The 1200 calorie diet is the most common diet women need to consume on a daily basis if they wish to shed at least one to two pounds per week.
The concept behind this diet is actually very simple. All you have to do is eat small but frequent meals at least 6 times a day so your body is fully energized and you wouldn’t feel deprived of eating healthier food options.
You can therefore say that the 1200 calorie diet is very easy and doable and that is actually true. Here is a sample meal plan that can help you reach your weight loss goals in no time.

1200 Calorie Diet Breakfast

This kind of diet understands the actual importance of eating breakfast on a daily basis. No matter how busy your schedule might be, that is never an excuse not to sit down and eat a decent and healthy meal.
If you really don’t have that much time to spare, you can simply substitute your breakfast with a glass of fruit smoothie of your choice. You can go all out with your choice as long as you stick to just a single fruit variant.
Also, it is a must to avoid fruits like grapes and mangoes which are very high in natural sugars. Try bananas or strawberries instead.
So for breakfast, you are typically allowed to consume roughly around 250-300 calories, 80 to 90% of which should either be protein, calcium or low-fat options.

1200 Calorie Diet Lunch

For lunch, you can consume roughly around 300 to 350 calories.
One of the best options that you have is wrapped sandwiches that will give you a combination of good carbohydrates, nutrients and fibers from vegetables and protein from your choice of filling.
In order to stick to your required calorie count, it would be best to go for lean meat options like turkeys or chicken whites.
If you are not satisfied with this kind of lunch meal, you may also go for half a cup of red rice and your choice of grilled fish. This typically amounts to the same calorie intake.
Dinner
For dinner, you may also consume around 300 to 350 calories. But this time around, you need to make healthier choices that will make you feel satisfied without making your stomach bloat.
A wonderful option is a plate of salad that is filled with both fruits and vegetables. Add a few slices of pita bread and feta cheese just to add flavor to your dish.
You may also add in a spoonful serving of tuna or other types of high-protein foods to make your dinner dish more interesting.

1200 Calorie Diet Snacks

Throughout the day, you may also treat yourself to two snacks – one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
However, to be able to limit your calorie intake to just 1,200 calories, you now only have around 200 – 250 more calories left to consume.
A serving of apple would usually comprise of 60 calories. One peeled banana is roughly around 80 calories. You can either go for these fruit variants or you may also want to just drink a glass or milk which is about 120 calories, either for your am or pm snack.

Does this Guarantee Weight Loss?

The 1200 calorie diet definitely guarantees weight loss especially if you are still on the heavier side and this is your first time to go on an actual diet.
However, you also need to combine this diet with a healthy exercise regimen so that with every pound lost, you will be able to strengthen a muscle or two in return.
A combination of which can of course result to speeding up your metabolism so you will lose even more weight as gradually but as consistently as possible.
This diet may also work even without any form of exercise but if you are looking for something long-term you might want to consider combining one with the other.

I Feel Restricted, What Should I Do

The sample diet provided more or less gives you an idea of the kinds of foods you can eat on a daily basis. However, some people might automatically feel deprived.
Of course, if you come to think of it, if you are the type of person who is used to consuming three heavy servings on meals per day, then this change in your meal plan will definitely seem drastic.
This is why you need to do this as gradually as possible. It would be best to consult with a nutritionist-dietician so you can discuss the amount of calories you typically consume on a daily basis.
If you are used to consuming 4,000 calories per day, most of which are from high-fat sources, you can probably drop down to about 2,000 calories for your first two weeks and then drop down to 1,800 calories for the next couple of weeks; doing this can help your body adjust to the changes without necessarily feeling deprived at all.

What if I Get Hungry?

Another common worry among a lot of people who are about to try the 1200 calorie diet is that they are concerned about what they can do whenever they feel hungry in between meals.
When this happens, all you need to do is adjust your eating hours. If you ate at 8 in the morning and you’re supposed to have your snack at 10 in the morning, adjust it a few minutes earlier.
If the hunger pangs attack at night, you can also do the same thing but never make the mistake of adding anything to your daily calorie count because this will only defeat the purpose of setting it at 1200 calories per day.
Also, sleep earlier than usual so you will have less time to think about food or even to entertain your usual food cravings. Anyway, when you wake up in the morning, you will once again be allowed to consume your usual 200-250 calories for breakfast. And at some point, you will definitely get used to this 1200 calorie diet for sure.