Twelve hundred calories a day is the lowest number of calories recommended for a woman to consume daily, notes Medline Plus. When consuming so few calories, every food choice should feature optimal nutrition and be satisfying. You can construct a 1,200-calorie meal plan to support your weight loss goals and also to provide you with ample food to keep you from feeling deprived, hungry or devoid of energy.
Calorie Strategy
A 1,200-calorie per day meal plan should feature a minimum of three meals with 400 calories each. You may prefer to include one or two snacks to keep hunger at bay and your blood sugar levels even. If you choose to eat one snack daily, eat 350 calories at each meal and have one 150-calorie snack. For a plan with two snacks per day, eat 300 calories at each meal and eat snacks with 150 calories each.
Nutrient Breakdown
A 1,200-calorie food plan allows for the minimum servings of all the food groups recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Guide Pyramid. Go for about 6 oz. of grains daily -- with at least 3 oz. of these from whole-grain sources -- 3 cups of low-fat diary, 2½ cups of vegetables, 1½ cups of fruit and 5 oz. of lean proteins. Fats should make up at least 20 percent of daily calories, according to Institute of Medicine guidelines.
Types of Food
Some of the lowest-calorie protein choices include shrimp, tilapia, water-packed tuna, extra-lean ground turkey, beans, tofu and egg whites. Choose low-fat dairy like skim milk, low-fat yogurt and nonfat cottage cheese. Watery, fibrous vegetables like leafy greens, colorful peppers, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and winter squash are low in calories but high in nutrients. Opt for whole fruits over juices, which provide little satisfaction for their calories, or canned versions, which usually contain added sugars. Grains like oatmeal, brown rice and whole-wheat bread are filling and nutritious. Include small servings of unsaturated fats in the form of nuts, olive oil, avocados and fatty fish.
Considerations
Registered dietitian Joanne Larsen notes on Dietitian.com that 1,200 calories may not be enough to provide adequate nutrition to an adult menstruating woman. Medline Plus points out that men should not consume fewer than 1,500 calories daily unless under the care of a physician. If you find that 1,200 calories per day leaves you cranky, tired and without energy, consider settling for a less aggressive rate of weight loss and eating 1,500 to 1,800 calories per day.
Sample Day
A 1,200-calorie meal plan that includes two daily snacks might begin with a slice of whole-wheat bread, 1 tbsp. of peanut butter and a cup of skim milk, for about 320 calories. A few hours after breakfast, enjoy a snack of 1/2 whole-wheat English muffin with low-fat string cheese and sliced tomatoes, for 150 calories. At lunch, have a cup of low-fat cottage cheese with ½ cup of halved grapes and a cup of orange segments, for 275 calories. For an afternoon break, cut a red pepper into strips and eat on a corn tortilla with 2 tbsp. of hummus, for 150 calories. For dinner, grill 2 oz. of chicken breast and enjoy with 1 cup of quinoa, cooked in chicken broth, and 1 cup of steamed asparagus, for 300 calories.
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