Isn't 1200 calories 1200 calories??

Here's my plan: no fast food, limited alcohol (after all, it is the holidays); NO mayo, NO rich salad dressings, NO sour cream, etc. Cardio at least 30 minutes at a time, weights, and a ton of water. And unlimited fruits and veggies. There are plenty of ways to season or spruce up your food and still keep it low calorie. I'm not being harsh, just being honest, but the sugar, fast food, soda and alcohol has to be very, very minimal, otherwise, your fat and sugar intake will inhibit your weight loss.

you say that you are in catch 22 because you don't have energy to exercise...start small; attack the garden at the weekend and walk to the shop instead of drive. challenge yourself to do a minute of jump rope or get a friend to join a class with you. But start small to begin with and as you gain more interest you'll naturally increase what you're doing. I hope you get on it soon!

As for the food thing, I have not looked at your diary but it sounds like you've had a lot of advice on that already so I've probably got nothing new to add other than agreeing that water is important, only weigh yourself once a week to avoid feeling suicidal and don't get too an@l about logging and measuring things - estimations should be good enough as long as you're not totally cheating!