What foods can you eat on a 1200 calorie diet?

So, you’ve decided to take control of your diet and join the glorious army of people who are willing to endure hunger pangs for two months in order to fit into that new swimsuit. I commend your bravery (and perhaps question your sanity).

Going on a 1200 calorie diet takes commitment, discipline, and sustained sobbing at family gatherings around the dinner table. But we know you’re strong enough to handle it! So without further ado, let’s get into exactly what foods you can eat while maintaining this strict nutritional regimen.

The Basics

First things first: when starting out any diet plan, it is important that one understands the foundational principles behind it. A 1200 calorie diet is all about consuming fewer calories than your body burns each day – which is known as creating a caloric deficit. This encourages weight loss over time because your body will have less energy from food available to store as fat cells.

To expedite this process and make sure you keep full (or semi-full) throughout the day while eating only 1200 calories per day, here are some essential tips:

Tip #1: Lean Proteins — Get Full While Saving Calories

Proteins are slow-to-digest macronutrients that can help keep you full between meals.[^1] Add more cuts like chicken breasts or fish fillets to meet daily protein requirements without going too many calories over budget — pro-tip: season these babies with no-sugar-added spices and marinades!

Sooo… what kind of lean proteins can you grab? Here’s an initial list:

  • Chicken Breast
  • Turkey Wholesome Slices
  • Fish Fillet
  • Greek Yogurt
  • Tofu
  • Egg Whites [Rumor has it Quiche gets pretty boring after a few weeks]

Nab extra proteins from tofu, but the extra fun also comes with some carbs and fats to consider in your daily caloric budget.

Tip #2: Vegetables – Go big! Eat low!

Going plant-based isn’t only animal-friendly. Veggies are loaded with fiber that keep you full longer while making sure vitamin and nutrient requirements are met along the way.

  • Broccoli
  • Bell Peppers
  • Zucchini
  • Spinach
  • Carrots

Breakfast, Brunch & Beyond … all under 300 cals

Ohhh breakfast time, the meal of champions… well when I say champions I mean minimalists who want large portions for few calories. But never fear friends! With a little creativity (and staying far away from Starbucks muffins) you can become champion too.

Here’s a list of belly-fillers for any morning occasion:

  1. Hard Boiled Eggs (70 Cal/egg)
  2. Greek Yogurt topped with berries (160 Cal/cup)
  3. High-Fiber Cereal with almond milk (120 Cal/serving)
  4. Veggie-mix Omelet [Egg White Only] filled with sautéed peppers/broccoli/spinach + whole wheat toast slice (230 Cal)
  5. Low-cal Strawberry Smoothie : Plain greek yogurt , strawberries , baby spinach leaves , agave nectar + ice blended together.(130 Calories)

How about a teeny extra party trick? Swap out sugary granola toppings for spices or swap regular blueberries for sour cherries; both of these swaps add more antioxidants per bite per calorie.

Quick note on cereals — as they vary wildly in nutritional content and how much sugar vs fiber is packed into each box – make sure to choose wisely!
Here’s an example table

Name Serving Size Calories Fiber
Bran Flakes 1 cup 90 7g
Honey Nut Cheerios 1 cup 110 3 g

Lunch & Dinner – Recipes for winners (but don’t party through the weekend!)

We know that finding enough options to go for lunch and dinner can be tough, especially during weekdays when we’re all swamped with work. So here’s a list of killer lunch/dinner recipes that’ll get you throughout the week:

Recipe #1: Grilled Chicken Salad

  • Mixed greens (2 cups)
  • Hard-boiled egg whites (2)
  • Cucumber slices (4)
  • tomato cherry halves
  • Mushroom slices
  • Grilled chicken breast pieces (~4 oz)(200 cals/serving)

Top it off with either balsamic vinegar or oil-free creamy dressing.

Recipe #2 : Jerk Tofu Kabobs

Such an easy recipe to carry out–as long as you have tofu around! Mix up low calorie jerk sauce in small batches using salt-free herbs/spices, add chopped bell peppers/onion/cherry tomatoes then let veggie-kabobs do their magic on grill pan.

Now about some bonus movie-worthy recipes…

Recipe #3: Cauliflower Crust Pizza

One great way to quell your pizza craving without going too many calories over budget is crust made out of – drumroll please – cauliflower. Fantastic stuff.

Here’s how:

  1. Make “ricotta” cheese by mixing Greek yogurt , salt , pepper together – one serving per person should suffice.
  2. Rice all cauliflowers in a food processor until fine like snow flakes
  3. Cook riced cauliflower by stirring and mixng ingredients over medium heat
  4. Add egg whites to cauliflower-rice mixture and stir (you can add a bit of garlic, dried herbs/spices for Italian/Mediterranean flair).
  5. bake crust at 400 F approx ~20min until golden brown.
  6. Add toppings: lower-sugar pizza sauce, low-fat cheese or additional ricotta cheese!, veggies like bell pepper/mushrooms/sautéed spinach , onions etc.
  7. Bake Pizza again (~10-15 minutes)

Recipe #4 : Turkey zucchini boats

This super easy recipe comes adding both vegetables -and- protein with minimal calories for any restrictive diet… all thanks to the genius idea of using zucchini boats as serving bowls!

  1. Cut & Scrape Zucchinis into half (like you’re making a boat-dock), place aside .
    2.Mix together your choice of seasoning with lean turkey meat
    3.Stuff mixture inside each “boat” – topping off with tomato sauce and sprinkle some shredded low fat mozzarella cheese ;
    4.bake these babies for around 30 min @350°F.

Now that you have access to both caloric information AND recipes galore, let’s get up and cheer our collective victories against self-hunger-crisping!!

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