1200 calorie daily menu examples

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cardertaxidermy
cardertaxidermy Posts: 86 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I thought that maybe is some people could post a typical 1200 calorie daily menu it might help others with some ideas

My daily menu usually consists of 2 large salads with protein and snacks of quest bar and 100 cal popcorn

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  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
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    This sub reddit has some more exciting food ideas for those who chose to only eat 1200 calories a day:

    https://www.reddit.com/r/1200isplenty/

    It's not just limited to salads, salads are good but I know lots of people get tired of eating salad day in and day out.
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
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    Here's a calculator which will show if your proposed calorie intake is healthy & reasonable,
    as well as how many servings of the various food groups you should be having to make up
    those calories.
    It takes into account age, height, weight, & activity level.
    https://www.bcm.edu/cnrc-apps/healthyeatingcalculator/eatingCal.html

    But to answer your question, here are some 1200 cal/day menus, from a reputable source,
    which should cover nutritional needs.
    http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/eat/menus_tac_1200.htm
  • JenniferLynWhatx
    JenniferLynWhatx Posts: 141 Member
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    I'm not usually on 1200 cals... But today I managed it with a protein shake for breakfast, spinach salad with chicken and lite dressing for lunch, chicken potatoes and sautéed spinach for dinner, 2 mozzarella cheese sticks and 1 chocolate pudding cup for a snack. Super hangry... But good food.
  • efsrous
    efsrous Posts: 11 Member
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    I try to eat 1200 calories most days. My diary is open, but just to outline a typical day for me:

    Breakfast:
    3/4c 2% plain greek yogurt
    140g strawberries

    Lunch:
    2 reduced fat string cheese wrapped in 2 slices ham
    1 1/3 c green beans
    2 hard boiled eggs

    Dinner:
    4 oz salmon
    150 g broccoli

    Snack:
    snickers bar
  • elaineamj
    elaineamj Posts: 347 Member
    edited January 2016
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    I did really well for a week or two but now in week 4, starting to struggle since there is so little room for snacks. Not really hungry, but there is so little wiggle room! I am only 5ft though, so the only way to get more food is to work out more. I am eating back half my calories so averaging about 1300 calories a day.

    Watching TrendWeight carefully (need to give it a full 20 days after my initial water weight drop). If I find I am losing too fast, I am going to start eating back more of my exercise calories. Also I just got a scale so I can get more accurate numbers so I can stop overestimating "to be safe". Today I found my avocado was 20 less calories than I have been calculating. Was a little too happy LOL!

    Typical day
    Breakfast - 250 calories
    1/2 cup plain yogurt with 1/2 cup granola (been eating this for a while and love it!)

    Lunch - 400 - 600 calories
    Leftovers from dinner (portioned out after cooking)

    Dinner - 400-600 calories
    Chicken and wild rice soup (yum and only about 250 calories)
    1/2 cup white rice with 8oz chicken
    Skinnytaste's zucchini lasagna

    Snack
    If I can have a snack (often I can't), it's like a piece of fruit, a 1/2 cup of chickpeas or a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese (I have some cottage cheese waiting for me in my work fridge but haven't had spare calories this past week to eat it).

    I find I absolutely must be careful - if I have a 600 calorie dinner planned, I must have a 300-400 calorie lunch - or my whole day is well over goal.

    I was super frustrated the other day when my "low cal" dinner of kale salad with plain chicken breast ended up being a "big" dinner. I ended up cutting back to just 2oz of shredded chicken breast to get it down to 415 calories. It was the darned poppyseed dressing - I needed more to enjoy the salad :(

    I eat very small breakfast/lunches on weekends (been a lot of hard boiled eggs lately) to have room for 700-1000 calorie dinners (only if I am going out socially).

    I also track on a weekly basis since it gives me a chance to bank calories for the weekend.
  • tnm7760
    tnm7760 Posts: 109 Member
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    I try to keep my breakfast and lunch smaller, medium dinner, with room for a snack and maybe a treat after kids are in bed.

    Breakfast:
    70 cal 1 whole egg
    25 cal 3 Tbsp egg beaters (equal to 1 egg)
    50 cal Jimmy Dean turkey sausage patty

    Maybe add...
    60 cal Activia Light yogurt
    75 cal 1/2 English muffin (to put egg/sausage on)
    50 cal 1/2 oz sharp cheddar on eggs/sandwich

    Lunch:
    3-4 oz Kirkland grilled chicken strips
    Taylor Farms Asian Salad Kit from Costco
    (Can't recall exact servings size/calories, but about 350 for chicken, cabbage mix and dressing... I leave off the wonton/nut topping).

    Dinner:
    Any 300-400 calorie meal from Skinnytaste. Her recipes are amazing. Our favorites include Lomo Saltado and Asian Glazed Drumsticks. If the meal doesn't need sides, I might go with something closer to 500 calories.
    Ourbestbites.com also has amazing recipes that are often reasonable in calories if you take the time to figure them yourself (they do have a cookbook with recipes at 400 calories or less). Their recipes are always a hit at my house.

    Snacks:
    I usually go for a protein drink. I like the 160 calorie premade Premier brand from Costco.

    String cheese with deli meat or a piece of real quality cheese that's super flavorful with sliced pear.

    Cosmos popped snacks from Costco. I like the cheddar and cracked pepper or the Carmel. But I've heard the other flavors are awesome. The serving size is big (like 2+ cups), so I rarely eat that much. But it's great to pack into a movie theater.
  • Grrlonamission94
    Grrlonamission94 Posts: 18 Member
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    I'm on 1200 calories a day. Have lost almost 34 lbs since oct '15

    I don't really vary what I eat too much for simplicity's sake

    Breakfast - none, I have never had an appetite in the morning

    Lunch- Huge green smoothie 250-300 calories, tons of spinach, romaine, chia seeds, flax seeds, unsweetened almond milk, handful of frozen berries

    Dinner - meat, poultry or fish grilled or baked with a generous helping of baked/boiled/grilled vegetables (800 calories)

    Snack - satsumas, 3 (100)

    I stay away from carbs mainly
  • alittlelife14
    alittlelife14 Posts: 339 Member
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    What is a satsumas?
  • GsKiki
    GsKiki Posts: 392 Member
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    These are the meals I usually cook http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/GsKiki . They are all around 300 kcal each, so I have breakfast 200-300 kcal, lunch and dinner 300kcal ea, and rest some snacks (fruits, yogurts, or some sweets). I also tend to eat simple salad like lettuce and tomatoes with my lunch and/or dinner. I don't use the dressing tho, usually just a squeeze of lemon juice or balsamic vinegar.
  • mpat81
    mpat81 Posts: 351 Member
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    sarsather wrote: »
    What is a satsumas?

    It's a citrus fruit, like an orange but smaller with a different flavor. :smile:
  • elaineamj
    elaineamj Posts: 347 Member
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    GsKiki wrote: »
    These are the meals I usually cook http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/GsKiki . They are all around 300 kcal each, so I have breakfast 200-300 kcal, lunch and dinner 300kcal ea, and rest some snacks (fruits, yogurts, or some sweets). I also tend to eat simple salad like lettuce and tomatoes with my lunch and/or dinner. I don't use the dressing tho, usually just a squeeze of lemon juice or balsamic vinegar.

    Just read your recipes - they look delish and got me drooling!!!

    I have been collecting yummy skinny recipes in my Evernote and was just telling DH we don't have enough meals for me to cook everything! Particularly since I like to repeat my favorites.

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