1200 calories a day
Options
Replies
-
AllOutof_Bubblegum wrote: »You realize that what you're asking for is something people go to school and take certification courses for, right? And they don't do it for free.
isnt that the point of this website? to get help from people? and this is coming from someone with a disgusting amount of student loans from getting a masters in nutrition.2 -
Search the Internet for easy skinny recipes, you'll find many good low calorie simple to fix recipe sites like skinnytaste.com, or even the blog here on myfitnesspal has many good low caloire recipes. Whether you eat 1200 or 1500, the recipes are still the same, the 1200 does not even need to be a point of reference, it's not relevant to having healthy low cal meals.0
-
PS if you want boring 1200 calorie meal plans, search the Internet and you will find many meal plans, all boring, and all unsustainable, most who do them and eventually get discouraged and right back to high caloire eating and the results are more yo-yo'ing because those meal plans are agony.1
-
AllOutof_Bubblegum wrote: »You realize that what you're asking for is something people go to school and take certification courses for, right? And they don't do it for free.
isnt that the point of this website? to get help from people? and this is coming from someone with a disgusting amount of student loans from getting a masters in nutrition.
"Dito" to that fishshark. Thought that remark was a bit snarky for this website. We're all different, but are suppose to be here to help each other.0 -
I changed my goal from losing 1lb per week to 0.5lb a week as I didn't think that 1200 calories a day was realistic.
I work out 2-3 times a week which allows for a higher calorie intake on these days but I am struggling to stick to the number of calories even now that it has gone to 1400 per day.
I have started introducing whey protein shakes into my diet and protein bars but these rarely replace a meal. I usually have them and have my 3 meals a day as well or may have a protein bar just before I leave work as I travel for an hour and then do a class at my local sports centre. I've also been having coconut & macadamia bounce balls as a snack in the afternoon at work sometimes.
I am trying to burn fat and gain a bit of muscle but I understand that these have a lot of sugar in them and I think that my sugar intake is too high, however, I can only alter my diet and not change it completely as I wouldn't stick to it long term if it was too restricted.0 -
I tried the 1200 cal per day diet and hated it. I switched to a diet that is more filling and more in line with how I want to eat and be going forward. My goal is to weigh 200lbs, so I have a 2000 cal diet (which just so happens to be close to my Basic Metabolic Rate "BMR"). I try to get 180 grams of protein, 100 grams of carbs and 20 grams of fat. <-still figuring that part out.
My meals and snacks are protein driven. Usually a double portion of protein with veggies on the side (very low amount of starchy veggies, i.e. Potatoes, etc). Hope that helps.0 -
I've gotta say it's incredibly frustrating having everyone constantly dogging the 1200 calorie goal. Just because it didn't work for you doesn't mean it's unhealthy. I eat anywhere from 1200-1300 calories a day and I do not feel hungry all the time. Some days I even have a hard time reaching that goal. It's all in what you eat and how you eat it. Now, to address the original poster's actual question...
Eggs are my best friend. You can fry one up and put it on toast with some avocado, make yourself a veggie omelet/scramble, hard boil a few for snacks, salad...etc You cannot go wrong.
A crockpot would be a useful item for you to purchase if you don't already have one. It's super easy, just dump a few ingredients in the pot and turn it on. I usually cook up a big batch of chicken on the weekends so it's super quick and easy to pull out for a quick meal during the week.
My typical day looks like this:
Breakfast
2 egg omelet w/ tomatoes & greens
1/2 avocado
=296 calories
Midmorning Snack
1 pear or apple
1 tablespoon almond butter
=186 calories
Lunch
cucumber sandwich w/ cream cheese
17 green grapes
=299 calories
Dinner
6 oz chicken
1 medium sweet potato
10 brussels sprouts
=343 calories
Grand total = 1127 calories
That leaves just enough calories for a chocolate of some kind after dinner.
I personally love trader joe's frozen chocolate covered bananas.
Please feel free to friend me. My diary's open.
1 -
heather_miller wrote: »I've gotta say it's incredibly frustrating having everyone constantly dogging the 1200 calorie goal. Just because it didn't work for you doesn't mean it's unhealthy. I eat anywhere from 1200-1300 calories a day and I do not feel hungry all the time. Some days I even have a hard time reaching that goal. It's all in what you eat and how you eat it. Now, to address the original poster's actual question...
Eggs are my best friend. You can fry one up and put it on toast with some avocado, make yourself a veggie omelet/scramble, hard boil a few for snacks, salad...etc You cannot go wrong.
A crockpot would be a useful item for you to purchase if you don't already have one. It's super easy, just dump a few ingredients in the pot and turn it on. I usually cook up a big batch of chicken on the weekends so it's super quick and easy to pull out for a quick meal during the week.
My typical day looks like this:
Breakfast
2 egg omelet w/ tomatoes & greens
1/2 avocado
=296 calories
Midmorning Snack
1 pear or apple
1 tablespoon almond butter
=186 calories
Lunch
cucumber sandwich w/ cream cheese
17 green grapes
=299 calories
Dinner
6 oz chicken
1 medium sweet potato
10 brussels sprouts
=343 calories
Grand total = 1127 calories
That leaves just enough calories for a chocolate of some kind after dinner.
I personally love trader joe's frozen chocolate covered bananas.
Please feel free to friend me. My diary's open.
A couple problems with 1200
It's a default minimum for women. This makes it a one-size-fits-all. I'm sure we all know women that are 5' tall and women that are 6' tall. IMO, 1200 certainly isn't equally healthy for both.
It's not about "feeling hungry." Not all the weight that we lose will be fat loss. We lose a fair % of lean muscle mass too. Even I eat more than 1200 (55 YO) because I want to limit lean muscle loss. Speedy weight loss comes at a price.
You have a perfectly good list of healthy foods. However, I don't eat perfectly. During maintenance I won't eat perfectly either. To consume just 1200 calories gives me almost zero wiggle room. I don't want to log just "perfect diet" foods. I know I need lifestyle changes, but I want something that looks closer to my regular eating habits.0 -
I eat 1200 cals daily and find it not difficult at all. I dont eat breakfast, and always a light lunch. I know I feel hungriest during the hours of 4pm to 9pm, so thats when I have dinner and my snacks. According to my stats on the app, I consistently eat the majority of calories for dinner and snacks. I didnt change my lifestyle to fit my eating, I changed my eating to fit my lifestyle, and have lost over 80 lbs since Oct 2015. I can honestly say I am not hungry on 1200 - maybe it depends on how you space them out, but for me its a great plan.1
-
heather_miller wrote: »I've gotta say it's incredibly frustrating having everyone constantly dogging the 1200 calorie goal. Just because it didn't work for you doesn't mean it's unhealthy. I eat anywhere from 1200-1300 calories a day and I do not feel hungry all the time. Some days I even have a hard time reaching that goal. It's all in what you eat and how you eat it. Now, to address the original poster's actual question...
Eggs are my best friend. You can fry one up and put it on toast with some avocado, make yourself a veggie omelet/scramble, hard boil a few for snacks, salad...etc You cannot go wrong.
A crockpot would be a useful item for you to purchase if you don't already have one. It's super easy, just dump a few ingredients in the pot and turn it on. I usually cook up a big batch of chicken on the weekends so it's super quick and easy to pull out for a quick meal during the week.
My typical day looks like this:
Breakfast
2 egg omelet w/ tomatoes & greens
1/2 avocado
=296 calories
Midmorning Snack
1 pear or apple
1 tablespoon almond butter
=186 calories
Lunch
cucumber sandwich w/ cream cheese
17 green grapes
=299 calories
Dinner
6 oz chicken
1 medium sweet potato
10 brussels sprouts
=343 calories
Grand total = 1127 calories
That leaves just enough calories for a chocolate of some kind after dinner.
I personally love trader joe's frozen chocolate covered bananas.
Please feel free to friend me. My diary's open.
A couple problems with 1200
It's a default minimum for women. This makes it a one-size-fits-all. I'm sure we all know women that are 5' tall and women that are 6' tall. IMO, 1200 certainly isn't equally healthy for both.
It's not about "feeling hungry." Not all the weight that we lose will be fat loss. We lose a fair % of lean muscle mass too. Even I eat more than 1200 (55 YO) because I want to limit lean muscle loss. Speedy weight loss comes at a price.
You have a perfectly good list of healthy foods. However, I don't eat perfectly. During maintenance I won't eat perfectly either. To consume just 1200 calories gives me almost zero wiggle room. I don't want to log just "perfect diet" foods. I know I need lifestyle changes, but I want something that looks closer to my regular eating habits.
It's not up to you to decide how many calories I'm meant to eat (or the person that started this post), the original post was asking for ideas on what to eat to stay below their specific calorie goals. I would appreciate it if people would stop hijacking innocent posts asking for help on WHAT TO EAT. I completely agree with you that it is not a one size fit's all approach, that is why we need to stop shaming those who have a lower calorie goal. We are on this site for SUPPORT. We do not need more criticism. There is enough of that in the world.
ps. I am not trying to start a fight. I'd just wish we could encourage each other instead of belittling each other.2 -
heather_miller wrote: »heather_miller wrote: »I've gotta say it's incredibly frustrating having everyone constantly dogging the 1200 calorie goal. Just because it didn't work for you doesn't mean it's unhealthy. I eat anywhere from 1200-1300 calories a day and I do not feel hungry all the time. Some days I even have a hard time reaching that goal. It's all in what you eat and how you eat it. Now, to address the original poster's actual question...
Eggs are my best friend. You can fry one up and put it on toast with some avocado, make yourself a veggie omelet/scramble, hard boil a few for snacks, salad...etc You cannot go wrong.
A crockpot would be a useful item for you to purchase if you don't already have one. It's super easy, just dump a few ingredients in the pot and turn it on. I usually cook up a big batch of chicken on the weekends so it's super quick and easy to pull out for a quick meal during the week.
My typical day looks like this:
Breakfast
2 egg omelet w/ tomatoes & greens
1/2 avocado
=296 calories
Midmorning Snack
1 pear or apple
1 tablespoon almond butter
=186 calories
Lunch
cucumber sandwich w/ cream cheese
17 green grapes
=299 calories
Dinner
6 oz chicken
1 medium sweet potato
10 brussels sprouts
=343 calories
Grand total = 1127 calories
That leaves just enough calories for a chocolate of some kind after dinner.
I personally love trader joe's frozen chocolate covered bananas.
Please feel free to friend me. My diary's open.
A couple problems with 1200
It's a default minimum for women. This makes it a one-size-fits-all. I'm sure we all know women that are 5' tall and women that are 6' tall. IMO, 1200 certainly isn't equally healthy for both.
It's not about "feeling hungry." Not all the weight that we lose will be fat loss. We lose a fair % of lean muscle mass too. Even I eat more than 1200 (55 YO) because I want to limit lean muscle loss. Speedy weight loss comes at a price.
You have a perfectly good list of healthy foods. However, I don't eat perfectly. During maintenance I won't eat perfectly either. To consume just 1200 calories gives me almost zero wiggle room. I don't want to log just "perfect diet" foods. I know I need lifestyle changes, but I want something that looks closer to my regular eating habits.
It's not up to you to decide how many calories I'm meant to eat (or the person that started this post), the original post was asking for ideas on what to eat to stay below their specific calorie goals. I would appreciate it if people would stop hijacking innocent posts asking for help on WHAT TO EAT. I completely agree with you that it is not a one size fit's all approach, that is why we need to stop shaming those who have a lower calorie goal. We are on this site for SUPPORT. We do not need more criticism. There is enough of that in the world.
ps. I am not trying to start a fight. I'd just wish we could encourage each other instead of belittling each other.
But blind support doesn't help anyone. Same thread.....a MAN following 1200 calories (a choice he made). Should I just blindly support that too?
A differing opinion or adding providing additional information is not "belittling."
Where's the "shame" in lower calories? Elderly people need fewer calories. There are going to be a small percentage of very petite women who need fewer calories too. I understand that 1200 isn't always an incorrect goal, but it's not always appropriate either. Without knowing @eikalipse's stats I can only provide information.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.8K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.8K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 396 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.8K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.3K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 967 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions