What Does a 1200 Calorie Diet Look Like?

Are you almost giving up trying to keep your weight in check – nothing seems to help you get rid of your chubby cheeks, flabby arms, love handles and heavy thighs or reach your goal weight as fast as you want. Well, enter the 1200 calorie diet, one of the most recommended low carb diet plans for weight loss.

This piece looks at what a 1200 calorie low carb diet is and how a typical weekly meal plan looks like. Stay tuned to learn more.

What is a 1200 calorie low carb meal plan?

People have been using a 1200 calorie low carb meal plan for years now to maintain a healthy lifestyle. This meal plan limits your calorie intake to only 1200, hence the name 1200-calorie-plan. It is considered low carb because the calorie content is lower than what is required to maintain an adult person's weight.

This low carb meal plan is on the low end of the calorie diet ranges. Therefore, for rapid weight loss, it is advisable to follow the 1200 calorie diet over a short period – ideally a few weeks to a month.

Your diet will be full of fat-free or low-fat foods to ensure you maintain the calorie intake at 1200.

What does a 1200 calorie diet look like?

Are you planning to start a 1200 calorie low carb meal plan? Here is how your typical daily meals should look like:

• Monday: A cup of bran flakes, 1 banana, and fat-free milk (1 cup) for breakfast. For lunch, sandwich with 3 ounces turkey breast, lettuce, mayo, and ½ roasted pepper. Dinner can comprise 4 ounces flounder, 2 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, 1 cooked couscous, and steamed broccoli.
• Tuesday: Take a smoothie of frozen berries, ½ banana, and 8 ounces of low-fat milk. Grab a cup of vegetable soup, 1 veggie burger and a cup of grapes for lunch. For your dinner, go for grilled boneless skinless chicken breast, sautéed spinach (2 cups), olive oil and tomatoes.
• Wednesday: Your breakfast can comprise of ½ cup of oats, a pinch of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of honey, and unsweetened soymilk. Make a chicken salad, 4 ounces of skinless roasted chicken breast, 1 tablespoon slivered almonds, mayonnaise, and ¼-cup red grapes for lunch. You can take 4 ounces of steamed shrimp, 3 tablespoons salsa x 3 cups spinach, Greek yoghurt, and 1 ounce of chocolate for dinner.
• Thursday: Start your day with ½ toasted muffin, ½ apple, and reduced-fat cheese with 2/3 unsweetened Greek yoghurt and silver almonds. For lunch, heat tomato soup with a sandwich of lettuce, 1-teaspoon horseradish, sliced tomato, mustard, 3 ounces roasted beef, and one mini whole wheat pita. Round up your dinner on day 4 with 3 ounces of salmon, 1 ½ teaspoon olive oil, ¾ whole grain, an apple, and 2 scallions
• Friday: For breakfast, combine ½ cup of berries, 1 cup cheerios, Greek yoghurt, and slivered almonds. Serve for lunch a quesadilla spreading of stone-ground tortilla, ¼-cup fat-free fried beans, part-skim cheese, and Greek yoghurt. Day 5 supper can have whole grain waffle spread with 2-tablespoon nut butter, sliced banana and cinnamon with 8 ounces of fat-free milk.

This leaves you with two free days – Saturday and Sunday – to flex your 1200 calorie low carb meal plan. You could try a combination of meals already listed or introduce new favourites, but the trick is to measure the calorie content not to go overboard.

Healthy living is all about balancing your calorie intake and the 1200 calorie diet could be the secret to unlocking your fitness.