1200 calorie diet

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Replies

  • Healthymom_5
    Healthymom_5 Posts: 244 Member
    eveaugust7 wrote: »
    1200 is a very very low calorie intake and isn't sustainable you'll end up being ill!

    This is not true.
  • asrai50
    asrai50 Posts: 937 Member
    I use cauliflower as a substitute for lots of starchy items. I also use zucchini "noodles" and spaghetti squash a lot. I fond that I dont even miss pasta and rice and actually feel bad when I eat it.
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    edited June 2015
    lol i just eat pasta and rice
    i Just fit it in my calorie allowance thats all
    Why cut out foods?

    Here my pasta with shrimps 337 calories for a full plate
    https://www.facebook.com/pages/Burn-With-Barn/1389663661362874?fref=nf
    Its all a matter of how you cook. You can eat everything! Only less from some things like pasta

    My pancakes with syrup and fruit and yogurt 328 calories
    https://www.facebook.com/pages/Burn-With-Barn/1389663661362874?fref=nf


    Dont cut your sefl short on a 1200 calories you really dont have too lol


  • ejbronte
    ejbronte Posts: 867 Member
    As another five-footer, balanced between 111 and my 110 goal weight, and at age 56, I actually do very nicely on 1200 calories a day. In fact, I'm right now digesting a satisfying lunch of falafel, rice, cashews and pumpkin seeds, flavored up with some salsa. Total, about 300 calories. This evening will be salmon, salad and fruit flavored yogurt. Total, around 350 calories. Breakfast was pancakes, a big, ripe peach, and coffee. Total, around 370 calories. This meets all my macros at under 1200, has satisfied me completely and now I can decide what to play with to round out the day.

    There are, in fact, advantages to being short - the smaller body can be an efficient machine.
  • arv51862
    arv51862 Posts: 115 Member
    53 m here, I've been at 1200 calories since April, & yes it is very sustainable. The most important thing (I think), The lower you go with your calorie count, the more important it becomes to pay close attention to what you are eating to make sure that you a meeting all of your micro-nutrient needs. I try to be right at my calorie target every day, intentionally go over my protein # every day, & do my best to keep carbs, sugars, fats, & sodium within MFP suggested limits each day.
  • arv51862
    arv51862 Posts: 115 Member
    This is probably a terrible answer but for those of us who are less than amazing in the kitchen lol, There are quite a few frozen dinner choices that can easily fit into a 1200 calorie /day plan. weight watchers, lean quisine, etc.
    i'll also piece meals together, grilled chicken, or tuna for protein, little rice & beans for carbs, fresh or frozen veggies. I'll keep some fresh fruits around should I need a snack or a sugar boost, green apples, strawberries, pineapple, etc...
    I will usually also have a protein drink at least once / day as a meal replacement.
  • kristen_wino
    kristen_wino Posts: 67 Member
    edited June 2015
    I'm also doing 1200 cals. Trying to lose quickly. But keeping fruit, veg n protein in mind. I enjoy the presidents choice blue menue, egg whites in a carton. I make a 4 egg white omelette.< (60 cals), packed wth spinach, tomato, mushroom, dried dill. Or hot sauce. The veg is also very low cal.
    I drizzle it with Manitoba harvest Hemp Oil. (1 tbls=120 cal)That gives me my Omega 3s it's filling, low cal & yummmm.
  • Santanico75
    Santanico75 Posts: 76 Member
    This was my dinner tonight - chicken thighs, cannellini beans, red onion, red pepper, eggplant, canned tomatoes, paprika, cumin and oregano cooked in a low oven, cauliflower rice, broccoli and green beans = 348 calories :)

    aj9OSFD.jpg
  • tho2004_418
    tho2004_418 Posts: 19 Member
    I love rice!!! But..alas so many calories per cup. Cauliflower rice is an amazing substitute AND you can eat more of it! Cauliflower Tortillas are good too. I agree with people above about spaghetti squash, it's so good and you can do a lot with it!
  • belgarath64
    belgarath64 Posts: 125 Member
    eveaugust7 wrote: »
    1200 is a very very low calorie intake and isn't sustainable you'll end up being ill!

    1200 calories can be enough, it really depends on how tall you are too.
  • amillenium
    amillenium Posts: 281 Member
    Im 5'1" (on a tall day) and its plenty, provided you make good choices. Obviously, you can blow through it unbelievably fast. For example, if I had a piece of coffee cake and a frap from starbucks for breakfast I would be 80% through my calories by 9am and starving the rest of the day. Personally, there are certain things that I cant eat (nor would I want to) to make 1200 calories work...
  • svchick88
    svchick88 Posts: 1 Member
    I make a soup for lunch every day which ranges from 100 - 200 calories depending on how much I add. Today's soup was 1 oz carrot, 2 oz onion, 2 oz potato, 3 oz celery, 1 oz kale, 1 oz spinach, 1 beef bouillon sodium free packet, salt/pepper and as much water as I want. Saute all of the veggies except kale/spinach for as little or as long as you want. Add salt, pepper, spinach, kale, water and bouillon. Simmer for as little or as long as you want. Once finished, use a stick blender to puree or pull some out if you like it chunky or don't puree it at all. I usually end up with 3-4 large mugs full.

    Vietnamese noodle salad (Bun) is also very good and low in calories. It's romaine, corn, cucumber, pickled carrots and daikon (Homemade), cilantro, bbq pork chop (or chicken breast), nuoc cham (Homemade) and rice noodle. It sounds complicated but it isn't. My bowls vary from 300 - 400 calories depending on how much pork chop and noodle I use. It is quite filling.
  • JMC3Terp
    JMC3Terp Posts: 2,803 Member
    quest bars (roughly 200 cals)

    most fruits

    I tend to make myself 6 to 9 oz of grilled chicken. with a bit of seasoning, it tastes really good and is around 300 calories.
  • HonestOmnivore
    HonestOmnivore Posts: 1,356 Member
    A great go to for a quick low cal meal is a nice sweet potato or yam. Poke it with a fork, wrap it in a wet paper towel and microwave it for three minutes. Size matters, so if it's huge you may need a few more minutes! Let it sit in the paper towel for a couple minutes then unwrap it, split it open and drizzle a tsp of olive oil over it, and a ton of ground cinnamon. Lots of good nutrition and very little bad - and so easy!

    I try to eat one apple a day = smallish 70 calorie sized apple.

    Soups made from great broths, with lots of fresh ingredients!

    Pasta dishes where you cut the pasta portion in half so it's just one of a few ingredients instead of the basis for the dish.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    edited June 2015
    crispaholicshaz wrote: »
    eveaugust7 wrote: »
    1200 is a very very low calorie intake and isn't sustainable you'll end up being ill!
    1200 is the starting point that MFP set most of us.. By the time u add exercise u get more allowance, but then its up to you not to use them up too.. Yesterday i had 1, 093 calories left after burning 1,164 calories during exercise... My food intake was 1,271...

    This is really confusing......

    RE: 1200 is the starting point that MFP set most of us......correction....1200 is the starting point for those women with very aggressive weekly goals, and petite senior ladies.

    Re: By the time u add exercise u get more allowance....true....but then its up to you not to use them up too.......correction.....MFP as designed expects you to eat them back....see next

    Re: Yesterday i had 1, 093 calories left after burning 1,164 calories during exercise... My food intake was 1,271........What deliberate exercise were you doing that burned 1,164 calories (several hours on a bike, maybe)? 1,200 is to cover basic bodily function (your body is using calories 24/7).....but your exercise alone used up almost all of those calories. Granted those numbers sound inflated (MFP estimates are typically generous).

    Let's say I was given 1200 net and exercised for 400 calories. The original 1200 covers basic bodily function.....but exercise takes 400 calorie away. The NET result is 800 calories to take care of basic bodily function (lungs, heart, kidneys, etc.) that's not nearly enough. Remember activity level is burning calories too.

    You want a deficit, but not so large that your body has to make hard choices......fuel heart muscle.....or fuel a full head of hair. Fat stores don't provide everything.
  • 2wise4u
    2wise4u Posts: 229 Member
    amgreenwell wrote: »
    smoothies!!! Milk or yogurt + frozen fruit + fresh fruit +blend = breakfast every day under 400, add some coffee with creamer and you are still under 400

    salads galore for lunch...almost all veggies are acceptable. just get a low cal dressing and don't use much, skip the cheese and any croutons, crackers or bread. I also take tuna to top the salad. soups can be very low cal if you make them yourself, they also last quite a while so you can spread them out over days of meals.

    dinner is game on... i LOVE crock-pot recipes for anything. just be sure to measure everything you can have many meals under 400 calories.

    Good advice. I'm trying to eat more veggies and found a neat place near work with a cheap salad bar and the crock pot is another awesome idea. I need to locate more recipes to get creative because I have a 5 year old to please at dinner time. :)
  • NoahsMommi1012
    NoahsMommi1012 Posts: 2 Member
    jaga13 wrote: »
    eveaugust7 wrote: »
    1200 is a very very low calorie intake and isn't sustainable you'll end up being ill!

    I'm sorry, do you know her stats?? I am 4'11, and MFP gives me 1210 for a .5lb weekly loss. I sure as hell exercise to increase that amount, but if I get injured or for whatever reason can't exercise, I'm stuck with 1210, whether you think it's too low or not.

    Agreed. I'm 5"7 and MFP gives me 1780, but it only gives caution if I'm under 1000. Sometimes life gets ahold of me and don't have time to have a meal.
  • glassofroses
    glassofroses Posts: 653 Member
    I'm 5ft 9 and MFP gave me 1200 because I wanted to lose 2lb a week. I tend to stay around that mark even with what I'm eating (lots of fish, veg and fresh fruit), but if it's a cardio day I amp up on carbs and proteins because that's nowhere near enough. I just take MFP's take on burns with a pinch, no, a cup of salt. At the end of the day, if I feel the need to eat, I eat. It's just now the 1200 calorie point has made me more conscious of what that something is. xoxo
  • mrunner2
    mrunner2 Posts: 15 Member
    DorisSilver50 wrote: »
    eveaugust7 wrote: »
    1200 is a very very low calorie intake and isn't sustainable you'll end up being ill!

    Not true at all, I have been successfully losing weight on a 1200 calorie diet (31+ pounds) over the past 4.5 months. I workout every day 45-60 minutes, I feel wonderful, am off almost all my medications and my lab work is fantastic. I vary between 1200-1350 depending on intensity of my workout. I am 5'4" and started at 165#, 1200 is a perfectly acceptable number of calories.
    Did you eat back exercise calories?
  • DorisSilver50
    DorisSilver50 Posts: 98 Member
    mrunner2 wrote: »
    DorisSilver50 wrote: »
    eveaugust7 wrote: »
    1200 is a very very low calorie intake and isn't sustainable you'll end up being ill!

    Not true at all, I have been successfully losing weight on a 1200 calorie diet (31+ pounds) over the past 4.5 months. I workout every day 45-60 minutes, I feel wonderful, am off almost all my medications and my lab work is fantastic. I vary between 1200-1350 depending on intensity of my workout. I am 5'4" and started at 165#, 1200 is a perfectly acceptable number of calories.
    Did you eat back exercise calories?

    I eat back about half of them.
  • jacuspator
    jacuspator Posts: 7 Member
    I hate spaghetti squash as well. you can get a sprializer and make zucchini noodles (zoodles), recipe on skinnytaste, that actually taste like spaghetti.
  • clairelee60
    clairelee60 Posts: 8 Member
    I'm finding it hard to eat my 1200 calories today breakfast 2 slices of wholemeal toast and boiled egg with glass of orange juice. Dinner salad with 2 home made egg muffins (spinach leek mushrooms and toms) yoghurt and banana.
    Tea spaghetti meatballs. Packed of low cal crisps still got 291 cals left with 250 used during exercise. Just swap white bread for brown white rice for brown bulk meals out with veg and use lean meats plus fish is excellent
  • akirkman86
    akirkman86 Posts: 89 Member
    crispaholicshaz wrote: »
    eveaugust7 wrote: »
    1200 is a very very low calorie intake and isn't sustainable you'll end up being ill!
    1200 is the starting point that MFP set most of us.. By the time u add exercise u get more allowance, but then its up to you not to use them up too.. Yesterday i had 1, 093 calories left after burning 1,164 calories during exercise... My food intake was 1,271...

    ummm yeah. no. you need to eat. And how did you burn 1164 calories? Because the only time I have burned that much in one day was when I ran a half marathon.
  • devinnn0728
    devinnn0728 Posts: 31 Member
    I love to scramble 2 eggs, add in half a cup of refried beans, and then add tomato, mushroom, spinach, and lots of salsa. Very filling too!
  • KBmoments
    KBmoments Posts: 193 Member
    CandyMonster160 wrote: »
    eveaugust7 wrote: »
    1200 is a very very low calorie intake and isn't sustainable you'll end up being ill!

    This may be true for you, but I find 1200 calories a day very manageable. It's all in how you fill those calories. It doesn't work for some people, but for me personally I'm more than satisfied with my 1200 calories.

    I also use Skinnytaste for great recipes, I use her cookbook and website at least 4 times a week. So good!

    Agreed. I'm short and work at a desk job all day...so 1200 works for me. Everyone is different.
  • KBmoments
    KBmoments Posts: 193 Member
    Do you like fish? You can have a filling dinner of breaded fish fillets (2 at 100 cals each) plus 1 1/2-2 cups of steamed brocolli for under 300 calories!
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