1200 calories!
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novalee1980
Posts: 16 Member
Need meal and snack ideas for a 1200 calorie day. Are you on a 1200 calorie plan if so what do you eat and how often?
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I'm on 3000 calories
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1200 is a default minimum. More appropriate for sedentary AND either very petite or elderly women.
If I set my weekly weight loss goal high enough I would be on 1200 (as I don't fit the criteria above). But I choose to eat more because I'm well over 50 and want to keep as much lean muscle mass as I can. Aggressive weight loss comes at a higher price tag than I'm willing to pay.2 -
Try a very mild increase at 5% above your tdee1
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Try a very mild increase at 5% above your tdee
Did I miss something? Is OP trying to gain weight, or did you mean 5% above BMR?
OP - this is a great thread for newbies: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/833026/important-posts-to-read/p12 -
I don't bother with snacks. Breakfast is about 300kcal (+150kcal on running days - make sure you eat extra if you exercise), usually overnight oats, lunch 300kcal something like yoghurt, cheese and some fruit, then I have about 600kcal for dinner.4
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novalee1980 wrote: »Need meal and snack ideas for a 1200 calorie day. Are you on a 1200 calorie plan if so what do you eat and how often?
How much weight are you trying to lose and what is your weekly goal set to?
1200 is the bare minimum, plus you should be logging exercise and eating at least some of those calories back.3 -
Due to my height, 1200 is where MFP said I "should be" as well. I altered this to 1250 to allow myself to stay above 1200, but have the chance to "beat my goal" on most days (disclaimer: I also do calorie zig-zagging, so I have two higher days a week which are closer to my maintenance).
A bit of advice: I have been doing 6 eating times per day (generally 2-3 hours apart) and try to keep the meals small, though I don't succeed all the time. I found that trying to follow these guidelines has helped with my hunger a bit, as I'm able to feel full a lot sooner (I'm pretty sure my stomach has shrunk), so I'm not as likely to go on binges. That being said, you should try different things and figure out what works best for you, as everyone's different. Some people eat as little as once or twice a day and are able to thrive (I couldn't do it). If you do the "many meals/snacks" method, I recommend trying it for a minimum of two weeks to give yourself time to adjust before you make a decision to try something else. I am flexible depending on what meals I'm going to have and ingredients I have around and move calories around to compensate, though I try to have at least 100 calories in most of my eating times. I often start by planning supper for the week and branch out from there.
An example of a nutrient-rich, but reasonably low-ish cal idea for a snack is celery with 1 oz of peanut butter (I use Smucker's Natural which has no added oils/sugars) and 14 grams of sunflower seeds, dried without anything added (I weigh my food, not sure of measurement equivalent). This nets somewhere around 200 calories, depending on how much celery you have.
If you'd like to look at my food diary to see what I'm doing, feel free to friend me. I'm not necessarily the most creative person in the world (and am downright weird sometimes), but maybe you'll find a few things you might like in there?
Best of luck on your journey!5 -
My snack is my protein shake
1200 calories isn't a lot so what we do eat has to be very nutrient dense. Plus I get most of my calories from protein. I'm a bit opposite from the poster above. I do three meals a day around 300 calories then my protein shake is filled with all sorts of good protein and fiber (more of a meal). You might as well say 4 meals a day. 3 -
I try for 300cal meals with and 300cal buffer for snacks. I try to not eat much in the evening as I have read it is better to eat more earlier in the day and not just before bed.2
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I am also on 1200cals. I have porridge and a few blueberries for breakfast, a small apple for snack in the morning. Then soup for lunch (no bread) and a yogurt to finish. Dinner could be boiled potato, 0.5 tin of beans and 2 rashers grilled bacon and before bed maybe 2 rich tea fingers (have medication to take) and cup of tea. If I go over 1200 what extra calories I gain for exercise usually covers it and maybe have a few calories left. U do allow myself some treats as well although I do log them, but knowing I have to record them sometimes makes me think twice before eating the treat as I don't want to go over the cals I am allowed. Hope this makes sense and helps you make up your own meals.2
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I'm on 1,200 a day. Potatoes are really good for lower calorie. They're all carb and starch, but it's not like eating candy or bread all the time. They are also really filling. I suggest having one with dinner. Also, mint chewing gum can help with appetite during the day if you want to snack. Most are five calories a stick, so that doesn't really hurt. Eat plenty of vegetables and light fruits. Like lettuce, you could munch all you want and it would still be low in calories. Just do some research on low calorie foods you can eat in high volume and drink plenty of water.2
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I changed it to 1330 calories a day to give myself a little lee way but yesterday I only ended up eating just under 1200. I'm only 5'0 tall. To get in my normal weight range according to the internet I need to lose at least 22 pounds.0
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novalee1980 wrote: »I changed it to 1330 calories a day to give myself a little lee way but yesterday I only ended up eating just under 1200. I'm only 5'0 tall. To get in my normal weight range according to the internet I need to lose at least 22 pounds.
Ok, so let's say you want to lose 25 lbs (you can always decide to lose more once you get there if you want!). Based on that, you should really be set to lose no more than 1 lb per week. Get a food scale and weigh all solids and semi-solids - when you're little you don't have much wiggle room. Plus, log your exercise and eat back some of those calories. Good luck!2 -
Soup! Very low calorie, very filling!3
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susanayt97 wrote: »Soup! Very low calorie, very filling!
Yes soup is filling, but you don't stay full for very long.1 -
Well I just did a bmi calculator and I need to lose 28 pounds not 22 0
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MaddMaestro wrote: »
it would be 1500 (which is the lowest for men) unless under the care of a dr0 -
Same here, 1200 calories everyday but I eat less than 1200. I feel fine so far. My doctor is monitoring me. So far so good. It is my 6th day of intermittent fasting.0
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