Diet and Weightloss with 1200 calories?

Question

So I'm taking a wellness class in college to help me learn more info on being healthy. My first question is what is a reasonable amount of weight to lose in a month. My instructor said it was about 5 lbs. but I heard it was anywhere from 8-10. I know usuallly you lose more in the first few weeks. My second question is based on a 1200 calorie limit. I just want to know what or where can I find some good and realistic meal plans. I'm trying to cut down on my white foods(i.e. white bread, rice etc.) and I'm using wheat bread instead. but I can't find any realistic food plans or even suggestions because most of them I see have foods I've never heard of. I'm trying to stick with 1200 calories but I may increase that depending on how my body reacts. Usually I get headaches if I don't eat enough. Anyways...mostly I just wanted to know about the reasonable amount of weight to lose and somewhere I can find a good meal plan or suggestions. Thanx!

Answer 1

I agree that 1-2 pounds a week is best. They say that if you lose weight any faster than that, you are at risk to pile it back on again later.

I also eat about 1200 calories a day and I have found that food journaling helped me alot, at least in the beginning. Even though I initially detested the idea of calorie counting, I found it to be a lot easier after I started learning about portion sizes and how many calories are in a proper portion. There is a great, free site called fitday.com where you can enter your food and they keep track of the calories you consume. They also do this for fitness activities, if you are including exercise in your diet (which you should).

I don't follow a particular plan because I don't like the idea of being told what to eat. I have found that increasing the amount of whole grains consumed, along with friuts and veggies, makes it a lot easier for me to stay within my calorie limit. Eating more lean protiens and low/non fat dairy items also helps. I also find that eating the same breakfast every day (low sodium V8 juice, weight control oatmeal and a 1/2 a grapefruit) makes life easier. You don't have to eat that specifically but if you can find a healthy breakfast you can eat every day, you are starting out on the right foot each day!

You don't have to eat a bunch of wacky foods that you have never heard of before to be healthy. Most foods can find a way into a low calorie lifestyle. I love pizza and tend to overdo it bigtime when the Dominos man comes. Instead, I keep a few Lean Cuisine pizzas in the freezer. That way I can have pizza every once in a while but not worry because they are only 350 calories a each. I do recommend trying a new food every now and then. You never know what you might find that you really like and diversity is a great thing for your diet.

I also get headaches when I am hungry. The best way I have found to keep that from happening is to snack between meals. This keeps the blood sugar steady and also helps keep you from getting cravings for unhealthy foods. A typical snack might be a bowl of strawberries, a piece of string cheese or 1/2 an ounce of whole almonds and a couple of baby carrots. Always drink water with your snack an you will be surprised how much a tiny 100 calorie snack can fill you up. At the very least, it will get you through until your next meal. Oh, one last thing, if you are on a low calorie diet, you should take a daily multi-vitamin.

Hope this helps! Good luck!

Answer 2

I have a similar diet plan to you, and you would be surprised at how much you can eat on 1200 cals :)

What I found at first was I was craving all the high calorie foods (like crisps and BREAD!) So I made a deal with myself that I could eat them as long as I didn't go over my limit. And I of course felt really hungry. So after a while my body started to stop craving these "hungery foods" as I called them and I got used to eating lower calorie things such as fruit and veg, AND because they are not my favourite food I stopped feeling like over eating on them.

It worked really well, and I recommend the website http://www.calorie-count.com/ it’s really good for looking up how many calories are in common food.

But if you can’t be bothered to look, food which tends to be low in calories are soup, fruit, veg, weight watcher products etc... Also diet coke is great at giving you a "full feeling" if your feeling peckish :)

Answer 3

In this last month, I have lost 2 pounds the first 3 weeks and 3 pounds this last week for a total of 10 pounds in a month. I eat a 1600 calorie diet a day, because it is more realistic for me. I have cut about 1/2 my calorie intake than what I used to consume. This is pretty comfortable for me, though. Let me tell you...it is NOT easy a first. In fact, I'm just starting to feel less hungry these last few days. I also work out @ the gym 5 days a week for 60 minutes a day. A lot of people need less work, but I need a lot more. For meal ideas I suggest some of the following: ANY kind of Progresso soups. They have all kinds like Hearty Chicken Noodle to Hearty Beef Pot Roast. These are usually filling and have few calories and virtually no fat. They are a little high on the sodium side, though. Progresso also made 50% lower sodium soups. I also like to eat out a lot. If you like Wendy's, try a small chili, side salad w/ fat free dressing and a mandarin oranges cup w/ a large water. The chili is VERY filling and the salad is a great way to get your greens in. A sub from Subway is great as well! Try a turkey or ham sub (6 inch) with lots of veggies and no condiments (no cheese) w/ extra pepper. Any of the subs listed on their napkins and cups are great choices if you get bored with the same food easily. At Arby's, one medium roast beef sandwich and 2 potato cakes are not too bad for you either. Check on the nutrition facts on the fast food websites and plan yourself something out that will work for you. Make yourself a notebook of what you like so you won't stray from your calorie intake changes. As far a regular, no take-out food goes, bananas, yogurts (fat free yoplait is WONDERFUL!) in any flavors, wheat crackers, flavored water (like Aquafina FlavorSplash) in grape, and citrus are good alternatives to just plain, boring water, try looing up recipes under CampbellsKitchen.com for healthy YUMMY recipes that are quick and easy! Trust me, there aren't foods you wouldn't eat like eggplant, zucchini blah, blah boring. They have really great meal plan ideas that are REALISTIC to what most people eat. I mean really......eggplant? BLAH! As far a weight loss goes, I have lost 23 pounds in two months now. I feel great and I feel like I get plenty of good foods to eat that keep me full (most of the day). I don't think there is anything wrong with losing 2-3 pounds a week OR 8-12 pounds a month....SO LONG AS you feel good and not sick with eating the right kinds of foods AND you feel energetic after a month with the change. If you want more info on diet changes and exercise, visit mypyramid.gov for all kinds of weight loss and food information. I hope this helps you with your goals. Good luck to you!

Answer 4

hi, you should loose 1 to 2kg in one week. 1200 cal a day is good diet, but if you get headaches try divide this calorie at all day, i meant don't eat only ones or twice a day, and don't worry you will have headaches only in the beginning of your diet

Answer 5

eat something every 3 hours, it keeps your metabolism burning fat and calories....exercise in some form as much as possible as often as possible...multiply your weight by 10 and that is the max. amount of calories you should have to maintain your current weight, anything less you will lose weight, anything more you will gain...try to cut out sugars and things you know are bad for you...and stick with it, you need a month or so to see real results...

Answer 6

always have vegetables on hand saute a big bag of frozen mixed vegetables in olive oil and garlic add some red pepper or turmeric for additional flavor and separate into portion sized containers for the fridge

Answer 7

degrease by scrubbing in the shower for 15 minutes then spend 7 minutes shaving 3 minutes toweling off 4 minutes moisturizing and 20 minutes blow drying and styling your hair

Answer 8

Walk daily 30 mins in the morning

Answer 9

decaf coffee is a great low calorie fluid when you re having cravings and a great source of antioxidants

Answer 10

add 10 percent to the amount of daily calories you think you re eating