What would you choose for 1200 calories a day?

[Grannola]

Breakfast, lunch and dinner. A small snack if calories allowed.

What would you choose?

(yes, I‘m looking for inspiration 😉 )

Two larger meals rather than three (which is how I like to eat anyway).

Protein bagel thin, tiny bit of lurpak light, two poached eggs, smoked salmon, cherry tomatoes - 500 cals

Snack- one of- Carrot sticks with homemade hummus (lower oil content), bag of lower cal crisps like quavers, kitkat, trail mix, Greek yoghurt and berries, hot chocolate sachet, cuppa soup, cucumber and sour cream dip.

Milk for tea/coffee- 100 cals

chicken breast wrapped in lean bacon baked in with spicy tomato sauce (with a few olives chopped through), broccoli, green beans, small portion of carbs (rice, pasta, jacket potato) 500 cals

Loads of fruit teas, water, sugar free squash through the day.

This is my sedentary TDEE as a 41 year old, 5ft4 woman.

I'm not great at knowing calories, but I guess I'm ballpark in the right place with this:

• milky coffee with one sugar
• 200g fat free Greek yoghurt made into chia seed pudding, one scoop protein powder, blueberries, 1tsp maple syrup (I have this every day)
• snack: sliced apple with 1 level tbsp peanut butter
• 2 egg omlette with mushrooms and spinach and small sprinkling of cheese, with asparagus on the side
• chicken breast cooked in shwarma seasoning, bulgur wheat, courgettes, mange tout

Honestly when you're short you really don't need to eat much...

Yes that's just so true about being short - and you pay the price if you like food and wine as I do! It's all very well for the tall strapping gals and their 2000 calories 😊

High protein 0% fat yogurt and home made granola fir breakfast. Homemade soup for lunch, a normal non upf dinner. Fruit for snacks. As a short woman this is working for me! Lots more protein and fibre than I used to eat..... Non upf so it actually fills you up, contains the micro nutrients you need and supports your gut micro biome.

I have 1300 a day but that includes 2 flat whites, with one it’s just under 1200.

Breakfast- Clear protein with water 90cal
Lunch- Yogurt bowl with protein granola, chia seeds, nuts, fruit and honey 364cal
Dinner- Spiced chicken and chickpea salad 452cal
Snacks - flat white and a date with peanut butter 266cal

Total 1172cal with over my aim of 90g protein and 25g fibre.

Also minimum 2.5L water a day.

I’m too busy and too lazy so when I am trying to lose weight on that amount it’s just boiled eggs, cottage cheese and homemade veg soup. Two meals a day. Water and tea and coffee.
Healthy and doable and doesn’t need loads of prep and shopping trips.

I’m 5ft 1

but my personal trainer has me at 1595 calories a day

is that because I’m also working out that I need more then??

It isn’t only short people who need 1200 calories to lose even a pound a week.
I’m 5ft 8 and fairly sedentary due to limited mobility.
Even my maintenance is only 1500.
I think it is often thought people get fat by eating huge amounts. I gain weight on 1800- 2000 calories a day which many people think normal.

Why are people saying it's impossible to eat "so little"? I actually feel like I am eating a decent amount of food. If you use lots of vegetables and lean protein, and avoid UPF you can eat really well.

Yes this is what happened to me. I never ate loads of food, but was (due to disability) very sedentary, and eating a bit more than I should have done for my activity level
I never binge ate and very rarely had pudding or snacks or junk food

I find what works for me is not wasting calories on refined carbs.

breakfast - full fat Greek yoghurt with a spoonful of kefir, banana, blueberries, flax seeds and a small drizzle of honey if necessary.

lunch - 2 egg omelette with mushrooms or cheese or bacon. Apple.

dinner - usually meat and veg. Salmon fillet with loads of stirfry veg, Steak, mushrooms and veg. Mackerel fillets, fried egg and veg… etc.

Your breakfast and lunch is highly processed and (apart from the milk) doesn't contain any nutritional value.

If you like shakes, you might want to consider swapping your SlimFast shake with a protein shake, made with milk and good quality whey protein powder (I use a brand called Exalt, which is all natural).

Breakfast- cup of tea
Lunch- salade nicoise or any other protein + salad, or soup
Dinner- usually something like lamb, flatbread, chickpea salad, roasted vegetables. Always “normal” food and I’ll just take a smaller helping

It depends on what you weigh and whether you are trying to lose weight/maintain or generally just get fit!

Yes. My sedentary TDEE (calorie burn) is 1200, but I need around 1800-2000 because of the exercise I do.

Protein powder is still UPF and I am shocked how many people think it is a health food
Just have actual whole food sources of protein

ChatGPT is really useful for this kind of thing.

Agree with PP that 1,200 is actually fine for a lot of women who are on the shorter side, perhaps with a desk job/not very active and looking to lose only 1lb per week. I can only lose on 1,200 (or lower, but I'd rather lose at an absolute snail pace than eat less than that because life is for living!) as I'm 5ft 2 with a desk job which has me sitting for 8+ hours per day in meetings. I do try and exercise a bit, but with 2 kids outside of a busy job I find it tough currently.

I'm trying to prioritise protein and fiber foods which are filling. My menu comes in just under 1,200 today and will look something like:

Brek - 1/2 Huel shake made with water, w/ added Collagen powder (240cal)

Lunch - salmon fillet, steamed green veg, x2 eggs scrambled (351 cals total)

Dinner - homemade veg and lentil curry (265cal), 1 slice sourdough (110 cals) & Alpro choc yog for pudding (119cals)

Snacks - Small apple (31 cal), Satsuma (18cal)

No, the brand I've shared isn't.

Personally i would start out by figuring out how to get around 100g protein a day - chicken, fish, eggs, steak, cottage cheese etc (maybe a protein yoghurt or shake if youre struggling). Then pad out the rest of the calories with some healthy fats (avocado, olive oil, seeds, all carefully measured) and loads of low carb veg (peppers, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage etc) and a bit of fruit

For me that looks like:

Breakfast: Greek yoghurt, chia seeds, berries and cherries
Lunch: salad with protein (eggs or salmon or mackerel etc), cottage cheese, tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, pickles, jalepenos, avocado
Dinner: protein (chicken or steak or salmon) wirh a massive portion of veg
Snack (if needed) - a protein yoghurt. One square dark chocolate

I eat 1200 calories a day and I only lose half a pound a week on that. Some days I only burn 1500 calories (I’m disabled). It’s really annoying when people who are blessed with a fast metabolism who can eat loads and still lose weight are so bloody patronising.

All protein powder is, by it's very nature. I have literally just listened to the section in Ultra Processed People on it.

Breakfast - fat free Greek style yoghurt, banana and coffee

Lunch - wholemeal toast x 2 and poached egg x 2 (no butter on toast) OR 2 x slices of wholemeal toast with butter and marmite OR salad leaves, small amount of feta and 2 x chopped beetroot.

Dinner - homemade chana dal with spinach and any other boiled veg mixed in

Snacks - fruit (grapes are my go to)

Some days though I’d do a huge bowl of porridge at 11ish with frozen fruit cooked through it and a dollop of fat free Greek style yoghurt, then dinner

No, again, the brand I use isn't.

It's processed, as is pasta, and peanut butter, and jam, but it's not ultra processed.