- 1200 Calorie Diet - dumbonyc
A personalized diet plan can allow you to eat normal foods in reasonable quantities while still achieving a slimmer figure. Many weight loss systems require you to cut calories to 1000 or less or use expensive, often unhealthy herbal supplements. If you're looking for a healthy solution that allows you to eat regular, nutritious foods without starving or going broke, a 1200-calorie diet is the answer.
Why a 1200-Calorie Diet
While many weight loss systems work, those that require a severe deficit in calories or rely on the use of diet supplements are difficult to sustain over time. They rarely teach healthy eating habits, they're often expensive, and the supplements can be unhealthy, causing a range of problems from anxiety to cardiac stress.
A 1200-calorie diet is easy to follow on your own without using pills or shakes and without feeling hungry all the time, and the healthy eating habits you'll learn will help you sustain your weight loss over time.
Weight Loss Foods
The best types of food to eat are those that are high in protein and low in fat. Your meal plans should consist primarily of lean meats, which have few calories and are good for boosting energy. You should also eat plenty of vegetables. They're loaded with fiber, which will leave you feeling very full, and packed with nutrition. Vegetables also have very few calories, so you can eat a lot of them.
Although you don't have to avoid fat entirely, you should stay away from foods that contain a lot of it since they have considerably more calories than other foods. A good rule of thumb is to make sure no more than 15% of your daily calories come from fat. (For calculation purposes, one gram of fat contains nine calories.)
Your 1200-calorie diet can also include some carbohydrates, a little sugar and dairy products like eggs and skim milk. The most important thing to remember is moderation. Pay attention to food labels and measure your portions. Track your calories and keep a log so you know exactly how many you're eating. Don't just estimate. When you write down everything you eat, you'll be amazed at how quickly seemingly small deviations add up.
Diet Meal Plans
Make sure you don't go hungry. Spread your calories throughout the day as evenly as possible. Try eating 200 calories for breakfast, 400 for lunch, 400 for dinner and 100 each for a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack. Prepackaged portions with 100 calories work well for snacks, or you can try something more filling like fruit or low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese.
Personal Weight Loss Systems
Following a personalized nutrition plan based on a targeted number of calories is the easiest way to slim down and stay thin. If you don't already know how many calories are in the foods you enjoy eating, read the food labels or look up the nutrition information online. Figure out which of your favorite foods don't have many calories, and also try adding some new, healthy items to your meal plan. You'll quickly find that a 1200-calorie diet only requires a few lifestyle modifications, and the benefits will be well worth your effort.
References:
WebMD, "The Dos and Don'ts of Counting Calories" (accessed March 1, 2010)
MayoClinic.com "Snacks: How They Fit Into Your Weight-Loss Plan" (accessed March 1, 2010)
