Exasperation with meal planning...can someone tell me how to fit 3 meals into 1200 calories?

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  • DevilsFan1
    DevilsFan1 Posts: 342 Member
    By the way, I eat whatever I want. I just know exactly how much of it I can eat and still hit my calorie goal for the day. I don't deny myself anything; I just eat a reasonable amount of it and plan accordingly.
  • lucerorojo
    lucerorojo Posts: 790 Member
    I couldn't do it. I tried for four days and I was getting headaches, insomnia, crabby. I changed my weight loss goals. I'm eating between 1500-1600 net, and losing about 1 lb. per week instead. I feel normal most days with this amount of calories. And it's perfect since this will be my maintenance, between 1600-1700 once I reach my goal weight.
  • 1houndgal
    1houndgal Posts: 558 Member
    lucerorojo wrote: »
    I couldn't do it. I tried for four days and I was getting headaches, insomnia, crabby. I changed my weight loss goals. I'm eating between 1500-1600 net, and losing about 1 lb. per week instead. I feel normal most days with this amount of calories. And it's perfect since this will be my maintenance, between 1600-1700 once I reach my goal weight.

    Wth! Good job listening to your body, and finding a plan for yourself.
  • Nikion901
    Nikion901 Posts: 2,467 Member
    edited February 2018
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  • Marilyn0924
    Marilyn0924 Posts: 797 Member
    DevilsFan1 wrote: »
    What kind of protein shakes are you drinking? Whey is an animal product. Beans and rice is a good staple that has sufficient protein. Tofu is another. The average person doesn't need much protein at all (at most 1g per kg body weight).

    I'd also ask you how you know 1200 is the right number for you. Are you weighing and logging all your food? Have you calculated what your TDEE is and then determined the amount of calories you should eat under that in order to lose weight? What's your weight loss target and how fast do you want to achieve it? These are all questions you need to answer in order to determine if a specific daily caloric intake is right for you.

    There are many protein powders available that are plant sourced. (i.e. pea, soy, hemp, rice)
  • kayeroze
    kayeroze Posts: 146 Member
    It takes practice. I felt the same way too until I got used to creating low calorie meals. Now, more or less, before I put I in, most of my meals fall within 250-450 calories. As context, I’m 5’2, set at 2lbs a week, and 80 lbs to lose.

    Meals
    Basically, protein is the priority and where most of your calories should come from. 3-4 oz of meat per serving. Next should be vegetables. Besides potatoes and avocados (yes yes I know it’s actually a fruit), most vegetables are fairly low calorie and very filling. Try roasting, grilling, and sautéing them for flavor and go for the Pam spray when applicable. Lastly should be a small amount of carbs (if wanted). 1/4th cup or 50g of brown rice/quinoa is about a serving or half a sweet potato/russet potato. Depending on the amount of oil, sauces, cheese, etc. you add to your dish, it should fall between 300-450 calories. If you don’t add the rice/potato/etc. then it should be closer to 200-300ish calories.

    Snacks
    Try to eat between 1-2 snacks a day max if you’re eating closer to 300+ calorie meals at 100 calories or less. This can include yogurt, fruit, nuts, veggies, etc. It takes planning and measuring, but snacks are possible if you are a snacker, it just needs to be less frequent.

    Planning
    Eating 1200 calories takes a lot of planning. It’s not necessary to meal prep (the most meal prepping I do is eating my dinner left overs and breakfast). If you build your kitchen correctly, it’s not too difficult to maintain. I would highly recommend that you buy a food scale and measure so you’re eating as many calories as you can.

    When going out, look up the restaurants menu when going out if possible. Even if the nutrition is not available, you can usually find similar meals if you search enough for approximate calories. When going out, you have to be creative with what you eat and usually aim for the light dishes if they have them.
  • counting_kilojoules
    counting_kilojoules Posts: 170 Member
    MonaRaeHill wrote: »
    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!...

    I have a chronic illness, which makes a lot of exercise difficult (I can't manage the gym or hiking or anything like that for example). I do however walk. I do one 30-40 minute walk almost every morning and if feel well enough go again in the evening. That's made a huge difference to my weight loss and to how much I can eat. (I also feel much better for it.) I can understand wanting to do more (I rather envy the people who post about going to the gym) but walking does help.
  • acorsaut89
    acorsaut89 Posts: 1,147 Member
    edited February 2018
    MonaRaeHill wrote: »
    I see all these things on meal planning, they only serve to make me edgy. What the heck are people eating on these meal plans? They sound like far too much work for a nibble, which is how I view 300 calories. That's a nibble, not a meal! Lawdy.
    I can exceed 1200 calories by just eating once per day.....which makes me cranky....especially if I exercise that day. geez. What gives? I need an on board Weight Watchers chef. Or just choose to live on protein shakes w/greens, which is about the only way to eat healthy with what my budget will stand......blek.
    How does anybody only eat 1200 calories, without losing it? Better off not eating at all.........in my mind. lol.

    This may sound preachy but you only get one body . . . why wouldn't you put in all the effort you've got to make it exactly the body you want? Just curious.

    Food is fuel for your body and your body is far more rare and unique than even the most expensive car so why wouldn't you want to feed it all the things that are the absolute best for it?
  • suzilla53
    suzilla53 Posts: 65 Member
    I’m very short and older, my fitness pal tdee is only 1250 ! I’m very familiar with 1200 calories a day plus maybe another 100 if I exercise. I eat 300 breakfast,300 lunch and 600 dinner with about 100 cal snack. Been doing it for 2years but I have met my goal.you gotta want it bad. Every calorie counts, make them good ones.i eat small portions, like I’m saying a quarter of a banana, a third of a small apple, 5 grams of peanut butter! Sometimes it’s frustrating but it’s this or be fat again.
  • DeviatedNorm
    DeviatedNorm Posts: 422 Member
    I've been doing 1200 calories for nearly 2 years now. My body apparently keeps forgetting to go into starvation mode or something, which is cool.

    I supplement a lot of food with low calorie veggies, stick to high protein and high fiber and I'm a pretty happy gal.

    Today's meal plan:
    Breakfast (200 calories):
    3 slices of breakfast ham, low fat string cheese, light & fit yogurt

    Lunch (280 calories):
    Turkey chili topped with chopped onion and tomato and cilantro
    Saltines
    Pile of radishes

    Dinner (300 calories):
    A bag of frozen veggies combined with half of a bag of quorn (fake meat, super tasty and nutritious)

    Snacks (350 calories):
    Big ol bowl of apple jacks, huge bowl of oatmeal (2 packs of better oats 100 calories each), 1/2c pineapple

    ...and I'm only at 1100 calories, can add some more foods if I get hungry.
  • Cbean08
    Cbean08 Posts: 1,092 Member
    What were you eating before that you now feel like you have to skip? The few vegans that I know tend to have a few main staple items that they revolve their meals around. The flavors and seasonings change, sauces change, veggies change, but overall, they grocery shop for the exact same things week after week. I'd guess that you'd be able to make some alterations to your previous intake so that it is conducive for weight loss.

    Can you share your previous typical days eating?
  • MonaRaeHill
    MonaRaeHill Posts: 145 Member
    jgnatca: thank you for the thought and the recipe! I must have a 6" binder with vegetarian recipes in it, (30 years of collecting), with a LOT of vegan, too, so perhaps I can reciprocate......what's your favorite food group?.
    I've given up preparing meals, as I usually can't eat a normal portion, and my partner hates leftovers, so I either have to eat it, or throw it in the compost! It's easier just to make my vegetable soups with tofu and miso, put it in the fridge and have 2 cups every night. I also hide the chocolate, from my partner, AND myself, in the freezer. It bugs my teeth that way, so I am forced to delay gratification as long as possible. lol.
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,069 Member
    You said your partner doesn't like leftovers, but why can't you eat them? I prep 3-4 meals with 5 servings each on Sundays to eat during the day M-F at work. Dinner I cook for the family each night. Are you using a low-cal dressing on your salads? Salad is one of my go to lunches and I can make a massive one using a whole head of lettuce for 3-400 calories.
  • Hogerda
    Hogerda Posts: 7 Member
    edited February 2018
    After losing 30 lbs I stopped eating animal products, and now I go raw on low-calorie days. Usually a smoothie, soaking some oats in water and adding lemon juice, half an apple, broccoli, spinach, some frozen berries, basically any vegetable in the fridge. No processed foods, plenty of protein and a 16 oz smoothie will have around 180 calories and keep me full for 3 hours. Then I take a walk, and make another one when I get home. For the evening meal, I will usually have around 700 calories left over, so can make pretty much anything I want.
  • ms_cac
    ms_cac Posts: 2 Member
    I eat a lot of beans/rice/veggies/fat combinations at about 400 calorie. I will also make a ginormous tofu veggie stir fry and a big batch of rice and eat those leftovers for a few days. I really don’t like salad or raw veggies so for me the key to satisfying meals is prep in advance and throw stuff together as I need it. On Sunday I make a big pot of beans, a batch of rice, cook up some protein (for me, usually chicken breasts but also baked or grilled tofu). I make sure I have avocados on hand. I also bake a couple big sweet potatoes. So when meal time comes I might throw together tofu, kale, sweet potato, rice and a tablespoon of whatever fat I want. Or beans, rice, salsa, avocado. Or tofu, quinoa, pesto, broccoli. Microwave and dinner is served. The combinations are quite varied - I just try to cook up different stuff sundays so I don’t get bored. I feel like there are tons of options for meals, but pre-prep and portions are key.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    You can make two serving meals and eat the leftovers yourself. One block of tempeh or tofu is easily just two servings in my home. Cook once, eat twice.

    How about making larger batches of things that you can freeze in single portions? Vegan chili, spaghetti sauce, beans, and many other things freeze very nicely. Most seitan recipes make a large amount of protein, but it does freeze well, so you can make seitan and then freeze it in smaller portions. I like making these things on weekend days when I'm going to be home, or letting the crock pot do it for me. Cook once, eat...well, a dozen times or more.

    Lots of meatless proteins can be cooked in single portions. Lentils are nice because they cook quickly and you can make a small amount of them. Many vegan proteins, like Gardein, come in resealable bags so you can just measure out the amount you want. TVP is cheap and can easily be measured in smaller servings. You can use that as "beef" by rehydrating it with no-beef broth or other liquid of your choice, or just throw it in a dish that has enough liquid to rehydrate it.

    There are many vegan protein bars if you like those. My favorites are Clif Builder bars.

    Quinoa works fine in small batches in my experience. I've never been able to cook small amounts of rice very easily, but leftover rice is perfect for fried rice. You can make vegan fried rice with tofu instead of eggs.
  • Momepro
    Momepro Posts: 1,509 Member
    sueami1 wrote: »
    Momepro wrote: »
    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!

    Glad you like it :) It's really helped me, I hope it helps you too.
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