need help on what to eat.... 1200 calorie diet..

I have been on 1200 calorie diet for about 3 months.. and i live alone.. i just dont know what to eat..
I have lost almost 30 lbs... just have a hard time figuring out what to fix for dinner is my hardest part.
any suggestions??
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Replies

  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
    I like to browse the recipes at EatingWell.com for inspiration. They also have 1200 calorie meal planners that you could browse for ideas:

    http://www.eatingwell.com/nutrition_health/weight_loss_diet_plans/diet_meal_plans/7_day_diet_meal_plan_to_lose_weight_1200_calories
  • TiggerFan68
    TiggerFan68 Posts: 2 Member
    Try www.skinnytaste.com

    The woman who owns the site gives you all of the nutritional info for each recipe, such as calories, fat, protein, and carbs, plus sodium and all of her recipes are Weight Watchers friendly. She even puts the WW Points and Points + values for each recipe. So far, every recipe I have tried has been delicious! I especially love the Skinny Chicken Enchiladas! They are all easy recipes to make, without requiring a bunch of hard to find, expensive ingredients.
  • eriemer
    eriemer Posts: 197
    Look on Hungry girls website. Lots of quick one person meals, with low calories.

    Check into volumetrics diet, lots of tips to load up your plate without overloading the calories. This is great if you live alone because your less likely to snack if your full.

    I like lean cuisines, salad, and soup for a quick by myself dinner.
  • cushygal
    cushygal Posts: 586 Member
    some good websites here - thank you :happy:
  • stuffinmuffin
    stuffinmuffin Posts: 985 Member
    Eating on 1200 cals can be easy (ish) I found that I immediately switched to eating foods that would fill me up or were so low cal that I could eat a lot of them so my diet went into lean protein and loads of vegetables and fruit. I also eat porridge pretty much every day and it will be a filling breakfast (I've also discovered you can add sugar free milkshake mix to add some flavour for no added calories). Mushroom omelettes are great and low cal (leave the yolk in - it's where the goodness lies) and tuna can become your best friend! I added a can of tuna to some 100cal soup today, a little sprinkle of curry powder and a delicious easy lunch for 245 cals that kept me full until dinner. I used to find that experimenting myself was the most fun and also taught me so much about how much of things I can have and the calorie value of them, so eating out now is pretty easy because I can gauge calories by looking at my plate.

    p.s. Congrats on your loss so far - that's an amazing amount to lose! xx
  • wftiger
    wftiger Posts: 1,283 Member
    Chicken and veggies are your friends. I also rely on protein shakes but only because I am lazy.

    I eat a lot of chicken as one of the lowest calorie meats besides maybe tuna and I'm not huge fish eater. I eat salads or soups a lot all homemade as canned have too much sodium. Usually I will make up a bunch of chicken on Sunday and mix in some taco seasoning then have taco salad or something like that a few nights or at least most lunches.
  • kendra11c
    kendra11c Posts: 11
    I like to make a big meal that I can eat for the rest of the week. quinoa and garbonza bean salad, pre cut fruits for smoothies, chicken stir fry, premade rice (to mix beans or homemade curry into), just anything that you can spend a few hours one day cooking and then pull out whenever your hungry works great for living alone!
  • I sometimes have the same problem, but what I do is search the internet for different varieties of healthy menus and go from there. I also added more fruits to my diet and less sugars.
  • Homa24
    Homa24 Posts: 33
    I'll second quinoa, it is good hot or cold and in salads. It is a complete protein which is good too. I like to squeeze fresh lemon juice onto it along with some pepper. Just steamed artichockes the other day and they took time to eat which made it an interesting change. Plus: they're in season right now!
  • gogirl110
    gogirl110 Posts: 85 Member
    Very good information here. Thanks!!!!!
  • grneyedcountryangel
    grneyedcountryangel Posts: 2 Member
    Thanks for all the input!
  • shaynak112
    shaynak112 Posts: 751 Member
    Salads (with low calorie dressing)
    Soups
    Veggies
    Beans (not low calorie themselves but good to put with a meal because they fill you up!)
    Rice
    Oatmeal
    Fruit
  • tomhancock
    tomhancock Posts: 100 Member
    Ellie Krieger has a great cookbook called "the food you crave" - you can get it on Amazon. The recipes are pretty easy, taste great, and work easily into a 1200 calorie diet. http://www.amazon.com/The-Food-You-Crave-Luscious/dp/1600850219

    She is a registered dietician in addition to being a TV chef.
  • suzikay12
    suzikay12 Posts: 150 Member
    Check out emilybites.com for some recipes.
  • LBash03
    LBash03 Posts: 72
    Try www.skinnytaste.com

    The woman who owns the site gives you all of the nutritional info for each recipe, such as calories, fat, protein, and carbs, plus sodium and all of her recipes are Weight Watchers friendly. She even puts the WW Points and Points + values for each recipe. So far, every recipe I have tried has been delicious! I especially love the Skinny Chicken Enchiladas! They are all easy recipes to make, without requiring a bunch of hard to find, expensive ingredients.

    This is my absolute favorite website. Great meals, they don't make a whole lot so you can finish it yourself through the week.
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
    Rotisserie chicken without the skin.
    King Oscar's Brisling Sardines in Olive OIl drained with lemon and freshly ground pepper
    Marinated chicken breasts
    Fish
    Fage 0% yogurt


    Multigrain English Muffins
    Oatmeal
    Quinoa
    Brown rice


    Salads with limited or no dressing
    Vegetables

    Low-calorie soups

    Nuts
  • emmy3111
    emmy3111 Posts: 482 Member
    really great info here, thanks for posting...
  • suerun11
    suerun11 Posts: 136 Member
    bump
  • CeeRawr89
    CeeRawr89 Posts: 328 Member
  • Debbe2
    Debbe2 Posts: 2,071 Member
    Lots of great websites given! Thanks!
  • 115perfection
    115perfection Posts: 109 Member
    If you are flexible, sucking on your toes is low cal
  • JoLo27
    JoLo27 Posts: 54 Member
    bump
  • spaingirl2011
    spaingirl2011 Posts: 763 Member
    I also live alone and high recommend in investing in some nice tupperware (or glass storage-ware) so that you can freeze portions of low-cal/fat lasagna, stews, spaghetti sauce. soups, chicken, etc. I find that if I'm really tired and don't have the motivation to cook, I just pull out one of my ready-made dinners (that *I* made, so I know what's in it and it isn't loaded with salt) and nuke it. Also, since I portion it out for one person, it's ready to go and I don't have to measure!

    Best of luck to you!
  • bunnyklutz
    bunnyklutz Posts: 17 Member
    bump
  • travellernikki
    travellernikki Posts: 31 Member
    Just spent 15 minutes browsing eatingwell.com. Looks amazing! Can't wait to try these, and they have 7 day and 28 day plans on different calorie levels. Awesome!
  • barbara4599
    barbara4599 Posts: 114 Member
    Salad is always an easy choice. I chop & prep on the weekend so I have things ready in the fridge to toss together. I also made a list of my favorite fixings - different vegetables, beans, meats, cheeses, etc. and keep it stuck to the fridge. Now I can throw something together quick and easy!
  • angiechimpanzee
    angiechimpanzee Posts: 536 Member
    BUY A BOX OF WHOLE GRAIN PASTA. I swear you can do so many things with it. These are my favorite brands - Barilla PLUS and Barilla Whole Grain. Up to 7 grams of fiber per serving and insanely filling and versatile. I use linguine and bow tie.

    Linguine is good for asian-style dishes like teriyaki noodles with grilled chicken or shrimp. OR noodle soups. Some of my favorite recipes are also chicken & broccoli alfredo (there are low-calorie alfredo sauce recipes out there that are frighteningly similar to the real thing) and stir fry veggies with noodles.
  • Warley_x
    Warley_x Posts: 62
    Bump
  • Thanks for posting all these great websites. I will be looking into them today.
  • jazgale
    jazgale Posts: 16
    I have been on 1200 calorie diet for about 3 months.. and i live alone.. i just dont know what to eat..
    I have lost almost 30 lbs... just have a hard time figuring out what to fix for dinner is my hardest part.
    any suggestions??

    Hi!! you should check out my Food Diary for the past week.
    My diet has stayed within the 1200 Kcal. and have been eating really healthy. Lot's of proteins for a good work out, lot's of veggies, and very little carbs, to lose the extra pounds.

    You can always reach me at my inbox, if you need any help or have any questions!! have a beautiful day.