1200 calorie food for women. Low-calorie diet - menu for the week (1200 kcal)

The problem of excess weight can only be solved by adjusting your diet and introducing regular physical activity into your life. Meal planning for each day should be done on the weekend. This will allow you to distribute expenses, buy necessary products, and think through recipes. A diet of 1200 calories per day with a weekly menu of simple foods is the best option for the body to process accumulated fat deposits to make up for the lack of resources.

• Advantages of the method
• Disadvantages of the 1200 kcal diet
• Contraindications
• Omelette
• Cabbage salad
• Diet oatmeal
• Chicken diet soup
• Baked fish
• Tips for those who want to lose weight

Features and effectiveness of the 1200 kcal diet

A person's daily calorie requirement ranges from 1800 to 2500 kilocalories. All consumed foods provide the body with energy, which is consumed during the day as a result of any life activity:
breathing;
movements;
sleep;
mental activity.
A person receives energy-providing resources from food. Unspent excess calories are transformed into fat deposits. It is important to maintain a balance between how much energy the body receives and how much it expends. A calorie deficit forces life support systems to process their own fat, which is the key to weight loss.



The principles of proper nutrition (PN) for weight loss will help reduce fat reserves. They consist of a balanced diet, filling the menu with plenty of fiber, vitamins, and healthy minerals. On average, for women who do office work or are housewives, 1500-1800 kilocalories per day are needed to provide energy for all activities. To smoothly lose weight and reduce fat deposits without harming your health, you need to reduce your caloric intake by 300 kcal.

Advantages of the method

A 1,200-calorie diet will provide the body with the energy it needs to perform basic tasks and encourage it to process its own fat. The advantages of dietary nutrition according to this system are:
acceleration of metabolism;
weight loss up to 10 kg per month;
varied and balanced diet;
new taste habits;
formation of discipline;
refusal of junk food;
reduction of cholesterol in the blood.

Recipes for 1200 kcal per day, counting calories, should contain a lot of fiber, vegetables, lean meat, fruits, fish products, and herbs. This is necessary so that the body does not lack beneficial nutrients and breaks down fat without losing muscle tissue.

Disadvantages of the 1200 kcal diet

Losing weight through a calorie deficit should be systematic and thoughtful. The diet should not be monotonous; this entails the following disadvantages:
psychological difficulty in sticking to a mono-diet, the possibility of failure;
time spent on cooking;
unusual taste of dishes and foods with low calorie content;
careful selection of various recipes;
Calorie calculations of all components;
inability to engage in sports and heavy physical labor;
possible deterioration in health and well-being;
sudden weight loss can lead to sagging skin;
there may be a loss of muscle mass due to lack of physical activity and protein deficiency in the diet;
rapid return of excess weight when returning to a normal diet.

Important!
In addition to a low-calorie diet, to lose weight and stay healthy, you need to drink at least 1.5 liters of drinking water. This amount does not include drinks or liquid dishes.

The principles of proper nutrition for weight loss are the variety and benefits of all foods consumed. You cannot maintain a caloric deficit for a long time.

Contraindications

A 1200 calorie per day diet should be properly designed. Professional nutritionists do not recommend eating in this mode for a long time. Contraindications to the caloric deficiency system are:
chronic diseases in the acute stage;
diseases of the endocrine system, gastrointestinal tract;
mental disorders;
pregnancy;
breastfeeding period;
elderly or children's age.




When creating a menu for 1200 calories per day, you need to take into account the balance of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. To lose weight, the body needs to be given a sufficient amount of protein food so that fat tissue is consumed without breaking down muscles.
Before switching to a low-calorie diet, you should consult with your supervising physician. The specialist will prescribe the necessary examinations and, based on the data obtained, will give general recommendations on creating a meal plan from simple products, taking into account the characteristics of your body. It is important to exclude from the menu recipes that use allergenic components.

Prohibited foods on a 1200 kcal per day diet

If you want to lose weight not only quickly, but also safely for your own health, use ready-made recipes that take into account the balance of KBJU. The menu should contain protein foods, healthy oils, and fish. When planning your diet for the week, exclude:
fast food;
sausages;
smoked meats;
conservation;
salinity;
semi-finished products;
dried fruits;
food containing trans fats, dyes, emulsifiers;
bakery products, muffins;
cheese and butter;
sweet fruits (bananas, pears, grapes);
potato;
nuts;
pasta.

Important!
To safely lose weight, structure your diet in such a way that your total caloric intake is 10 to 20% lower than usual. In this case, the body will gradually lose weight, and the skin will tighten evenly.

All foods that contain a high insulin level should be removed from the low-calorie menu. These are sweet dried fruits, fruits, nuts and slow carbohydrates. When ingested, the breakdown of such food causes a spike in blood sugar, which slows down the breakdown of lipids.

A set of low-calorie foods for a diet of 1200 calories per day

You need to create a menu for daily nutrition that includes healthy foods that will give the body the maximum necessary nutrients. Include the following foods in your weekly diet for daily consumption:
fruits (apples, citrus fruits);
vegetables (cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, beets, onions, beets, carrots);
lean meat (chicken, veal, beef);
low-fat fish (cod, pollock, hake, blue whiting, flounder);
greens (celery, dill, parsley);
low-fat fermented milk products (cottage cheese, fermented baked milk, yogurt, kefir).
It is necessary to remove the skin from chicken meat when cooking, as it contains a large amount of fat. Cereals and vegetable oil consumption should be limited on a 1200 kcal diet. It is better to eat cereals and side dishes in the first half of the day. Eating raw vegetables will normalize the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and fill the body with vitamins.

Low-calorie menu table for the week

A daily calorie deficit menu will provide a varied and balanced diet for people who want to lose weight. For each day, recipes and products are selected, the total calorie content of which varies from 1100 to 1300 kilocalories. This amount of calories will support life support and trigger accelerated metabolism.




























All meals should be divided into three main and several additional ones. Breakfast should have the highest calorie content. Foods eaten in the morning will provide energy for the whole day and will not turn into fatty tissue. Food should be steamed, boiled, baked in the oven or in foil.

Low-calorie recipes for a week for a 1200 kcal diet

The principles of this system provide for a varied healthy diet, with which you can lose weight with a loss of body weight up to 8-10 kg monthly. You should not stick to a caloric deficit of 1200 kcal for longer than 1-2 months. Otherwise, the body’s defenses will be activated, which will prevent the breakdown of fat.

Omelette

Eggs are important in a diet as a source of protein, which will prevent the destruction of muscle tissue during a low-calorie diet. Cook an egg omelet in a slow cooker, bake in the oven, or fry in a non-stick pan.
Components:
milk 3.5% fat – 215 l or 1 tbsp.;
salt - to taste;
refined sunflower oil – 55 ml;
chicken eggs – 3 pcs.

Important!
You need to get out of the 1200 kcal diet gradually. Add 200-300 calories to your daily diet.

Grease a frying pan or baking sheet with vegetable oil. Break the eggs, add salt and mix. Pour in the milk and mix all the ingredients with a whisk. Place the omelette pan in an oven preheated to 215 degrees and bake for 15 minutes.

Cabbage salad

For dinner, raw or boiled vegetables are best. Salads contain a lot of fiber and vitamins. Cabbage with boiled meat or baked fish is the best option for evening meals.
Components:
greens – 100 g;
refined sunflower oil – 55 ml;
citric acid – 3 g;
white cabbage – 800 g;
salt - to taste.
Remove the top leaves from the head of cabbage and finely chop the cabbage with a knife. Add salt, add granulated sugar, squeeze the contents with your hands to soften the cabbage and release the juice. Rinse the greens under a running stream, dry, finely chop, and add to the cabbage. Dissolve citric acid with water in a glass. Pour the solution into the salad, add sunflower oil. Mix thoroughly, remember, leave to infuse for 60 minutes.

Diet oatmeal

For weight loss, the best cereal is rolled oats. Oatmeal contains slow carbohydrates and a lot of fiber. Eating porridge for breakfast will normalize the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and quickly satisfy the feeling of hunger.




Components:
oatmeal – 0.5 cups or 150 g;
water – 1.5 cups;
salt - to taste.
Bring water to a boil, add salt and add oatmeal. Cover the dish with a lid and leave the porridge to steam. Add cottage cheese, banana or berries to the finished dish for taste.

Chicken diet soup

For a low-calorie diet, use chicken breast or skinless chicken when preparing soups. Boil the broth, in which you can put zucchini instead of potatoes.
Components:
chicken breast – 150 g;
cabbage – 100 g;
zucchini – 50 g.
Boil the chopped meat, salt the broth, add shredded cabbage and diced zucchini to the pan. Boil the soup for 25 minutes, serve with a boiled egg or herbs.

Baked fish

For daily nutrition, those who want to lose weight can include low-fat varieties of fish in their diet - hake, cod, pollock. Baking in the oven or foil will leave the maximum of useful components in the product without harming the figure.

Components:
fish – 250 g;
onion – 100 g;
carrots – 100 g;
salt, spices - to taste.
Clean the fish, rinse under running water, place in foil, add salt and chopped vegetables. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Serve the finished dish with raw vegetables. Before you start losing weight using a low-calorie diet, visit your supervising doctor and study the recommendations for the required amount of fats, carbohydrates, proteins, and vitamins in your body. To lose weight with a calorie deficit:
record your weight after waking up in the morning, write down the data;
take measurements of your hips, waist, chest, arms, and enter the resulting numbers;
compare measurements every 7 days;
draw up a tentative menu for the coming week;
select recipes that comply with the principles of proper nutrition;
do not include recipes high in carbohydrates (porridge, bread, side dishes) in the afternoon;
Eat cottage cheese, boiled meat or fish with vegetables for dinner. This will not overload the stomach at night and will provide maximum benefit to the body;
sleep at least 8 hours a day. Lack of sleep has a negative impact on weight loss;
Buy the necessary products over the weekend. Buy kefir or yogurt daily or once every two days.




A diet of 1200 calories per day menu for a week will allow you to quickly lose weight without compromising your health. A balanced combination of KBJU will provide the body with all the necessary components for the full functioning of important support systems. Low-calorie nutrition will help you lose weight in a short time.

Proper nutrition is a lifestyle, not a diet. Some main rules are described below: it is necessary to correctly distribute and combine products throughout the day; you need to eat in smaller quantities, but often; you need to be able to combine foods correctly so that once they are in the stomach, the digestion process proceeds correctly and quickly. When consuming incompatible foods, everything eaten will be stored as fat, since different types of food require different conditions to digest. This is what proper nutrition is all about. The menu for the week (1200 kcal) will be given in our article.

What to follow

This healthy food is introduced little by little every day.

If a person is involved in sports and physical activity, then more than 1200 calories can be consumed.

Don’t forget about sweets, weight loss and proper nutrition are out of the question, since depression, without endorphins and serotonin, only gets better.

Eat less prepared food. For example, you can make yogurt yourself using pharmaceutical starter, yogurt, or by whipping kefir with cottage cheese. This yogurt will not contain starch or anything worse. You need to read the ingredients of products and avoid various additives marked with the letter E on the packaging, sugar itself or substitutes. Food with natural ingredients is even available in supermarkets. Proper nutrition (menu for the week, 1200 kcal, we will describe in detail) should come into life gradually.

Legends and myths about PP

First you need to figure out what is not proper nutrition. Low-fat food. Fat molecules contribute to satiety and also create the taste and aroma of food, but it is necessary to consume healthy fats.

A diet without carbohydrates, which give people energy and vigor. This is a low-calorie diet. The menu for the week (1200 kcal) will help you stick to it.

A diet consisting only of juices and fruits, since we must not forget about the varying amounts of sugar contained in fruits.

You can’t have a diet without sweets; you can’t eat everything from it, but you can.

Eating right is expensive. This is not entirely true, because 1 kg of sweets costs more than 1 kg of vegetables.

You can't eat after 6 p.m. If a person actively rests or works at night, then it is possible, because without food the body will consider this period of starvation and begin to slow down all metabolic processes and accumulate fat.

This is what proper nutrition is all about. You can create your own menu for the week (1200 kcal), which will be convenient to use.

Why diets are evil

In order to choose an effective diet, you need to know the characteristics of a person’s metabolism and his blood type.

There are several main reasons for quitting diets.

When you refuse food, your metabolism slows down.

When consuming calories in an amount less than necessary, fat will refuse to be burned and will begin to be deposited, making a kind of reserve.

Dieting will not add muscle or strength.

Protein diets can be called harmful to digestion, and protein-free diets do not allow you to burn fat, removing only water.

When you lose a large number of kilograms in a couple of days, fluid is lost from the body.

A diet will only help if it is suitable for a particular organism.

It’s not difficult to plan proper nutrition for a week for 1200 kcal.

Daily program

During breakfast, you should eat complex carbohydrates, such as cereal, as well as a small amount of protein and fruit.

For lunch they eat vegetables, fruits and dairy products.

For lunch you can eat chicken, turkey or fish in combination with complex carbohydrates and vegetables. This is a sample menu for 1200 calories per day.

The basic rules of the diet are not difficult to follow, the main thing is to get used to it.

For an afternoon snack we eat cottage cheese, kefir or vegetables.

Well, dinner is vegetables and proteins, but vegetables are not the kind that raise blood sugar. Not only corn and potatoes have a high glycemic index, but also carrots and beets.

At night it is better to eat fermented milk products or cottage cheese. When cooking, food can be boiled, baked, steamed and even fried without using refined sunflower oil or other fat. Let's consider proper nutrition for a week for 1200 kcal.

For a week

Anyone can use this menu and achieve good results.

The menu below is available to everyone and can help you lose weight.

Monday

Breakfast: yogurt and muesli, pear or apple, tea or coffee.

Lunch: yogurt and apple.

Lunch: baked potatoes, salad with fresh vegetables, soup, juice and goulash.

Afternoon snack: crackers and fruit.

Dinner: vinaigrette, tea and boiled poultry fillet.

The diet and menu of 1200 calories per day for a week should be followed, but not so strictly. You can change products depending on your wishes and their availability in the refrigerator.

Tuesday

Breakfast: tea, buckwheat and vegetables.

Lunch: cottage cheese seasoned with low-fat sour cream, a handful of dried fruits.

Lunch: baked fish with brown rice, vegetable broth soup with cereal, vinaigrette-type salad.

Afternoon snack: low-fat cottage cheese and cocoa with toast.

Dinner: brown rice, meat, vegetable salad, tea.

Wednesday

Afternoon snack: dried fruits with yogurt and nuts.

Dinner: vegetables with boiled veal.

Sunday

Breakfast: fruit, oatmeal and coffee.

Lunch: yogurt with banana.

Lunch: boiled chicken, cabbage soup in meat broth, grilled vegetables, compote.

Afternoon snack: cottage cheese with dried fruits.

Dinner: vegetables with omelet and tea.

Menu for 1200 kcal per day with recipes for the week

To achieve slimness, first of all, you need to forget about diets and generally remove this concept from your vocabulary.

Here are some interesting recipes.

Vegetable puree soup with mushrooms. Peel and chop potatoes, carrots, celery, bell peppers, mushrooms, cauliflower and onions; add a volume of water equal to the volume of vegetables, then add potatoes, after 10 minutes celery, cauliflower and carrots; after another 5 minutes. throw in mushrooms, onions and peppers; Grind the finished soup in a blender with salt, add croutons and herbs.

Vegetables with chicken fillet. Cut the chicken fillet into cubes and place in the oven; peel and cut sweet peppers, broccoli and pumpkin 300 g; 15 minutes after you set the chicken to cook, add vegetables, salt and a couple of cloves of garlic; cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Cooking meat and vegetables correctly is not so difficult; it is much more difficult when preparing desserts.

Below are a few low-calorie dessert recipes.

Cottage cheese casserole. Grind 20 grams of butter with 2 yolks and 3 packs of cottage cheese; add semolina and half a glass of sugar, as well as baking powder, vanilla sugar, walnuts and raisins; cool the whites separately and beat until foamy; Combine the curd mass and whites, mix until smooth. The dough turns out a little thicker than sour cream; grease the mold with vegetable oil, sprinkle with semolina and pour the curd mixture into it; grease the top with sour cream; bake at 200 degrees for 40 minutes.

Proper nutrition cannot be called scary and boring, and most importantly, you can create a “diet” to suit your preferences and eat with pleasure.

Dried fruit candies. We take dates, dried figs, dried cranberries about 100 g, favorite nuts, corn flakes or coconut flakes (30 grams); nuts need to be fried in a dry frying pan and mixed with fruit, then passed through a meat grinder; Make balls from the mixture and roll in shavings or corn.

Jelly candies. Soak 10 g of gelatin in a glass of cherry juice or nectar, wait for it to swell, then dissolve the mixture over low heat, wait for the gelatin to completely dissolve; Pour the mixture into small molds and sprinkle with nuts or coconut shavings and place in the refrigerator; After hardening they can be considered ready.

Kiwi ice cream. We clean and put 8 pcs in a blender. kiwi; add white rum and lemon juice one spoon at a time, brown sugar; beat the mixture and put it in the freezer.

Some basic advice from doctors: you need to eat a balanced diet. Carbohydrate, protein and mono-diets cannot be called healthy; they harm the human body much more than even 5 kilos of excess weight. You need to eat healthy food fully, avoiding junk food and giving your body everything it needs.

Even sweets can be beneficial.

This is the diet - 1200 calories per day. A sample menu for the week makes life easier for many.

Contents:

An example of creating a menu for 1200 calories for a week from simple products. What harm can come from low calorie intake?

The dream of a woman losing weight is to find a diet without hunger: effective, simple and allowing for delicious meals. The 1200 kcal per day menu fits perfectly into the concept of proper nutrition instructions.

Where did the figure come from?

A diet of 1200 kcal is not a number for everyone and not a diet at all. Actually it's daily basal metabolism of a woman up to 160 cm tall and weighing up to 47 kg. And this does not take into account the costs of shopping, walking, cooking and household chores. A woman weighing 50 kg already needs 1300 kcal. Height also affects basal metabolism, but increasing it while maintaining low weight will reduce daily energy requirements.

A woman weighing 60 kg and height 165 cm needs 1200 kcal to lose weight, but this is with a very sedentary lifestyle. Such a girl will simply look exhausted. Therefore, this diet will seem like hunger to most active people. Most often, it will lead to weakness, especially if it is combined with physical activity, both strength and cardio.

For the average slightly overweight woman, such calorie restriction will create a deficit of more than 500 kcal. If you add physical activity, the result will appear, but the body will be slightly lacking in nutrients.

Main nuances

The positive thing is that eating 1200 kcal develops useful skills:

• Teaches you how to choose healthy foods, form portions and limit junk food.
• Includes the use of kitchen scales and weighing for accurate calorie calculations.
• It helps to realize that for every cookie you eat, you eat a serving of other healthy food. Teaches choice.

The simplicity of the nutrition plan puts a woman in a positive mood who cannot get out of the diet regime in order to simply start eating right. The name “diet for 1200 calories per day” is conditional, since sooner or later this figure will vary depending on goals, weight and amount of excess fat.

For example, the meal plan offers:

• for breakfast an omelette of one egg and a slice of ham;
• snack with whole grain bread with jam and sweetener;
• lunch - tomato soup, pasta with paprika and cucumber;
• baked apple for afternoon snack;
• Grilled vegetables for dinner.

Without any analysis, it is clear that this menu lacks protein and healthy fats. Therefore, we can immediately name the main disadvantage of schematic diets - the lack of calculation of the body’s need for macronutrients or BZH:

• without proteins, immunity decreases, skin condition worsens, and diseases of internal organs appear;
• without fat, depression develops, wrinkles appear, vision deteriorates;
• Without carbohydrates, the load on the kidneys and liver increases, and weakness appears.

Therefore, proper nutrition should be built according to an approximate scheme:

• Breakfast: grains + protein.
• Snack: protein + fats + fruits/vegetables.
• Lunch: grains + protein + vegetables + fats.
• Afternoon snack: protein + fruits/vegetables/fats.
• Dinner: protein + vegetables.

Any low-calorie menu should be balanced, even based on simple products. The creators of the 1200 kcal diet forgot that it is protein that gives long-term satiety, and carbohydrates are pure energy.

The addition of lean poultry meat without skin, veal, dairy products and eggs is necessary for the normal functioning of the nervous system and replenishment of essential amino acids - building materials for new cells.

Sample menu for the week

Proper nutrition includes three meals and snacks, scheduled according to the days of the week:

Monday:

• Breakfast: omelette with asparagus and chicken (two eggs, 50 g asparagus and 50 g fillet), tomato.
• Snack: whole grain bread (40 g) with low-fat cheese (30 g).
• Lunch: buckwheat (100 g) with steamed chicken cutlets (120 g), vegetable stew (100 g).
• Snack: nuts (30 g) and homemade low-fat yogurt (150 g).
• Dinner: baked meat (100 g) and grilled vegetables (250 g).

Tuesday:

• Breakfast: oatmeal (whole grains, not cereals - 50 g), dried fruits (50 g) and cheese (30 g).
• Snack: low-fat cottage cheese (150 g) and berries (50 g).
• Lunch: stew with vegetables and rice, tomato with pepper and yogurt.
• Snack: cheesecakes without frying with raisins.
• Dinner: chicken giblets with low-fat sour cream and green beans.

Wednesday:

• Breakfast: cheesecakes with oatmeal and raisins, a handful of nuts and an apple.
• Snack: whole grain bread with chicken, cucumber.
• Lunch: chicken meatballs with rice (150 g), cabbage salad with cucumber with vegetable oil (200 g).
• Snack: unsweetened yogurt with berries (150 g).
• Dinner: baked fish (150 g) with vegetables (200 g).

Thursday:

• Breakfast: cottage cheese (100 g), dried apricots and two walnuts.
• Snack: egg and tomato juice.
• Lunch: durum pasta (100 g), cabbage salad with tomatoes, cheese (25 g).
• Snack: banana cookies, oatmeal and cottage cheese, cheese.
• Dinner: veal chop (150 g) and grilled vegetables (200 g).

Friday:

• Breakfast: two whole grain breads with soft cottage cheese and herbs, a tomato and an egg.
• Snack: fruit salad (100 g) and soft cheese (30 g).
• Lunch: fish stewed in tomato sauce, whole grain bread, two potatoes, vegetable salad.
• Snack: coffee with milk, cheese (30 g), fruit (100 g).
• Dinner: stewed cabbage with meat, bean salad.

Saturday:

• Breakfast: flaxseed porridge, egg and orange.
• Snack: walnuts (30 g) with a small spoon of honey, coffee with milk.
• Lunch: lean borscht with chicken breast, vegetable salad and grain bread with cheese (30 g).
• Snack: cottage cheese casserole with honey and raisins (150 g).
• Dinner: chicken chop with mushrooms and cheese, boiled cauliflower.

Sunday:

• Breakfast: omelet with tomatoes, chicken pastrami.
• Snack: a guest of almonds, a glass of kefir.
• Lunch: pumpkin soup, egg, lettuce.
• Snack: whole grain toast (bread) with cheese (30 g).
• Dinner: okroshka made from kefir, eggs, cucumbers and chicken fillet, lettuce.

Serving Size:

• meat dish - approximately 90-120 g;
• vegetable dishes - 150-250 g;
• liquid - 200 ml;
• dairy - 100-150 g.

This will help you stay within the specified calorie content and fill your diet with useful substances.

The harm of low calories

Nutritionists are unanimous that such a menu of proper nutrition for weight loss, due to its low calorie content of 1200 kcal, is not suitable for most people. With high physical activity, you will experience drowsiness, irritability, fatigue, and muscle pain. When calculating daily caloric intake, a combination of weight and height, age and gender, and lifestyle are taken into account.

When energy consumption exceeds intake, the body will begin to “eat” itself. First of all, muscle tissue is consumed and fluid is lost. The logical effect of a calorie deficit will be adaptation to hunger, namely a decrease in the rate of metabolic processes. Therefore, returning to a high-calorie diet will inevitably lead to fat accumulation.

Experienced nutritionists will say out loud - fast, but no longer than three days. This is the basis for calorie alternating schemes. Even the most precise 1200 calorie diet for the week and by the hour should be a temporary measure that disciplines and reinforces the habit. Start by clearing your diet of high-calorie foods, sugar, and processed foods. Fill your meals with vegetables, healthy fats and proteins. Don't make yourself hungry: just add half an hour of physical activity a day to increase your calorie burn, and eat right.

The 1200 kilocalorie diet ensures weight loss without hunger and strict restrictions. Learn how to create a menu for the day, week and month, prepare delicious diet meals and sometimes treat yourself to your favorite treats and lose weight.

The “1200 kcal” balanced diet is based on the principle that you should eat 1200 kilocalories of any food per day. The number 1200 is the golden mean that allows a person who does not experience strong physical exertion to gradually lose weight. If you consume more calories per day, they will be deposited in the body, and a smaller amount will cause health problems.

Who is it suitable for?

A proper low-calorie diet is suitable for everyone and has virtually no contraindications. The only exception is pregnancy. In addition, athletes and people leading an active lifestyle will not be able to adhere to this nutritional system. Their bodies must consume more calories to stay healthy and active. A low-calorie diet is also contraindicated for adolescents whose bodies are still in the process of growth and development.

To ensure a balanced diet, you need to consult a nutritionist or choose an already developed menu. It is better to make up the approximate content of your diet from those foods that you love. Then you will have no problem sticking to a low-calorie diet of 1200 calories. The main thing is to maintain a daily caloric restriction.

Immediately exclude high-calorie foods, a piece of which, in terms of energy value, can replace the entire diet for the day, without bringing any benefit to the body:

• fast food;
• sweet carbonated drinks;
• cakes and pastries;
• cheesecakes;
• cheese and other sauces.

In addition, your daily diet should contain a balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, which should be combined in the following proportion: fats (30%) + proteins (15%) + carbohydrates (55%).

How to create a menu

A daily diet of 1200 kcal is one of the simplest and safest nutrition systems for weight loss. However, you will have to count your calories and weigh what you eat every day. When creating a menu, use a table of food calorie content and do not forget about the balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in your daily diet. For convenience, you can use .

Table of caloric content of main products

Product	Energy value, kcal
dry oat flakes, 50 g	170
boiled egg	75
sandwich with white bread and cheese	235
sandwich with white bread and sausage	230
low-fat cottage cheese, 100 g	110
glass of yogurt, 200 ml	165
banana	125
orange	45
apple	70
dry buckwheat, 50 g	155
dry pasta, 50 g	155
borscht with meat, 400 g	250
vegetable soup, 400 g	100
dumplings, 200 g	600
chicken broth, 1 cup	65
boiled chicken breast, 200 g	220
fried salmon, 200 g	200
beef cutlet, 1 pc.	360
sausages, 2 pcs.	275
baked potatoes, 1 pc.	100
boiled potatoes, 1 pc.	85
steamed vegetables, 200 g	190
vinaigrette, 200 g	245
cucumber salad, 200 g	120
bitter chocolate, 1 strip	140
pizza, 1 triangle	610
cheeseburger	300
ice cream, 200 g	140
marshmallows, 1 pc.	135
chips, 25 g	135
marmalade, 1 pc.	30
gingerbread, 1 pc.	140
orange juice, 1 glass	35
black coffee	8
Black tea	55
coffee with cream	2
milk, 1 glass	110
low-fat kefir, 1 glass	66
butter, 1 teaspoon	185
sunflower oil, 1 teaspoon	40
sour cream, 1 teaspoon	35
mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon	65
white bread, 100 g	265
honey, 1 teaspoon	40

Menu

For a day

The menu for one of the days of a low-calorie diet can be imagined as follows. Let's divide the day into 6 meals (about 200 calories each).

1. Oatmeal (30 gr., 100 kcal), boiled in water + 1 teaspoon of honey (40 kcal), orange (45 kcal), cup of coffee (8 kcal). Total 193 calories.
2. Low-fat cottage cheese (100 gr., 110 kcal) + sour cream 1 teaspoon (35 kcal), coffee with cream (55 kcal). Total 200 calories.
3. Borscht with meat (300 gr., 187 kcal), black tea (2 kcal), marmalade (1 piece, 30 kcal). Total 219 calories.
4. Banana (125 kcal), glass of orange juice (35 kcal). Total 160 calories.
5. Vinaigrette (100 gr., 120 kcal), boiled chicken breast (100 gr., 110 kcal). Total 230 calories.
6. Low-fat kefir 1 glass (66 kcal), gingerbread 1 piece (140 kcal). Total 206 calories.

For a week

A low-calorie menu for a week, based on five meals a day, could look like this.

Monday:

1. boiled egg and buckwheat porridge, coffee;
2. apple;
3. pollock baked with vegetables, orange juice;
4. chicken fillet baked with herbs, fresh cabbage salad;
5. a glass of low-fat yogurt.

1. sandwich made from a slice of whole grain bread and light cheese, coffee;
2. banana, juice;
3. chicken broth, vinaigrette;
4. peppers stuffed with vegetables, tea;
5. a glass of milk.

1. fruit smoothie, omelet;
2. pear;
3. chum salmon with steamed rice;
4. grilled vegetables, a piece of chicken breast, tea;
5. low-fat kefir.

1. oatmeal with prunes, coffee;
2. fresh vegetables or fruits;
3. vegetable broccoli cabbage soup, steamed beef, tea;
4. boiled rice and a piece of baked salmon;
5. skim cheese.

1. cottage cheese casserole, a cup of milk;
2. baked apple;
3. mushroom soup with chicken pieces, tea;
4. buckwheat porridge with beef, fresh vegetable salad, tea;
5. matsoni

1. wheat porridge, tea;
2. kiwi;
3. borscht, orange juice;
4. pasta with tomato paste, tea;
5. Ryazhenka

Sunday:

1. milk porridge, coffee;
2. peaches;
3. chicken noodles, vegetable and herb salad;
4. cheesecakes with raisins, coffee with cream;
5. yogurt.

For a month

If you decide to spend a month on a low-calorie diet of 1,200 calories, develop a menu for each day.

Important! The energy value of all foods consumed during the day should not exceed 1200 calories!

Eliminate the following foods from your monthly menu:

1. sugar and baked goods;
2. canned food;
3. fried and smoked foods;
4. sausage, frankfurters, dumplings.

Include the following foods in your low-calorie menu for the month:

1. porridge;
2. durum pasta;
3. fruits and berries;
4. vegetables;
5. low-fat dairy products;
6. quail eggs;
7. lean white meat;
8. fish and seafood.

1. drink more fluids;
2. eat as often as possible and chew food thoroughly;
3. if you feel weak, stop limiting the energy value of your diet;
4. include the maximum variety of ingredients in your diet: fish, meat, vegetables, fruits, cereals, dairy products;
5. exclude fried and fatty foods, as well as sweets and baked goods;
6. Divide your daily diet into three main meals, and have snacks between them without waiting until you feel hungry.

When planning your monthly menu, use the following options for your three main meals.

• any porridge (oatmeal, buckwheat, millet);
• boiled egg;
• cottage cheese casserole;
• low-fat cheese, banana.

• vegetable soup, steam cutlet;
• meat borsch;
• chicken broth, vinaigrette;
• stew of meat or fish with vegetables;
• boiled fish and carrot salad.

• cottage cheese with sour cream;
• steam omelette, juice;
• boiled potatoes, sauerkraut salad;
• boiled cauliflower, boiled egg;
• steamed beef cutlet, cabbage salad;
• baked fish fillet, cucumber salad;
• porridge with milk.

Between them, arrange mandatory snacks in the form of fruit, kefir, milk, juice or herbal tea. Don't forget to drink more water.

Examples of low-calorie recipes

Omelet with asparagus in a double boiler

Peel the washed asparagus and cook for five minutes in salted water. Place the asparagus in a steamer bowl, pour in the beaten eggs and cook until done.

Apple dessert with cottage cheese in the microwave

Cut out the middle of the apple and put it in the microwave for two minutes. Take out the apple and fill it with low-fat cottage cheese. You can pour a teaspoon of honey on top and sprinkle with cinnamon. Microwave for another two minutes.

Kefir cocktail

Take a glass of low-fat kefir and blend in a blender with grated ginger and orange juice. Add mint leaves and orange zest to the finished cocktail.

In addition, eat any fruits, vegetables and berries. They are the lowest calorie foods and are also rich in vitamins and microelements that will support the body during a low-calorie diet.

Video review from a nutritionist

Do you want to lose weight? Learn more about the popular 1200 kcal per day diet! She may be exactly what you need.

The 1200 calorie per day diet, according to its developers and supporters, is an amazing way to get rid of extra pounds without harm to the body and without much effort on the part of someone losing weight. Read the article to find out what this weight loss system is and what results it can give. We will help you create a menu for the day and week for the 1200 kcal diet, and we will tell you what difficulties you may encounter while losing weight on it.

How much weight can you lose in a month on a 1200 calorie per day diet?

It is known that normally a man 18-40 years old should consume 2800 - 3200 kcal per day, a woman of the same age - 2400 - 2600 kcal. The individual caloric intake is determined by lifestyle, the presence of sports in it, the severity of work and other factors. Under some circumstances, it may be a little less or a little more than normal. And no matter how much nutritionists and supporters of a healthy lifestyle argue that you need to lose weight not only by reducing the energy value of your daily diet, most people struggling with excess weight still resort to diets. The essence of many of them is to reduce the quantity and calorie content of consumed foods.

The 1200 calorie per day diet is one of those. Just judging by its name, you can understand that it will have to reduce the calorie content of the daily diet by half, or even more.
In addition to cutting the energy value of the daily diet, the 1200 calorie per day diet has other rules:

1. You need to eat on it five to six times a day. In order not to wonder every time what to eat so as not to exceed 1200 kcal, it is recommended to create a menu for 3, 5, 7 or 10 days at once.
2. Since you will have to count calories all the time, you need to find a table of caloric content of foods in advance or download a special calculator to your phone.
3. To trick your body and prevent it from feeling hungry, you will need to learn to eat slowly, chewing your food thoroughly.
4. Portions on this diet should be small (otherwise how else will you invest in these 1200 kcal?). But at the same time, the foods consumed should be varied. Then you won’t feel like you are making any sacrifices and severely restricting yourself in food. Diet diversity is another argument in favor of the fact that the 1200 kcal diet menu needs to be thought out in advance.
5. Don't forget to drink. 2 liters of water is a mandatory daily requirement.
6. The diet does not prohibit products of animal origin, including animal fats. But these fats should be healthy. Therefore, you should eat more fish than meat.
7. In general, the balance of macronutrients during your diet should look like this: complex carbohydrates – 55%, healthy fats (including omega-3, omega-6 and omega-9 acids) – 30%, proteins – 15%.
8. Empty calories should be eliminated. You can find a list of dishes that you absolutely cannot eat on a 1200 kcal per day diet below in the article.
9. This diet provides a way out, which means that after it you cannot immediately increase the calorie intake to your normal one. Consume 50-100 kcal more daily, returning to a healthy diet.

You can talk as much as you like about how healthy it is for the body. But a person who decides to lose weight in this way is interested in knowing how much he can lose on this diet.

IMPORTANT: Remember that weight loss is considered normal and safe, during which a person loses from 0.5 to 1 kg per week.

On the Internet, in the descriptions of the diet, as well as in the reviews of those who have experienced it themselves, you can see that in 10 days you can lose 5 kg on it (if, of course, you follow all the rules and additionally include 2-3 exercise per week).
Having carried out simple calculations, we understand that on a diet of 1200 kcal per day we can get rid of 10-15 extra pounds. Let's not forget that their number will also depend on the initial weight of the person losing weight and his metabolic rate.

Why can't you eat less than 1200 kcal per day?

Why exactly 1200 kcal? After all, if you cut your diet even more, weight loss should probably go faster?
The diet developers are ready to explain everything in detail. The fact is that 1200 calories per day is the minimum value at which the human body will not experience extreme stress and consume energy from its internal resources.

1. If you cut your diet even further, the first thing you will encounter is an overwhelming feeling of hunger. If you do not have a steely willpower, you will break down within 2-3 days, and all the sacrifices made before will be in vain.
2. If you consume fewer calories per day, you run the risk of slowing down your metabolism rather than speeding it up.
3. Critically short of energy, the body will begin to take it from its own muscle tissue.

But even a minimum of 1200 kcal is not permissible for everyone. You should choose a different diet if:

• you are under 18 years old
• you are a pregnant woman or nursing mother
• you are anemic
• you have just suffered from a severe acute infectious disease or are suffering from any chronic
• you recently had surgery
• you play sports professionally or more than 3 times a week
• you are involved in heavy physical labor

What foods should you not eat on a 1200 calorie per day diet: list

You just need to glance at the table of calorie content of some foods to understand that on this low-calorie diet you will have to give up:

• alcohol
• bakery products
• confectionery
• fast food and snacks
• fatty meat
• sausages and sausages
• canned food
• dishes fried in oil
• carbonated drinks
• Sahara

On the 1200 kcal diet, say “No” to empty calories.

A set of low-calorie foods for a 1200 calorie per day diet: list

In addition to the foods listed above, on a 1200 kcal diet you can eat everything, but in limited quantities so as not to exceed the established energy consumption rate.
Check out the table showing the calorie content of some dishes and products to help you create your menu.

Calorie table for some foods: part 1.

Calorie table for some foods: part 2.

1. Grains and legumes. It is better to eat buckwheat, rice, oatmeal, bulgur, millet or pea porridge for breakfast and lunch. Look, the serving size should be less than 100g!
2. Meat. You definitely can't eat lamb! Eat lean chicken, turkey, beef or veal. Boil, stew or bake meat, but under no circumstances fry it.
3. Dairy. One of your snacks can be fermented milk: eat low-fat cottage cheese, drink white yogurt without additives, low-fat kefir or milk with no more than 2.5% fat content. Choose low-fat, soft cheese, for example, Adyghe. Don't use oil.
4. Fish and seafood. Eat any, but not fried or canned. Count your calories to determine your serving size.
5. Vegetables, fruits and berries. Any vegetables can be fresh, boiled or stewed. Fruits and berries - everything except sweet ones.
6. Beverages. You can drink tea and coffee without sugar. If you drink juice, then only natural juice. Consider it a serving of vegetables. fruits or berries, respectively.

IMPORTANT: If you look at the calorie table, you will see that nuts are extremely high-calorie foods. But who said that you will eat 100 g of them or more? As a snack, you can easily afford a couple of pistachios or hazelnuts. Don’t eat the seeds: you’re unlikely to be able to stop in time once you start cracking them.

The Right Diet and Meal Plan for a Balanced 1200 Calorie Diet per Day

If you have chosen a 1200 kcal diet for yourself, be prepared for the fact that to create the right menu you will need to not only choose the right foods, but also distribute them among meals, and also calculate portion sizes, taking the calorie content of 100 g of foods as a basis.
So, an approximate plan for your fractional and balanced nutrition, provided you consume no more than 1200 kcal per day, should look like this:

• breakfast -300 kcal
• snack – 150 kcal
• lunch – 300 kcal
• snack – 150 kcal
• dinner – 300 kcal

Although 300 calories for dinner, if it is not late and not immediately before bed, this is quite normal, you can also take into account a person’s biorhythms. It would be good to get the bulk of your energy in the first half of the day and in the middle. Therefore, there is a second, also correct version of the plan:

• breakfast – 350 kcal
• snack – 150 kcal
• lunch – 350 kcal
• snack – 100 kcal
• dinner – 250 kcal

IMPORTANT: Try to plan your menu in such a way that you consume carbohydrate-containing foods for breakfast, first snack and lunch.

What can you eat for 1200 calories a day: list of dishes

To roughly understand what foods and in what quantities you can eat per day for 1200 kcal, look at one of the menu options for this diet:

• breakfast: oatmeal on water - 50 g (about 170 kcal), peach (60 kcal), a couple of slices of Adyghe cheese (100 kcal), rye bread toast or bread (up to 50 kcal)
• snack: 20 g almonds (150 kcal)
• dinner: stewed vegetables (cabbage, carrots, onions, peppers) – 100 g (60 kcal), boiled chicken breast – 100 g (140 kcal), brown rice – 50 g (100 kcal)
• snack: low-fat cottage cheese – up to 100 g (80 kcal)
• dinner: baked salmon – 100 g (150 kcal), vegetable salad – (up to 120 kcal)

Approximate menu for the day, taking into account the consumption of 1200 kcal.

VIDEO: What to eat to lose weight? 1200 calorie diet

Sample diet menu 1200 calories per day for a week and for every day with calorie counting

The menu on the 1200 calorie diet is quite varied.

You can see an approximate diet menu of 1200 kcal for 7 days with calorie calculations for each meal in the tables. On weekends, repeat the menu for any of the first 5 days.
Day 1

Simple 1200 calorie recipes for weight loss

From the sample menu we see that on a 1200 kcal diet you can eat simple, at the same time tasty and varied dishes.
RECIPE: Steamed salmon
Needed:

• salmon fillet – 100 g
• lemon juice – 0.5 tsp
• rosemary – 1 sprig
• salt - a pinch

1. Cook in a steamer or double boiler.
2. Place rosemary in the bottom of the container.
3. Salt the washed and cut into pieces fish and sprinkle with lemon juice.
4. Cook for approximately 10 minutes.

RECIPE: Cottage cheese casserole
Needed:

• cottage cheese – 100 g
• egg – 1 pc.
• sugar – 1 teaspoon
• dried fruits – 30 g
• soda - on the tip of a knife

1. If possible, cook the casserole in a slow cooker. You will get 2 servings.
2. Mash the cottage cheese with a fork, add dried fruits to it.
3. Separately, beat the whites with sugar and the yolk, add them to the cottage cheese one by one.
4. Add soda. Mix everything well.
5. Cook the casserole for 20 minutes.

RECIPE: Turkey meatballs
Need to:

• turkey fillet – 200 g
• onion – 0.5 pcs.
• low-fat yogurt – 50 ml
• parsley - a couple of sprigs
• olive oil – 1 teaspoon
• juice of a quarter of a lemon
• curry – 1 teaspoon

1. Cook the meatballs in the oven at 210 degrees.
2. Make minced turkey, onion and parsley, add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Make balls from the minced meat and place them in a mold greased with olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes.
4. Make a sauce for the meatballs using yogurt, lemon juice, curry and salt.

I’m on a 1200 diet and not losing weight: why, what should I do?

If you are on a 1200 kcal diet and are not losing weight, your metabolism may be impaired, or your body does not have enough energy. In any case, contact a nutritionist to help you choose an individual diet for weight loss.

Diet 1200 calories a day: reviews and weight loss results

1. Hope: “I really like this diet. But I will immediately warn you that there is no point in sitting on it for the sake of 3-5 kg, since the recovery will take longer. In the first month I lost 8 kg with an initial weight of 85. The next two months I lost 4 kg, and two more - 2.5 kg each. At the end of the day, I lost another 2 kg and ended up weighing 62 kg. I’ll dump the rest on the PP.”
2. Ilona: “I chose this diet for myself. I wanted to speed up the results, and, stupid, I cut my diet to 800 kcal. I thought I wouldn’t be hungry. As a result, I got a slow metabolism...”
3. Dasha: “If you go on this diet, immediately install the “calorie counter” program on your phone. It will make your life much easier!”

VIDEO: MENU FOR 1200 KCAL