dinner- 250-350
    Late Night Snack 200

    My meals tend to be fairly protein rich and I eat a lot of fresh fruit in the early a.m and more veggies later in the day.

    I really like the following meals- Whole wht toast and natural peanut butter, non-fat greek yogurt and berries, strawberries and light whipped cream, brownrice and stir fried veggies, salad with turkey and sliced bell peppers.
    Feel free to add me as a friend, my food diary is open to the public.
    Hope this helps.

    Think I need to try and work out my daily food intake in this way, thank you for the post!
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
    This is what I have been doing most days for 1280 calories:
    Breakfast - 170
    Lunch - 300
    Dinner - 700-800
    Evening Snack - whatever was left over
    And if I wanted a snack during the day I would do a little exercise.

    I know a lot of people swear by eating several small meals a day, but it's not the only option. I have lost 8 pounds in 8 weeks, without feeling hungry or deprived. I like having a large evening meal, and I don't care much about eating during the day. It really depends on the person though, so you have to experiment and find what works for you.
  • anitabenson83
    anitabenson83 Posts: 28
    I eat about 1200 calories a day give or take. It used to be hard for me to keep my three meals under the calorie goal, but then I started eating about 5-6 small "meals" a day. I dropped about 4lbs in a short period of time and have kept it off for a couple weeks now. I have a feeling that eating smaller meals has boosted my metabolism and my energy is pretty steady throughout the day. I found a site online that breaks the meals down into calorie sizes, of course you can divide it up how you please. The following is a plan for about 1200-1300 calories a day (if you eat your exercise calories like I sometimes do.)

    Breakfast -150
    Snack- 100-200
    Lunch- 300
    Snack2- 200
    Dinner- 250-350
    Late Night Snack 200

    My meals tend to be fairly protein rich and I eat a lot of fresh fruit in the early a.m and more veggies later in the day.

    I really like the following meals- Whole wht toast and natural peanut butter, non-fat greek yogurt and berries, strawberries and light whipped cream, brownrice and stir fried veggies, salad with turkey and sliced bell peppers.
    Feel free to add me as a friend, my food diary is open to the public.
    Hope this helps.

    I would be really interested to see this website -- could you possibly provide the link. I'm also battling with a 1200 calorie MFP diet and am always looking for new resources.
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
    1200 calories was waaaaay too low for me. I set MFP for a 2 lb/week loss because I wanted to get skinny, FAST. I did it for 3 months, was always hungry, then sent myself into a long plateau. Everybody is different, however if you feel like you can't sustain 1200, don't be afraid to inch up the calories. You only need to create a deficit- it doesn't have to be a huge deficit. 1200 can work for some but it certainly doesn't work for all.

    Also, the website Eatingwell.com has different meal plans and recipes for 1200, 1500, and 1800 calorie diets if you want to get some ideas.
  • Carrot1971
    Carrot1971 Posts: 272 Member
    bump
  • LilMizDetermined
    LilMizDetermined Posts: 174 Member
    I have quit this diet regimen in the because I always feel hungry. What are some ways to evenly disperse my calories so that my metabolism does not slow down. What are your favorite low cal meals that fill you up?

    Just remember that when you do activities (cleaning, exercise, walking) you get more calories to eat!!! Stay active and don't give up. I like to turn to nuts for fillers.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    The recommended pounds/week loss for the amount of weight you have to lose is 1 pound per week. If you have your goal set higher than that, you may not be getting enough nutrients, which is why you're hungry. So, first step is to reset your goals if you're trying to shoot for a higher pound per week goal. I'd also suggest as part of this process, that you refocus your thinking from "I gotta get skinny a.s.a.p." to "i want to lead a healthier life and make long term diet/fitness changes". That means no more deprivation and fad diets. Eat what you like, just eat smaller portions and maybe shift things around a little.

    Try eating more lean protein, as that tends to help you feel fuller longer. And also make sure you're drinking plenty of water as the body's signals get confused between thirsty and hungry. As someone else mentioned, being more active helps a lot too. There's no way I could meet my calorie goals on a regular basis if I didn't burn at least a few hundred calories a day.
  • lissalee1963
    lissalee1963 Posts: 1
    I have done the 1200 calorie per day menu off/on as I've need to slim down and it works very well. I'm rarely hungry & I consistently lose 1-2 lbs. per week. I eat every 2 hrs. to keep my metabolism burning fat. Sometimes I adjust the calories per meal/snack as needed but I always stick to 1200 total. Here is my breakdown:

    9:00 a.m. Breakfast: 200 calories
    11:00 a.m. Snack: 150 calories
    1:00 p.m. Lunch: 200 calories
    3:00 p.m. Snack: 150 calories
    6:00 p.m. Dinner: 350 calories
    7:00 p.m. Snack: 150 calories

    I never eat past 7:00 p.m. I try to be active as much as I can.
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
    I had a tough time on 1200 so I went by the TDEE -20% method. Lost the weight, was happier and a great deal nicer to my husband.

    Life is wonderful and there is no sense being miserable when we do not have to.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    I have done the 1200 calorie per day menu off/on as I've need to slim down and it works very well. I'm rarely hungry & I consistently lose 1-2 lbs. per week. I eat every 2 hrs. to keep my metabolism burning fat. Sometimes I adjust the calories per meal/snack as needed but I always stick to 1200 total. Here is my breakdown:

    9:00 a.m. Breakfast: 200 calories
    11:00 a.m. Snack: 150 calories
    1:00 p.m. Lunch: 200 calories
    3:00 p.m. Snack: 150 calories
    6:00 p.m. Dinner: 350 calories
    7:00 p.m. Snack: 150 calories

    I never eat past 7:00 p.m. I try to be active as much as I can.

    Hi lissalee! Welcome to MFP. I think you'll find that the search feature here is a little odd. It has a tendency to show really old threads instead of taking recency into account when ordering search results. For instance, this thread is from 2011, and it's unlikely that any of the original participants are still around. It's usually a good idea to double-check the date on a post before bumping an old thread.
  • xmichaelyx
    xmichaelyx Posts: 883 Member
    Edit: deleted. Old thread. Move along.
  • SamanthaKersul
    SamanthaKersul Posts: 13 Member
    I have my daily goal set to 1200 and then it gets adjusted based on my fitbit activity level and whatever extra workout I choose to do. If I want to eat more, I work out more and earn those extra calories. It's that simple.

    I know what you mean and it's easy to get bogged down by the number of calories. I'll often budget out my food before I eat it to give me an idea of how many more calories I need to earn for the day. I try to keep it as fresh, natural, seasonal, and lean as possible.

    Some meal ideas that I've been eating to keep my full, satisfied, and seeing results with include:

    Breakfast/Snacks:

    Apple slices with Fage 0% Greek yogurt or almond butter, chia pudding with fresh berries, fresh fruit and an egg, brown rice cake with natural/raw honey (half tbs) and banana slices on top

    Lunch: Fresh juice (Vital, Suja, or some other cold pressed, fresh and nutritionally dense juice), fresh rolls with tofu, spinach salad with berries, raw almonds, and various veggies (including half an avocado). I like to use Health Starts Here no oil dressings from Whole Foods on my salads.

    Dinner: Definitely varies but the goal here is to watch the carb intake and keep it as health as possible. I eat a lot of chicken pho with no noodles and added veggies. I don't drink all of the broth because that's so much sodium. Making fresh marinara or meat sauce with bison and eating that with whole wheat pasta is good too - then you can pack some up for your lunches if it's too heavy at night. I also love to bake sweet potatoes. . .mmm! It's like veggie candy to me. Quinoa with a bunch of roasted veggies also a great dinner to lunch meal. Add some wild salmon and you're all set!

    Some of my favorite snacks are: carrots, apples, oranges, berries, and raw almonds

    Other snacks for when you're at home - roasted cauliflower with spicy seasoning (ideally salt free), rice cakes with almond butter, sweet potato baked strips. . .

    Just a few ideas!!!
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