1200 calories!
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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Replies
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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 -
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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I eat close to 2000 and am losing about 2kg a week without fail. It's almost 1/2kg a day for me.
Try Keto. You may find it's better, more filling & actually less hard work
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Im on 1200 and im coming up 4 weeks. I generally find it fine. The first 7-10 days was the hardest. I had headaches and felt slightly light headed on occasion because i was cutting out sugar and carbs.
I find its all about playing around with food to find what works for you. Do begin with i just had oatmeal for breakfast or a smoothie. Lunch would be a fritatta, eggs, or salad. Dinner meat/veges. Always this with some varieties. Ive found im ok to have carbs for one meal so i might have eggs on toast or potato one day for dinner and im still losing weight.
Ive also figured out having a coffee and apple at 11am holds me off until lunch then afternoon tea ill have a slightly bigger snack.3 -
1200 seems like so little when you first begin because lets face it, Lord knows how many we were eating before. But what I am choosing to do right now in my first week, is to stay on the 1200 and let my body FEEL the difference. And after 5 days in I am certainly feeling it! But I am beginning to realize what it truly feels like to be hungry and that is HUGE for me. We're all going to do this differently and different things work and motivate different people.4
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Im on 1200 and im coming up 4 weeks. I generally find it fine. The first 7-10 days was the hardest. I had headaches and felt slightly light headed on occasion because i was cutting out sugar and carbs.
I find its all about playing around with food to find what works for you. Do begin with i just had oatmeal for breakfast or a smoothie. Lunch would be a fritatta, eggs, or salad. Dinner meat/veges. Always this with some varieties. Ive found im ok to have carbs for one meal so i might have eggs on toast or potato one day for dinner and im still losing weight.
Ive also figured out having a coffee and apple at 11am holds me off until lunch then afternoon tea ill have a slightly bigger snack.
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Yes!!! First two weeks is killer!!! Lol It does get get better after your body stops revolting and accepts the change.2
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I sent you a friend request so you could see my diary. I also put my favorite things to make within the 1200 calorie limit.
I did forget to mention that my favorite snack is hard boiled egg whites. (I don't like the yoke so it is perfect for me) If you do like the yokes, one hard boiled egg is still under 100 calories.
I always have some Lean Cuisine - No Preservative freezer meals in the freezer, just in case I don't feel like cooking. It is a great option in those just in case moments.
Breakfast for dinner is also a quick option. Cereal, Scrambled Eggs, Omlette with veggies.0 -
I would suggest asking for friends on MFP that have similar goals. It is fun and you can get a lot of ideas from other peoples food logs.0
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My meal plan currently looks like this, which is roughly 1100-1200 cals:
Breakfast: 200 cal meal replacement
Snack: greek yogurt & fruit (berries, grapes)
Lunch: Spinach, berries, rf feta, grilled chicken - grilled chicken seasoned well gives salad enough flavor that I don't need dressing, and this was a HUGE change for me!
Snack: protein bar
Dinner: 4 oz protein (grilled chicken), steamed veggies, 1 carb serving, such as 1/3 cup brown rice
I've been pretty hungry by bedtime since transitioning to this, so I need to maybe push dinner time back a bit, but otherwise, it's plenty of food.1 -
I am set at 1240 -this really pushes me to work out so that I can get a few more calories to enjoy during the day! I usually eat greek yogurt with blueberries & chia seeds for breakfast, lunch is usually a healthy choice frozen meal, soup or leftovers from dinner the night before. Dinner varies - I cook my normal meals, I just make sure my portion fits in my calorie needs. Snacks during the day are fruits and veggies (I find if I do anything else it really pushes my meals down to an amount that is not going to fill me up). I also usually have an evening snack - I love Outshine frozen fruit pops - 35 calories and I can eat them slowly and feel indulgent
It was hard at first to figure out what I could eat and still be under the calorie restriction but it only took a couple of days to make tweaks. I can say I'm rarely hungry - if I am it's from boredom, not actual hunger. Drink lots of water!!! I'm down 5 pounds in 3 weeks so I feel like I'm at a good pace at the calories MFP set for me. 4 -
Shredded ice cold romaine lettuce with nice salt and a few drops of lemon juice - have as a side dish with everything, virtually no cals
Mushrooms are also very low in cals, add them. I like them grilled0 -
I was at 1280 for 2 months. I'm taking a break from it (and the 2 lbs. loss per week) and doing 1 lb. per week since I'm going on vacation for 2 weeks. But I did lose, and from working out I could eat more calories. Some of foods that I would recommend would be vegetables--they have very low calories and are filling. A salad with chicken if you do not add oil (or much of it) could work for a good lunch or dinner. For breakfast I would eat either oatmeal with a couple of pecans and berries, and an egg, OR a smoothie of almond milk, peanuts, banana and cocoa, approx. 300 calories. Lots of water is important. Another lower calorie snack that would go a long way was hummus and either carrots or celery (or both). I also relied on fresh fish, generally low calorie, with a vegetable and/or a carb (pasta, rice or potato). I found there was no room for junk food. I really had to include whole foods that would give me good nutrition. As long as I planned ahead it was fine. If I substituted a junk food/treat then I got into trouble. The high calorie/low nutrient would screw me up for the day--I'd feel hungry.1
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