People Eating 1200 a Day

I eat what I like, just smaller portions!

This. I eat a bunch of different things throughout the day and snack a lot, but just small amounts at a time so I don't ever feel hungry.

That's my goal too, feel free to add me, my dairy is open. I try to eat lots of "snacks", fruit, hardboiled eggs, veggies, almonds...BUT I also love a beer or glass of wine in the evening so I try to exercise so I have some extra calories to enjoy an adult beverage

Note: I am 5'1" .
I generally have 3 meals and 2 snacks each day for a total of 1200-1300 calories. This is NOT a complete list, because I like finding and trying new things. But this will give you a good idea of what I eat.

Breakfast (~300 calories)
• GNC Total Lean Shake (vanilla bean, blueberries & cream, strawberry and cookies & cream are my favorites – 180 calories when mixed with 8oz. water) mixed with Walden Farms 0 calorie syrups (strawberry or caramel) for added flavor
• SlimFast shakes (180-190 cal each)
• Better Oats Oat Fit oatmeal (cinnamon roll, maple brown sugar – these are 100 calories a pack)
• Instant flavored Cream of Wheat (Cinnabon is my favorite)
• Unflavored instant oatmeal, add cinnamon and fruit
• Fiber One 80 Calorie Honey Squares with ½ cup skim milk
• Omelet (liquid egg whites or egg substitute, spinach, mushrooms, yellow/red/orange peppers, parmesan or mozzarella cheese in any combination)
• Turkey bacon (Butterball brand 2 slices = 30 cal) or turkey sausage (2 patties = 100 cal)
• Fruit (blueberries, strawberries, apple, grapes, pineapple, kiwi, banana, pear and an orange are my favorites for breakfast)
• Emerald or Blue Diamond 100 calorie pack natural almonds or walnuts & almonds or bulk almonds weighed for 1 oz. serving
• Low carb tortilla (great for making an omelet wrap)
• Flat Out wraps or Foldit bread (90 – 100 cal each)
• Healthy Life 35 calorie whole grain whole wheat bread

Some days I have a shake by itself, or blended with fruit.
If I have oatmeal or Cream of Wheat, I mix blueberries, a diced apple or nuts in it.
If I have an omelet, I have either bacon or sausage and a fruit with it.

Morning Snack (~100 – 200 calories)
• Yogurt (Fiber One 50 calorie, Activia Light, Chobani Champions, Aldi’s nonfat Greek are my favorites)
• Special K bar
• Light string cheese, cheddar cheese, or Colby/jack cheese sticks
• Fruit
• Laughing Cow wedges
• Natural peanut butter (1 tbsp)
• Low fat wheat thin crackers

Lunch (~300 calories)
• GNC Total Lean Shake (vanilla bean, blueberries & cream, strawberry and cookies & cream are my favorites – 180 calories when mixed with 8oz. water)
• Salad with Walden Farms 0 calorie dressing
• Tuna in pouch
• Chicken breast strips
• Healthy Choice thin sliced deli chicken or turkey
• Boiled egg
• Baby carrots, grape tomatoes, cucumbers with dressing
• 1-2 servings of veggies (broccoli, green beans, zucchini, etc.) I LOVE veggies!
• Fruit
• Yogurt
• Cheese
• Flat Out bread
• Healthy Life bread
• Diet Direct – WonderSlim Veggie Joe
• Diet Direct – WonderSlim Spicy Cheese Pasta

Afternoon Snack (~100 – 200 calories)
• Diet Direct – WonderSlim Peanut Butter Crunch Protein Bar
• Diet Direct – WonderSlim Sour Cream & Onion O’s (kind of like mini Funyons)
• Diet Direct – WonderSlim Cheddar Cheese Crisps
(Due to keeping a closer watch on my sodium, I’ve cut out the Diet Direct products, except for what I have left in the pantry.)
• Laughing Cow Cheese
• Emerald or Blue Diamond 100 calorie pack natural almonds or walnuts & almonds or bulk almonds weighed for 1 oz. serving
• Fruit
• Lean Cuisine Garden Vegetable Dip & Pita Bread or Spinach Artichoke Dip & Pita Bread (Love it! But have started to cut out due to high sodium.)
• Other protein bars, less than 200 cals with low fat

Dinner (~300 calories)
• Lean meat (3 – 4 oz) – chicken, turkey, ground turkey, beef, pork
o I started with a lot of precooked items because I don’t like to spend a lot of time cooking. My favorites are from Sams (John Soules beef fajita or chicken strips and Butterball turkey medallions). Now I’m moving towards more home cooked meats to cut down on sodium.
• Seafood (3 – 4 oz) – shrimp, crab meat, lobster meat, tilapia, salmon
• Vegetables (1 – 2 cups) - fresh or frozen
o I buy a lot of frozen veggies when on sale. They are great for stir fries and quick side dishes. Get the no sauce added kind.
• Brown rice
o Birds Eye makes a steamable bag of frozen brown rice either plain or with veggies. They are quick and easy, with a lower amount of sodium.
• Low carb tortillas (great for making wraps, pizza, quesadillas, etc.)
• Flat Out bread and wraps
• A lot of the same stuff on the Lunch list also.

Note: For seasoning, stay AWAY from added salt. I use Mrs. Dash and have several varieties. I also use fresh herbs, spices, and onions or peppers to add flavor.

Desserts (~100 – 150 calories)
• Skinny Cow ice cream cups
• Sugar Free jello with Fat Free Cool Whip
• Weight Watchers frozen strawberry yogurt bars
• Weight Watchers ice cream sandwiches
• Aldi’s 14 calorie fruit & ice cream swirl bars
• Fruit (my favorite is to sprinkle a sliced apple with cinnamon, microwave until soft, top with FF Cool Whip, ice cream, Walden Farms 0 calorie caramel syrup, or crumbled Special K bar)

I hope this can help you some.

Don't eat premade foods. I've been doing 1200 since January. I've had days where I've gone over, but usually it's intended. You can add me if you want to look at mine. It's open to friends only. I have good days and bad, but have no issues staying at 1200 when I want to.

Anyone of you can add me too. I set myself at 1200 day, but I also weigh over 200, trying to get down to 140 (long term goal). My short term goal is below 200 cuz I haven't been below 200 for 10 years now It would help to have some buddy's in my journey that can be my moral support

Also, if you drink more water, you'll feel less hungry. On my low-water-intake days, I snack a LOT more, but if I'm drinking 8-11 cups a day, I eat a lot less. One of my friends who's a yoga instructor posted the following article about your water intake. Here's the basic formula for how many ounces of water you should drink = your body weight x 0.7

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-5183/Hydration-and-Replenishment-for-Hot-Yogis.html

So yesterday was a bit low for me (I ate less than intended and am already on a cut compared to normal...I generally advocate eating more if you are hungry) BUT it was close to 1200 cals and I was very satisfied but also barely ate anything processed. Whole foods will fill you up and so will plenty of protein.

My diary is open!

PS You will also have to adjust to the change...your body will get used to it.

I agree with those steering you away from frozen meals. Take the extra time to pack yourself a "fresh" lunch. It's worth it. Look for things that are high in protein but low in fat. Most days for lunch I eat a wrap with 2% cheese, light mayo, lots of veggies, and soy turkey (I"m a vegetarian--but you can substitute regular lunchmeat--look for turkey or something with lower fat). I want to say the total calories for the wrap are right around 300. I typically eat around 1500-1600 calories / day, but I also burn around 300-400 working out. You can always eat your extra calories from working out and still see a loss. Good luck--you can do this!!

add me too
I try to stay at 1200, but some days I go over by a few, and I've been losing weight still. I don't always eat back all of my exercise calories (sometimes eating back 800 calories is hard!). But I've heard that going over a few days actually confuses your metabolism, zig zagging, and actually helps you burn more fat. Has anyone done this, and how does it work?

Mine is open. I am set at 1300 a day but eat more like 1500-1800 because I eat my exercise calories back.