1200 cals a day

[bowiesmum]

I'm going to try and lower my calories even though I was advised to have nearer 1400.

I'm 5'2 and 10.3 stone,

What do you eat in a day at 1200 that keeps you full all day and no cravings!

[ChicChicChicChicChicken]

1200 is far too low and unsustainable. You would be better to go for the 1,400 so that you don’t feel hungry and and up grabbing food and destroying your diet.

you could then have a 400 cal breakfast, 400 cal lunch, a 500 dinner and still have a snack somewhere.

a homemade veg and fruit smoothie with a couple of tablespoons of chia seeds added before drinking is very filling, and just a couple of hundred calories. (Depending on what you blend obviously)

[weasle]

If you've been advised 1400 stick to that?
I'm attempting 1200 at present but rarely make the target!

No UPF
Minimal carbs.
Fill up with fruit and veg and eggs (am veggie).
No snacking or alcohol
The 16/8 fast might help?
The awfully named My fitness pal app helps with accurate counting.
Some exercise to give a few hundred extra calories allowed. Even with that I'm over every day! Distraction helps - spring cleaning, gardening.

[ConcernedCatmother]

I recommend calorie cycling, I do 1600 average per day broken down as below;
This method is meant to stop your metabolism from slowing down and you get to still have treats at the weekend due to the higher calories.

Mon 700 cals
Tues 1400 cals
Weds 1400 cals
Thurs 1400 cals
Fri 2000 cals
Sat 2500 cals
Sunday 1800 cals

[greenspaces4peace]

clean out the pantry and don't have any crave worthy foods around. i'm sure you know what you find difficult to resist.

[Mossstitch]

I can't diet on that amount but I'm a lot taller/heavier but what I find helps is to aim for the lower number but allow myself the extra 200 without feeling like I've failed if I suddenly get hungry before bedtime ( my danger time is evenings when I want to snack) or have overpowering craving for something sweet.

[Mossstitch]

@ConcernedCatmother

I recommend calorie cycling, I do 1600 average per day broken down as below;
This method is meant to stop your metabolism from slowing down and you get to still have treats at the weekend due to the higher calories.

Mon 700 cals
Tues 1400 cals
Weds 1400 cals
Thurs 1400 cals
Fri 2000 cals
Sat 2500 cals
Sunday 1800 cals

Ooh, I like the sounds of this, thanks, I need to diet..........again🙄

[Luredbyapomegranate]

Why not just do 1400? What difference to your results will it make? A month or something?

[bowiesmum]

I just feel I'm not losing on 1400, I'm down one week then you the next. Maybe I'm not counting properly.. I use my fitness pal.

I like the sound of the cycling but actually think I'd die on only 700 for the Monday

[ChicChicChicChicChicken]

Be aware if you use MY Fitness Pal that you are relying on contributors to accurately add calories to the database, they aren’t always accurate.

Also on MFP don’t add your exercise as it gives you extra calories back to eat. That’s the only time I never lost weight using MFP.

You do need to weigh everything accurately and add every drink too. If you aren’t losing then you are likely eating too many calories tbh.

[Pineapplejuicer]

Lean protein is good for filling you up and can be less calories than carbs.

I struggle to follow this kind of diet and most people do….you do it right for a few days then binge so overall your average calorie intake will end up higher than 1200….

[bowiesmum]

Yeah that's so true about MFP. I had been eating bacon medallions for ages as they were saying say 98cals for two then I weighed them and it was actually an extra 50 cals.

Ok I'm going to give it another month at 1400 but will weight everything religiously.

Do you guys count veg? I only count root veg and fruit

[Icedlatteplease]

@ChicChicChicChicChicken

1200 is far too low and unsustainable. You would be better to go for the 1,400 so that you don’t feel hungry and and up grabbing food and destroying your diet.

you could then have a 400 cal breakfast, 400 cal lunch, a 500 dinner and still have a snack somewhere.

a homemade veg and fruit smoothie with a couple of tablespoons of chia seeds added before drinking is very filling, and just a couple of hundred calories. (Depending on what you blend obviously)

I don't lose on 1400. Not unless I am also exercising significantly

When I was eating 1200 cal a day, I ate for example
Breakfast: Egg wrap (120 wholewheat tortilla) +coffee/ chorizo, tomato and mushrooms dry fried/egg white frittata/ normal frittata/salmon and poached egg on a hungry day aiming at sub 200 cals
Lunch: mushroom pasta/salmon and leek pasta/ tomato pasta/mushroom stroganoff/ chicken curry (low fat yoghurt with quinoa not rice)/ spaghetti bol (no more that 75g mince)/chilli with quinoa not rice/stirfry/ bri and bacon rissotto aiming at about 400 cal
Dinner: chicken salad tortilla/ dhal/ omelette/prawn salad/egg white mushroom omlette if i had eaten a bit high on another meal (aiming at about 300cal)
Small sub 100cal treat such as a few squares of chocolate. A fair amount of coffee (I ended up deciding to go with skimmed milk to satisfy my coffee needs) about 100 cals

If I had a takeaway it was a 2 pieces kfc meal, a small portion of fish with few few chips

Basically limited portions of carbs, huge amount of veg

Yy to clearing everything tasty from the house

[Icedlatteplease]

@Pineapplejuicer

Lean protein is good for filling you up and can be less calories than carbs.

I struggle to follow this kind of diet and most people do….you do it right for a few days then binge so overall your average calorie intake will end up higher than 1200….

I followed it for over a year

[Kay286]

I’m 5ft 3 and lost 2 stone on 1200 cals I couldn’t lose on more ! I generally tried to have breakfast for 250 bowl raisin bran lunch 250 slice of bread with tuna and fat free yoghurt to fill up. Then normal eve meal for 500 and 200 left for treats such a bar choc or glass wine

[MrsTerryPratchett]

Veg really varies. Peas, sweet corn etc. all quite high and should be counted. Celery, don't bother.

[Icedlatteplease]

Yy I rarely ate sweetcorn because it just wasnt worth it and measured out/counted everything that passed my mouth including veg and liquids.

It was more mushrooms,leeks, tomatoes spinach, frozen Brussels sprouts and green beans.

[FoodAndWalking]

I did this for a year and it was fine once I got into the groove and found a balance of nutrient dense/slow release foods I enjoyed. It allowed me to reevaluate my relationship with food, develop an appreciation for cooking from scratch, and get down to a healthy weight. 

For context I’m 5’3 and lost 9 stone that year having started at 18 stone.

Meals
I'm a creature of habit happy to have the same meals regularly, so my breakfasts and lunches were the same each day, while my evening meals were mostly on a weekly rotation, with more room for experimentation at the weekends.  

As an example, my calories would look something like this:

Breakfast: 100-200 calories
small slice of wholemeal toast with Laughing Cow light cheese triangle and sprinkle of chives and dukkah
or
muesli with almond milk and blueberries

Mid morning snack: 100 calories
yogurt and satsuma

Lunch: 200 calories
porridge with almond milk
or
ham salad 

Dinner: 500-700 calories
e.g.
Sunday dinner leftovers ‘bubble and squeak’ style with extra green veg
or
lemon salmon/basa fillet with new potatoes and green veg (asparagus, tenderstem broccoli, mangetout)
or
chicken curry with rice, mushrooms and green veg
or
lentil dal with rice/quinoa and veg
or
roasted Mediterranean veg with couscous, chickpeas and light cottage cheese

Treats
Once a month I’d have a Chinese takeaway at home and also a brunch out along the lines of avocado toast with poached eggs.

Counting
Like other posters I used MyFitnessPal. I tracked my water and multi-vitamins as well as my food, and spent time upfront adding things in as custom recipes and meals so I could track more quickly on a daily basis. 

I’d say the key is plenty of water and veg, and weigh/measure everything accurately.

[HappiDaze]

I ate 918 calories yesterday

Breakfast

2 slices of toast with butter
Tea and milk
Black coffee

Lunch

Bacon sandwich with ketchup, Mayo and mustard
Black coffee

Dinner

Spaghetti with pesto and an apple and caffeine free Pepsi max

[HappiDaze]

Bacon sandwich had a whole sliced tomato in it

[HappiDaze]

I like roast chicken where I add the vegetables to the tray half way through with water and some fry light oil sprayed on top.

All leftovers then get blended the next day with a stock cube to make soup where I then add shredded chicken

[HappiDaze]

In the warmer months I love leftover chicken on a salad.

I roast chicken just so I can do this

[PennineWay]

1200 calories won't keep you full all day with no cravings. It's not enough food.

[IrritableVowel]

I eat 1200 when I am losing weight, and it is tough, but I count absolutely everything. I weigh it all and write it down, pen and paper job. I don't trust the apps to be accurate.

I have porridge with banana for breakfast every day (works out around 175-200 cals depending on size of banana)

Lunch salads, or left over dinner, beans on toast - about 300 cals

Fruit mid afternoon if I am peckish

Dinner- lots of veg in stirfries, curries. I add packet sauces for flavour/variety- probably not the healthiest option but I need to get some sliver of enjoyment 🤣

I do eat rice and potatoes, I need carbs for satiety, I just weigh and count them

I don't eat meat so use tofu a lot

My dinner normally comes in 450-650, depending on what I have. I keep a running total all day on a Google sheet on my phone and adjust my dinner accordingly

[IrritableVowel]

I don't do that for a long time though... I follow Bodyslims which runs in 10 week cycles. In between I go back up to 1500-1600, to maintain

[midgemadgemodge]

@PennineWay

1200 calories won't keep you full all day with no cravings. It's not enough food.

She is short
I don't know the OP age or muscle definition or exercise levels or current weight

But 1200 isn't that low for her height

She will likely only need 1400 to maintain
So at 1200 will lose barley about a pound a week

Hardly excessive

Avoid white carbs as they can make you feel hungry
Eat lots of free stuff like raw carrots
Have a day off every week