Heres What You Need To Know About The 1200 Calorie Meal Plan

Contrary to popular belief, it is a fact that eating less or starving yourself does not help you lose weight. Staying hungry for long hours or limiting your basic calorie requirement may often prove counterproductive and even lead to weight gain instead. It is, therefore, extremely essential to eat adequately if you are aiming at sustainable weight loss. When it comes to losing weight, it is important that we are aware of our calorie requirements and eat accordingly. While generally eating a total of 1600-2000 calories per day helps maintain weight, many experts recommend a 1200 calorie meal plan to people who wish to drop the extra pounds.
It is a fact that a combination of regular exercise and healthy diet can easily help you get the desired result. However, it is important that you consult a nutritionist to get a meal plan that suits your personal needs and requirements. Usually, the 1200 calorie diet meal plan is a widely accepted meal plan that most dietitians recommend. Sticking to a 1200 calories meal per day may not only help people lose weight effectively, it will also ensure that they do not lose their muscle mass and have a healthy nutritional status.
Since a single meal at your favorite eating joint can easily contain up to 1200 calories, you have to be judicious about eating the right type of food at the right time. To ensure you stick to a stringent 1200 calorie meal, you need to be spread out the 1200 calories over the course of the day. The idea is to fill yourself up with more of fiber, protein, and water to avoid feeling skimpy or famished.
Before delving into the diet, it is extremely important to know that restricting calories to a mere 1200 does not mean skipping meals or eating less. Often people tend to stay hungry for longer hours only to binge eat later and overshoot the 1200 calorie goal. A good way to ensure that you do not cross the 1200 calorie mark is by deciding to eat portion-controlled meals at regular intervals. You can also plan to eat about 350 calories at every meal. About 150 calories can further be allocated for healthy snacking. Before starting on the diet regimen, it is also important that you take your schedule, energy needs, and hunger levels into consideration. Here’s how you can choose to divide your 1200 calorie meal plan across the day.

Incorporate essential nutrients
A healthy mix of all the essential nutrients should make up your meals. For instance, at every meal, you must aim to consume a cup of veggies and whole grains. Plan your meals such that you consume at least 1-3 ounces of protein. People interested in losing weight need to ensure they eat adequate protein. Apart from filling you up quickly and making you feel satisfied easily, protein helps keep wild cravings at bay. Protein gets digested fast and helps maintain lean muscle mass and lose fat. In addition to protein, many experts also recommend that you include about 2-3 cups of low-fat dairy, a small bowl of fruit, and a fistful of healthy fats to feel satiated and ensure healthy nutrient absorption.

Start the day with a low-calorie breakfast
Ensure you have a healthy breakfast that is not calorie laden. Some low-calorie breakfast samples include one or two egg white eggs with cherry tomatoes and a slice of whole grain bread along with a small portion of fruit, a banana smoothie made with skimmed milk and whey protein, about three fourth cups of bran with raspberry and a cup of skimmed milk, etc. Nutritionists recommend breakfast to contain at least a total of 400 calories to ensure you have the energy for the rest of the day.

Lunch
You are free to fill up on veggies like lettuce, cucumbers, bell peppers, sprouts carrots, and spinach during lunch time. Stocking up fiber-rich food in the form of salad with 2 ounces of protein can make a great meal under 350 calories. If salads do not fill you up, try having grilled chicken or tuna with wheat crackers for a wholesome meal. Additionally, you can try to include a Mediterranean twist to your meals and have a whole wheat pita, an ounce of feta cheese, two tablespoons of hummus, about a cup of salad made of spinach, Greek olives, cherry tomatoes, and a teaspoon of olive oil. Alternatively, you can also give brown rice and lean beef a try.

Healthy snacking
About two-three hours after lunch, ensure you dedicate some time to have snacks. While snacking is one of the diciest meals of the day when people can go overboard, ensure you pick snacks that are not processed, packaged, or fried. One of the safest things to snack on include boiled egg whites, nuts, low-fat cheese, a bowl of fruits, etc.

Dinner
This is one of those meals that you should keep the lightest. Ensure you use low-calorie cooking techniques including grilling, roasting, broiling, and the like while making food at home. Avoid eating out at all times. If you must, ensure you opt for a green salad with grilled protein to finish off your remaining 350 calories without overshooting the 1200 calories meal plan.

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