Diet 1200 calories per day for proper nutrition and weight loss – an example menu and a set of products

The content of the article

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• What is a 1200 calorie diet
• Diet principles
• A sample menu of 1200 calories per day
• 1200-calorie foods per day
• Calorie Table for Slimming Products
• Menu for 1200 calories per week
• Way out of diet
• How much can you diet 1200 calories
• Pros and cons of diet
• Contraindications
• Weight Loss Reviews

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One of the most harmless to the health of the body, and at the same time effective, is considered a 1200 calorie diet – the daily menu for weight loss is made so that the total calorie content per day of food eaten does not exceed the number indicated in its name. At the same time, there are very few strict dietary restrictions, nutrition is balanced, and extra pounds go by reducing body fat, and not due to a reduction in excess body water.

What is a 1200 calorie diet

All the basic principles of a healthy diet is taken into account by a 1200 calorie diet. The daily healthy diet is usually between 1700 and 2200 calories per day, given the activity of the lifestyle that you lead. When reducing the calorie content of the menu to 1200 calories, you significantly reduce this figure, which over time will lead to the loss of up to 700 g of excess weight daily.

At the same time, your body continues to receive the necessary minimum of carbohydrates, proteins and vitamins, so you lose weight due to accumulated fat deposits. In cases where the number of incoming calories is much lower than the norm, sometimes the accumulation principle works, and you do not lose weight, but, on the contrary, paradoxically begin to gain weight, which makes many mono-diets ineffective.

Diet principles

Like most diets, there are a set of certain basic rules, the failure of which will significantly worsen the final results of the diet. The key principles of the 1200 calorie diet are as follows:

• The total calorie content of all eaten foods should not exceed 1200 calories.
• When compiling a daily menu, adhere to the scheme 15-30-55% (BZHU).
• Also use the principle of fractionality – three main meals, calories up to 300 calories, and two snacks of 150 calories.
• The basis of the diet should be raw vegetables and fruits..
• It is desirable to make the menu as varied as possible..
• Replace meat with fish for at least three days a week..

The main advantage for the sweet tooth is the fact that when losing weight on such a diet there is no strict ban on sweets. Although it is desirable to limit the intake of fast carbohydrates (flour) and completely eliminate sweet carbonated drinks. It is advisable to avoid food fried in animal oil, to refrain from smoked meats and pickles. It is necessary to drink 1.5-2 liters of water without gas – this is a drinking regime.

A sample menu of 1200 calories per day

What might a 1200 calorie daily diet look like? An example of a 1200 calorie diet is the most sparing diet. Breakfast should be hearty, of your choice: eggs (hard-boiled or scrambled eggs), porridge on the water, oatmeal, rice or buckwheat, cottage cheese casserole, cheese sandwich. For lunch, you must have a hot dish (all kinds of soups) plus a salad of vegetables. For dinner, which, if possible, should take place three to four hours before bedtime, low-fat boiled or baked meat (beef, poultry) or fish.

In the morning and afternoon snacks, eat some fruit or 30-50 g of dried fruit. If the feeling of hunger is strong, you can eat a little salad or low-fat cottage cheese, drink a glass of kefir. For your own convenience, in advance, at the weekend, make a clear menu for the week, using the calorie table. It can be reviewed depending on your condition, but it will be easier for you if you understand how many calories a meal or product includes..

1200-calorie foods per day

In addition to the calorie tables of products, you can use the knowledge about the calorie content of one or another volume of specific ready-made dishes to understand what kind of food for 1200 calories a day you like and make a menu based on personal food preferences. Keep in mind that the energy value of a dish will vary from the way it is prepared and seasoned..

Foods containing 300 calories:

• 180 g mashed potatoes in milk;
• 180 g pasta with grated 30 g of hard cheese;
• 150 g lean beef cutlets;
• 180 g of homemade stuffed cabbage.

Foods containing 200 calories:

• 150 g vinaigrette in vegetable unrefined oil;
• 90 g of cottage cheese with a spoon of sour cream;
• two eggs.

Foods containing 100 calories:

• one baked potato;
• 160 g of chicken stock;
• 120 g of vegetable borsch;
• one medium curd (80 g) with a spoon of sour cream;
• one medium apple or banana.

Calorie Table for Slimming Products

The main difficulty will be counting calories. An important condition is not to exceed the daily maximum allowable limit of 1200 calories under any circumstances. Pay attention not only to the initial number of calories contained in the product, but also to how it changes with one or another method of preparation. For example, it’s better to bake potatoes rather than boil, a spoonful of sugar will add forty calories to your tea, and a plate of steamed buckwheat contains three times less calories than buckwheat porridge, cooked in the usual way.

Calorie table of products:

Product	Calories per 100 g, kcal
Buckwheat porridge	232
Oatmeal porridge	93
Rice porridge	79
Cereals	358
Chicken egg	155
Curd (5%)	89
Sour cream (15%)	165
Kefir (2.5%)	48
Ryazhenka (2.5%)	53
Beef	191
Chicken’s meat	165
Pink salmon fillet	163
Cod fillet	68
White cabbage	31
Carrot	29th
Beet	44
Bow	41
Tomatoes	22
Cucumbers	fifteen
Spinach	22
Potatoes	89
An Apple	48
Orange	33
Banana	88
Pear	44
Prunes	262
Raisins	285
Dried apricots	270
Honey	312
Bitter chocolate	548
Milk chocolate	565
Cream (10%)	155
Green tea	0
Grapefruit juice	24
Black tea with lemon and sugar	45
Rye bread	210
Whole Grain Bread	195

Menu for 1200 calories per week

An approximate weekly menu of 1200 calories for weight loss can look like this:

The first day:

• Breakfast: any porridge, coffee or tea, a slice of whole grain bread with hard cheese.
• Lunch – Apple.
• Lunch: vegetable soup, baked chicken breast fillet.
• Snack in two to three hours – a glass of yogurt or kefir.
• Dinner: stewed cabbage, carrot salad with apple, juice.

Second day:

• Breakfast: omelet or scrambled eggs, cheese sandwich.
• Lunch – a couple of spoons of oatmeal.
• Lunch: buckwheat porridge with mushrooms, fresh vegetable salad with sour cream.
• Snack – banana, 20 g of prunes or raisins.
• Dinner: fillet of pink salmon baked with fresh vegetables, a glass of kefir

Day Three:

• Breakfast: rice porridge, one cheesecake with a spoon of sour cream, a slice of hard cheese.
• Second breakfast – half a glass of any berries or 100 g of any fruit.
• Lunch: one stuffed pepper, beetroot salad with prunes, fruit drink or juice.
• Snack – orange, 30 g dried apricots.
• Dinner: chicken fillet baked with cauliflower, 150 g ryazhenka.

Day four:

• Breakfast: cottage cheese casserole with sour cream and honey, coffee or tea.
• Second light breakfast – 100 g steamed buckwheat or boiled egg.
• Lunch: sauerkraut cabbage soup, steamed vegetables.
• Snack – pear or half grapefruit.
• Dinner: a beef steak with a salad of warm carrots, a glass of kefir.

Fifth day:

• Breakfast: millet porridge with dried apricots.
• Lunch – with a cheese sandwich, coffee.
• Lunch: Finnish ear.
• Snack – 100 g of buckwheat steamed on kefir.
• Dinner: baked sea bass with rice, radish and cucumber salad.

Day Six:

• Breakfast: oatmeal flakes, green tea.
• Second breakfast – 100 g of grapes.
• Lunch: seaweed salad, chicken broth with egg, a slice of whole grain bread.
• Snack – half a glass of berries or an orange.
• Dinner: chicken fillet with grilled vegetables, a glass of natural nonfat yogurt.

Day Seven:

• Breakfast: cottage cheese with sour cream, coffee.
• Lunch – Banana.
• Lunch: spinach puree soup, carrot salad with apple.
• Snack – 150 g steamed buckwheat.
• Dinner: baked beef with mushrooms, vegetable salad, a glass of kefir.

Way out of diet

In order not to harm your health, you need to ensure the correct entry and exit from the diet of 1200 calories. When you start to lose weight, reduce the total number of calories in the diet gradually. When you exit the diet, gradually increase the energy value of the foods you eat. Add protein foods and vegetable fats, then the amount of animal fats, and lastly – carbohydrates.

How much can you diet 1200 calories

A diet of more than three weeks is not recommended. Even if you are feeling fine, take a break in the diet from one to three months in order to speed up a slowed metabolism and bring the water-salt balance back to normal. This is also useful from a psychological point of view – a constant restriction subconsciously tunes the body to the accumulation of fat reserves, so weight loss may stop.

Pros and cons of diet

As already described, a low-calorie diet of 1200 calories is completely safe for health and is suitable for many women. The undoubted advantages include the ability to eat almost any food without any restrictions. You can dump on such a diet about 500 g per day. Of the main disadvantages – the need to calculate the number of calories of all eaten foods and dishes.

Contraindications

This diet is not for people leading an active lifestyle. If the daily rate of calories consumed exceeds 2000, it is dangerous to sit on such a diet, as this can lead to a sharp decrease in vitality and weakening of the body. Chronic gastrointestinal diseases, metabolic disorders and all kinds of hormonal disorders are also contraindications for this type of diet.

Weight Loss Reviews

Attention! The information presented in the article is for guidance only. Materials of the article do not call for self-treatment. Only a qualified doctor can make a diagnosis and give treatment recommendations based on the individual characteristics of a particular patient.