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1200 calorie diet for men: 1,200-Calorie Diet for Men | Livestrong.com

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1,200-Calorie Diet for Men | Livestrong.com

A bowl of green salad.

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Most adult men can safely lose weight at a healthy pace by following a 1,200-calorie-a-day diet plan, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Losing weight is important for overweight men because it can greatly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, which affects one out of every three adult men, according to the American Heart Association.

Meal Schedule

When planning a 1,200-calorie diet plan, spread your calories out over three meals and one snack. Each meal should consist of about 350 calories, and the remaining 150 calories can go toward your snack or several snacks throughout the day. Eating something every three hours will help keep you feeling full during the day and keep you energy levels up. The best way to transition into a low-calorie diet is over a period of weeks or months. For instance, cut 100 calories from your daily caloric intake each week until you reach 1,200.

Food Suggestions

Portion control and food choices are key. The Department of Health and Human Services suggests consuming 4 ounces of grains each day, 1 cup of fruit, 1.5 cups of vegetables, 3 ounces of lean meat or beans, 2 cups of milk or other dairy products and 17 grams of fats and oils. This 1,200-calorie plan also allows for about 171 discretionary calories that you can use for added sugar, seasonings or an added snack like a piece of fruit. A sample low-calorie breakfast could include 1 cup of bran cereal with 1 cup of skim milk and a banana. Dinner or lunch may consist of a 3-ounce portion of chicken breast, ¾ cup of green beans, a small salad with 2 teaspoons of olive oil and balsamic vinegar and a fresh peach.

Benefits

In addition to lowering your risk of heart disease, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that modest weight loss of just 5 to 10 percent of your current body weight can help improve your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels. These factors are all an important part of your health. Other benefits of losing weight and eating healthy include increased energy levels, better mood and self-confidence.

Potential

The weight-loss potential is high when following a 1,200-calorie diet plan. For instance, it’s not uncommon for adult men in the United States to consume 2,500 or more calories per day to maintain their current body weight. Eliminating 1,300 calories from this amount yields a net loss of more than 2 pounds per week. The CDC’s recommendation for safe weight loss is 1 to 2 pounds per week, so the potential for safely losing 50 to 100 pounds over the course of a year is high.

1,200 Calorie Diet Review – Weight Loss, Safety, Results

NOWADAYS THERE are too many diets to keep track of (keto, paleo, gluten-free, Atkins), with some more sustainable (think the Mediterranean Diet) and others more fad-like in nature (think the Optavia Diet).

Add the 1,200 Calorie Diet to the (long) list of fad diets.

While the purpose of the diet is self-contained in its name—you’re literally restricting your calories to 1,200 a day—there’s a lot to unpack about the plan if you’re considering it as an approach to weight loss.

The 1,200 Calorie Diet bills itself as being built upon sound nutrition principals (as in, proponents of the diet don’t just pull that number 1,200 out of their hats), and argues that it can lead to drastic weight reduction in record time.

Considering that moderately active men ages 16 to 25 should be consuming 2,800 calories daily, and that moderately active men ages 26 to 45 should eat 2,600 calories daily, that target number of 1,200 is kind of, well, scary.

Is that kind of calorie restriction safe? Will a 1,200-calorie diet actually help you lose weight? And, even if it does, will that weight loss come with any side effects, either to your body or mind?

If you’re considering the 1,200 Calorie Diet (or any highly restrictive diet, for that matter) you’ll want to know how it works, the pros and cons, and how best to do it safely and efficiently—if at all.

And, as a general note, you should always speak to a dietitian before beginning any kind of drastic dietary program.

But here’s what you should know about the 1,200 Calorie Diet now.

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What is the 1,200 Calorie Diet?

The 1,200 Calorie Diet is a low-calorie eating plan that limits the total number of calories consumed each day to 1,200. Advocates of a 1,200-calorie diet argue that this particular amount of calories is the “magic number” for calories as it relates to weight loss and can help you shed pounds in 30 days or less.

Here’s the truth: There’s no science behind that number. Some sources cite the American College of Sports Medicine for settling on the number, but there’s currently no information on the organization’s website to suggest this is true.

Consuming 1,200 calories a day may lead you to weight loss, that’s true, but there’s nothing magical about that number.

What do you eat on the 1,200 Calorie Diet?

Not much, that’s for sure.

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“To stay within these 1,200 calories, it’s recommended to eat three meals and one snack per day, while being mindful of portion control and mealtimes,” says Ilyse Schapiro, M.S., R.D.

There aren’t really guidelines other than energy restriction, which makes it sound easy. That said, maintaining an energy deficit of that level can not only be difficult and stressful. And there may be negative health consequences of a 1,200-calorie diet depending on how long you try to maintain it.

This is especially for active men, who need to eat double the calories than the 1,200 Calorie Diet, according to current USDA recommendations.

And due to the diet’s lack of structure, it’s hard to really know you’re doing it “properly”—not to mention how to figure out which types of foods you should be eating so that you’re not running the risk of nutrient deficiencies.

Most dieters “will log their food intake into a tracking app to keep up with how much they’ve consumed in a day, with some going the extra step to actually weigh or measure all of their food,” says Kelly Jones, M.S, R.D.

Others may subscribe to meal plans or meal delivery services that are supposed to stick to a specific calorie goal. So there’s flexibility in how you do it. And if your flexibility bends toward eating 1,2oo calories of highly processed junk food, well, at least you’re running a calorie deficit?

With the 1,200 Calorie Diet, that sort of “it’s up to you!” factor may be just one of the dangerous drawback.

What are the side effects of the 1,200 Calorie Diet?

“1,200 calories per day is an awfully low amount of energy for men,” Says Schaprio. “Consuming too few calories can lead to metabolic, hormonal, and reproductive destruction to the body.”

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For example, severe calorie restriction can reduce bone density and increase the risk of osteoporosis and hip fractures in men.

What’s more, endocrine hormones, which regulate insulin levels, adipose tissue, and inflammation in the body can become disrupted too, leading to a cardiovascular risks and other health concerns, Schapiro says.

Even further, long-term calorie may alter sex hormones, leading to lower circulating sex hormones and poor reproductive health. Yikes.

Does the 1,200 Calorie Diet work for weight loss?

Yes, probably, but at the greater risk of your long-term health.

Due to substantial caloric restriction, this diet may be effective for men who want to drop pounds fast. However, for sustained weight loss and weight maintenance—and overall physical and mental health—this diet is not the answer.

Men’s Health Plant-Based Eating

And if you’re thinking, “Oh, well I’ll just hop on it quick and then hop off,” hold up.

You might gain even more weight after you go off the diet, says Jones, with your body storing additional weight as a protective measure against future severe calorie restriction.

Physiologically, you may not only respond with a reduction in basal metabolic rate but also you may have an increase in hunger hormones, a decrease in satiety hormones, and increased satisfaction when you eat, causing you to want to eat more and more often, says Jones.

The takeaway: While short-term weight loss may happen, the risks of the 1,200 Calorie Diet outweigh any benefit.

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1,200 Calorie Diet Menu

Use the exchange
lists to give yourself more choices.

BreakfastEnergy
(Kcal)
Fat
(GM)
%FatExchange for:
Whole-wheat bread,
1 med. slice
701.215(1 Bread/Starch)
   Jelly,
regular, 2 tsp
3000
Fruit)
Cereal,
shredded wheat,
½ C
10414(1
Bread/Starch)
   Milk,
1%, 1 C
102323(1
Milk)
Orange
juice, ¾ C
7800(1½
Fruit)
Coffee,
regular, 1 C
500(Free)
Breakfast Total 3895.210 

LunchEnergy
(Kcal)
Fat
(GM)
%FatExchange for:
Roast
beef sandwich
    
   Whole-wheat bread,
   2 med. slices
1392.415(2
Bread/Starch)
   Lean
roast beef,
   unseasoned, 2oz
601.523(2 Lean
Protein)
   Lettuce,
1 leaf
100 
   Tomato, 3
med. slices
1000(1
Vegetable)
   Mayonnaise, low-calorie,
   1 tsp
151.796(13

Fat)

Apple, 1
med.
8000(1
Fruit)
Water, 1
C
000(Free)
Lunch Total 3055.616 

DinnerEnergy
(Kcal)
Fat
(GM)
%FatExchange for:
Salmon,
2 oz edible
103540(2 Lean
Protein)
   Vegetable oil, 1½ tsp607100(1½
Fat)
Baked
potato, ¾ med.
10000(1
Bread/Starch)
   Margarine, 1 tsp344100(1
Fat)
Green
beans, seasoned
with margarine, ½ C
5224(1
Vegetable)
(½ Fat)
Carrots,
seasoned
3520(1
Vegetable)
White
dinner roll, 1 small
70226(1
Bread/Starch)
Iced
tea, unsweetened, 1 C
000(Free)
Water, 2
C
000(Free)
Dinner Total 4542039 

SnackEnergy
(Kcal)
Fat
(GM)
%FatExchange for:
Popcorn,
2½ C
6900(1
Bread/Starch)
   Margarine, ¾ tsp303100
Fat)
     
Grand Total1,2473424 

 

Calories:1,247    SFA, % kcals:7
Total Carb, % kcals:58    Cholesterol, mg:96
Total Fat, % kcals:26    Protein, % kcals:19
Sodium,* mg:1,043   

 

Note: Calories have been rounded.

1,200: 100% RDA met for all nutrients except: Vit E 80%,Vit
B2 96%,Vit B6 94%, Calcium 68%, Iron 63%, Zinc 73%

* No salt added in recipe preparation or as seasoning. Consume at least 32 oz water.

 

Use this sample menu and others for planning healthy reduced-calorie meals. These menus are appropriate for weight loss for men and women.

WARNING: Don’t Start a 1200 Calorie Diet Plan Until You Read This

[Last updated 10th April, 2019]

Cutting calories is necessary for weight loss.

There are numerous ways to do this, but some prefer to follow a straight-forward low calorie diet.

One of the more popular choices is called the 1,200 calorie diet… But it’s not something you just simply jump into head first.

This article reviews everything you need to know before getting started, including a sample 1200 calorie meal plan and considerations for those with diabetes.

Who Needs a 1200 Calorie Diet?

A 1,200 calorie diet is a plan that restricts food intake, creating a calorie deficit to promote weight loss.

Unlike other diet strategies that focus on a particular food group (such as the ketogenic diet cutting carbs or the 3-day military diet which cuts several foods), there are no specific modifications for the 1,200 calorie diet. Overall quantity is limited in whatever way is easiest for you.

Given the average woman requires 2100 calories to maintain a healthy weight, the 1,200 calorie diet should be a sizeable yet manageable caloric deficit for most.

That said, eating 1,200 calories may mean a mild reduction in calorie intake for some, yet quite drastic and unhealthy for others. It simply depends on your current calorie intake as well as your metabolic rate. To find your current metabolic rate, use this equation.

For instance, a smaller, sedentary postmenopausal woman may only require 1,500 calories to maintain her current weight. Restricting to 1,200 calories may produce mild weight loss.

Meanwhile, a larger, active young man may require 2,500 calories to maintain his current weight. This means, restricting to 1,200 calories would cut his food intake by over 50%.

So, while restricting calories to 1,200 will help you lose weight, the rate and sustainability of this diet depends on individual characteristics like age, gender, activity level and health status.

Summary: Eating 1,200 calories per day is a a common weight-loss strategy. Following this plan can be moderate for some and drastic for others. Not all individuals require this degree of calorie restriction.

Benefits of Calorie Counting

Calorie counting is a common strategy for successful weight loss.

Studies show that those who calorie count, work with a dietitian and use behavior change techniques lose more weight than with other types of weight-loss strategies (1).

Calorie counting specifically makes you more aware of food choices, portion sizes and their total calorie contribution.

By keeping record of calories consumed throughout the day, you’ll have more self-awareness and improved diet flexibility.

When you become familiar with the amount of calories in the foods you typically consume, it’s easier to manage your daily calorie budget and make simple tweaks to your food choices and portion sizes.

For instance, if you typically have a salad for lunch with:

  • Half an avocado (117 calories)
  • 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds (102 calories)
  • 1 ounce feta cheese (75 calories)
  • 2 tablespoons Green Goddess dressing (130 calories)
  • 4 ounces grilled shrimp (133 calories)
  • 3 cups mixed greens (28 calories)

Then your salad totals 585 calories. You may decide to also have a slice of whole wheat bread (90 calories) and a bottle of kombucha (60 calories). Now you’re at 735 calories.

If your daily calorie budget is 1,200, you may want to make some tweaks to your lunch so that you have more calories to spare for other meals.

By removing items or cutting back on portions, you can easily turn that into a 350-calorie lunch.

Of course, calorie counting requires dedicated time and effort. Over time, tracking every morsel of food and drink you consume feels downright exhausting and stressful. Fortunately, you only have to do it for 3-4 days to get a solid idea of your usual intake.

I definitely encourage calorie counting over a short period of time if you want to lose weight.

Summary: Calorie counting helps improve food and portion awareness. It allows you to have flexibility with your daily calorie budget. However, using it long-term is tedious and stressful so I only recommend if for 3-4 days.

Tips to Avoid Hunger

Following a low calorie diet can spark hunger, so it’s important to know useful strategies to stay on track.

Here are tips to avoid excess hunger:

  • Plan meals ahead of time: Plan out how many meals and snacks is appropriate for you to consume each day. Be sure to stick to that schedule.
  • Choose an eating pattern that supports your hunger levels. If you’re hungrier in the morning, eat more calories at that time. If you need an extra snack after the gym, limiting snacking at other times of the day.
  • Include lean protein choices with each meal. Examples include turkey, chicken, crab, shrimp, tilapia, beans, lentils, tofu and whey protein powder.
  • Load up on non-starchy veggies throughout the day. This includes leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, string beans, eggplant, asparagus, etc. These are rich in fiber and water, which help you feel full.
  • Use volumetrics to your advantage. This strategy has you eating high volume but lower calorie foods to help fill up. Examples include popcorn, rice cakes, edamame, zoodles (zucchini noodles), Cheerios and watermelon.
  • Avoid drinking your calories. However, when you feel hungry sip on zero- or low-calorie beverages. Here’s a list of options at under 40 calories per bottle.
  • Snack on low- or non-fat dairy products. This includes yogurt, cheese and whey protein shakes.
  • Chop up fruits and veggies in unique ways. This technique helps you feel like you have more food in front of you. Thinly slice apples, make jicama into long matchsticks, or shred beets and toss on a salad.
  • Steam veggies rather than roast or stir fry. This reduces extra oil and calories.
  • Start a meal with a broth-based soup. Add non-starchy veggies to help fill up the stomach.

Below are some low-calorie products to try out:

  • Shiratake noodles
  • PB2 (powdered peanut butter)
  • Whey protein isolate
  • Unsweetened almond milk
  • Rice cakes
  • Sandwich thins
  • Vinegar-based salad dressing
  • Condiments: mustard, vinegar, hot sauce, coconut aminos, soy sauce, tamari, salsa
  • Sugar-free pudding
  • Rice paper
  • Puffins cereal
  • Laughing cow cheese
  • Stevia sweetener

Here are some ways to eat low-calorie when eating out:

  • Order salads with vinegar or lemon/lime for dressing.
  • Avoid all fried foods, including tempura-battered sushi.
  • Avoid/limit alcoholic beverages. Instead, order soda water with a lemon or lime.
  • Ask for steamed vegetables without any sauce.
  • Look up restaurant menus before you go. Most will report their calorie counts online.
  • Ask for all sauces on the side.
  • Avoid the bread or chip basket at the start of a meal. Order a garden salad or vegetable/broth-based soup instead.

Summary: Have strategies in place to avoid feeling overly hungry when following a 1,200 calorie diet. Stock up on low-calorie food options at home. Prepare to stay on track at restaurants by ordering smart and looking up menus ahead of time.

Considerations for Diabetes

Those with diabetes may consider following a low calorie diet to not only lose weight, but potentially reverse this chronic health condition.

Traditionally, diabetics are trained to count the carbohydrates they eat at each meal (30 to 45 grams) and snack (15 to 20 grams) to gain control over blood sugar regulation.

However, a low calorie diet or very low calorie diet (VLCD) may be another useful strategy for diabetics if used under medical supervision.

Researchers conducted an 8-week study of 30 people with type 2 diabetes following a VLCD (624 to 700 calories per day from 3 nutrition shakes and non-starchy vegetables).

The study found that diabetic remission was achieved for at least six months in 40% of participants who responded to the diet (2).

Some argue that what is truly beneficial is not only the calorie reduction, but the reduction in carbs as well, also known as a low carb diet. It certainly seems a viable option as well.

Keep in mind that medication and insulin requirements for diabetics following a low calorie diet can rapidly change, so it’s vital to regularly check blood sugar levels and notify your healthcare professional about the diet.

Summary: While diabetics typically count carbohydrates, they may also consider controlling their calorie intake to improve blood sugar and lose weight. Diabetics should keep close tabs on blood sugar changes that can result with caloric restriction and rapid weight loss.

Who Should Avoid The 1,200 Calorie Diet?

Some people should avoid following a 1,200 calorie diet.

Lean Muscle Mass Builders

If you’re attempting to build lean muscle mass, a low calorie diet will likely take away from your goal.

It’s vital to consume enough total calories, protein and carbohydrates to gain extra lean mass. Additionally, high-intensity and/or high-load strength training requires you eat extra calories to keep up.

Restricting calories may put the body into a catabolic state, in which body tissue breaks down rather than builds up.

Large Men

Larger men have higher calorie needs to support their body’s nutritional needs.

Large men not only have faster metabolisms than their smaller or female counterparts, but they may also have an increased need for specific nutrients like protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals.

Excessively restricting calories makes it unlikely that this population can meet the nutritional demands of their body, leading to potential nutrient deficiencies.

Larger individuals that require more calories may want to try the 1,500 calorie meal plan instead.

Individuals with Eating Disorders

If you have any kind of eating disorder, avoid going on a 1,200 calorie diet.

Calorie restriction and tracking often perpetuates disordered eating patterns. It can cause hyperfocus and obsession with food, adding fuel to the already controlling behaviors exhibited with eating disorders.

Malnourished

If you’re malnourished and have any sort of nutrient deficiency, then a 1,200 calorie diet is not the right fit for you.

Malnourishment can result from poor food intake or poor nutrient absorption. This may be the case if you have celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, cystic fibrosis or gastroparesis.

Talk with a healthcare professional to figure out an appropriate calorie level to support your needs.

Summary: The 1,200 calorie diet is not for everyone. Avoid following it if you are building lean muscle mass, a large male, have an eating disorder or are malnourished.

7-Day 1200 Calorie Meal Plan

Ready to try out a 1,200 calorie diet?

Here’s a 7-day meal plan, calories listed in brackets:

Sunday (1,197 calories)

    • Breakfast (254): Egg white omelette with spinach and cheese cooked with non-stick spray and topped with salsa, side of toast, coffee with almond milk
      • 3.5 oz egg white (48)
      • 1 oz low fat cheddar cheese (70)
      • 2 cups sauteed spinach (14)
      • Nature’s Own sandwich thin (100)
      • 2 tbsp salsa (10)
      • 16 oz coffee (5)
      • Splash of almond milk (8)
    • Lunch (439): 6-piece California sushi roll (255), 1 cup miso soup (84), 0.5 cup edamame (100)
    • Snack (260): Medium apple (80) with 2 tbsp raw almond butter (180)
    • Dinner (390): 1 cup zoodles (19), half cup marinara (70), 3 oz lean ground turkey (120), 0.5 cup mushrooms (8), 1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese (27)

Monday (1,185 calories)

    • Breakfast (310): 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese (180), 0.5 cup sliced peaches, 2 tbsp pecans (100)
    • Lunch (329): 1 sandwich thin (100), 4 oz tuna packed in water (100) mashed up with 1.5 tbsp lite mayo (52), add lettuce and tomato (15), side of 1 cup grapes (62)
    • Snack (235): 4 cups Skinny Pop popcorn (150), 1 mozzarella string cheese (80)
    • Dinner (311): 1 medium baked sweet potato (180), 4 oz baked chicken (100), 1 cup steamed broccoli (31)

Tuesday (1,168 calories)

    • Breakfast (286): 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (130), 0.5 cup raspberries (32), 1 tbsp chia seeds (60), 1 tsp honey (64)
    • Lunch (336): 2 cups raw spinach (14), 4 oz grilled shrimp (133), 1 cup sliced cucumber (14), 3 oz shredded carrots (35), 1 tbsp slivered almonds, 1 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette (50), 28g low-fat feta cheese (50)
    • Snack (210): Kind Bar Nut Delight (210)
    • Dinner (336): 2 corn tortillas (100), 0.5 cup shredded raw cabbage (9), 2 tbsp salsa (10), 0.5 medium avocado (117), 4 oz baked tilapia (100)

Wednesday (1,211 calories)

    • Breakfast (380): 2 hard boiled eggs (140), 1 medium grapefruit (60), 1 slice toasted rye bread (80) with 1 tbsp butter (100)
    • Lunch (355): 1 cup chili (200), baked potato (115) with 2 tbsp lite sour cream (40)
    • Snack (156): 1 cup celery (16) with ¼ cup hummus (140)
    • Dinner (320): 113g shiratake noodles (20), 4 oz grilled shrimp (133), 1 tbsp soy sauce (20), 1 cup mung bean sprouts (26), 1 tbsp sesame oil (120)

Thursday (1,204 calories)

    • Breakfast (289): Smoothie with 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (30), 1 scoop whey protein isolate (105), 1 medium banana (110), 1 cup raw spinach (7), 1 tbsp ground flax seeds (37)
    • Lunch (247): Lettuce wraps with 4 oz deli turkey (120), 1 slice lite Swiss cheese (50), 1 cup Bib lettuce (7), 1 tsp mustard (0), side of 2 Clementines
    • Snack (195): 2 rice cakes (100) topped with 1 tbsp peanut butter (95)
    • Dinner (473): 3 oz lean ground beef burger patty (196) on sandwich thin (100) topped with lettuce (7), side of 2 cups roasted cauliflower (50) in 1 tbsp oil (120)

Friday (1,229 calories)

    • Breakfast (311): Paleo pumpkin pancakes (261) with 1 tbsp maple syrup (50)
    • Lunch (293): 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese (180) with 0.5 cup pineapple chunks (60), side of 0.5 cup cucumber slices (8) with 2 tbsp guacamole (45)
    • Snack (190): Apple Pie Larabar (190)
    • Dinner (435): 1 slice pizza (285) with Italian garden salad (150)

Saturday (1,265 calories)

    • Breakfast (306): Veggie omelet (244) with mixed fruit cup (62)
    • Lunch (285): Three bean salad (239) with 1 cup watermelon balls (46)
    • Snack (140): Rice krispy treat (90), 14 Kale chips (50)
    • Dinner (531): 6 oz salmon (291) with 0.5 cup brown rice (140), 1 cup cubed roasted eggplant (20) in 2 tsp oil (80)

Should I Try the 1200 Calorie Diet?

The 1200 calorie is an energy restriction approach to weight loss.

Rather than restricting a certain type of nutrient or food, it focuses on a total calorie restriction (much like intermittent fasting).

While calorie deprivation certainly promotes weight loss, this approach is not for everyone. Particularly avoid this type of diet if you are looking to build muscle mass, have an eating disorder, require a large amount of calories (i.e. larger men), or are malnourished.

If you desire a quick and potentially short-term weight loss strategy, try out this diet using the meal plan outlined above. Track your calories to ensure you’re hitting the daily energy goal.

Just keep in mind this is not an eating pattern you want to follow in the long-term. There are plenty of more sustainable weight loss strategies you can implement here.

 

Is It Enough To Keep Your Body In Running Order?

1300-Calorie Diet: Will It Work For You?

Diet is a word that is usually thrown around whenever people talk about weight-related issues. There are so many things you need to consider while choosing a diet, as different diets work for different individuals. The 1300 calorie diet is highly recommended for losing weight, however, before jumping into it, you need to know if it will work for your body or not. The minimum number of calories usually recommended for an individual to stay healthy is 1200 calories per day. Hence, the 1300 calorie diet plan may be manageable for a lot of people.

There are some things you need to consider before implementing the 1300 calorie diet, and these are:

  • Diets you’ve tried before – How were they, and did they work for you?
  • What do you prefer? – I know the word diet is associated with boring foods, but that is just a modern-day misconception. You need to be able to enjoy your diet for it to be effective.
  • What is your budget? – Some diets require certain meals that can be quite costly. Before you pick a diet plan, you need to be sure you can afford it, less you quit in the middle.
  • Health conditions – Do you have any health conditions like diabetes, allergies, and so on?
  • Your body’s metabolism – The higher your body’s metabolism, the more calories you need. For example, if you are physically active, this will increase your metabolism and you will require more calories.
  • A professional’s recommendation – This can be a dietitian or a nutritionist. They are the best people to tell you what diet would work for you.

Why A 1300-Calorie Diet?

The 1300 calorie diet menus are highly encouraged because, first of all, they are straightforward to make and follow. The plan is also not so constricting. You don’t want to feel as if you are punishing yourself. It also allows one to have the required number of calories per day. Nobody wants to be moody, to lack energy, or to feel light-headed just because they are on a diet.

The 1300 calorie diet results show that this food plan is quite effective in losing extra pounds. A typical adult requires between 1800 calories and 3200 calories a day to maintain the same weight, depending on things like gender, age, and activity level (8). This 1300 calorie provision enables you to cut on what you consume, consequently, losing weight gradually while still absorbing the required nutrients needed for normal body functioning. It is also quite easy to balance what you take with this plan. You could go for 300 calories for breakfast, 300 calories for lunch, 300 calories for dinner, and 100 calories for snacks (2).

What Does A 1300-Calorie Diet Contain?

One thousand three hundred calories are not as little as people think. They are quite enough to sustain an individual. A 1300-calorie diet contains:

  1. A lot of whole-grain cereals and foods. These foods include brown rice, millet, oatmeal, whole-wheat bread, etc. (2)
  2. It also includes many legumes like chickpeas, lentils, peas, kidney beans, black beans, soybeans, pinto beans, and navy beans (2).
  3. It contains a lot of healthy nuts and seeds as well, like almonds, pistachios, walnuts, cashews, pecans, macadamia nuts, and hazelnuts (2).
  4. Leafy vegetables are also included in the diet. These include Kales, collard greens, spinach, cabbage, beet greens, and lettuce (2).
  5. There are also whole fruits included, and these are actually better than fruit juices. Go for bananas, oranges, apples, pineapples, watermelons, peaches, grapefruits, avocados, blueberries, mangoes, strawberries, and pomegranate (2).
  6. It also includes low-fat dairy products (2).
  7. There are low-calorie meats as well, such as boneless and skinless chicken breasts, turkey breast, pork tenderloin, fish and seafood, salmon, and scallops (2).

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How To Stick To A-1300 Calorie Diet?

Be it a 1300 calorie gluten-free diet, or even a 1300 calorie Keto diet; there are things you need to do. These are:

Don’t Give Up If The Results Are Not Instant

Weight loss is not a magic trick. It doesn’t happen instantly. There are a few factors that determine how fast one can lose weight. Factors like age, genes, weight, and lifestyle, among others. Be patient and keep trying. If a long period passes without any significant changes, it would be advisable to see a professional as this might not be the recommended plan for you.

Plan Ahead

To ensure you follow the plan to the letter, it is good to prepare beforehand. This means knowing what you are supposed to eat on Thursday, as early as on Monday. Find out if you have all the necessary ingredients in advance. You don’t want to be making a meal for your 1300 calorie high protein diet, only to find out you have more carbohydrates than proteins. This might make you eat something that is not on your diet, thus affecting your progress (1).

Read More: Diet Plans, Menus, and Hacks to Lose Pounds Faster

Do It With Someone

 Just like work or anything that can be tedious or boring, it becomes easier and better when done with someone (6). Find a person who wants the same results as you and enter the plan with them. This can be your husband, relative, friend, or even colleague. On days when you are lazy or when you don’t want to follow the diet, they will be there to keep you going. These people act as your accountability partners. The best part is that you can do it with more than one person; the more, the merrier.

Set Small And Realistic Goals That Will Help You Achieve Your Big Goals

If you plan to lose 30 pounds in 4 months, set weekly goals and monthly goals. They will help you to continue to be motivated.

Follow Your Diet Strictly

This is to say, do not eat foods that are not in your diet. I know you may be craving that juicy double patty burger, some cheese fries, or that pepperoni pizza; try as much as possible to resist the cravings and remind yourself why you started the diet in the first place. Is a piece of pizza worth it compared to your dream summer body?

Exercise Frequently

Pick out a few hours in your day to exercise. They can be light exercises or heavy exercises, depending on what works for you. Whichever it is, make sure you set aside some time for it.

Do Not Miss Any Meals

It is advisable to eat small meals frequently and ensure you don’t miss any meals. You are not trying to starve yourself.

Add Fruits And Vegetables To Your Diet

Why are fruits and vegetables important in your 1300 calorie diet plan? It is because, first of all, they are essential and highly nutritious. They will provide your body with vitamins and mineral salts. Secondly, they contain low calories. This will help you stick to your target calories while getting the necessary nutrients.

Keep An Eye On The Snacks You Take

The 1300 calories limit does not give you enough room for certain snacks. When snacking, go for healthy snacks like nuts and the likes.

Consult An Expert

You can consult an expert, as well as work with one. An expert will help you in the best way possible. They will advise you on what you need to do and what you don’t need to do. Experts can also change your diet if they see it is not working. They will help you achieve your weight goals. However, if you cannot afford an expert, there are so many apps that can help you with this. The BetterMe app is one of the apps that can help you with your weight loss journey.

Keep Yourself Hydrated

Take between three to four liters of water every day. Water is very important when it comes to weight loss. This is because:

  • Firstly, it helps burn more calories (7).
  • Secondly, drinking water just before you eat can help reduce your appetite (7).
  • Thirdly, water is calorie-free. Drinking water helps take in fewer calories (7).
  • Lastly, drinking water enables you to avoid other drinks like sodas. Soft drinks are full of sugar and calories. Drinking soft drinks will be going against your diet needs (7).

Sleep Early

This helps reduce the chances of late-night snacking.

Try To Avoid Stress

I know it is almost impossible to do so but try as much as possible to avoid situations that will make you stressed. Stress is a weight-loss inhibitor. According to Wellmind, rises in Cortisol, which is the hormone related to stress, can help one gain weight. Every time you are stressed, adrenaline and stress hormones are released to the bloodstream, and this requires glucose. Once you stop being stressed, you have to replenish the glucose that was used, hence you find yourself eating more (10).

Have A Cheat Day

You always need to remember you are not punishing yourself. Set aside a day to treat yourself. Eat those gummy bears or that bar of chocolate you’ve been avoiding. You need to satisfy your cravings once in a while. You need to remember not to overdo it though.

If you’ve mustered up the courage to crush your weight loss goal, let Betterme take the sting out of this demanding process. Our app will help you restructure your habits, remold your life and crank up your fitness results!

Verdict

You cannot certainly know if a 1300 calorie diet can maintain your normal body functioning, without consulting a professional or without checking the factors discussed above. If this diet works for you, then you are in luck. This is because it has very positive results when it comes to weight loss. It is also a straightforward plan to follow as it does not have so many restrictions when it comes to the foods you cannot take. It also encourages healthy eating and living as it advocates for healthy foods and regular exercise.

What do you think about the 1300 calorie diet plan? Is it something you might want to try? Do you have someone you might want to try it with? Share with us what you think about all of these in the comments section below.

FAQs

Is It Safe To Eat 1300 Calories A Day?

For many people, it is safe to eat 1300 calories a day as long as you balance your meals well, and ensure each meal has the required nutrients. In general, people need a minimum of 1200 calories a day, as advised by Everyday health (4). Just make sure your meal has enough carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and so on. For some people, however, 1300 calories may not be enough. It is always advisable to see a nutritionist as they will direct you to the right plan.

Are 1300 Calories Enough For My Body?

There is no clear cut answer for this as it all depends on your lifestyle and body. Are you highly active? What is your gender and age? What are your starting weight, BMI, and body composition? These factors will help you answer the question. If you are highly active, the 1300 calories might not be enough. But if you want to lose weight, 1300 calories plus being active might just be the way to go. Consult with your physician or dietitian to help determine if 1300 calories is safe and adequate for your personal needs.

1300-Calorie Diet, How Much Weight Will I Lose?

People following this diet can lose between six and ten pounds within the first two weeks. After that, you can lose one to two pounds every week. If this does not happen to you, do not be discouraged, as different individuals would have different results.

According to WebMD, if you have a body mass index (BMI) of over 30, which doctors call obese, a very low-calorie diet like the 1300 calorie diet will allow you to lose around three to four pounds a week (11). That makes an average of about forty-four pounds in three months.

Losing this kind of weight can help you avoid or lower your chances of getting some diseases like high blood pressure and diabetes. I am sure nobody wants to get any of these conditions.

Is 1300 Calories A Day Enough To Lose Weight?

A low-calorie diet for men is an intake of between 1200 calories and 1600 calories, while for women it is between 1200 calories and 1400 calories. Low-calorie meals help an individual lose between two to four pounds weekly; hence a 1300 calorie food plan is enough to lose weight.

Can One Follow A 1300-Calorie Diet With No Exercise?

One can follow the 1300 calorie diet with no exercise. According to LivingStrong, although this might work to achieve weight loss effectively and safely, you need to add exercises to your routine (12). It doesn’t have to be very heavy exercises, just the ones you can handle. You could at least do some light exercises for proper blood circulation.

How Many Carbs Should I Eat On A 1300-Calorie Diet?

Carbohydrates constitute between forty-five and sixty-five percent of the total calorie intake. Therefore, between 585-845 calories a day should be carbohydrates, or 146-211 grams (5).

How Many Proteins Should I Eat On A 1300-Calorie Diet?

130 to 390 calories a day should be from proteins. This is about 33-98 grams. You can, however, increase the protein intake and reduce the consumption of carbohydrates. But before you do this, it is highly recommended you talk to an expert first.

I know you want to know how we got the 130-390 calories. Medical News Today, together with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans state that out of the total calories consumed, 10% to 30% should constitute proteins (9, 3). You can calculate this using the given formula:

  • 10/100 * 1300 = 130 calories
  • 30/100 * 1300 = 390 calories

You can also take your weight in kilograms and multiply by 0.8 to get the minimum number of grams of protein you personally require each day.

DISCLAIMER:

This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any medical conditions. Any action you take upon the information presented in this 

SOURCES:

  1. 1,300-Calorie-a-Day Diet for Women (2020, livestrong.com)
  2. 1300 Calorie Diet Plan – Everything You Need to Know (2019, stylecraze.com)
  3. Appendix 7. Nutritional Goals for Age-Sex Groups Based on Dietary Reference Intakes and Dietary Guidelines Recommendations (n.d., health.gov)
  4. Calories: How to Know if You Go Too Low (2010, everydayhealth.com)
  5. Carbohydrates: How carbs fit into a healthy diet (2020, mayoclinic.org)
  6. Choosing a Weight Loss Buddy (n.d., webmd.com)
  7. How Drinking More Water Can Help You Lose Weight (n.d., healthline.com) 
  8. How Many Calories Do You Need In A Day To Stay Healthy? (2018, ndtv.com)
  9. How many carbs should dieters eat for weight loss? (2018, medicalnewstoday)
  10. How Stress Can Cause Weight Gain (2020, verywellmind.com)
  11. Very Low-Calorie Diets: What You Need to Know (n.d., webmd.com)
  12. Why Can’t I Lose Weight on 1300 Calories a Day? (2019, livestrong.com)

Very low calorie diets – NHS

A very low calorie diet is a clinically supervised diet plan that involves eating about 800 calories a day or fewer. They are sometimes considered for obese and severely obese people who are managing diabetes, going to have surgery or preparing for fertility treatment.

The diet usually involves replacing normal food with low-calorie shakes, soups, bars, or porridge containing milk.

Very low calorie diets are for adults who are obese and severely obese, defined as having a BMI over 30 and 40, and need to quickly lose weight. They are not the first option to manage obesity and should not be routinely used.

Very low calorie diets should only be followed under medical supervision for a maximum of 12 weeks. Do not follow a very low calorie diet unless a GP has suggested it to you.

Very low calorie diets are hard to follow

Very low calorie diets are less likely to be nutritionally complete as they provide far fewer calories than needed to maintain a healthy weight. The recommended daily calories are 2,500 for men and 2,000 for women.

It is not an easy diet to follow. Side effects can include:

  • feeling hungry
  • feeling low on energy
  • a dry mouth
  • constipation or diarrhoea
  • headaches
  • dizziness
  • cramps
  • hair thinning

While very low calorie diets can lead to short term weight loss, it is likely that the weight will come back on after the diet ends.

Very low calorie diets are not a long-term weight management strategy and should only be used as part of a wider plan.

Very low calorie diets are not suitable for most people

See a GP if you think a very low calorie diet may benefit you.

Very low calorie diets are not suitable if you are:

Read about eating a balanced diet

If a GP thinks a very low calorie diet might benefit you they should make sure:

  • the diet is nutritionally complete
  • the diet is followed for a maximum of 12 weeks (continuously or intermittently)
  • you are given ongoing support after the diet

Very low calorie diets are the most restrictive form of dieting, severely reducing calorie intake, so medical supervision is important.

You may also be interested in:

Page last reviewed: 18 November 2019

Next review due: 18 November 2022

The 1200 Calorie Diet & Meal Plan For Losing Weight: Myths vs Facts

Ladies… we need to talk. Specifically, we need to talk about the 1200 calorie diet.

You know exactly what I’m referring to, don’t you?

Of course you do. Somehow, every woman on the planet has come to know of the concept of eating precisely 1200 calories a day for the purpose of losing weight.

How do I know this, you ask? Because a surprisingly significant amount of the weight loss questions I get asked by women involve some aspect of the misinformation that lurks behind this whole “1200 calorie” thing.

That’s why, in this article, I’m going to finally set everything straight once and for all. This includes…

  • Where this magical “1200” number comes from.
  • Why the majority of women DON’T need a 1200 calorie diet to lose weight (and why it only causes problems).
  • Why some women legitimately DO need it (and the key thing they all have in common).
  • How eating this low amount can sometimes prevent weight loss from happening (but NOT because of “starvation mode”).
  • How so many women claim to be eating 1200 calories a day (or less) but STILL aren’t losing weight.

Let’s begin with the most basic question of all…

Why 1200 Calories A Day?

Simple. Because a caloric deficit is the sole cause and requirement of losing fat, and for damn near every woman (and man), eating 1200 calories a day is virtually guaranteed to be low enough for a deficit to exist (often to a large degree).

If you’re looking for any kind of magic beyond that, you’re not going to find any.

It’s just a number that happens to be low enough to make weight loss happen for practically everyone. Kinda like if something cost some appropriate amount of money, and you decide to pay for it with exactly $1,200.00 because that would probably be enough to cover it. The logic is pretty much identical.

I have an even better question about this number, though.

Why Does Everyone Think It’s Universally Ideal?

See, I often come across two different kinds of people:

  1. Those who think a 1200 calorie diet is right for EVERY woman.
  2. Those who think it’s never right for ANY woman.

Both groups are wrong (and I’ll prove it in a minute), but it’s the first group that confuses me the most.

Why do so many women – regardless of their different heights, weights, ages, body fat percentages, and activity levels – think that a 1200 calorie diet is ideal for them when it comes to losing weight?

How is it possible that so many women – who range anywhere from 95 lbs to 400 lbs, from 4’10 to 6’4, from physical jobs to desk jobs, from extremely active to completely sedentary, from hyperthyroid to hypothyroid, from 18 to 80 years old, with 10 lbs to lose to 100 lbs to lose – have all come to the same caloric conclusion that 1200 is their ideal number?

How did this one size somehow come to supposedly fit all?

The (Quick) Origin Story

Many people think it originated somewhere on the internet, making it a fairly “new” idea.

But… it’s not. It has actually been around for quite a bit longer than the internet has.

I’ve been able to trace it back to a diet book that came out nearly 100 years ago – Diet & Health: With Key to the Calories by Lulu Hunt Peters – which was, unsurprisingly, aimed specifically at women.

Not only was this book the first to promote the importance of calorie counting for weight loss, it also appears to contain the very first recorded mention of this magical “1200” number (sources here and here).

The context seems to have been a statement along the lines of how a woman who is a certain height or with a certain goal weight could eat anything she wanted and still lose weight… as long as she didn’t exceed “1200” calories a day.

And yeah, technically speaking, she’s right. Like I said a minute ago, that would indeed represent a deficit for most adult humans. No magic involved.

But how did that number go on to become THE number?

My best guess is that it simply started there, lived on, spread further, and gradually became more prevalent and misunderstood over time… just like any other thing/myth being perpetuated from misinformed person to misinformed person over a span of decades.

Which Brings Us To Today

And so we skip ahead to right now, in the present day, where we have…

  • Headlines on every female-oriented website and on the cover of every women’s magazine (the same magazines that simultaneously feature delicious cake recipes side-by-side with photos of some actress’s cellulite) that read “The 7-Day 1200 Calorie Diet Fix!” or “Lose 20lbs In 1 Month With The 1200-Calorie-A-Day Belly Fat Blast!” or some such horseshit.
  • Popular diet apps like MyFitnessPal constantly suggesting “1200 calories” as the ideal daily calorie intake for a wide range of the women who use it.
  • Clueless trainers and diet coaches getting paid a ton of money to “custom design” laughably generic cookie-cutter 1200 calorie meal plans for their female clients, with no individualization whatsoever for what each client truly needs.
  • People on weight loss forums and throughout social media who preach this mystical number to anyone who’s looking for advice on how to lose weight. (Not to mention, an entire pro-anorexic subculture that has taken it to an even larger extreme.)
  • Friends, family members, and otherwise intelligent people who have seen some/all of the above and will automatically come to associate 1200 calories with being the amount they should be eating if they want to lose weight.

Sound about right?

The big question is… just how realistic is it for so many women to legitimately need to eat 1200 calories a day in order to lose weight? Let’s find out.

SUMMARY:

Why 1200 calories? In most cases, it’s just a number women have seen, read, heard, or had some other source recommend to them. It’s a number that has been around for decades despite having no legitimate basis beyond being low enough to represent an (often large) deficit for damn near everyone. It could have just as easily been 1150 or 1250 instead and virtually nothing would be different.

Who Truly NEEDS To Eat 1200 Calories To Lose Weight?

The thinking for a lot of women is that 1200 calories is the amount that they legitimately need to eat in order to lose weight.

Meaning, anything more than that would simply be too much and weight loss wouldn’t happen. Therefore, a 1200 calorie diet is a requirement for them to reach their goals (or even make any progress at all).

The problem, however, is that this simply isn’t true for the majority of the female population.

In reality, the actual number of healthy adult women on this planet who truly need to eat as little as 1200 calories a day to lose weight is… low.

No, definitely not zero… but still low.

How low, you ask?

Comparatively speaking… very low.

Don’t believe me? I’ll prove it.

How Many Calories Do Women

Really Need To Eat?

Earlier I mentioned the fact that a caloric deficit is the sole cause and requirement of weight loss.

What this means is, in order to lose weight, you simply need to end up some degree below your maintenance level. For example, if you maintain your current weight eating 2500 calories per day, consistently eating some degree less than 2500 would make weight loss happen.

How far below your maintenance level should you go? Anywhere from 10-30% can have its place in different situations. But, generally speaking, 20% is a pretty solid/average deficit size to aim for.

With this in mind, let me show you just how unnecessary and unwarranted a 1200 calorie diet is for most women.

Realistic Calorie Estimates For Weight Loss: Example #1

One of the quickest and easiest ways of estimating how many calories you need to eat per day to maintain your current weight is by multiplying your body weight (in pounds) by 14-16. So, for example, a 200lb person would estimate that they’d need to eat between 2800 – 3200 calories a day for maintenance. If they were to then create a deficit of 20% from that, they’d come up with 2240 – 2560 calories per day to lose weight.

Now, is this perfectly accurate all the time for every person? Absolutely not. It’s just one method that tends to be somewhat accurate for a lot of people. So, we’re going to use it as our first example.

Let’s pretend we have a group of women who weigh as little as 110lbs to as much as 250lbs. I’m going to do all of the math we just did (multiply each body weight by 14-16 and then subtract a 20% deficit from it) for every woman in this imaginary group to show you the estimates for how many calories each would need to eat per day to lose weight…

  • Weight: 110lbs
    Estimate: 1232 – 1408 calories
  • Weight: 125lbs
    Estimate: 1400 – 1600 calories
  • Weight: 150lbs
    Estimate: 1680 – 1920 calories
  • Weight: 175lbs
    Estimate: 1960 – 2240 calories
  • Weight: 200lbs
    Estimate: 2240 – 2560 calories
  • Weight: 225lbs
    Estimate: 2520 – 2880 calories
  • Weight: 250lbs
    Estimate: 2800 – 3200 calories

Take a good look at these numbers.

These are the estimated daily calorie intakes needed for women at various weights to lose fat at a moderate rate. Note how the only time the estimate falls somewhere near 1200 calories is when it’s for a woman weighing around 110lbs. (Also note that, for most women – especially those of at least average height – 110lbs is a weight that wouldn’t/shouldn’t warrant being in a deficit in the first place.)

But yet, women at every single one of these body weights (and every weight in between) will somehow assume or conclude that 1200 calories is the amount they need to be eating in order to lose weight.

Based on this method of calculation, however, we can see that the majority would be wrong and attempting to eat hundreds of calories less than they truly need to be.

Realistic Calorie Estimates For Weight Loss: Example #2

Now let’s do the same thing all over again, this time using another common method for estimating maintenance needs: a fancy calculator.

There are a bunch of TDEE and BMR calculators around that use a handful of different equations. One of the most popular of the bunch is the Mifflin-St Jeor Equation.

Now, is it perfectly accurate all the time for every person? Absolutely not. No calorie calculator ever is.

But again, it tends to be fairly close for a lot of people (source), so we’re going to use it for this example.

Unlike the previous method (which was only based on body weight), this equation uses weight, height, age, gender, and activity level to come up with its estimate. Since these are things that can vary quite a bit from person to person, I’m going to simply select “average” choices for pretty much everything.

Specifically, our examples will all be…

  • Female
  • 40 years old
  • 5’4″
  • Lightly Active

Now I’m going to put in all of the body weights we used earlier, and then subtract a 20% deficit for each. Here’s what we get…

  • Weight: 110lbs
    Estimate: 1270 calories
  • Weight: 125lbs
    Estimate: 1346 calories
  • Weight: 150lbs
    Estimate: 1470 calories
  • Weight: 175lbs
    Estimate: 1595 calories
  • Weight: 200lbs
    Estimate: 1721 calories
  • Weight: 225lbs
    Estimate: 1846 calories
  • Weight: 250lbs
    Estimate: 1970 calories

Yes, different heights, ages, and/or activity levels would change these estimates. Specifically… someone who is sedentary, or shorter, or older would end up with lower numbers, whereas someone who is more active, taller, or younger would end up with higher numbers.

But, for the sake of showing “average” examples, this is how many calories the “average” woman would need to eat to lose weight using this method of calculation.

Once again, take note of how many of these estimates are 1200 calories. Just like before, it’s primarily only the people at the lowest body weights (i.e. 110lbs or so) that truly warrant this low of a daily calorie intake to make weight loss happen.

Realistic Calorie Estimates For Weight Loss: Example #3

Let’s repeat this experiment one more time using another common method. Whereas multiplying your body weight by 14-16 is a typical recommendation for estimating maintenance calories (from which you’d then create a deficit), multiplying your body weight by 10-12 is a typical recommendation for estimating your calorie needs with that deficit already factored in.

So, let’s take our same imaginary group of women and see what we get…

  • Weight: 110lbs
    Estimate: 1100 – 1320 calories
  • Weight: 125lbs
    Estimate: 1250 – 1500 calories
  • Weight: 150lbs
    Estimate: 1500 – 1800 calories
  • Weight: 175lbs
    Estimate: 1750 – 2100 calories
  • Weight: 200lbs
    Estimate: 2000 – 2400 calories
  • Weight: 225lbs
    Estimate: 2250 – 2700 calories
  • Weight: 250lbs
    Estimate: 2500 – 3000 calories

Take note (again) of how it’s really only at the lowest body weights (and at the lower end of their estimated ranges) that we actually come to 1200. But yet again, women at all of these body weights (and everywhere in between) are under the impression that they need to be eating 1200 calories a day to lose weight. Based on this method of calculation, the majority would still be wrong.

SUMMARY:

When we use three common methods for estimating how many calories a person needs to eat per day to lose weight (and do so at a typically recommended rate), it is only at the lowest body weight (somewhere around 110lbs) that we actually arrive at a scenario when a 1200 calorie diet may be necessary. In most other cases, the person would be able to lose weight while eating hundreds of calories more than this.

Enough Estimates… What About The Real World?

I bet I know what you’re thinking right now, and you’d certainly be right for thinking it.

All of the numbers I’ve shown in these examples are just estimates. And, as I went out of my way to point out each time, they aren’t always accurate for everyone (hell, they even differ quite a bit from one method to another for the same person).

Not to mention, I used “averages” for height, age, and activity level in one of our examples, and many women will be above or below average in these categories.

So, instead of doing anymore guessing, assuming, or estimating, let’s talk actual real-world experience.

In My Experience…

In the last 10+ years, I’ve helped literally thousands of women with their diet and weight loss related problems.

And I know, “thousands of women” seems like a silly exaggeration. But, think about it.

Let’s say 5 different women asked me for help every day for 10 years (and honestly, that’s probably a low estimate… there are 20+ emails sitting in my inbox from today alone). That would be over 18,000 women.

On top of that, add in the thousands of women who have purchased Superior Fat Loss and provided feedback, plus the hundreds of women we’re coaching inside The Results Crew.

So… yeah. “Thousands of women” seems like a crazy statement to make, but it’s somehow accurate.

And in all of this time, with all of these different women of different ages, heights, weights, activity levels, body fat percentages, goals, and on and on and on… here’s what my experience has been:

  • The majority of healthy adult women DO NOT need to eat 1200 calories a day to lose weight. That number ends up being unnecessarily/excessively low in most cases.
  • Most women will successfully lose weight (at a typically recommended rate) with calorie intakes that are some degree above 1200, often by hundreds of calories… sometimes (specifically in the cases of those who have a lot of weight to lose and/or those who are very active) even by a thousand calories or more.
  • Only a very small percentage of the women who come to me thinking that a 1200 calorie diet is warranted or ideal for them actually end up being right. They typically go on to lose weight while eating more calories than this, with most reaching their long-term goal without ever going as low as 1200.
  • In the rare cases when 1200 calories has actually been warranted, the women have at least some (or all) of the following characteristics in common: they’re short, at a low body weight, fairly lean, and/or sedentary.
  • In the cases when a person may legitimately require eating 1200 calories, refeed days would typically be in use as well (1-3 per week), thus bringing the person’s average daily calorie intake to something higher than 1200 (more about this in a minute).
  • There is almost always some degree of unintentional miscalculating and under-reporting happening whenever a person is tracking calories on ANY weight loss diet, and it’s likely happening in many of these cases just the same. Meaning, it may come to be that a person doesn’t lose weight until they go down to eating 1200 calories a day. However, in reality and completely unbeknownst to them, they’re actually eating 1300 – 1800 calories (or more) at that point. They just think it’s 1200.
  • There are certain cases where an underlying/untreated health issue is present (e.g. underactive thyroid) and affecting metabolic rate, thereby causing someone to have to eat fewer calories than they should otherwise need to in order to lose weight. If you suspect this might be your problem, checking things out with your doctor is the only way to find out for sure. I will note, however, that out of the surprisingly large number of women who assume this is indeed their problem, very few have actually ended up being right.

So, that’s my experience.

But what about the experience of others? Good question.

That’s why I decided to reach out to three people that I know have quite a bit of experience in this area. Here’s what they had to say.

In Sohee Lee’s Experience…

First up is Sohee Lee.

If you don’t already know Sohee, she has a background that makes her one of the best people to ask about this topic. In addition to being a coach, IFPA bikini pro, a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, a Certified Sports Nutritionist, author (Eat Lift Thrive), and fellow fitness writer who gets plagiarized on a regular basis (fun times), she also struggled with an eating disorder for 8 years – hitting a scary low of 80lbs at her worst.

So, if anyone understands low calorie intakes from a variety of different perspectives, it’s Sohee.

Knowing this, I asked her if she ever has to go as low as 1200 calories with her female clients that are seeking fat loss.

She said yes, noting “particularly for the more petite women who are already fairly light.”

I then asked her to further describe the women who warrant this low of a calorie intake. She said…

Usually a combination of being short and petite working a sedentary job, as this meant they weren’t burning many calories throughout the day. Someone like me, for example, would fit that bill perfectly. I’m 5’2″ 107-110lbs throughout the year. If I were to diet down right now, I’d probably start out at around 1,500 cals per day given that my maintenance is around 1,800-2,000. And maybe in a month or so, depending on my progress, I’d drop my intake down to 1,350 with 2x/week refeed, then later 1,200 with 2x/week refeed. I wouldn’t stay long at this low of an intake, though.

She also described the women who may truly need to eat this amount as being…

Probably under 110lbs bodyweight – and again, usually only if the woman is also very sedentary throughout the day. Keep in mind I’ll almost always still throw in 2x/week refeed in there, so the average calorie intake actually ends up being higher.

She went on to add…

Keep in mind I almost never started them out at 1,200 calories right off at the bat; rather, we’d begin somewhere around 1,400-1,500 (with specific numbers varying depending on the individual, of course) and gradually work our way down as progress stalled. Hitting the 1,200 cals mark for some women is unfortunately inevitable in order to continue shedding body fat, but what’s important to remember here is that 1) it’s certainly not for everyone, 2) it should only be implemented when warranted, and 3) it’s not meant to be permanent. Meaning that eventually, the expectation is that calories will be brought back up once the diet is over (which hopefully doesn’t last too long).

The 3 Key Points

If you ask me, these are the three biggest points you should be taking away from what Sohee had to say:

  1. There are indeed some cases where certain women may need to go as low as 1200 calories to lose fat.
  2. These women are in a minority, however, and are typically always short, sedentary, and already at a low body weight (i.e. 110lbs).
  3. Even in the cases when 1200 calories is necessary, it’s important to remember that A) it’s often just a temporary thing that comes about near the end of a diet (after which calories would be brought back up), and B) she almost always includes 2 refeed days each week, which means 1200 calories are only really being eaten 5 days a week, with the other 2 days serving as higher calorie refeed days (which brings the average daily calorie intake for someone in this scenario to something greater than 1200).

In JC Deen’s Experience…

I ran these same questions by my buddy JC Deen, who is another experienced coach who has set up fat loss programs for a wide range of female clients.

He told me he pretty much never puts a client on a 1200 calorie diet. And that if he did, it would most likely occur due to…

…a combination of the woman being short, very lean (18% body fat or less), little activity outside of training, and/or thyroid or other endocrine issues (PCOS, diabetes, menopause, etc.).

In Dr. Spencer Nadolsky’s Experience…

And finally, we have Dr. Spencer Nadolsky.

If you’re not already familiar with the “doc who lifts,” Dr. Spencer is a licensed practicing board certified family and obesity physician, and a damn fine person to run these questions by.

He told me he prescribes 1200 calories to as many as 30-50% of his female patients, but he also noted that his clinic population is different than the overall population of women on the internet (especially those interested in fitness), where of course a lower percentage of women would need to go this low in calories.

When I asked him to describe the type of female patient he might prescribe a 1200 calorie intake to, he said the following…

I would describe this person as a shorter, middle to older age female who is sedentary. You have a lot more wiggle room when you’re taller of course and able to be very active. The other thing to consider is that when you are burning so few of calories relatively you could have more than 1200 calories and lose weight. However, as you already know, most people under-report and underestimate how much they are eating, so a 1200 calorie diet may end up being more like 1500 to 1800 calories which is still hard to follow.

I then asked him what kind of role other common issues for females – namely hypothyroidism, PCOS, and menopause – play in this. Here’s what he had to say…

As long as their thyroid is optimized with medicine, it shouldn’t play a role.

My PCOS (with also obesity/overweight, not the lean PCOS) patients seem to need more aggressive (lower) calorie amounts but this is likely secondary to under-reporting for the most part. There is a possible lowered thermic effect of food but it likely doesn’t make a huge difference. Same principles will apply.

Menopause may increase visceral fat deposition but again the same principles will apply.

It’s usually not a hormonal thing is the bottom line.

Everyone wants to blame it on hormones but in reality it’s a small role.

SUMMARY:

Based on the real-world experience of everyone above (myself included), there are indeed some women who may legitimately need to eat 1200 calories in order to lose weight (though depending if/how refeeds are used, the average daily calorie intake may actually end up being higher than that). However, these women make up a small minority of the female population, are almost always both short and sedentary, and tend to also be at a low body weight (e.g. 110lbs), fairly lean, and/or older. It’s important to also note the role that under-reporting and miscalculating can play in making a person think they need a calorie intake this low to lose when in reality they’re losing while eating more than they realize.

“But My Personal Experience Has Been Different!”

This is the point when some women may be wondering why their own personal real-world experience conflicts with what has been said here so far.

Specifically, how they’ve found that they simply don’t lose any weight unless they eat 1200 calories a day. Even when they do not fit the description of someone who should truly need to eat 1200 calories, and even when they are pretty far away from fitting that description… it’s still what they’ve found to be true.

In fact, THIS is why they arrived at 1200 in the first place. They were “supposed” to be able to lose weight while eating something higher – let’s pretend 2000 calories. But that didn’t work. So, they went down to 1800, and that didn’t work. From there? 1600… and still nothing. 1400? Nope. 1200? Bingo!

So… WTF?

How Do I Explain This?

Well, assuming there is no untreated health issue present, it’s actually pretty simple, and it comes down to two extremely common mistakes…

  1. You were doing a poor job of accurately tracking your progress.
    So, you WERE losing fat on higher calorie intakes, you just didn’t track your progress well enough, accurately enough, consistently enough, or long enough to actually see that it was happening. Or, you had unrealistic expectations for what that progress should be.
  2. You were unknowingly eating more calories than you thought.
    When you were eating 2000, you were really eating 2500. When you were eating 1800, you were really eating 2300. 1600 was really 2100. 1400 was really 1900. And 1200? That’s really the 1700 (or whatever) you may have truly needed to be eating in order to be in a deficit and make weight loss happen.

How is it possible for these types of mistakes to be made, you ask?

Stay tuned, we’re going to cover that in a minute.

But first…

Could A 1200 Calorie Diet Still Be Ideal… Even If It’s Not Necessary?

Now for an important question that I know some people are going to have.

And that is, even though it’s pretty clear by now that a 1200 calorie diet is unnecessary/unwarranted for the majority of women trying to lose weight, could it still be ideal to use anyway?

Meaning, even if you could eat 1500, or 1800, or 2000, or 2300 or whatever other amount of calories a day to lose weight at a good/moderate rate, could it still be beneficial to go down to 1200 calories anyway?

Ehhhh, in my experience… no.

The Answer Is Almost Always No

Aside from cases where a doctor will need to (temporarily) put their patient on a very low calorie diet for some type of health/medical reason, I’d say that an unnecessarily low calorie diet will usually be much more detrimental to fat loss than beneficial.

And for most women, a 1200 calorie diet would qualify as an “unnecessarily low calorie diet.”

But wait… what’s that you say?

“I’ll lose weight faster!! I don’t care that it will be harder! I’ll suck it up and push through! I just want to lose weight fast and 1200 calories will get me there!”

Yeah, I’ve heard this before. And yes, on paper, it should work faster. After all, the less you’re eating, the larger your deficit is. And the larger your deficit, the faster your rate of weight loss will be. It’s just simple math, really.

There’s just one tiny problem with this: it rarely works out this way in the real world.

Here are the 3 main reasons why…

1. It’s Not Sustainable In the Short-Term

The biggest problem with diets that are unnecessarily/excessively low in calories (as 1200 would be for most people) is that damn near every single physiological and psychological aspect of losing weight will be at its worst.

This includes…

  • Hunger and appetite.
  • Metabolic slowdown/adaptive thermogenesis.
  • Hormonal adaptations (leptin, ghrelin, testosterone, cortisol, thyroid, etc.).
  • Muscle loss.
  • Strength loss.
  • Performance loss.
  • Recovery.
  • Lethargy and fatigue.
  • Libido and sexual function.
  • Sleep quality.
  • Moodiness.
  • Awareness of food.
  • Obsession with food.

And guess what happens when all of these things are at their worst? You become less likely to actually sustain your diet because it’s simply too damn hard.

And when that happens, not only do you NOT lose weight faster… you fail to lose weight, period.

The way I usually see it go is like this…

A person will attempt to eat 1200 calories a day (or even less) and be able to successfully do it… for a day. Hell, maybe even a few days. If they’re really lucky? Maybe a few weeks.

But then, as all of the problems on the list above get worse and worse and worse, a breaking point is eventually reached.

And when that breaking point is reached, a massive binge (sometimes lasting for days) takes place. And it’s usually to a degree that cancels out whatever unnecessarily/excessively large deficit the person successfully managed to create the day(s) prior, thus preventing any weight loss from happening and potentially even leading to weight gain (among other problems).

Which means, in the end, while it may seem like 1200 calories a day will allow you to lose weight faster than something more moderate, it often has the opposite effect.

Additional details here: Why Very Low Calorie Diets Don’t Work

2. It’s Not Sustainable In The Long-Term

Now let’s pretend that a person someone managed to stick to their unnecessarily/excessively low calorie diet long enough to reach their long-term weight loss goal.

Congrats. All that’s left to do now is maintain these results for the rest of your life.

And therein lies the second big problem.

How do you maintain your results for the long-term after getting those results using a method that isn’t actually maintainable?

This, right here, is why so many people regain the weight they lose. This is why “yo-yo dieting” is so common.

People approach weight loss using unnecessary methods that conflict with their personal needs or preferences (e.g. using a low carb diet when you really love eating carbs), or an extreme method that isn’t ideal for overall physical/mental health (e.g. very low calorie diets, crash diets, fad diets), or really any method that simply cannot be permanently maintained… and then when the time comes to permanently maintain those results… they’re screwed.

Instead of learning the fundamentals of weight loss, and how to properly adjust things based on their specific needs and preferences, and developing the necessary habits and dietary skills required for long-term success, they just went with a short-term method that doesn’t really help them at all with long-term maintenance.

So even in cases when a person might be able to do this long enough for it to actually work, they’re likely to eventually end up right back where they started.

3. It Can Negatively Affect Physical And Mental Health

In addition to being problematic for both short-term and long-term sustainability, there are two potential health-related problems that become increasingly more likely to occur the lower your calorie intake gets…

  1. Nutrient deficiencies.
    We all have a certain amount of macronutrients and micronutrients we need to eat each day to sustain life and proper function. And the thing about eating 1200 calories a day is that it’s a small amount of food. So, if you’re not planning things out just right, it becomes easy to fall short somewhere.
  2. The potential for eating disorders.
    Another big problem with unnecessarily/excessively low calorie diets is that they often come with/lead to an unhealthy obsession with food. And once that happens… the doors are open to the potential for disordered eating habits to develop or worsen (or for a relapse to be triggered,) plus all of the problems that come along with it.

SUMMARY:

While some may assume that an unnecessarily/excessively low calorie diet will lead to better/faster weight loss than something more moderate, the reality is that the opposite often happens. There are various factors that can make it too hard to sustain in the short-term, additional factors that can prevent successful weight loss progress from being maintained for the long-term, and the potential for problems involving physical and/or mental health become more likely. For all of these reasons, I don’t recommend eating any less than you truly need to.

“I’m Eating 1200 Calories But I’m Not Losing Weight!”

And now the last big topic that needs to be covered here.

I’m of course talking about the common idea that a person is “eating 1200 calories a day but still isn’t losing weight.”

This is something I hear from women ALLTHETIME.

And again, I hear it from women of all different heights, weights, and ages, with all kinds of different activity levels, with anywhere from 5lbs to 100lbs to lose.

But yet, somehow, someway, they’re all not losing weight despite eating an amount as low as 1200 calories.

Now, at this point, if you were thinking “hmmm, that seems weird,” you’d be thinking the right thing.

After all, if only a small minority of the female population – most of which fit a very specific description (short, sedentary, low body weight, etc.) – truly need to be eating 1200 calories to lose weight in the first place, how is it possible that so many women are eating this amount and NOT losing any weight at all?

The answer is actually quite simple: this isn’t really happening.

How Many Women Are

REALLY Eating 1200 Calories A Day And Still Not Losing?

Let’s see… how shall I put this?

Okay, I got it.

Over the last 10+ years, do you know how many women have told me that they’re eating 1200 calories per day (or even less) but aren’t losing any weight?

Probably thousands.

Now, out of this huge number of women (and not counting those who were at an unhealthily low body weight and therefore shouldn’t have been attempting to lose additional weight), do you know how many of them have ended up being correct?

Rough ballpark estimate off the top of my head, I’d say… zero.

As in… literally not a single person.

How could this be possible, you ask? Here are the three most common ways…

Mistake #1: They’re Unknowingly Eating More Than 1200 Calories

The #1 reason why a person is eating 1200 calories a day and not losing weight is because they aren’t actually eating 1200 calories a day.

Rather, they are unknowingly making some kind of mistake somewhere in the tracking of their calorie intake and/or output that is causing them to eat more (and/or burn less) than they think they are.

This sort of thing is seen ALL THE TIME – including in a variety of studies (sources: here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here) – and occurs due to any combination of the following:

  • Underestimating
    Some people underestimate the quantity of food they consume (like thinking you ate 1 serving when you really ate 2 or more), while others underestimate the amount of calories it contained (like thinking a meal was 500 calories when it was really 1000). Some underestimate both. This is something diet professionals see over and over again to shocking degrees of significance. In fact, one study showed that people trying to lose weight underestimated their calorie intake by an average of 47%… which is huge.
  • Tracking Mistakes
    Many people just screw up during the serving-size-measuring process and take significantly more food than they think they’re taking. It happens all the time, especially when using measuring spoons, measuring cups, or just eyeballing it and taking your best guess (instead of using a digital food scale). This video from Sohee Lee shows how easily it can happen…

     

     

  • Under-Reporting
    Then you have people who are under the impression that there are special clean foods, healthy foods, superfoods, negative calorie foods, or whatever else that they can eat unlimited amounts of and not count. As if they contain magical calories. Or those that eat “tiny” amounts of food here and there and assume it’s so insignificant that they don’t even need to bother counting it. In reality, these “I-didn’t-even-realize-it” calories can add up pretty quickly. Here’s a common real-world example of this in action. In addition, some people simply forget what (or how much) they ate and end up accidentally not counting it for that reason alone.
  • Lying
    As odd as it may seem, many people just flat out lie about how much they’re truly eating. Why? Usually because they’re too embarrassed to admit what/how much they eat, even to themselves.
  • Overestimating
    Now take everything I said before about how people underestimate calorie intake, and change it to overestimate calorie output. Studies show this to be similarly significant, like this one which saw subjects overestimate calories burned via exercise by an average of 51%… which is huge.

Here’s an example of what this might look like over the course of a week…

The person in this example is intending to eating 1200 calories a day, but they are making mistakes that lead to them eating more than they think they are or will ever claim to be.

Additional details here: Why Am I Not Losing Weight?

Mistake #2: They’re Eating 1200 Calories… Some Of The Time

Next up we have cases where a person IS legitimately eating 1200 calories like they claim… but only PART of the time.

The other part of the time, they are overeating/bingeing enough to cancel out the deficit they created, thereby putting them at maintenance (or sometimes even a surplus) by the end of the week.

Here’s an example.

Let’s pretend we have a person with a maintenance level of 2100 calories. A solid moderate deficit for them would be somewhere between 1600-1700 calories per day. However, they decide to overly restrict themselves and eat 1200 calories instead.

Here’s what often happens next…

The person in this example IS successfully eating 1200 calories a day like they intended to… but only 4 out of the 7 days.

Even worse, the extreme hunger that is caused by an unnecessarily/excessively low calorie diet like this is making them overeat/binge on the other 3 days, and do so to a degree that wipes out any deficit created on the other days… thereby putting them at their maintenance level for the week and preventing weight loss from happening.

This is one of the ways you get people saying they’re “eating 1200 calories a day but not losing weight.” Even better, imagine that the binge days in this example went even higher in calories. That’s how you get people saying that they’re “eating 1200 calories a day but somehow gaining weight.”

There’s no “somehow” involved here. It’s just math.

Mistake #3: They’re Inaccurately Tracking Their Progress

Another way that a person ends up claiming to be eating 1200 calories a day but not losing is because they aren’t tracking their progress accurately (e.g. not weighing yourself properly) and/or not understanding the difference between weight loss and fat loss.

In cases like this, it’s extremely easy to let TEMPORARY gains in some other form of “weight” (e.g. water, glycogen, poop, food waiting to be digested) TEMPORARILY hide your fat loss progress on the scale by counterbalancing the weight of the fat you’re losing.

So really, the person IS losing fat, they just don’t realize it because the scale isn’t showing it yet.

This is a topic I cover in detail right here: 12 Causes Of Unexplained Weight Gain

“But What About Starvation Mode?”

When a person claims to be eating 1200 calories a day but isn’t losing weight, they’ll often ignore all 3 of the mistake-based reasons we just covered, and instead conclude that they have entered a dreaded state known as “starvation mode.”

For anyone who isn’t aware, starvation mode is a supposed state a person falls into when they’re “not eating enough calories.” Basically, the person’s calorie intake is so low (and their deficit is so big) that their body supposedly holds on to all of their fat… thus preventing them from losing any fat (or sometimes even causing them to gain some) despite being in a large caloric deficit.

Cool story, right?

Here’s a fun fact about it: it’s complete bullshit.

A deficit ALWAYS works. Whether the deficit is small, moderate, large, or excessively large, it’s still going to cause some form of stored energy (fat, muscle, or both) to be burned as an alternative fuel source.

This is why starving children in Africa are deathly skinny. This is why Holocaust victims in concentration camps were deathly skinny. The is why the participants of the Minnesota Starvation Experiment were deathly skinny. This is why people with anorexia reach deathly skinny levels. This is why reality show contestants on survival-based reality shows (e.g. Survivor, Naked and Afraid, etc.) lose a ton of weight while there.

No matter how large the deficit is – even if you are literally starving to death – body fat will continue to be lost. The idea that it won’t is a myth.

So, if you ever come to the conclusion that you’re in starvation mode, I can guarantee you that you’re not… because it doesn’t exist.

Full details here: The Starvation Mode Myth

SUMMARY:

There are countless women claiming to be eating 1200 calories a day but not losing weight, and damn near all of them are wrong. In reality, they are unknowingly eating more than they think they are, inconsistently eating the amount they claim to be, or tracking their progress in a manner that prevents them from seeing that it’s working. Also, bonus fact: starvation mode isn’t real.

The Big Point To Everything You Just Read

If I had to sum up the biggest point of this article in a single sentence, it would be this:

The goal of every person trying to lose weight should be to eat the maximum amount of calories possible that still produces an acceptable, healthy, and sustainable rate of weight loss for them.

If this legitimately ends up being 1200 calories for you, cool.

But for the vast majority of the female population trying to lose weight, it’s going to be something higher than that. And in these cases, attempting to go with a 1200 calorie diet anyway is likely to do more harm than good.

(By the way, if you need help figuring out how many calories you actually need to be eating, I cover that here: How Many Calories Should I Eat?)

What’s Next?

If you liked this article, you’ll also like:

Diet for men for weight loss

Sedentary men tend to be overweight. This is especially true for those whose work involves a long stay in a sitting position. Improper nutrition adds to the problem, as the body begins to store fat and store them in the waist area. You can get rid of fat reserves, tone the body and even pump up muscles if you adhere to the correct diet and constantly maintain physical activity.

Feature of male metabolism

Fat accumulation in men is accumulated more slowly, and the main role in this process is played by the steroid hormone testosterone. It is produced by the male body and promotes rapid muscle building. A poor lifestyle leads to suppression of hormone production and the gradual deposition of fat on the belly. If fat deposits in men appear in the chest and thighs (according to the female type), then this is an occasion to seriously think about health and visit a doctor.However, you should reconsider your diet and choose a sports training program in both cases.

Caloric content of food

Calorie counting during the weight loss phase is extremely important. The daily intake for a healthy man doing sports 1-2 times a week is about 2100 kcal. Diet for weight loss for men involves a reduction in calories by an average of 500 kcal below your daily requirement. We have developed two menus especially for this:

  • “Fit” – the most “strict” menu, the daily energy value of which does not exceed 1200 kcal;
  • “Daily” – will appeal to those who are not ready to abruptly give up hearty and tasty food, but at the same time want to lose weight.It includes 1400 kcal.

By reducing the number of calories, you create an energy deficit for the body, and it will begin to break down body fat. Together with aerobic and power loads, the process of losing weight will be more intense.

Ratio of BJU (proteins, fats, carbohydrates)

One of the basic rules of the diet for men for weight loss is the correct ratio of BJU.

  • Proteins play an important role in the structure of muscle tissue, so the daily menu should contain white meat, beans, eggs, boiled or baked.Their number should be about 30%;
  • Carbohydrates as an energy source are very important for the body, but in the case of excess weight, their amount should be reduced to about 25%. The list of carbohydrate-containing dishes includes cereals, vegetables, cakes, various sweets;
  • Fat in the diet of a losing weight man should be at least 35%. They participate in the additional production of testosterone from good cholesterol, and improve metabolism. The useful fats that the body needs include vegetable oils, various types of fish, nuts, and seeds.

When you achieve the desired result, the ratio of BJU can be changed by increasing the amount of carbohydrates. This will allow you to maintain a healthy figure or gain muscle mass.

Regularity of food intake

Eating food with a certain regularity over a long period of time will contribute to a normal metabolism. There should be about 4 meals a day: a hearty breakfast, lunch, lunch, and a light dinner. 2-3 hours before bedtime, you can drink fruit drink, jelly or a glass of kefir, so as not to overload the digestive tract, and wake up in the morning with a feeling of lightness.

Do not forget to eat varied, as the body quickly gets used to the same dishes, which can make the diet a challenge. With our lines, your daily diet will always be different, tasty and healthy. Try one of the weekly Grow Food menus and see for yourself. And if you find it difficult to make a choice, then use a free consultation. We will answer any questions and show you how many calories you need to consume per day for your lifestyle!

90,000 latest reviews, diet options, goals, objectives, an approximate menu for a week, indications, contraindications, recommendations and results

A large number of diets have been developed, among which every woman can find an option to her liking.Among them there are weight loss techniques that exclude a strict restriction on the use of certain products. But not everyone can boast of good reviews. The 1200 calorie diet is the most harmless and effective weight loss method. It is based on an optimal, balanced menu, the daily calorie content of which does not exceed 1200 kcal. Thus, the body receives substances and energy that are important for proper functioning, and a person gets the opportunity to reduce weight without harm and without rigid limits.

What is a diet

The method is based on the principles of correct, healthy nutrition.An adult needs from 1,700 to 2,200 calories every day, depending on physical activity. Only if you reduce the minimum figure, you can lose up to 700 g of excess weight.

The body must receive its daily rate of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, therefore, it is impossible to reduce the amount of incoming kilocalories to a critical minimum. This can only make it worse – just look at the reviews left about mono-diets. The 1200 calorie diet is designed so that there is no shortage of necessary substances, so the body consumes fat reserves.If we talk about mono diets, then the opposite effect is observed. The body is not supplied with the required amount of useful elements, it experiences stress, respectively, all incoming calories go into the “reserve”. The 1200 calorie diet is an opportunity to lose weight without harming the body, and also not to worry that the lost pounds will return again. Unless, of course, after its completion, you do not start eating everything.

A significant plus of this technique is the absence of restrictions in the list of products.Fancy a burger? Sure! Only the menu for the rest of the day will have to be revised, reducing the calorie content of each subsequent meal.

Goals and Objectives

To burn excess body fat, you need to maintain a negative balance between calories received and burned. This is the main goal of the 1200 Calorie Diet. And reviews of women and men who have lost weight confirm that it really works.

In order to achieve your goal (to get rid of body fat without harm to health in a relatively short time), you must follow the following rules:

  1. Calculate the daily menu so that the number of calories consumed does not exceed 1200, but not significantly less.
  2. Make three main meals each containing 300 kcal and two additional meals containing 150 kcal.
  3. The main part of the menu should be given to fresh vegetables and fruits.
  4. The diet should be varied and healthy.
  5. The 1200 calorie diet is simple, the menu allows you to eat unhealthy foods, if you do not go beyond. However, experts still do not recommend doing this, since sugars, fats and other harmful substances negatively affect the body and cause the formation of cellulite.Well, if only occasionally pamper yourself as a nice bonus.
  6. The diet should consist of both meat and fish.
  7. Do not forget to drink 1.5-2.0 liters of plain water during the day. From drinks, give preference to herbal or green tea and homemade compotes, preferably without sugar.

Diet options

Not every person wants to spend a day calculating calories, and many do not have this opportunity. What to do? You can use the ready-made menu of the 1200 calories diet for a week.Moreover, there are a sufficient number of such options.

If you still want to think over the menu yourself, then it is quite real and not difficult at all. You will need a notebook, pen, internet access, and a kitchen scale. Now it is quite easy to find a caloric value of 100 g of a particular product, including boiled, baked and raw.

With regard to the choice of products, the recommendations will be as follows:

  • Breakfast should be made with the most nutritious and nutritious meal.You can choose boiled eggs or omelet, oatmeal, rice or buckwheat porridge in the water, cottage cheese casserole, sandwiches with cheese.
  • Lunch must necessarily consist of hot dishes. Soups and vegetable salads work well.
  • Dinner includes lean meat or fish. As a side dish, for example, buckwheat.
  • It is recommended to make snacks from fruits or dried fruits, literally 50 g each. You can also drink natural yoghurt, eat cheese or some salad.

Recommended and prohibited foods

Many people are interested in the question of what can be included in the 1200 calories per day diet menu, and what is better to exclude. First, about acceptable products:

  • wholemeal bran, rye and wheat flour;
  • porridge made from buckwheat, barley and pearl barley;
  • Lean meat such as rabbit, calf and beef, chicken, turkey;
  • it is allowed to add a little lean parts of lamb and pork to dishes;
  • You can drink low-fat kefir and eat cottage cheese in unlimited quantities;
  • restrictions imposed on hard cheese – literally a few thin slices per day;
  • lean fish and seafood;
  • boiled eggs or omelet;
  • fresh vegetables and fruits;
  • vegetable oil for salad dressing;
  • fresh unsweetened berries, as well as for the preparation of compote and fresh juice;
  • green, herbal tea, natural coffee, still mineral water.

To achieve the greatest efficiency from the “1200 calories” diet, the girls’ reviews urge to exclude unhealthy foods from the diet. Then the result can be achieved much faster and maintain good health. Among such products:

  • sugar and its analogues;
  • fried, fatty and spicy foods;
  • canned food;
  • products from premium wheat flour;
  • milk drinks;
  • fatty fish, meat, seafood, cheese;
  • salty foods;
  • pickled and salted vegetables;
  • confectionery goodies;
  • alcohol;
  • ready-made sauces;
  • purchased juices and nectars, cocoa;
  • Animal and cooking fats.

There are also foods that can be consumed with a 1200 calories per day diet, but in limited quantities. These include:

  • salt and spices;
  • sweet fruits, dried fruits and berries;
  • potatoes and legumes;
  • Oatmeal, rice and semolina;
  • honey.

Having already studied this list, you can easily compose a sample menu. However, this is not all that is important to know. After all, the diet is based on the consumption of 1200 kcal per day.Therefore, one more question remains: “How many kilocalories are in the most popular foods?”

Calorie content of food

What is important to know before compiling a menu for a 1200 calorie weekly diet is the calorie content of the most popular foods. Let’s dwell on this in more detail (kcal / 100 g).

Dairy products:

  • Cottage cheese with low% fat content – 89.
  • Curd mass – 344.
  • Fatty cottage cheese – 236.
  • Suluguni – 293.
  • Russian cheese – 366.
  • Dutch cheese – 352.
  • Milk 0-2.5% – 30/53.
  • Curdled milk – 57.
  • Yoghurt 3.2% – 87.
  • Fermented baked milk and kefir 2.5% – 53/51.
  • Cream 10-20% – 121/209.
  • Sour cream 10-20% – 118/208.

Oils:

  • Olive – 898
  • Sunflower – 899
  • Creamy – 747

Cereals:

  • Buckwheat – 137.
  • Barley – 84.
  • Millet – 92.
  • Oat – 93.
  • Rice – 79.
  • Pearl barley – 102.
  • Oat flakes – 358.

Meat:

  • Lamb – 201.
  • Veal – 91.
  • Beef – 191.
  • Pork – 318-484.
  • Horse meat – 149.
  • Rabbit meat – 197.
  • Chicken – 161.
  • Duck – 348.
  • Turkey – 192.

Fish, seafood:

  • Sturgeon caviar – 201.
  • Chum salmon caviar – 250.
  • Carp – 95.
  • Pollock – 67.
  • Pink salmon – 151.
  • Octopus – 74.
  • Chum salmon – 138.
  • Sprat – 142.
  • Shrimp – 85.
  • Salmon – 200.
  • Squid – 77.
  • Boiled mussels – 53.
  • River / sea perch – 80/12.
  • Crucian carp – 84.
  • Sturgeon – 161.
  • Salmon – 222.
  • Herring – 248.
  • Mackerel – 158.
  • Catfish – 141.
  • Tuna – 95.
  • Trout – 99.
  • Hake – 84.
  • Oysters – 91.

Vegetables:

  • Green peas – 75.
  • Zucchini – 30.
  • Boiled potatoes – 80.
  • Chives / onions – 21/41.
  • Garlic – 103.
  • Eggplant – 22.
  • Tomato – 19.
  • Carrots – 29.
  • Cucumber – 15.
  • Beets – 46.
  • Lettuce – 15.
  • Olives – 111.
  • Radish – 22.
  • Bell pepper – 25.
  • Parsley – 45.

Fruits, berries:

  • Apricot – 44.
  • Orange – 38.
  • Cherry – 46.
  • Banana – 87
  • Lingonberry – 42.
  • Pineapple – 49.
  • Grapefruit – 37.
  • Grapes – 73.
  • Pear – 41.
  • Lemon – 30.
  • Melon – 34.
  • Kiwi – 46.
  • Strawberries – 40.
  • Cranberries – 27.
  • Blackberry – 31.
  • Mandarin – 39.
  • Plum – 41.
  • Mango – 69.
  • Peach – 42.
  • Raspberry – 43.
  • Currant – 39.
  • Apple – 48.
  • Cherry – 54.
  • Blueberries – 41.

Dried fruits, nuts:

  • Cashews – 647.
  • Dried apples – 275.
  • Prunes – 262.
  • Walnuts – 662.
  • Kish-mish – 285.
  • Hazelnut – 701.
  • Peanuts – 555.
  • Dates – 277.
  • Almonds – 643.
  • Dried apricots – 270.

Egg:

  • Boiled – 153.
  • Steamed omelet – 181.

Bakery products:

  • Sliced ​​loaf – 261.
  • Rusks – 335.
  • Lavash – 239.
  • White bread – 246.
  • Rye bread – 210.

Juices:

  • Apricot – 39.
  • Apple – 42.
  • Pineapple – 48.
  • Pomegranate – 58.
  • Peach – 37.
  • Lemon – 18.

Wines:

  • Dessert – 175.
  • Dry – 66.
  • Semi-dry – 78.

Indications and contraindications

A diet of 1200 calories per day, the menu and reviews of which will be discussed later, has a number of restrictions. These are the conditions in which, in principle, it is impossible to experiment with the daily diet:

  • diabetes mellitus;
  • bronchial asthma;
  • oncological diseases;
  • pathology of the urinary system;
  • history of heart attack and stroke; 90 016 90 015 age under 16 and over 65;
  • infectious diseases;
  • inflammation of the gallbladder;
  • diseases of the cardiovascular system;
  • alcoholism;
  • pregnancy and lactation;
  • The need to take important life-sustaining medications.

As the reviews of those who have lost weight confirm, the 1200 calorie diet is an excellent option for those who wish to lose weight. So its only indication is overweight. However, people who wish to choose this or another method of losing weight should be examined by a doctor in order to identify existing contraindications. A person may not know that he has any disease, which will negatively affect his health. Although, on the other hand, a healthy and balanced diet has not harmed anyone yet.

Diet for 1200 calories per day

The table shows the menu for the week.

Many interesting food ideas can be found in the reviews. The 1200 calories a day diet has many female fans, and some of them actively share self-designed menus. For example, there are people who want to think over the menu for the day in the morning, with the beginning of the day. In this case, the power supply scheme outlined in the table is ideal.

Recommendations

There are a number of helpful tips to consider before reviewing the 1200 calorie diet reviews and results.Perhaps these recommendations will help those who are really ready to change for the better. So, you need:

  • Get advice from a physician and / or nutritionist.
  • Start a food diary.
  • Weigh ourselves daily to monitor results.
  • Do not exceed the threshold of 1200 kcal, but also do not lower it.
  • Carefully design the menu using the calorie table.
  • Make the menu as varied as possible.
  • Have dinner 3 hours before bedtime.
  • Drink more plain water.
  • In case of severe hunger, you do not need to torment the body – you can eat low-calorie foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and diet nutrition bars.
  • Prepare small plates and get used to small portions.
  • While eating, chew food thoroughly, concentrate exclusively on this process, without being distracted by other matters.
  • Eat more fruits and vegetables.
  • Plan your menu a week in advance.
  • Find time for light physical activity.
  • Once a week, you can eat any favorite food or snack. Within reason and do not overeat.
  • At first, if it is difficult to drastically reduce the amount of kcal, you can make a menu for 1300-1500 calories.
  • It’s not just getting in and out of the diet that matters. The decrease in calories at the beginning and the increase after the end should be smooth.
  • Maximum diet duration is 21 days. Further, a pause of 1-3 months is required.

The results that can be achieved, and the disadvantages of the diet

It is best characterized by the positive reviews of those who have lost weight with a photo. The 1200 calorie diet will work great if you follow all the rules. Many girls managed to get rid of an average of 5-10 kg of excess weight in 3 weeks.

The advantages of the “1200 calories” diet are hard to miss – it is an opportunity to get rid of body fat in a short time, while not limiting yourself to strict food prohibitions.But she also has disadvantages. First, it’s hard to count calories and live in 1200 mode. Secondly, the brain itself will protest, because diet in any form is associated with restrictions, and you always want to eat something that you would not want to consume. So there is still a risk of failure. Thirdly, it is highly likely that the body will not receive a number of useful substances. Therefore, it is recommended to choose a vitamin and mineral complex.

Reviews of the “1200 calories” diet

None of the comments have written that such a method of losing weight is difficult to tolerate, or that some time after completing the diet, the lost kilograms returned.On the contrary, women praise the diet, calling it one of the most effective. Nutritionists are of the same opinion. Experts independently calculate the critical level of daily calorie content, which may even be below 1200 kcal. Thus, there is an effective weight loss without stress for the body.

In one of the reviews, the girl writes that the nutritionist advised her not to think over the menu in advance. As mentioned above, the human brain can rebel against the “adjusted” diet.Here, rather, it all depends on the character. If it is easier for a person to eat according to the menu, then it is better to draw up it in advance. If most often he does not know what exactly he wants in 10 minutes, it makes no sense to think over the diet in advance – everything will fail. In this case, it is recommended to simply take and eat what you want, calculate the calorie content of the food eaten and write it down in a diary, subtracting this figure from the daily norm.

One of the few that has received almost only positive reviews is the 1200 calorie diet.Buyers of this method of losing weight also note emotional calmness during this period, which is no less important for the body. The ability to eat the usual dishes and products does not negatively affect the psychological state of a person.

Although there are no reviews that this diet did not help, this can also be. In this case, it is worth contacting a nutritionist. A specialist will help you calculate the daily minimum kcal. Usually, the lack of a result means that this is not enough for the body.

latest reviews, advantages and disadvantages, an approximate menu for a week, advice from nutritionists

The problem of weight loss is one of the most pressing today. There are many diets and weight loss techniques based on the use of various foods, taking into account their nutritional value. According to reviews, 1200 calories per day are enough for effective weight loss. The diet has a balanced diet. The article will discuss the features of the method of losing weight, menus, pros and cons.

What is a 1200 calorie diet

The method is based on the most important principles of proper nutrition.Many people wonder why it is recommended to limit yourself to 1200 kcal, and not reduce to 800 or 1000.

This is due to human physiology. Energy consumption is carried out even when people are doing nothing, for example, lying on the couch. It is also necessary to ensure normal life processes (respiration, digestion).

Consuming 1200 calories per day, according to the reviews of those who are losing weight, a person of average build, leading a sedentary lifestyle, will certainly begin to lose weight. This nutritional value of the diet covers only the most necessary energy costs.

If a person shows little activity (walks, climbs the stairs), a deficit appears, which will be replenished by his own fat reserves.

Experts do not recommend reducing the calorie content of the diet even more. Their explanations are simple:

  • With a low calorie diet, a person will begin to feel dizzy and weak.
  • It is impossible to hold out on such a menu for a long time, which will certainly lead to breakdowns.
  • The body, with the existing calorie content, goes into a saving mode, which manifests itself in the form of a slowdown in metabolism and minimal energy consumption.He stops consuming adipose tissue and actively consumes protein, destroying muscles.

Therefore, a diet of 1200 calories per day is most effective for losing weight.

How the method works

According to reviews, the menu “1200 calories per day” is compiled taking into account separate rules. Losing weight must adhere to the following principles:

  1. Give up sweet, starchy and fried foods. Eat cereals, vegetables, fruits, dairy products and meat.
  2. Eliminate ketchup, mayonnaise and other sauces from the diet.
  3. Calorie content of the daily menu – 1200 kcal.
  4. It is necessary to eat more often, but in small portions. Three main meals of 300 kcal each, 2 snacks of 150 each.
  5. Be sure to observe the drinking regime, drink 2 liters of water a day.
  6. There should be no alcoholic and carbonated drinks on the menu.
  7. The ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in the diet is as follows: 15/30/55.

To enhance the effectiveness of the 1200 calories per day diet, according to women, it is necessary to include a set of physical exercises for all muscle groups.Loads should not be intense.

Permitted and prohibited foods

What can be included in the menu “1200 calories per day” for a week? There is a group of foods that must be present in the diet. There are those that are completely prohibited for use.

Allowed food per day for 1200 calories:

  • Whole grain bread and durum wheat pasta;
  • oat, buckwheat, pearl barley and wheat porridge;
  • fresh vegetables and fruits;
  • fermented milk products with a fat content of not more than 2%; 90,016 90,015 eggs;
  • lean meat, liver;
  • Seafood and lean fish.

The following foods should be absent in the diet:

  • baked goods;
  • products containing sugar;
  • alcohol;
  • store sauces;
  • smoked meats and sausages.

When drawing up a diet menu, you must take into account the permitted and prohibited foods.

Features of the composition of the diet

The menu “1200 calories per day” for a week, losing weight will have to be compiled independently. It is not recommended to search for ready-made options, there are the following explanations for this:

  1. There is a huge probability of errors in compilation.When forming the menu, they sometimes forget about the exact calculations, which should not exceed the upper bar of 1200 kcal. Indeed, the effectiveness of the weight loss process largely depends on this.
  2. Losing weight when calculating the menu for more than a week will have to look for new ready-made options.
  3. Inability to add your own meals to the diet.

Therefore, the main advice of nutritionists is the opportunity to learn how to independently form your diet. It is best not to use ready-made options if there is no confidence that the daily calorie content in them is about 1200 kcal.

The main advantage of the self-created menu is the possibility of forming a nutrition program. In this case, you can use recipes for your favorite dishes and reduce their calorie content by replacing products and processing methods.

How to calculate the diet

To accurately determine the calorie content of dishes, you must use the table of calorie content of products. They are indicated at 100 g, so this indicator is multiplied by the required number of grams and the desired result is obtained.

Not only calorie content is important, but also its increase with various methods of heat treatment. If food is cooked with the addition of oil, then its energy value should also be taken into account in the dish.

The main thing is to limit yourself to a calorie threshold of 1200 kcal. Sometimes losing weight include some sweets on the menu. This is permitted as long as the indicated nutritional value of the diet is not exceeded.

Initial calculations are difficult. Gradually, you can remember the calorie content of the most common foods and operate with data without the help of a table.

In addition, losing weight will need a kitchen scale to measure the weight of food. In this diet, it is especially important.

Menu for 7 days

When calculating a simple menu for 1200 calories per day, take into account that the products should be combined with each other and not exceed the nutritional value per day.

Menu for 7 days includes:

9069 6

, glass of kef day

Breakfast 2nd breakfast Lunch Afternoon snack Dinner
1st day Portion of cereal grain, a slice of bread Apple Vegetable soup, baked chicken fillet A glass of low-fat yogurt Stewed cabbage, carrot juice
Day 2 Omelette, sandwich with cheese 9068 Cheese omelet 9068 Few omelettes 9068 Cheese sandwich 9068 salad with fresh vegetables Banana, 20 g prunes Baked pink salmon fillet, vegetables, a glass of kefir
3rd day Rice porridge, cottage cheese, a slice of cheese, coffee 100 g berries Stuffed peppers beetroot salad with prunes Orange Baked chicken fillet, cauliflower, a glass of fermented baked milk
4th day Cottage cheese casserole, tea with honey Boiled egg Sauerkraut soup, baked vegetables 1/2 grapefruit Steamed beef cutlet, carrot salad Millet porridge with dried apricots Slice of bread with cheese, coffee Ukha, vegetable salad 100 g buckwheat with kefir Baked sea bass, radish and cucumber salad
6 Oatmeal, green tea 100 g of grapes Chicken broth, seaweed salad, a slice of bread Orange Chicken fillet with vegetables, a glass of low-fat yogurt
7th day Cottage cheese , coffee Banana Spinach puree soup, vegetable salad 150 g buckwheat

Baked beef with mushrooms, fresh vegetables, a glass of kefir

You can change the menu yourself.The main condition is that the calorie content of the diet does not exceed 1200 kcal.

Advantages of the diet

According to reviews, a diet of 1200 kcal per day is considered one of the most effective methods for losing weight. It has the following advantages:

  1. The diet lacks a clear time frame. You can stick to this diet for a week or a month. Sometimes this technique is taken as the basis of proper nutrition and is used constantly. This largely depends on how many kilograms the losing weight wants to lose.
  2. Eating 1200 calories per day, according to those who have lost weight, is considered safe for the body.
  3. The diet can be developed independently, taking into account your own preferences. You need to be guided by the list of permitted and prohibited products.
  4. A positive result can be achieved only with strict adherence to the method of losing weight.
  5. The diet has a minimum of contraindications.

The main thing is to follow the recommendations of nutritionists and not reduce the caloric content of the diet below 1200 kcal.Otherwise, health problems may arise.

Disadvantages of the method of losing weight

Even the most effective weight loss system is not without its drawbacks. The diet “1200 calories per day” according to the reviews of those who are losing weight has the following disadvantages:

  1. You have to constantly count portions in grams, and take into account the calorie content of products. In fact, it is not so difficult, over time you can learn to do it quickly. You cannot eat prohibited foods, because you will not be able to achieve a positive effect.After a while, calorie counting will be done mechanically.
  2. If the main taste preferences of the losing weight were sweet, fried, flour dishes, then such habits should be reconsidered. You can quickly get used to baked and boiled foods, if desired.
  3. It is not recommended to follow a diet for people who have problems with the digestive tract.
  4. It is forbidden to follow the method of losing weight for pregnant and lactating women, adolescents and elderly people.

Despite the possibility of including a large number of various foods in the diet and a perfectly acceptable calorie intake, those who lose weight are pursued by hunger for some time.Indeed, in the early days, they will be negatively affected by a limited menu.

How to exit the diet

To maintain the results of the 1200 calories per day diet, it is recommended to exit gradually. This is to increase the nutritional value of the diet. Initially, the menu includes dishes containing protein. Then vegetable and animal fats are added. Finally, carbohydrates are included in the diet.

Do not eat fried, smoked and sweet foods during the week. The correct way out of the diet will allow you to maintain the result and not gain weight for a long time.

How long can you eat

The low calorie 1200 calories per day diet can be continued without compromising health for 3 weeks. During this period, you can get rid of 5-10 kg of weight. Even if you’re feeling great, it’s important to take a break.

It will take one to two months in order to establish a slow metabolism and restore the necessary balance of water and salt. Such a time will effectively affect the psychological state of those who are losing weight. Otherwise, the weight will simply stop dropping.

Opinion of those who tested the method

Judging by the reviews, “1200 calories per day” and the results are stunning. Many losing weight are satisfied, but they warn that the method of losing weight allows you to achieve positive results if you follow it for several months.

Another group of women liked the diet due to the possibility of using a variety of dishes. The list of permitted foods is wide enough that you can change your diet every day. It is very healthy to feast on steamed cutlets or baked chicken fillets.Some women have taken the method of losing weight as a basis for drawing up a healthy nutrition menu in the future.

As a result of the 1200 calories per day diet, according to the opinions of those who lost weight, the weight decreased to 5-10 kg per month. The feeling of hunger bothered them only during the first 2-3 days.

The second group of women, with a decrease in the caloric content of the diet, could not achieve a positive effect due to a slowdown in metabolism.

Diet “1200 kcal per day” – an effective method for losing weight, which contributes to systematic weight loss.To get a positive result, it is important to adhere to its rules.

Articles, Video – Medical Group

Correct and rational nutrition is the guarantee of the health of any person, regardless of gender. Many people ask the question, should women and men eat the same? Nutritionists note that there is a gender difference in diet and should not be neglected. Differences in the nutrition of men and women are caused by different rates of metabolic processes in both, the constitution of the body and the characteristics of reproductive functions.

Numerous studies by nutritionists suggest that meals in the male diet should be more nutritious. The recommended daily calorie intake for the average man is 2500 kcal, for a woman – 2000 kcal. Naturally, with active sports, struggle with excess weight, rehabilitation after illness, etc. these rates may be varied and adjusted by your doctor or trainer. But with some trace elements, it is important for men not to overdo it. And women – on the contrary, make sure that they are in sufficient quantity.

Male muscle mass is 30-40% more than female muscle mass on average, and this fact should not be ignored when making up a diet. Therefore, men’s food requires more calories than women’s. For example, nutritionists advise men to consume more zinc than women: for women, the daily intake of zinc is 7 mg, for men – 9.5 mg. This mineral aids in healthier sperm production. In general, zinc helps to strengthen the immune system and better cell function. This trace element is found in foods rich in proteins – seeds, nuts, seafood, etc.d.

Calcium and iron, or rather foods rich in them, cause a lot of controversy about the norms of consumption. Women have lower bone density and therefore lose more bone mass than men. Hence the higher risk of developing bone osteoporosis. During menopause, the strength of bone tissue decreases even more, so doctors constantly warn women about the frequency of possible fractures. Therefore, women need to consume more calcium-rich foods – tomatoes, dairy products (especially hard cheese), apricots, dried fruits, legumes and green vegetables.

According to some reports, in men, high calcium levels in the body may increase the risk of prostate cancer. Nutritionists recommend that men and women of young and middle age consume 700 mg of calcium per day. And for women during the formation of menopause and after the onset of menopause, 1200 mg of calcium per day.

Women need more iron because the female body is more prone to developing iron deficiency anemia (anemia) than the male.In women, iron levels in the body drop sharply with each menstruation, so they should be aware of this fact. The average rate of iron per day for men is 10 mg, for women – 15-20 mg. Therefore, an elementary blood test 2 times a year will help monitor blood counts and determine the predisposition to the development of anemia.

A balanced menu rich in minerals and vitamins necessary for human health is important for both women and men. It is quite difficult to find your own “golden mean” in nutrition on your own.For example, proteins are essential for the full functioning of everyone’s body. However, an excess of protein in a woman’s diet leads to a loss of calcium in the body. And in the diet of men – to the formation of kidney stones.

Difference in male and female diets

1. Men need more calories

They have more muscles and a faster metabolism. Usually men do more physical work, albeit even the most elementary ones: take out a bicycle for a child or rearrange a chair.This allows them to claim an additional 250-300 kilocalories daily. That is why the lowest limit of the caloric intake of women is 1200 kcal, for men – 1500. If they eat less, the metabolism will slow down. Internal organs will starve, but fat will be deposited no matter what.

And since men have higher caloric requirements than women, they need more protein, more fat and carbohydrates.

In the presence of training, the recommended intake for women who want to lose weight is 1700-2000 kcal, for men who are losing weight – 2000-2300 kcal.This increase should occur gradually, due to proteins, fats, carbohydrates. Please note that men should not give up fat, as this can lead to impotence.

2. Fat in men is deposited in the upper abdomen

Fat from the upper abdomen is not difficult for men to use through exercise in conjunction with diet. This fat is quite life-threatening, since it is present not only under the skin, but also between internal organs, surrounds the liver, heart, pancreas, and other important organs, and leads to their obesity.Such visceral fat increases the risk of coronary atherosclerosis, heart attack, fatty hepatosis, and a number of other diseases.

In women, on the contrary, on the sides, thighs, lower abdomen, fat is conceived by nature itself, during pregnancy and lactation it is a supply of nutrients and a soft airbag for the baby in case of a fall. The female body must have a very good reason to get energy from this supply. That is why it is more difficult for women to use fat reserves from their problem areas.

Moreover, female physiology imposes restrictions on the minimum percentage of body fat. If a man can easily maintain 15% body fat, then women are not advised to go below 21%.

3. Men treat food differently

It is more difficult for a man to follow a diet. On the other hand, he does not seize his stress, like women, but more often drinks with alcohol. According to a study by Canadian scientists, a woman needs to have lunch and dinner with a man to lose weight. It turns out that with a man, a woman chose less high-calorie food than having lunch or dinner in a female company.

This is the imprint of sociocultural factors. There is an opinion in society that a woman should eat like a bird. This image is supported in advertising, film and women’s media. Recall, for example, an advertisement for yogurt that women eat for breakfast or an advertisement for spices, where a woman first feeds her family, and only then sits down at the table herself. Therefore, in a men’s company, a woman tries to maintain an “ideal image” and in a restaurant she would rather order a salad with fish than a steak with potatoes.

4. Safe weight loss rate

World minds in dietetics agreed that there are some approximate figures, namely: how many grams per week it is safe to lose weight.If you lose weight faster, there is a risk that some body systems will not be able to rebuild so quickly. In addition, emergency weight loss is very often recruited back at the same rate.

So, the normal rate of weight loss for women is up to 2 kg per month (0.2-0.5 kg per week). For men – up to 4 kg per month (0.2-1 kg per week), that is, twice as fast. The upper figure is for those who are overweight over 20 kg, the rest are recommended to lose weight more slowly.

5.Most men lose weight faster than women

Imagine: you and your husband are eating one salad for the third week, but your weight is worth, and your husband’s third kilogram flies away! Not fair? The thing is that men naturally have more muscle mass than women. They also have higher testosterone levels, which contributes to muscle gain. As a result, their metabolism is also faster. So the male body, all other things being equal, burns calories more successfully than the female.

In addition, hormonal fluctuations can mask weight loss in women.So, in different phases of the cycle, water is retained in the female body in different ways. Before menstruation, many women observe weight gain, and after critical days, their weight returns to normal. In men, the hormonal background is stable, so weight loss can be hidden by excess salty food, lack of fluid intake and other factors not related to the endocrine system.

Text was prepared using material from the sites: http://www.sportobzor.ru/populyarnye-diety/razlichiya-muzhskoy-i-zhenskoy-diety.html

http : // zazozh . com / zdorove / hudeem / raznitsa muzhskogo zhenden914 – poiya zhenden914 html

Diet “1200 kilocalories”: a detailed hearty menu

Playing sports or moderate physical activity is the key to a beautiful, taut figure .But due to deplorable circumstances, some women cannot afford to exercise in the gym and even at home. What to do in such a situation if overweight spoils the whole picture?

The sparing diet , based on counting calories, will serve as a lifesaver. Nutritionists and nutritionists advise people who use short-leg sports to consume at least 2000 kcal per day, or even more. As for us, office ladies, who are deprived of the opportunity to move often, then to maintain lean shape, you should use to 1200 kcal .

Diet menu 1200 kcal

Everyone knows from school that each product has its own nutritional value . Fatty foods, sweets and flour products contain much more calories than raw vegetables and fruits. Based on the data in the calorie tables, we have compiled an approximate menu that will help everyone who wants to lose weight to make a nutritious and correct diet .

Why 1200? This amount of kilocalories is enough to reduce weight and at the same time not prevent the body from functioning normally .You will not frighten him with sharp restrictions, after which, as you know, the body, on the contrary, assuming the onset of hunger times, with any excess in food tries to accumulate new kilograms for a “rainy day”.

So, let’s start losing weight on Monday!

1 day

  • 200 g oatmeal with 1 tablespoon of honey
  • 1 medium banana
  • 200 g boiled turkey or chicken fillet, plus a large portion of vegetable salad with vegetable oil
  • 150 g cottage cheese and 2 oranges
  • 500 ml kefir 2.5% fat

2 days

  • 200 g buckwheat porridge with vegetables (except potatoes)
  • 2 large apples
  • 200 g of boiled beef with vegetable salad
  • 200 g sea fish, 1 grapefruit
  • 300 g curdled milk

3 days

  • 200 g boiled rice with vegetables
  • 50 g walnuts with 1 tablespoon honey
  • 200 g of boiled veal with vegetable salad
  • 3 boiled eggs with two tomatoes
  • 300 g low-fat yogurt

4 days

  • 200 g durum wheat pasta, 50 g cottage cheese
  • 1 apple and 1 banana
  • 200 g boiled beef and vegetable salad
  • 200 g sea fish or other seafood
  • 1 stackmilk

5 days

  • 200 g of pea porridge with 100 g of boiled fish
  • 2 st. l. honey
  • Large portion of vegetable salad dressed with olive oil
  • 200 g chicken fillet with three cucumbers
  • 3 boiled eggs

6 days

  • 200 g boiled or canned beans with fresh vegetables
  • 200 g fruit salad with a tablespoon of honey
  • 200 g of boiled veal with vegetables
  • 150 g low-fat cheese
  • 500 ml kefir

7 days

  • 200 g boiled potatoes with vegetable salad
  • 200 g fresh fruit, excluding banana
  • 200 g of boiled beef, 2 oranges
  • 150 g cottage cheese
  • 400 g Greek yogurt

With this list you can go shopping! And after a week, enjoy the first results – weight reduction and updated reflection in the mirror.

The range of offered products is approximate, it can be adjusted depending on the preferred dishes. In the near future “With Taste” will certainly acquaint you with other menu options for 1200 kcal.

If you are interested in the idea, share your wishes in the comments!

90,000 ready-made meal plan for 1200 kcal

ready-made meal plan for 1200 kcal

ready meal plan for 1200 kcal

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What is a ready-made meal plan for 1200 kcal?

I can’t accept the fact that when I eat one cake, they start to “bomb” me.I gathered myself together and decided that I would lose weight by summer. I bought a course “KETOPLAN” and began to systematically move towards the goal. I must say, this turned out to be the easiest and most painless way to prepare the figure for the summer. Thanks to the creators.

The effect of using a ready-made meal plan for 1200 kcal

Expert opinion

“Keto” is an abbreviation for “ketogenic”, that is, the diet is based on ketosis – the process by which fat is broken down due to a lack of carbohydrates in the diet.Here we are talking about a low-carb diet based on … fats! Protein in the diet should be in moderation. For me, this diet is very surprising. I’m used to the fact that when it comes to a low-carb diet, then the basis of the diet should be proteins, not fats. The ketogenic diet is something completely new. And so, going into the new unknown world of the ketogenic diet, I decided to enlist the help and support of professionals – I signed up for a KetoPlan subscription. In six months, I lost 5 kg, and I still have 5 to the desired weight.I feel light and free.

How to order

In order to place an order for a ready-made meal plan for 1200 kcal, you must leave your contact information on the website. The operator will contact you within 15 minutes. Will clarify all the details with you and we will send your order. In 3-10 days you will receive the parcel and pay for it upon receipt.

Customer Reviews:

Julia

The keto diet promotes the formation of ketone bodies in the body, causing a condition such as ketosis.With active physical activity, lipolysis (the use of fats as an energy source) begins after 2-3 days of the diet, with a passive lifestyle – on days 7-9.

Light

The Ketogenic Diet – as defined by the National Library of Medicine, is a diet in which fats are not the main source of energy. This diet helps lower blood sugar levels and leads to weight loss by altering metabolism.

I would like to thank the developers for such a simple program.You fill out several forms, enter your data there and in a few minutes you will receive a complete set for a whole month. Thanks to this plan, I managed to lose 2 kg in just 2 weeks. I think this is an excellent result, given that I sit in the office all the time and do not play sports. I recommend it to all overweight people. I strongly advise! Where to buy a ready-made meal plan for 1200 kcal? Keto is short for ketogenic, which means that the diet is based on ketosis, a process by which fat is broken down due to a lack of carbohydrates in the diet.Here we are talking about a low-carb diet based on … fats! Protein in the diet should be in moderation. For me, this diet is very surprising. I’m used to the fact that when it comes to a low-carb diet, then the basis of the diet should be proteins, not fats. The ketogenic diet is something completely new. And so, going into the new unknown world of the ketogenic diet, I decided to enlist the help and support of professionals – I signed up for a KetoPlan subscription. In six months, I lost 5 kg, and I still have 5 to the desired weight.I feel light and free.

Efficiency of food for 1200 kcal per day + ready-made version of the menu for 7 days with KBZHU in detail. Who is and who is not suitable for a diet of 1200 kcal per day. … With a limited diet of 1200 kcal, you will definitely lose weight. For a month, a loss of 3 to 10 kg is possible, depending on the initial weight. It is almost guaranteed that your menu will consist of the right and healthy foods. After all, otherwise it is very difficult to keep within such a limited calorie intake.In the presence of a varied and full-fledged menu, this method of losing weight does not cause serious harm to the body, unlike mono diets with a very low calorie diet (for example, a diet on buckwheat porridge, kefir, grapefruit, etc.). What is 1200 calorie plan? This is a balanced, nutritiously dense diet that is slightly below your metabolic base for energy. Advantages:. 1. Weight loss. … Is it possible to sit on 1200 kcal for a long time? I made it a rule to follow such a diet for prevention once a year.First, you use it for weight loss – as much as you need, and then just for a month or two you can sit on calorie restriction for general relief and good tone. … 2. Lunch. 150 grams of any fish ready-made + a large portion of stewed vegetables (200-250 grams of cabbage, broccoli, mix – whatever you like). Can be supplemented with cereals within the limits of calorie content. The 1200 Calorie Diet: Advantages and Disadvantages. Reducing the number of calories is good, but for safe weight loss, it is not recommended to go beyond the 1200 calorie line – this is the safest and most comfortable amount.With this method, you can lose up to five kilograms of excess weight in a month. All types of products are acceptable for use, only you need to carefully calculate. The 1200 kcal menu is one of the most effective for losing weight with proper nutrition. … This nutritional system for weight loss cannot be adhered to for a long time, since a 1200 calorie menu cannot be considered completely balanced. As fasting days for losing weight or during the Plato effect, you can safely adhere to this 1200 kcal menu once every 5-7 days a day.Additionally, it is recommended to take a multivitamin complex to avoid the negative side effects of this 1200 calorie daily diet. Do you think a 1200 kcal menu with bju count is an effective nutritional system for weight loss? How do you stick to a calorie-counting diet? Diet menu for 1700-1800 kcal per day. Recipes for various delicious diet dishes. … You can use special online services. Further, during the week, you will have to keep a food diary and write down everything that was eaten during the day.In this case, nothing in the diet needs to be changed. You just need to write down all the food and count the calories. This will help you analyze your diet and understand how many calories are consumed per day. Then you might think about what to remove from the diet and what to leave. Think about your favorite foods and how you can cook them while reducing calories. So, such a diet involves frequent and fractional meals. Breakfast should be hearty. How many calories do you need to eat per day in order to systematically lose weight. http://www.kitchensofdiablo.com/upload/plan_besedy_po_energeticheskoi_adekvatnosti_pitaniia2985.xml

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ready meal plan for 1200 kcal

I cannot come to terms with the fact that when I eat one cake, they start to “bomb” me. I gathered myself together and decided that I would lose weight by summer. I bought a course “KETOPLAN” and began to systematically move towards the goal. I must say, this turned out to be the easiest and most painless way to prepare the figure for the summer. Thanks to the creators.

How to make it right.To draw up a diet of proper nutrition, you need to take into account all your characteristics. There is no one-size-fits-all menu, and no people are alike. For example, a standard menu is not suitable for a person with gluten intolerance, as it contains it. … Below are examples of the average diet of a healthy diet for every day for a child, woman and man. In each case, you need to make allowances for your level of activity and your own taste. Everyone should avoid large amounts of sugar, soda, starchy foods, convenience foods, and fast food.You need to eat fractionally up to 6 times a day, and get the bulk of food in 1 half of the day. Female. Proper nutrition is not always a strict diet, not the absence of goodies in the diet, not exhaustion of oneself. This is a lifestyle that needs to be approached consciously. … actively move throughout the day – at least 10,000 steps per day have not been canceled; eat freshly prepared food; eat more fiber – fresh fruits and vegetables; eat fish at least 2 times a week to get Omega 3 fatty acids from food…. List of foods for proper nutrition. When drawing up a healthy eating plan, be sure to include the following products in the menu: Sea fish and seafood Fish oil reduces the risk of cholesterol plaques, heart attacks and strokes. Good nutrition isn’t just about cabbage salads and steamed fish. Under the PP system, millions of recipes have been created for breakfast, lunch and dinner, many of which satisfy the needs of the body and are worthy of being included in the plan of proper nutrition for every person! PP program…. How to make a weight loss meal plan. Individual planning of your own menu for the day, week, month will help you develop the habit of eating right and in a strictly defined mode. Fractional – at least 3 times, and preferably 5-6 times a day – the diet is the key to food discipline. Do not break or rebuild your daily routine. Rely on your lifestyle when making a plan. By adhering to the principles of proper nutrition, you can keep your figure in shape. No diet can guarantee long-term results without compromising health.PP in this regard is something like a golden mean. Thanks to him, it is possible not only to lose weight, but also to maintain the desired weight as long as required. The transition to a balanced diet in addition to physical activity. Proper nutrition for the whole family is the key to a healthy life not only today, but also the basis of well-being in the future. This is especially important for the younger generation. … With a pre-made meal plan on hand, you don’t have to think about what to cook for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day.Menu planning helps you allocate your free time: on busy days, you can whip up something quickly, and on weekends you can pamper your family with delicacies. … Children from 7 to 10 years old need to consume 2000 kcal per day. If a child is actively involved in any kind of sport, his daily energy consumption will be 2300 kilocalories. It is understood that the nutritional menu for the day includes five meals. We are talking about breakfast, second breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. On the first day of the week, you can eat as follows: Prepare oatmeal for breakfast.It can be supplemented with any kind of fruit. The principles of proper nutrition and recipes for losing weight for every day. The first thing many people do when trying to lose weight is changing their diet. And although we first of all recommend that you seek professional advice, as a general information, we will consider the basic principles of proper nutrition. Very often, in pursuit of weight loss, people use all kinds of newfangled diets, limit themselves in everything. This leads to new difficulties: uncontrolled appetite, health problems appear, and the state of health worsens.Experts warn: this approach is fraught with serious consequences. Action plan. action plan 2016. action plan 2015.. WE PLAN OUR HEALTHY FOOD ON our own (for the adult population). Does everyone need to count calories? Every calorie, of course not! … An example of planning meals for a woman with low physical activity for one day With proper nutrition, the menu must include healthy foods every day, which contain a lot of fiber, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids, micro and macronutrients.These are usually foods that are quickly digested, promote a good metabolism, and are very beneficial to health. … Here you also need to know the permissible daily calorie intake, plus take into account the lifestyle. Athletes need more energy, which means that the calorie content of food consumed should be higher. And completely different standards, for example, for office workers or those who spend a lot of time at home.

1200 Calorie Diet List

List of 1200 Calories Diet

Let’s say you decided to lose weight.Why do you want to lose weight only concerns you, maybe because your doctor has prescribed or, to prepare your body for the summer. You can only be sure that your return will only benefit you. For a simple start, you can create a diet for yourself, try to fill your diet with nutrient-rich foods, and cut down on your calorie intake.

The simplest diet to start is the small plate diet. Cutting back on the portion you usually eat will cut your calories by 500 calories per day.This is a low-calorie diet that can help you lose up to half a pound per week. For most people, this will be a list of 1200 calories. It is imperative that you consult your doctor before starting any diet, the 1200 calorie diet does not include over 1200 calories per day. Liz Weinandy of Wexner Medical Center says: “The 1200 calorie diet claims that it is the right or even ideal diet for women over 50 who are usually stationary and their calorie intake is lower than burned.”

Is a 1200 calorie diet good for you?

Those who adhere to a diet by counting calories lose weight faster.Like this? Since you are consuming fewer calories than you burn, it makes a difference to your body’s fat stores. As a result, you lose weight. Scientists do not recommend a person to drop below 1200 calories a day. Because it is very difficult to get the necessary nutrients such as calcium, protein and magnesium. Add some exercise to your day and get the protein you need. When you have enough protein in your diet, you won’t lose your muscles.

Planning the Day

Food is energy, but many of us do not eat because of hunger, but for other reasons.We eat when we are bored or nervous. We eat because it is delicious. And sometimes, because the food is in front of us.

Many people call this type of food “snack” and consider it a bad habit. But if done carefully, snacking can be healthy and play an important role in the 1200 calorie diet.

The biggest problem you will face is hunger, and it can undermine your decision. One way to combat hunger pain is to know your calories.Don’t limit yourself to just three meals. Give yourself at least one snack between meals. Be sure to eat plenty of low-calorie foods to help you get fewer calories. These are foods high in fiber and water, such as salads, vegetables, soups, watermelons, or grapefruits. Fruits can also help limit the duration of satiety as well as limit your calorie intake.

Make A Diet Plan

When you search the internet for 1200 calorie diet lists, you will find tons of diet lists.Below are 1200 Calorie Diet Lists that are compiled by calculating all the nutritional values ​​of the most successful of these plans. If you want to buy online diets prepared for weight loss by online nutritionists in calories that you need to buy more specifically, just click (Click and start losing weight!).

There are a few things you should consider before starting this plan.

When were you most hungry?

Think back to the times when you were most hungry.Don’t keep all your calories for the rest of the day. Do you like breakfast? Very good breakfast and an easy evening. Incorporate your personality into your plan.

Are you drinking enough water?

Liquids do not satisfy hunger, but make it forget. Water is an important part of a healthy diet. When people are thirsty, they eat more often. Not because they are hungry, just because they are thirsty. This is why we say: first, wait a few minutes to drink a glass of water, if you are still hungry, keep eating.

Track your behavior, live in the know

Your goal is not to die of hunger, but to gain a healthy weight. Don’t drink a little water or exercise. Extreme behavior may indicate that you have an eating disorder. If you are concerned about your relationship with food, talk to your doctor.

List of one of the 1200 calorie diets we recommend
Breakfast
  • 2 slices of fresh orange / avocado / watermelon (seasonal)
  • 1 boiled egg
  • 1/2 whole wheat bagel or 1/2 cup oatmeal sugar-free porridge
Lunch
  • Salad with avocado, carrots, tomatoes and herbs
  • Soup
  • Yogurt
  • 1 small piece of cornbread
Dinner
  • Broccoli or cabbage
  • Lentil soup / Fish soup ( make sure it is creamy)
  • Salmon / sea bass

Snacks

You can eat them carefully during the day:

  • apple
  • Blueberries or raspberries
  • 2-3 walnuts
  • 30 g low-fat cheese the size of a matchbox (this is our required)
  • 2 cups of popcorn

1200 calories qie that list 91 096

It has a total of 1200 calories, including food and snacks, and also contains about 20.57 grams of fiber.

Also, if you have a health problem, do not follow these lists without the permission of your dietitian or doctor. If you are looking for disease-specific diet lists, such as the 1200 calorie diet list, the 1200 calorie insulin resistance diet, do not follow the diet list without your doctor’s approval.

1200 calories breakfast diet: 223 calories
  • 1 serving menemen
  • 1 slice of rye bread
  • Cup of coffee

Macronutrients: 8.65 g protein, 22.07 g carbohydrates, 11.4 g fat, 3.75 g fiber

Lunch on a 1200 calorie diet: 513 calories
  • 1 serving of spinach sauce
  • 1 serving of salad
  • Water

Macronutrients: 16.7 grams of protein, 25.84 grams of carbohydrates, 41.16 grams of fat , 7.94 grams fiber

1200 snack calories: 84 calories
  • Medium peach
  • Medium carrots
  • Water

Macronutrients: 1.93 g protein, 20.15 g carbohydrates, 0.53 g fat , 3.96 g fiber

Dinner on a diet 1200 calories: 348 calories
  • Chicken breast 100 grams
  • Shepherd’s salad 250 grams
  • Coffee filter

Macronutrients: 31.23 g protein, 11.43 g carbohydrates, 19.8 g fat 2.92 g fiber

Snacks 1200 Calories: 32 Calories
  • Strawberries 100 grams
  • Cup of green tea

Macronutrients: 0.67 g protein, 7.68 g carbohydrates, 0.3 g fat, 2 g fiber

You can enjoy unlimited amounts of water, tea and coffee.Avoid artificially sweetened drinks if you are addicted, limit them once a day, and add calories to your calorie list. You can season your meals with non-nutritive lemon or freshly squeezed lemon juice, aromatic vinegar, and a variety of spices.

With a 1200 calorie diet list, the answers to questions about how much weight lost are personal. However, the 1200 calorie list will help you lose weight in a short time and maintain your weight loss.