It may be difficult to obtain adequate nutrition on a 1,200-calorie-a-day diet, and you should not undertake one without medical advice and, preferably, ongoing nutrition. Most nutritionists, including those at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, recommend limiting calories to no fewer than 1,500 calories a day. But they and other nutritionists offer balanced menus to help.
Sample Menu
You could begin your day with a 290-calorie breakfast consisting of one serving of cereal, 1 cup of skim milk and one banana. For lunch, you could eat two slices of whole grain bread topped with 3 oz. of lean meat and any amount of lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, cucumbers or sprouts. You could add a plum for dessert for a lunch of under 200 calories. A 300-calorie dinner might include ½ cup of beans, 2 small tortilla shells, 1 slice of low-fat cheese, 1 tbsp. of sour cream and ½ cup rice. You could round out your 1,200-calorie day with three snacks: 1 cup of skimmed milk blended with ½ cup of frozen strawberries, a handful of nuts and 1 cup of strawberries, suggests the Diet Bites website.
Government Guidelines
The USDA says the best way to achieve optimal nutrition on a low-calorie diet is to adhere as closely as possible to the government's food pyramid, limiting fruits to two servings instead of three, grains to four servings instead of six and proteins to 3 oz. instead of 6 oz.. The 1,200-calorie plan includes two servings of dairy and about 170 discretionary calories that could come from any of the food groups.
Meal Planning
One of the advantages of prepackaged meals such as those offered by Medifast and Nutrisystem is that they eliminate the need for calorie counting and meal planning. But planning meals yourself can also help you stick to a diet, says Leslie Beck, a Canadian licensed dietitian. She suggests planning meals weekly and doing so at a specific day and time so that planning becomes part of your routine. Planning will help you stick to a diet and rely less on restaurant meals, which can be both costly and damaging to diet plans, Beck says.
Food Diary
It also helps to know what you're eating. Beck recommends keeping a food diary and says this activity alone propels people to eat less. Menu-labeling laws in effect in the United States also make it easier to know the calorie count of dishes served at chain restaurants and some independent restaurants. According to the "The Economist," restaurant diners tend to undervalue their meals by 600 calories.
Cautions
Before you deprive yourself on a 1,200-calorie-a-day diet, you should know that most claims by weight-loss creators lack scientific backing. Book authors and manufacturers of prepared meals neglect to offer dieters anything more than testimonials, according to Dr. Thomas Wadden, director of the weight and eating disorders program at the University of Pennsylvania. Wadden said Weight Watchers proved the exception, with modest results. According to Wadden's study, published in 2004 in the "Annals of Internal Medicine," followers of Weight Watchers shed 5 percent of their body weight in three to six months and gained much of it back. Independent studies show that people who follow conventional diets of 1,500 calories a day enjoyed as much success as those who ate as few as 800 calories.
References
- Diet Bites: 1200-Calorie Diet and Meal Plan Menu
- Weight Loss Center: 1200 Calorie Plan
- My Pyramid: Inside the Pyramid
- "The Globe and Mail"; Plan Once, Eat Well All Week; Leslie Beck; April 1 2009
- "The New York Times"; Diet and Lose Weight? Scientists Say 'Prove It!'; Gina Kolata; Jan. 4 2005
- "The Economist"; The Truth Shall Make You Thin; (NO BYLINE) July 25 2009
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