How to Follow a 1200 Calorie Meal Plan

Either overeating or too strict of dieting is pointless for you. These 1,200 calorie meal plans are a great way to find a healthy medium between the two.

Overeating is not healthy for you, but neither is starving yourself. Too many calories entering the body will turn to fat. Not enough calories in the body will slow the metabolism causing you to retain fat stores (the body goes into survival mode). Either method defeats the purpose of dieting.

Different people will need varying amounts of calories per day depending on a lot of things like age, gender, metabolic rate, exercise, medical conditions and more, but the following gives you a general idea of what to shoot for.

A daily diet of 1,200 calories has a standard calculation of 180 protein calories, 660 carbohydrate calories, and 360 fat calories.

5 Day 1200 Calorie Meal Plan---4 Meals/Day

Measure the amount of food you eat based on the appropriate serving sizes usually shown on food packaging.

Day 1

  

Meal

Food

Calories

Breakfast

Unsweetened fruit juice

1 small bowl of cereal with skim milk

260

Lunch

1 banana

1 orange

130

Afternoon Snack

1 small bowl of nonfat yogurt or

1 piece of fruit

90

Dinner

Fried rice and vegetable curry

700

 

Total

1,180

Day 2

  

Meal

Food

Calories

Breakfast

1 large melon slice

2 slices of toast with butter

1 hard-boiled egg

337

Lunch

100g of cottage cheese

baked potato

100g of baked beans

380

Afternoon Snack

Muesli meal replacement bar

1 piece of fruit

240

Dinner

Pasta salad with a little olive oil and vinegar

250

 

Total

1,207

Day 3

  

Meal

Food

Calories

Breakfast

2 pieces of grilled bacon

2 slices of toast with butter and jam

420

Lunch

100g of tomatoes with bread and butter

1 piece of fruit

172

Afternoon Snack

1 pack of low-fat fries

2 pieces of fruit

190

Dinner

Chicken chow mein with vegetables

350

 

Total

1,132

Day 4

  

Meal

Food

Calories

Breakfast

1 small bowl of cereal with skimmed milk

Unsweetened fruit juice.

260

Lunch

Fresh vegetables

1 frozen cod meal

470

Afternoon Snack

Low fat yogurt

A piece of fruit

100

Dinner

Caribbean rice & peas

430

 

Total

1,260

Day 5

  

Meal

Food

Calories

Breakfast

1 small bowl of Muesli with skimmed milk

Unsweetened fruit juice

410

Lunch

Small slice or personal size French bread pizza

Large portion of green salad

380

Afternoon Snack

200g of mixed vegetables
some fruit

140

Dinner

Baked potatoes
100g of baked beans

300

 

Total

1,230

 

5 Day 1200 Calorie Meal Plan---5 Meals/Day

Serving sizes found on packaging should be adhered to in these meal plans as well. For fruits and vegetables, measure between 1/2 cup and 1 cup per serving.

Day 1

  

Meal

Food

Calories

Breakfast

One hard-boiled egg

One half grapefruit

One piece whole wheat toast

206

Morning Snack

Chicken breast roasted, skinless

Pita bread

One small apple

177

Lunch

Hamburger, lean 5% fat

Lettuce salad, radish, onion

Reduced fat Italian dressing

172

Afternoon Snack

Turkey breast roasted, skinless

One piece whole wheat toast

Almonds

209

Dinner

Grilled salmon

Asparagus

One boiled medium potato

462

 

Total

1,226

Day 2

  

Meal

Food

Calories

Breakfast

Pork loin, lean, broiled

Tomato

One piece whole wheat toast

221

Morning Snack

Tofu

Brown rice

201

Lunch

Chicken breast roasted, skinless

Sweet potato-medium-baked

Butter

Green beans

278

Afternoon Snack

Ham, extra lean 4%fat

Cheese-low fat cheddar or Colby

Cracker-saltine

133

Dinner

Cod Fillet
One small baked potato
Mushrooms
Butter
Spinach salad with peppers and onions
Italian dressing-low fat

387

 

Total

1,220

Day 3

  

Meal

Food

Calories

Breakfast

2 eggs

Cheese-low fat cheddar or Colby

Peach

One piece whole wheat toast

286

Morning Snack

Tuna

Mayonnaise-low calorie

Dill pickle

Whole wheat bread-one slice

Almonds

247

Lunch

Turkey breast roasted, skinless

Pita bread

Broccoli

213

Afternoon Snack

Boiled egg

Brown rice

Lettuce salad, radish, onion

Caesar dressing, low calorie

228

Dinner

Roast beef (tri-tip)

Pasta

Pasta sauce, marinara

Brussels sprouts

332

 

Total

1,306

Day 4

  

Meal

Food

Calories

Breakfast

Ham, extra lean 4%fat

One small potato-pan fried

Grapes

294

Morning Snack

Peanut butter

Cracker-saltine

218

Lunch

Tuna

Mayonnaise-low calorie

Cauliflower

Lettuce salad, cucumber, sweet pepper

Caesar dressing, low cal

273

Afternoon Snack

Chicken breast roasted, skinless

One piece whole wheat toast

Celery

126

Dinner

Beef, top round, broiled

Sweet potato-medium-baked

Portabella mushroom

Green beans

289

 

Total

1,200

Day 5

  

Meal

Food

Calories

Breakfast

Whole egg (large)/ 2 whites-scrambled

Oatmeal

Milk 1%

Sugar

269

Morning Snack

Turkey breast roasted, skinless

Whole wheat bread-one slice

Cherries

Walnuts

285

Lunch

Grilled halibut

Black beans

Butter

Tomato

291

Afternoon Snack

Cheese-low fat cheddar or Colby

Pasta

Asparagus

248

Dinner

Roast beef (tri-tip)

One small baked potato

Butter

Spinach

266

 

Total

1,359

Food Alternatives

Many people find that following certain diet such as a 1200 calorie meal plan proves difficult if they have food allergies. Below is a list of food alternatives to help you.

Breakfast

Gluten-free breads and hot cereals are becoming widely available. Those with dairy allergies might try almond or soy milk and steer clear of yogurt. Eggs are usually a good bet for most, but if you have allergies to eggs then try other options like fruit and oatmeal.

Lunch

Vegetables and lean meats make great lunches and are an almost failsafe way to keep your meal allergy free. Amy's and Hodgson Mills make many gluten and dairy free products that can be found at your local grocery stores.

Dinner

Incorporate staples like acorn squash or zucchini to avoid eating potatoes all the time. These foods do not often carry allergen properties. Avoid using bread crumbs on your meats if you have gluten allergies. Brown rice can also be a good substitute for wheat pasta. You can even find brown rice noodles at most stores.

Snacks

Black beans and dips like hummus are good snack substitutes for those with nut allergies. Popcorn and rice cakes are generally allergy friendly foods as well that make for healthy and filling snacks.

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