The 1200 Calorie Diet Plans have gained an increasing popular interest in our market in the past decades. A lot of books on this subject with corresponding recipes and daily menus have come out because of the increasing number of people who want to lose weight and avoid the health risks associated with obesity.
It is not easy to create a caloric deficit using this diet plan because people can't stand the sudden decrease of carbohydrate intake. Some withdraw from the diet after just a week and sometimes as early as 4 days. It is not easy. So if you are thinking of going on a 1200 calorie diet plan, here is a sample menu so you could test it first if you will be able to stand it for a long period of time.
1200 Calorie Diet Menu Sample
Breakfast Small glass grapefruit juice 1/2 cup oatmeal 1 glass skim milk 1 whole wheat toast 1 teaspoon jam coffee or tea
Lunch Vegetable chow mien with 2oz chicken or diced lean beef 1/4 cup rice 1/4 cupFresh pinapple chunks 1 glass buttermilk
Dinner 3 oz Roast lamb slice 1/4 cup rice Broccoli Tomato salad 1 bread Fresh fruit cup Glass skim milk
I know you are probably eager to start on using 1200 calories diet to lose weight. Remember, before you undergo this type of diet, you must never neglect proper nutrition needed by your body, otherwise, you will defeat your purpose of losing weight which is to become more healthy.
Although this may seem an easy diet to follow, a lot of people do get some problems in sticking to the 1200 calorie limit. The cravings are felt as early as the 4th day from the start. That is mostly when the food binges and "accidents" happen. I suggest that when you want to start a diet, start out with something that you can stick to for the long term to get maximum and successful results.
For optimal health and nutrition, the UDSA recommends you have the following each day:
Dairy
Women3 Servings
Men3 Servings
The dairy group includes milk, yogurt and cheeses. Generally your serving would equal 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of yogurt, 1 1/2 oz. of natural cheese, 2 oz. of processed cheese, 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese or 2 cups of cottage cheese.
Grains
Women6 Servings
Men8 Servings
Grain products are foods made from wheat, oats, rice, cornmeal or grains. The grain group includes bread, rice, pasta, grits, oatmeal and cereals. Each serving would generally equal 1 slice of bread, 1 cup of cereal, 1/2 cup of cooked rice, 1/2 cup of cooked pasta, 1/2 cup cooked cereal, 1 small tortilla, 1 small biscuit, 1 small muffin, 1 small pancake, 1 small waffle, 3 cups popped popcorn, 7 crackers, 1/4 of a large bagel, 1/2 of an English muffin or 1 small piece of cornbread.
Vegetables
Women3 Servings
Men3 Servings
The 100 Calorie Food Counter lists all your vegetables. Each serving equals 1 cup raw or cooked vegetables, 1 cup vegetable juice or 2 cups of raw leafy greens.
Fruit
Women2 Servings
Men2 Servings
The 100 Calorie Food Counter lists all your fruits. Generally, a serving equals 1 cup of fruit, 1 cup of fruit juice or 1/2 cup dried fruit.
Oil
Women6 Servings
Men6 Servings
Oil is an important part of nutrition. In this category are oils, margarine, mayonnaise, fat based salad dressings, nut butters, nuts, seeds and avocado. Make sure to have oils from a natural source like fish, nuts and vegetables. Limit oils containing saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol. Generally, each serving equals 1 teaspoon oil, 1 teaspoon margarine, 1 teaspoon mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon fat based salad dressings, 1 teaspoon of nut butter, 1/3 oz. nuts, 1/3 oz. seeds or 1/6 of a medium avocado.
Protein
Women6 Servings
Men7 Servings
The protein group includes beef, pork, lamb, poultry, fish, beans, peas, eggs, nuts, seeds and nut butters. Make sure to choose lean cuts of meat and poultry. Each serving equals 1 oz. of beef, 1 oz. of pork, 1 oz. of lamb, 1 oz. of poultry, 1 oz. of fish, 1 egg, 1/2 oz. of nuts, 1/2 oz. of seeds, 1 tablespoon of nut butter, 1/4 cup cooked beans, 1/2 cup bean soup, 1/2 cup of pea soup, 1/2 cup of tofu, 2 tablespoons hummus, 1 oz. of tempeh or 1/2 of a soy or bean burger.
That's all there is to it! The 100 Calorie Diet has a secret weapon to help you keep track of your nutrition ? The 100 Calorie Food Journal which has a Nutrition Made Easy section with check off boxes for all these food categories. As you eat from a food group, you simple check off a box. At the end of the day, you can easily see how healthy you've eaten that day by how many boxes are checked off. Let's all eat healthy The 100 Calorie Way!
Make sure to eat a variety of foods everyday. When was the last time you ate the recommended servings of vegetables and fruits? They are so very important for you. Eat the colors of the rainbow; red and yellow and pink and green, purple and orange and blue. Yummm. Think juicy red apples, yellow squash, pink grapefruits, green beans, purple eggplants, delicious orange oranges and vine ripe blue blueberries. You can use The 100 Calorie Food Counter to show the amount of all these foods you can have for about 100 calories. Learn to live the 100 calorie lifestlye!
Both Kayemedalla & Susie Trimble are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Kayemedalla has sinced written about articles on various topics from Lose Weight. A balanced menu and regular exercise is the fool proof formula to lose weight and keep it off permanently. Get fantastic guidance through .. Kayemedalla's top article generates over 590 views. to your Favourites.
Susie Trimble has sinced written about articles on various topics from Women, Lose Weight and Birthday Party. Susie Trimble and her sister, Tammy Trimble, developed and co-wrote The 100 Calorie Diet and Food Counter for people who love to eat. It's easy! Eat anything you want in 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500+ and still lose weight. Start living the 100 calorie lifes. Susie Trimble's top article generates over 49500 views. to your Favourites.