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 😉 )

I didn't say anyone does "need" protein powder..... I said its a helpful way to consume protein if you are time-short (which many, many people are). Yes, we're all well aware protein can be consumed from whole foods, but that's very difficult for many time-strapped people and I'd argue consuming a good quality protein shake (low sugar, low carb etc) is more beneficial than folks grabbing those sugar-laden cereal breakfast bars as they rush for their train in the morning (which incidentally will have barely any protein at all).

It's about making swaps that are feasible to include in your routine/diet. It's going to mean eating cleaner/less processed than usual but appreciating that sometimes it involves balance.

It’s fucking gross though.

I wish Kinder Bueno bars were excellent high protein, low cal and nutritious. But no. Cottage cheese 😒

I struggle to get it down, so don't eat much of it myself!

Today I will eat 1200

Breakfast: 2x Shredded wheat with blueberries and skimmed milk (300 ish calories)
Lunch: Homemade bacon and lentil soup with a single Warburton thin toasted (250 ish calories)
Dinner: Homemade Sausage Pasta small portion with big side salad (550 ish calories)

Small handful of nuts, piece of fruit or square of chocolate for snack.

Tomorrow I will run, so have some extra to play with but. 1400

Breakfast: 2x egg omelet with spinach, mushroom and cherry tomato's no fat to cook (200 ish calories)
Lunch: Half portion of the pasta from today (275 ish calories)
Snack: Pear and nuts (200 ish calories)
Dinner: Chilli and Rice with green veg small portion of rice, my chilli has a lower quantity of beef and a higher quantity of beans (550 ish calories)
Snack: Because I ran - fruit and yoghurt for pudding or 2 fancy chocolates watching TV. I am also a fan of dates filled with peanut butter or nutella!

Thursday 1250
Breakfast: Overnight oats 30g oats, 10g chia, 10g flax, 10g raisins, water, tablespoon of yoghurt in the morning and some blueberries (400 ish calories)
Lunch: Homemade lentil and bacon soup no bread (150 calories)
Dinner: Chicken stirfy (600 calories ish)
Snack: fruit

Breakfast - 100g 0% fat Greek yoghurt with berries and honey (c.200kcal)

Lunch - 2 eggs (boiled, scrambled or poached) plus salad/veg and pickles OR sub out the eggs for cottage cheese (c.2-300kcal depending on additions)

Snacks - almonds, with raisins and dark chocolate chips, piece of fruit (c.100-150kcal)

Dinner - Salmon fillet with veg and potatoes (4-500kcal depending on volume)

evening - 2x squares dark chocolate (100kcal)

This is roughly what I stick to. Give or take. If I’m out for lunch, I’ll skip breakfast. Might have a cappuccino, or an organic pure whey protein shake.

Breakfast - nothing
Lunch (late) - oats with Greek yoghurt, nuts, seeds & fruit
Dinner - soup/curry/salad or similar with lentils/beans/chicken/fish

I eat this every day.

I'd blow it all on a 1k calories dinner, with a 200 calorie sweet treat around an hour later.

I find if I eat lots of small meals then I'm hungry and thinking about food all day, but if I eat one large meal I stay full until the next day. It also means I have a much larger range of foods available as many foods just won't fit into a 3-400 calorie meal.

Breakfast - fat free greek yoghurt, frozen berries and a sprinkle of granola
Lunch - picky plate, low fat babybel, cooked meat, cottage cheese, cherry tomatoes, gherkins, celery, cucumber, some ryvita thins

Snack - Cadbury delight bar

Dinner - salmon, rice, edamame, broccoli and peas with a soy, honey and ginger sauce. Or a roasted chicken breast, lots of vegetables, one half roast potato and a stuffing ball with some gravy.

I’m doing this at the moment, my week this week is..
Breakfast, coffee and porridge.
Lunch, fat free yougurt, banana, chai seeds, granola,
Dinner
Mon Jacket potato and filling (I had chicken sausages yesterday
Tue Omelette
Wed Beans on Toast
Thursday soup and a roll
Fri jacket potato and filling
Sat fajitas
If I get hungry in between ill
have a Diet Coke and a pack of Quavers.
This all sounds dire and it is but I’m trying to lose 3 and a half stone by next spring/summer.

Wow! So many great ideas and inspiration!

Planning definitely helps stay on track with lower calories, today I knew I wanted a bagel at lunchtime so I didn’t have breakfast. If I know we might have a takeaway I’ll miss breakfast and have fruit and yoghurt at lunchtime, it might go over a little but it’ll be closer.

I’ve had to get a tight grip on the quick things that you can pop in your mouth and not notice. New neighbours brought round a box of chocolates, I checked them before I had one (50 calories and gone in a second) I was offered a packet of biscuits after a physical therapy session but declined as I knew I’d had a massive bagel and a packet of biscuits would push me up a lot.

There are always things in my house I can snack on easily and with little guilt, cherry tomatoes, babybel, cold meat, pop corn etc and that helps a lot.

We are moving into soup season and that is a great option if you make your own or choose carefully.

This is a great plan, satiating but low enough to lose

Breakfast fage 0% 5g chia seeds (soaked in hot water) and 75g berries (frozen or fresh)

Mid morning apple

Lunxh tuna salad, loads salad veg, tin tuna, dressing 5g oil olive 10g balsAmic and 5g grainy mustard

afternoon snack: low fat protein powder shale

dinner. Chicken stir fry (120g) loads of veg, and some Thai currry paste

Breakfast: Kallo lentil protein cake (25cal) with home made hummous (78cal), 160ml oatly semi (76cal) all 8.2g protein

Lunch: Homemade lentil soup (234cal) 16.2g protein

Dinner: homemade chilli with kidney beans and soya mince (225cal), 19.7g protein with brown basmati rice (131cal) 3.3g protein

Snacks: I make up little pots of cannellini beans, 60g, in half teaspoon of olive oil and salt and leave in fridge, they mascerate really nicely. So 60g beans (51 cal) and olive oil, 3.5 g protein
10g cashew nuts, (58cal), 1.8g protein.
Going out for coffee so...oat milk cortado, maybe 125ml barista oatly, (78cal)

So that is all 55g protein and gives me about 200cal to play with. Probably an apple and peanut butter. If I exercise I will have a bit more.

I use Nutracheck and have set it up to tell me the protein amounts just to keep an eye on that.

I lost on 1200cal and maintain on 1400 with a lot of exercise.