Exasperation with meal planning...can someone tell me how to fit 3 meals into 1200 calories?
Replies
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I agree with the sentiment that one should not plan for 1200 calories, it puts you into an area of having to think way too much, and dwell on it mentally...probably defeating the whole purpose that you really want. My suggestion is to set a realistic goal...try 1900 calories, track it every day and when you see yourself piling up on something that you can skip every once in a while, skip it and you will lose that many calories. My best advice is to surround yourself with healthy food that you enjoy and if you go off the deep end, the worst crime is that you gave yourself probably a lot of extra water. I also suggest that your first goal before heading to work is to get in around 1500 to 2000 steps, and while you are working your way around the neighborhood, you will not be eating. Walk and eat, and if you eat too much, you always have a little bit of your walking to help you.3
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I think 1200 calories would make anyone cranky and not really a sustainable amount of calories to keep you going. I don’t even track calories as diligently as other people on here do. I eat maybe 1600-1800 calories but I concentrate more on macros than anything. I do more cardio than probably most people do because I’m a stay-at-home mom which means other than household chores and errands, I don’t move much. Cardio helps make up for the lack of burned calories. I do 30 minutes on the treadmill and 30 minutes on the exercise bike 6 days a week and strength training 3 days a week. I’ve tried the 1200 calorie thing and I hated it. I didn’t even have the energy to do my workouts as effectively as I should. I wasn’t getting anywhere with weight loss with a 1200 calorie diet. Now that I eat more and concentrate more on macros, I can pump out my exercises with no problems. I found that even though the scale doesn’t move much with my current diet and exercise program, I am able to slim down a lot faster than I could with eating very little.4
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I just made an awesome very filling protein shake, only 341 calories, 36g carbs, 40g proten, 6g fat.
Also, you can make fish like Tilapia and others, a 4 oz fillet is only 120 calories with 26g protein. Mix that with a huge amount of broccoli or similar, and you will still be under 300 calories and very filled. Just a few ideas.2 -
1200 is the lowest MFP will recommend. You probably put in a loss of 2 pounds a week. I did that at the start and managed to stick to it for about a year then I got stuck. Couldn't lose anymore and was very frustrated. When I changed my goal to 1 pound a week it gave me1350 a day. This made me realize I was never going to lose 2 pounds a week. My average to that point was 1.4 pounds a week. I lost about 70 pounds the first year and then went on 1350 per day to lose another 18 pounds but that took a good six months or more. I am maintaining now and get around 1500/day. I'm 61 years old and only 5'5" tall. I sit at a desk for work. Not everyone can eat 1700 calories a day and lose weight. If you are short, older or sedentary your calories needed are less. Having said that it is important that you take your time to lose anyway. You learn more, it's sustainable and you will feel better.
I agree about exercise. I walk daily and it gives me an extra 100 calories a day. Eating high vegetables and plenty of lean protein really helps. Obviously chicken breast is a good choice, turkey is also low. I have discovered Shrimp when I can get it on sale is a smokin' calorie saver for low protein calories. I was one of those folks who never considered eating egg whites but I got stuck one day with an egg white omelet that a friend prepared. I figured I would just do my best to swallow it down and was shocked that it tasted good. Use cheese as a flavoring rather than as a staple. Try things you never thought you would eat and you may be surprised that you like it. Over the last two years I have really changed the way I eat. I learned to make fish and vegetables in ways that they actually taste good. Try using a grill to cook your meat instead of frying. I still use butter but I'm careful with quantities.
In the beginning I would take a meal once every three weeks or so and eat more than usual. I usually only ate to maintenance that day but it helped break that feeling that I would never get enough to eat again, lol.
Hang in there, as time goes by you adjust to the lower calories and you won't feel as deprived. If you have to start with higher calories at the beginning do that as you lower your expectations at meal times. Weigh your food. Everyone says you might be eating too much but I found often I was eating too little. I tend to overestimate most foods weight so it is worth it to me to weigh it.
Good luck.7 -
Is 1200 the right calorie goal for you? What are your stats, activity level and how much did you tell MFP to lose a week?
The thing with choosing 1200 calories there is no wiggle room for adjustments through your weight loss. So I encourage you to rethink this goal but definitely eat back exercise cals this is a the best thing about MFP's method. If you move more, say get in a moderate amounts of steps in the day or exercise you get more than 1200. So you are not locked into this goal. Use exercise to your advantage.
But to answer a 1200 goal, maybe break up the meals into 2-500 calorie meals with a 200 calorie snack.. if you eat back exercise calories makes these larger or add in another meal, etc etc.
Find the foods that provide you the most satiety. For me protein is super filling and if I add in fibrous foods I am quite full much longer than say eating a carby meal or more calorie dense meal.1 -
I cut out a meal. 1300-1350 calories, two largish meals, limited snacking. Lunch is around 500 calories, Dinner is anywhere between 550-850 calories. A snack or something if it fits.
Not for everyone, but I'm satisfied eating this way. And I can usually play around with lunch if I'm hungry early for some reason and eat some eggs.3 -
Assuming 1200 net cals per day is a reasonable deficit for your weight and height...
Check out http://www.reddit.com/r/1200isplenty for meal ideas.
Basically: lots of low-calorie foods like vegetables, fruit, lean proteins. Fewer calorie-dense foods like fats and nuts.
I average 1200-1300 cals per day and feel fine. Intermittent fasting certainly helps, I usually have 2 meals a day with a couple low-calorie snacks in-between.
A normal day for me would look like:
11am: Fiber One bar (90 cals)
1pm: Lunch (meal-prep leftovers, 400 cals)
3pm: Snack like a piece of fruit, some Popchips, another Fiber One bar, instant oatmeal
6pm: Dinner (meal-prep leftovers, 600 cals)
8pm: Snack like a piece of fruit, egg, cheese slices3 -
sytchequeen wrote: »about 100g of a protein in a meal,
1g of protein is 4Kcal, so 100g of protein is 400Kcal.
Don't mix up macros with sources, perhaps you mean 100g of a lean protein source such as chicken (around 100Kcal).
1200 means a shift to vegetables if you want to feel full. 100g of
Lettuce, cos or romaine is 17Kcal of
rutabaga is 37Kcal,
carrot is 41Kcal,
potato is 76Kcal
You can eat quite a lot of greens and veg within a 400Kcal meal along with a smaller amount of an animal protein, feel full and get a decent quality of nutrition.0 -
If I were to eat 1200kcal (I am not because it's too low for me and my loss would be too fast) I would eat:
Breakfast: 3 slices of wholegrain bread with chickenbreast or ham, thin slice - 342kcal
Lunch: 2 slices of the same - 228kcal
Dinner: whatever I cook, around 550kcal
leaves 80kcal for a big bowl of cucumber, bell pepper and cherry tomato on which I'd snack during daytime in-between meals.3 -
breakfast for me is usually scrambled eggs I will put salsa on it. I spray the pan with pam, 3 egg whites and one egg and salsa is under 200 calories.
Lunch I keep around 300 calories...salad with tuna, leftovers from dinner, if I am lazy a healthy frozen dinner.
I usually have a snack midafternoon...apple, protein shake or chocolate.
Dinner I can go up to 500 so usually chicken or fish with veges. I saw a magazine at checkout with one sheet meals for less than 400 calories. I like one sheet meals. Potatoes (small with olive oil), chicken with balsmic vinegar and asparagus with olive oil. Simple and you can make enough for several days.
If I worked out I will add another snack.1 -
You can see pictures in various places on the internet what 100 calories of different foods look like. You are going to get more volume if you choose certain foods over others. http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=1987
You might find this thread helpful.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10563959/volume-eaters-thread/p13 -
Have you tried IF. Eating in a shortened window might help. Normally I get two meals in a day plus a small snack. This allows me to have larger meals. I feel your pain, even coffee, eggs and avocado for breakfast can reach almost 400 cal.10
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I haven't been very good lately (friend visiting this weekend, V-day yesterday), but I typically don't have a problem sticking to 1200 during the week. I often skip breakfast in favor of IF or have a protein shake in the morning, have 3 hard boiled eggs with mustard for lunch, and then have the rest of my calories for dinner with maybe a little trail mix or yogurt as a snack. Drinking tea in the morning, as well as plenty of water and a protein rich lunch keeps me full until dinner rolls around.
On days I exercise, I eat back some or all of my exercise calories since 1200 is an aggressive goal. If you wanted to bulk up your lunch, you could throw in a salad with low calorie dressing, or just add in some veggies on the side like celery or green beans. 200-300 calories worth of eggs can easily be replaced by another protein source to keep that satiety up while adding more variety.2 -
I would definitely take a look at what foods you are eating and what you can swap it out for. For example, if you are eating bread in every meal, this is probably taking up a lot of calories. Maybe change to eating bread for one meal a day and add more fruits/vegetables to your other meals. I honestly think just going through the process of figuring out how to alter your meals is the biggest benefit of myfitnesspal. You might not hit your 1200 cal goal all the time at first, but work on how you can bulk your meals up with lower calorie options (e.g. veggies) if you are still hungry.2
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I am a 5ft female with about 30lbs left to lose I have MFP set to 1lb per week weight loss and it gives me 1210 calories a day. I eat a protein bar in the morning that is about 200 calories then for lunch I try to stay around 300ish calories usually I make a sandwich, eat leftovers, or eat a Lean Cuisine. then I eat a snack mid afternoon I try to stay within 250ish calories. Then the rest is dinner I don't eat past 7-8pm because of my acid re flux. I also have a Fitbit so that gives me extra exercise calories but I never eat more then 50% of them and I really only dip into them if I feel super hungry other then that I just feel better eating less due to my acid re flux and my IBS.3
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Here is another example. I just had two small fillets of Tilapia and a crapload of vegetables. The total was barely over 200 calories, and 31g protein, 5g fiber. It was very filling.3
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I like food. I've done the 1200 calorie thing, and I was miserable.
My solution? Exercise.
Right now, I exercise pretty hard (multiple reasons) and that gives me an extra 700-1000 calories a day. That's a huge difference, and I don't feel hungry or deprived on that. I can eat down to about 1600/day (with a less intense training program), any less than that and I start to feel hungry all the time and pretty miserable.
So, up the activity to match what I feel like I need "in the kitchen."7 -
Try adding a few friends who are also aiming for 1200 calories a day so you can view their food diaries for meal inspiration5
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In my case? Excercise more to give yourself a few more calories to play with.
I also suggest logging for a while, even before making any serious changes to your diet.
Weigh (with a scale is best) everything you eat, and write why you are eating it (i.e, lunchtime, hungry, kind of bored, out with friends, watching tv) and how you are feeling right before, right after and an hour after (hungry, comfortable, normal, full, very full bloated, drowsy).
This gives you a baseline pattern for your normal habits and routine. From there, it's just a matter of experimenting. Are you very full after dinner? Cut back on a few things. Does lunch leave you bloated and gassy after an hour, try less or no mayo, and see if there's something you don't mind dropping each meal (fries, or cheese, or maybe only 2 tacos instead of 3).It's amazing how quickly these small and easily sustainable changes will add up to big calorie cuts. Only cut one or two things at a time, until they become habit instead if trying to do everything at once. That way they become individual habits instead of one big "diet". So when you backslide you won't drop everything at once, just one or two habits, that you can fix again more easily.
I love this entire thought process! I have an internal war between my impatient/frightened thinking and my deeper wisdom that knows I need to make changes that last and are both sustainable and effective.
I think I am going to sit down and make a list of all the small changes I have made already, partly to acknowledge what I've done so far, but I will also rate them according to how hard or easy they have felt to me, so that when I hit my weight loss goal, I know what I can easily keep as maintenance habits and what I can let go of as a harder-to-maintain "diet-phase" restriction.
Thank you, Momepro, for taking the time to share your thinking!6 -
1,200 for me is a 200 calorie yoghurt, 400 lunch (a sandwich maybe, or beans on toast) and then 600 for a heartier dinner, maybe pasta. I usually split the yoghurt and have half for breakfast and half before bed.0
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I didn't read all the posts, but if you Google meal planning, there are several sites out there where you can enter the number of calories and meals and poof, it pops out a meal plan. I am working on Keto. This means I'm not really eating carbs, which in many cases are high in calories. While strict keto people don't count calories, I do use the food diary. I go many days with right around 1200 calories and I'm not hungry.
I'm not a breakfast eater, or a snacker however. So I use all my calories in two meals. I think this helps too because it gives insulin levels time to dip down. Also remember, hunger is fleeting. If you feel hungry between meals, have something to drink or distract yourself for 20 minutes or so. You may find the hunger goes away.
As for my 1200 calorie day, I'll have an entire can of tuna or chicken with mayo, lettuce, celery and onion, plus 1/2 an avocado for lunch and I'm full until dinner. Very low in calories. Had that today for 330 calories. So, I've got 870 left for dinner. That's a lot of chicken, beef, pork or fish with veggies and a salad!
I'm no stranger to going out for lunch with coworkers or family. I just plan ahead and again, stay away from the high calorie carbs. I've had a burger w/o the bun and blue cheese with veggies (not fries) on the side. Very filling and not too many calories! Also remember healthy fats help keep you satisfied.
Plan ahead and make good choices! Good luck.2 -
I don’t eat breakfast and have my first meal around 12.30-1pm. I’ll have something like a bowl of soup and fruit for lunch or some chicken breast with a big salad. For dinner I’ll have something like baked fish with veg and a small potion of bulgur wheat and quinoa. Boil in the bag fish is also really quick to do in the microwave.Tonight I had chicken stir fry with courgette noodles and full fat Greek yogurt for pud. Spiralised courgette and carrot are also good with meat bolognaise. Instead of eating a whole steak I’ll slice up half a steak and have it on a salads I know it’s not for everyone to miss breakfast but I don’t ever feel like breakfast and often don’t have time for it so I like to keep my calories for later. Here are some of the dinners I’ve been having. All around 400 calories.4 -
You can actually pack a lot of food into 1200 calories if you're eating the right stuff...
Also, I'd wager most woman can lose on more than 1200 calories, they just tend to pick the most aggressive rate of loss available. Also, if you exercise, you can eat more.9 -
BitofaState wrote: »sytchequeen wrote: »about 100g of a protein in a meal,
1g of protein is 4Kcal, so 100g of protein is 400Kcal.
Don't mix up macros with sources, perhaps you mean 100g of a lean protein source such as chicken (around 100Kcal).
1200 means a shift to vegetables if you want to feel full. 100g of
Lettuce, cos or romaine is 17Kcal of
rutabaga is 37Kcal,
carrot is 41Kcal,
potato is 76Kcal
You can eat quite a lot of greens and veg within a 400Kcal meal along with a smaller amount of an animal protein, feel full and get a decent quality of nutrition.
You misunderstand my post, I eat around 100g of “ A Protein “ (exactly as I worded it) , i.e. meat/fish/cheese etc, which does not itself contain 100g of protein. I am referring to portion size not protein content.
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If you insist on 1200, Try a protein shake (100) for breakfast and a decent lunch (500) and dinner (500) with tons of vegetables. Then a piece of fruit for dessert (100). Walk for an hour and buy yourself another 250 or so1
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Part of what helped me was labeling my meals #1-6. No more designations of breakfast, snacks. It helped snap me out of the mindset of what I thought I should be eating be based on the meal: breakfast foods for breakfast, meals larger then snacks, etc.
Now I eat what I want in quantities that suit my tastes and schedule. It was totally a mental thing, but it really helped me breakout out of what I thought traditional snacks, meals and meal timing.8 -
I'm currently at 1300 calories, my maintenance it just over 1400, so I don't have much choice but to eat 1300 if I want to lose weight. I did 1200 for around a year and I got used to it I guess.
At 1300, I don't have lunch. I have a small snack instead, usually a piece of fruit/some crackers/a rice cake/carrots and houmous. Then for dinner, I get to eat a bit more. I don't think 300 calorie meals are filling either.
My breakfast usually comes in around 300-350 cals, snack 100-200 cals, dinner 500-700 cals and then another small snack in the evening, of around 150-200 cals.0 -
I appreciate everything you all have noted.......i forgot to say I am vegan and have been, for some time, so my only really good source for high quality proteins, is shakes. The good news is I didn't gain anything the last couple of winters (1-2 lbs) so the fasting (shakes, only) for two weeks at a time, every 3 months, really helped keep things in check. That's maintenance, tho, not loss.......sigh.........I am also 57, and disabled, so can only do certain sustained exercises......such as hiking (walking really, as I hike about as fast as the average person can walk), dancing, stretching, etc.
The thing that sets me back is my feelings of resentment at not being able to eat whatever I want, anymore...........what does everybody do when they run into this?........if you run into it?
This thread is a bit long, so maybe I'll start a new thread about that!...8 -
I like you!
You can eat what you like, just not as much as you used to. If you can measure out a shake you can measure out other foods.
Tofu is a good vegan source of protein.
My favourite tofu recipe; highly versatile.
https://pin.it/wmm4qzkrx47byh1
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