1200 calorie diet....

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Lyric82
Lyric82 Posts: 119
in Health and Weight Loss
Does anyone else feel its really hard to find things that a good for you and fill you up on a 1200 calorie diet or am I just not eating the right things? I tend to get back about 500 or so calories when I work out so that's good but I'm just stumped on how to feel full, SATISFIED, and keep under my calorie goal..

any menu ideas?
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Replies

  • jenna1123
    jenna1123 Posts: 1
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    I drink ViSalus shakes usually once a day- mainly for breakfast...similar to a protein shake, but more in it than a usual protein shake...vitamins, minerals, etc. I dump some frozen pineapple chunks, half a banana, half of a low fat yogurt, almond milk- all in blender. Tastes great and keeps me satisfied from 7:30 AM- 1:00 or so. I drink coffee through the morning though too.
  • imarlett
    imarlett Posts: 228 Member
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    Hello-
    Having a big breakfast may help. I found a whole wheat, high protein cereal (Mom's Best Naturals brand) and use soy milk (more protein) that really feels me up. Also, you may not be as hungry as thirsty. Are you eating 6 small meals or three large meals? You might want to switch it up to see if it helps.
  • bmonahan115
    bmonahan115 Posts: 121 Member
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    FATS! lots of good fats, avocados, avocado oil, macadamia nuts/oil, coconut oil, evoo (cold on salads and as marinades), grassfed meats with healthy omega 3 packed fats, and protein in any shape and form (and i mean natural not so protein shake, because our body burn it faster than actually natural protein)
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
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    First up, why are you aiming for 1200? Set MFP to lose 1lb a week, which is easy and sustainable and less likely to make you gain back afterwards, and I bet it gives you more calories a day. Protein - meat and fish if you eat them - at each meal will help you feel full.
  • jforte07
    jforte07 Posts: 2
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    High Protien and High Fiber. That seems to be doing the trick for me.
  • smittenmikish
    smittenmikish Posts: 56
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    For me... Eggs, avocados, and healthy fats like nuts really help. :)
  • bizco
    bizco Posts: 1,949 Member
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    You're eating at a calorie deficit...you're not going to feel full. You can choose healthy, whole foods that will help lessen the hunger. Huge salads with tons of veggies and low-cal dressing, lean protein, whole grains and lots of water.
  • UponThisRock
    UponThisRock Posts: 4,522 Member
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    Most people would never feel full on 1200 calories.
  • daisymae9801
    daisymae9801 Posts: 208 Member
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    First up, why are you aiming for 1200? Set MFP to lose 1lb a week, which is easy and sustainable and less likely to make you gain back afterwards, and I bet it gives you more calories a day. Protein - meat and fish if you eat them - at each meal will help you feel full.

    I only am set to lose .7 lbs a week when on a 1200 goal. So everyone's goals are different. Smaller people need less. That being said, there is a way to feel full on 1200! I eat hardboiled eggs and a mozzarella cheese for breakfast, Amy's vegetable soup with chopped up lean turkey sausage for lunch, and a grilled cheese (Weight Watcher's rye bread and Sargento provolone) with PopChips and a Jello Mousse Temptation. That still leaves room for snacks during the day! I like clementines because they're low cal and good for a sweet tooth like me.
  • keiraev
    keiraev Posts: 695 Member
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    Can only ever do this for a week or two MAX it's not sustainable at all.

    Most people can lose weight on 1400/1500 calories a day even if small/short.

    And for goodness sake if you are doing 1200 a day make sure it's NET and you're eating your exercise cals. I can't even IMAGINE being that hungry.
  • Lyric82
    Lyric82 Posts: 119
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    Can only ever do this for a week or two MAX it's not sustainable at all.

    Most people can lose weight on 1400/1500 calories a day even if small/short.

    And for goodness sake if you are doing 1200 a day make sure it's NET and you're eating your exercise cals. I can't even IMAGINE being that hungry.

    yea...it sucks! I am aimed to lose 1lb a week and i only get 1200 cal. I have a lot of weight to lose on my short frame. I have a lot of health problems (pcos / anemia / food allergies) so no matter what I eat I always feel run down and have NO energy. However, I appreciate your help! i am going to up my protein a ton and see if that helps - even if I do go over the 1200!
  • jrhose
    jrhose Posts: 30 Member
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    I'm on a 1200 calorie diet, too -- that's just want MFP set it at to lose my weight. And it's really not that hard, IMO.
    eggs (sometimes egg whites) and turkey bacon and fruit for breakfast.
    LOTS OF WATER during the day.

    lunch - salad with a lean protein and LOTS of veggies on top. Zesty Italian FF dressing has a really low calorie count.

    snacks - yogurt or fruit. (or celery sticks with spicy yogurt dip)

    dinner - lean protein and lots of veggies.

    I've found when you dramatically reduce the refined sugars and breads from the diet, it's much easier to live on a 1200 calorie diet. And yes, I'm hungry sometimes. And so I'll snack on something low calorie.
  • mari0605
    mari0605 Posts: 65 Member
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    I found that "whole grain Brown rice" is helping me feel full. I cook it in a rice cooker and it's done in 20 minutes. I have a friend that incorporated brown rice in 2-3 of her meals and lost weight because she wasn't feeling hungry. You can mix a lot of things in it like chicken, beans & top with some Pico de Gallo or avacado. Tonight I'll have brown rice with tilapia and veggies...yumm
    For breakfast I have 1/2 c. of cooked brown rice with 1 egg and 1 egg white cooked in very little butter or olive oil.
    Or this other breakfast recipe:

    1/2 cp brown rice
    1 tsp. almonds (slivered)
    1/4 cp. almond breeze (almond or soy milk), unsweetened
    1 tbsp. maple syrup
    dash vanilla extract
    dash cinnamon

    Directions
    Mix ingredients together and heat over the stove top or microwave

    Serving size: 1

    Nutritional Info
    Servings Per Recipe: 1
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories: 204.3
    Total Fat: 3.4 g
    Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
    Sodium: 48.2 mg
    Total Carbs: 38.1 g
    Dietary Fiber: 2.4 g
    Protein: 3.3 g
  • vtate75
    vtate75 Posts: 221 Member
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    I feel very full at 1200 calories, but I think about the type of calories and I aim for something "sinful" (not really) every day. I always start the day with a scrambled egg. Eggs help me so much. I also have a 90 calorie fiber one brownie or something sweet at some point each day. The little treats keep me very satisfied. Most importantly, I drink TONS of water. Water keeps me full and the 1200 calories is not a problem. Good luck!
  • tiffany0127
    tiffany0127 Posts: 378 Member
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    IMO Myfitnesspal sets the calories WAY to low!! I was supposed to be on 1200 a day and was not seeing any weight loss, when I customized my own I set it to 1600 and the weight has started dropping off. I think you should up your calories (even to 1400) for a couple weeks and just see what that does for you. It will help you stay more full at least so you don't binge because again (IMO) I don't believe 1200 is sustainable.

    Also, with PCOS I shoot for 100 grams of protien and a day and under 150 grams of carbs a day (40/30/30 are the percentages I use for Carbs, Protien, Fat). Protien has worked wonders to help me stay full longer.

    Some good sources of protien are:

    Cheese
    Hard Boiled Eggs
    Turkey, Chicken, Pork, Salmon
    Greek Yogurt
    Almonds
    Edamame

    Good luck!!
  • lilmonster530
    lilmonster530 Posts: 12
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    I was the same way until I started drinking water. I know it doesnt sound right but if you focus on drinking 8 glasses of water a day you will feel amazing and wont be as hungry. It also takes your mind 20 minutes to register you are full. that being said here is a summery of what i eat every day and i usually am at 1200 or a little above:

    Breakfast-
    -Multi-grain Sandwich rounds w/ peanut butter and banana (395 cal, 34 carbs, 16 fats, 8 protein)
    - 2 slices of turkey bacon, 2 eggs, and toasted sandwich round (260 cal 12 carbs16 fat 18 protein)

    Lunch (my fav!)
    - 2 slices of Low-fat turkey on multigrain sandwich roll w/ raw spinach (or lettuce), a slice of low fat cheese, and humus. Then I have half a can of progressive light soup. They soups have weight watcher numbers on them so i try to stick with the ones with 0-2 pts. Then you can also have 5 multigrain crackers. I get Nabisco - Multi Grain Premium Saltine Crackers

    whole lunch = 274cal 29carb 12fat 16pro

    Dinner
    - Lean meats (chicken breast and turkey are the best!!) cook w/o butter or anything, and season with salt free seasonings
    - lots of veggies!!!
    - Brown rice
    - Black beans
    - Cauliflower mashed potatoes and cauliflower rice (google it or check out my blog)

    Also, im trying to post all the awesome recipes I find on my blog. I have stuff for pizza, french toast, and other things up already if you wanna check it out, hope this helped :)
  • FionaAnne22
    FionaAnne22 Posts: 178 Member
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    I've only been on 1200 calories for two days, so maybe at some point Im going to suddenly feel starving but ive been fine, mainly because ive been eating lots and lots of steamed vegetables with main meals. It bulks up the whole meal and its really good for you :)
  • lilmonster530
    lilmonster530 Posts: 12
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    forgot to add i always feel full and hit just at 1200, and In a week with working out i've lost 6.2lbs. You should NEVER feel hungry! Snack 2-3 times a day, I usually eat an low cal low sugar bar or fruit or nuts. and remember WATER WATER WATER!!
  • krystonite
    krystonite Posts: 553 Member
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    Fage 0% fat is your friend.
    And uh, turkey burgers.
  • emmyvera
    emmyvera Posts: 599 Member
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    Peanut butter and avocado are my go-tos. :tongue:
    I can put those two things on so many different recipes and dishes or snacks.
    Today I put half of avocado on my pork burger so I could "beef" up my calories for the day. :laugh:
    With exercising almost daily, I really need to compensate.

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