1200 calorie-a-day menu plan?

I am eating 1200 calories a day... and have noticed that several others are doing the same thing. What does your daily food journal look like in this range? I'm looking for some ideas...

Thanks!

Here's a sample diet:

Breakfast:  1/2 cup (dry) oatmeal made with water (150 calories) and seasoning, if desired (i.e. cinnamon).  Served with 2 egg whites fried with PAM (70) and 1/2 cup strawberries (25) and black coffee or tea, if desired = 245 calories

snack:  1 cup baby carrots (40 calories)

Lunch:  2 slices low-cal bread (90) and 3 oz turkey (100) with mustard, if desired.  with 1 cup cucumbers (10) and 2 TB hummus (50) = 250 calories

snack:  yoplait light yogurt (100) and apple (60) =160 calories

Dinner:  1 cup whole wheat pasta (200) with 1 TB olive oil (120), broccoli (40), and 3 oz grilled chicken (125) = 485 calories

Snack:  diet hot chocolate = 25 calories

Total:  1,165 calories

this is under because I was tired and not feeling well, but here's something close to a 1200 day. I go for lots of veggies, low fat yogurt, fruit and beans. I'm not a big meat eater so that's a chore for me. I'm sure I need more protein

 

100% Orange Juice with Calcium - Non-Refrigerated Juices & Juice Drinks B+ 240 110 Yoplait Light Apple Turnover B+ 170 100 Milk, Nonfat, Fluid - Without Added Vitamin A (Fat Free Or Skim) A 245 86 Strawberries A 160 51 Dark Sweet Cherries - Frozen Fruit B+ 75 48 Edamame - Frozen Vegetables Premium Bagged A 75 106 Edamame - Frozen Vegetables Premium Bagged A 150 212 Quinoa A- 43 158 Squash, Summer, Zucchini, Includes Skin - Cooked, Boiled, Drained, Without Salt A 90 14 Lime Juice, Canned Or Bottled, Unsweetened A- 31 7 Peas - Sugar Snap
139 47 Sweetpotato - Cooked, Baked In Skin, Without Salt A 154 139 Deli Pick-Ups Sliced Oven Roasted Turkey Breast
110 113 Total Calories Consumed 1,190

Thanks for the samples. I'm a vegetarian... so I will need to look for protein-rich foods as well.

Original Post by moshell77:

Thanks for the samples. I'm a vegetarian... so I will need to look for protein-rich foods as well.

I eat like 50% carbs because of all the veggies and beans I eat. I'm an edamame FREAK. I eat it every single day. Same with sugar snap peas. I'll eat meat, but not usually. Sometimes around my period I'll chew the meat right off a cow, though

I like Boca vegan burger pattys. They are only 100 calories and I dip them in BBQ. And they have a good amount of protein in them.

my daily meals vary quite a bit, but i've found these items to be very useful in keeping me full throughout the day. plus, they're quite low in calories and high in protein! 

first off, i am IN LOVE with bread! the only problem is, bread is usually high-ish in calories, and i like to eat a lot, so low-cal bread IS my best friend! :P orowheat makes a light bread that's only 80 calories for 2 (yes 2!) slices! sure they're not the biggest slices of bread you'll ever see, but i feel they're just enough to make me happy.

another thing i really like is egg beaters. very low in calorie (30 per 1/4 cup), and high in protein, which will help keep you satisfied.

other things i like that are quite low in calorie: frozen peaches (to satisfied your sweet tooth and they're a yummy cold snack, not to mention healthy), foster farms honey roasted turkey "lunch meat" (it's only 25 calories a slice! put 2 slices in a sandwich made with 80-cal bread, add in some lettuce, tomato and mustard, and you've got yourself a sandwich for under 150 calories!!! you can have 2 if you want, and it would still be less calories than most sandwiches!), salsa (i love to put some in my egg beaters. half a cup of egg beaters with a few tbs of salsa makes an omelet for less than 80 calories!), eating right soy protein burgers (only 70 calories! cut it up and add it to your omelet, SO, so good!), splenda with fiber (every packet has 1 gram of fiber in it, what more can i say?), tea, coffee, water.

 

hope this helped!

 

PS: i've actually found that using CC as a meal planners works better for me than trying to keep track of everything i put in my mouth. this way i can put together 5 or 6 meals (plus snacks!). 

I'm a vegetarian eating around 1200cals/day too! I live in Australia though so the calorific values of some of my foods might be different to yours...

 

Breakfast:

1 boiled egg, 1 slice organic bread toasted, 1 small tin Weight Watchers baked beans, 1 grilled tomato (280cals)

 

Lunch:

Fruit salad with 100g each of watermelon, rockmelon, pineapple, frozen berries, 140g grapes and 100g Diet yoghurt (300cals)

 

Afternoon snack:

Ski D'Light Yoghurt (210cals)

Dinner:

Herb and garlic wrap with veggie  pattie or grilled tofu, veggies, spicy tomato sauce. (425cals)

 

I also walk for about 60-80mins at least 5 times a week. I love this meal plan, I made it up myself after a lot of trial and error and finally figuring out my calorie requirements and I feel great ... the fruit is always so fresh and satisfies my sweet tooth and having a piece of toast and a tortilla at night means I don't have carb cravings. I load up my wrap at night with plenty of fresh vegetables so it takes a while to eat and is so satisfying. And the veggie burger patties I eat are so delicious, around 160 cals and very satisfying! I swap with marinated tofu which has the same calorific value every second or third night to make sure I don't get bored of it.

Good luck with everything!

I like to use cc as a meal planner as well. Works pretty good.

Most good days look like this:

Breakfast: 230 Total

Banana or Orange or Apple= 60 cals

(30 minutes later, to avoid fermentation) Bob's Redmill High Fiber Hot Cereal 1/3 cup dry=150 cals + 1 tbsp Agave Nectar = 60 cals

This keeps me going for a while, even on days when I work at the farm.

Lunch: 440  or 385 Total

Salad, about three cups, mostly lettuce, veery filling = 100 cals, Annie's Tuscan Dressing 2 tbsp = 80 cals, 1/2 cup Nancy's Organic Low Fat Cottage Cheese = 90 cals, Stoneyfeild Farm FF Chocolate Underground 6oz Yogurt Cup = 170 cals

or

2 Slices Alvarado Street Sprouted California Style Bread = 180 cals, Trader Joe's Lite Organic Muenster Cheese, 1 slice = 80 cals, 1 tsp Sesame Oil = 45 cals, 1 cup Carrot Corriander Soup = 80 cals

Mid Afternoon Snack: 125 or 180 total

Here's where I need a pick-me-up!

About Five Whole Carrots = 125 cals

or

Four Trader Joe's Stone Ground Wheat Crackers = 120 cals, 1/4 cup of Nancy's Lowfat Cottage Cheese = 40 cals and 1 tbspn Nutritional Yeast = 20 cals

etc....

Dinner: 360 or 300 or 405

 Homemade Sushi (veggie) = ~320 cals, 2 tbsp Soy Sauce = 18 cals, 2 tsp wasabi = 20 cals

Or

A couple bowls veggie soup with nutritional yeast added ~250-300 cals

or

Baked Salmon 3.5 oz = 180 cals, Boiled Carrots and Greens = 50 cals, Baked Asparagus = 30 cals, My personal Hollandaise Recipe 1 serving = 145

Daily Totals: 1255, 1200, 1150, etc., etc.

Like I said, these are my good days....bad days I eat more like 1800-2200 calories...but I'm working on it!