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There are lots of possible combinations of food you might choose for a 1200 calorie diet. But to make it work nutritionally, you will want to follow the basic guidelines I provide as closely as you can. It does take a little juggling with food choices to get the numbers to work. For example, fortified breakfast cereals can often add a significant source of some much needed nutrients on a low calorie diet. On the other hand, depending on your age and needs, you do want to choose cereals carefully. For example, a cereal that provides 100% of the DV for iron has more iron than women over the age of 50 need. One bowl of cereal in and of itself is not a problem. But if the overall diet is already providing plenty of iron, eating a high-iron cereal on a regular basis is not a good choice. Sample Menu for 1200 Calories #12 Breakfast 1 cup Oatmeal Crisp Hearty Raisin cereal (General Mills - 230 calories) 8 oz. Skim Milk 4 oz. Cranberry Apple Juice (65 calories) Snack 1 container Yoplait Creamy Mixed Berry yogurt (100 calories) Lunch 1 cup Organic Lentil Soup (no salt added soup by Health Valley, I’ve recommended this soup before because it is nutritious and low sodium but you will want to spice it up a little with possibly some lemon juice or Mrs. Dash seasoning.) - 100 calories, 2.7 mg iron One open-faced sandwich: 1 Slice Flax & Fiber Bread (80 calories, 4 grams fiber) 6 slices Oscar Mayer Shaved Turkey Slices (50 calories) 2 slices Sargento Reduced Fat Provolone Cheese 1/4 cup or so of Sliced Cucumbers with peel water, unsweetened tea or coffee, or diet soda Snack 1/2 cup Mixed Fruit Chunky Lite (Del Monte - 60 calories) 3 Sunflower Seeds Petite cookies (Grace’s Best - 65 calories) Supper 3 oz. Salmon (bake with a little butter) 1/2 tbsp. Butter, standard OR 1 tbsp Land O’Lakes Light Butter with Canola (50 calories) Small Salad with 1 cup mixed salad greens and 1/2 cup or so of chopped fresh tomato 1/2 cup Couscous (88 calories) water, unsweetened tea or coffee, or diet soda (Always remember to drink plenty of water throughout the day.) Total Calories = 1196 Total Fiber = 19.8 Fat = 32% Carbs = 48% Protein = 19% Calcium = 1044 mg (Women between 19 and 50 years need approximately 1,000 mg a day, 51+ need 1,200 mg a day) Iron = 15.4 mg (Women 19 to 50 years need 18 mg of iron, 51+ need 8 mg) 1500 Calorie Diet Menu Modify the 1200 Calorie Diet Menu to fit your needs. The iron count is a little low if you are between the ages of 19 and 50. You could have a second cup of the soup for lunch. That will add 100 calories and 2.7 mg more iron. Or you might choose a different cereal for breakfast that has more iron such as Smart Start by Kellog. Or have a second slice of bread with the sandwich for lunch (80 calories plus 2.7 mg of iron and 4.0 grams of fiber). Choose what you would like for the additional calories. If you are over 50 and needing a little more calcium you may want to add another half cup serving of skim milk. Otherwise choose what you like for the additional 200-300 calories. Need more 1200 or 1500 calorie diet menus for ideas? (Scroll to the bottom of each page for links): 1200 Calorie Diet Plan 1500 Calorie Diet Plan Questions? Be sure to ask. Comments? Feel free to share. Have a great week, watch those calories, and most importantly, stay healthy! calories Health weight loss calories, Health, weight loss1200 calorie diet 1200 calories sample menu diet 1200 meal planEnjoy this post? Click here to treat Lori to a coffee and say Thanks!

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We need fiber in our diet for many reasons. Fiber may help moderate blood glucose levels and lipid levels, assist in keeping the colon healthy, and regulate immune responses. It does this in part by slowing and easing the passage of food through the digestive system. Fiber can also help you with weight loss. Dietary fiber gives you a way to eat a greater volume of food without a lot of calories, when you make the right choices. Eating a larger volume of food can provide you with a sense of fullness and satisfaction. Whole foods high in dietary fiber also provide you with needed vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. So how do you go about finding high fiber foods quickly and easily? 1. Look for whole grains. Check ingredient labels on bread, cereals, and other products. For a product to be a true whole grain food, the whole grain must be listed first. Wheat flour listed first is not a whole grain whereas “whole wheat flour” is. 2. Think brown instead of white. Brown is definitely the way to go if you are also checking the ingredient label. Brown rice is better than white. Whole wheat brown bread is better than white if the bread is actually a whole grain product. Just because a bread is brown does not mean it is necessarily whole grain. Read the label! Also look for whole grain pastas and whole grain crackers. 3. Choose whole foods. A whole piece of fruit provides significantly more fiber than the same fruit consumed as juice. 4. Eat the skin whenever possible. Eating the skin of fruits and vegetables such as apples, pears, peaches, potatoes, and cucumbers increases both the fiber count and nutrients. 5. Pick nutrient and fiber-rich peas and beans for side dishes with your meals. Add peas and beans to soups, salads, stir-fries, and casserole dishes. Edamame beans are a great choice for snacks. 6. Add a small amount of nuts to salads and vegetable dishes. Nuts may be high in calories but they are packed with good-for-you nutrients and fiber. A small handful of nuts may have 200 calories or so but they can fill you up and leave you feeling very satisfied. I eat nuts to keep me satisfied on low calorie diets and because they seem to help lower my cholesterol levels. (Note: Nuts are hard to fit into a 1200 calorie diet. Keep to just a few.) 7. Choose high fiber cereals. Look for breakfast cereals with at least 4 grams of fiber per serving. See if you can find choices that don’t go overboard with sugar (12 grams total sugar or less) 8. Eat berries! Choose raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries for snacks and cereal toppings. Some berries have more than twice the fiber of most other fruits. 9. Pass on the chips. Opt instead for low-fat popcorn, whole grain crackers, or chips made from whole grain pita bread or tortillas. 10. Remember to drink lots of water. Enough water is essential for good health. And it is especially important when you increase your fiber intake. So drink up. Most adults need from six to eight glasses a day. If you’d like to read more about the health benefits of dietary fiber and how it can help you with weight loss you may want to read two articles I posted earlier. Dietary Fiber can it Help You with Weight Loss? and High Fiber Diet for Weight Loss Health weight loss Health, weight lossfiber weight loss diet health nutrition dietary fiberEnjoy this post? Click here to treat Lori to a coffee and say Thanks!

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Today’s 1200 calorie diet sample menu is nutritionally well-balanced with the exception of iron for women between the ages of 19 and 50. Today might be a day for an iron supplement. (If you are getting plenty of iron in your diet most days, an occasional low day won’t hurt.) Have you remembered to assess your calorie needs and checked with your doctor before beginning on a low calorie diet? If not you may want to read my article 1200 Calorie Diet: Getting Started! You will likely find that you need somewhat more than 1200 calories at minimum, which is a good thing. You get to eat more food and it is easier to achieve nutritional balance! A surprise food in this menu, at least for some of you reading this, is the afternoon snack of edamame beans. These are soybeans but not like the typical soy bean crop grown in the United States. Edamame beans are speciality soybeans that are very popular in many Asian countries. They are grown specifically for the ready-to-eat market. These soybeans are harvested when the pods are still green unlike the usual soybeans, which are harvested when they are brown and dry. Edamame beans can be eaten raw, boiled, steamed, or in any number of recipes from soups to stews and casserole dishes. Look for them in the produce section in bigger chain grocery stores sold in the pod or in the frozen foods section both shelled and unshelled. The people of Taiwan, Japan, and China enjoy eating edamame beans as a snack. I did have some trouble assessing the calorie count (check the label if frozen.) The values I’m finding online vary from 20 calories per half cup as listed at the CDC government site to as much as 120 calories per half cup as listed on the package of edamame beans in my freezer). Edamame are a good source of many nutrients including protein, calcium, and iron. I like edamame beans a lot! Enjoy. Sample Menu for 1200 Calories #10 Breakfast 1 Oatmeal Bran Muffin (~180 calories) 1 Tbsp. Peanut Butter 1/2 Grapefruit water, unsweetened tea or coffee Snack 2 pieces of Babybel Light Cheese (50 calories each) Lunch 2 Rye Crispbread Crackers 1 container Lowfat Blueberry Yogurt (Stonyfield Farm Organic 130 calories) 4 oz. V8 100% Vegetable Juice 1 Medium Apple with the skin water, unsweetened tea or coffee, or diet soda Snack 1/2 cup edamame beans (For your safety be sure to buy American beans not Chinese - read the fine print. I like to eat these cold right out of the freezer in warm weather but lightly steamed in cold weather.) Supper 3 oz. Chicken Breast (grilled, baked, or broiled) 1/2 cup Green Peas (boiled and drained) 1/2 cup Long-grain brown rice 8 oz. Skim milk (Always remember to drink plenty of water throughout the day.) Total Calories = 1207 Total Fiber = 22.5 grams Fat = 21% Carbs = 54% Protein = 25% Calcium = 1082 mg (Women between 19 and 50 years need approximately 1,000 mg a day, 51+ need 1,200 mg a day) Iron = 9.5 mg (Women 19 to 50 years need 18 mg of iron, 51+ need 8 mg) 1500 Calorie Diet Menu Modify the 1200 Calorie Diet Menu to fit your needs. As I mentioned earlier, this sample diet comes up short for iron if you are between the ages of 19 and 50. You could choose to add some iron rich foods to your diet with the additional 300 calories. Or go with an iron supplement and add whatever you might like for the additional calories. If you are over 50 and needing a little more calcium you may want to add another half cup serving of skim milk or a small piece of cheese. Otherwise increase the portion sizes or choose what you like for the additional 200-300 calories. Need more 1200 or 1500 calorie diet menus for ideas? (Scroll to the bottom of each page for links) 1200 Calorie Diet Plan 1500 Calorie Diet Plan Questions? Be sure to ask. Comments? Feel free to share. Have a great week, watch those calories, and most importantly, stay healthy! calories Health weight loss calories, Health, weight loss1200 calorie diet 1200 calories sample menu diet 1200 meal planEnjoy this post? Click here to treat Lori to a coffee and say Thanks!

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Brian Wansink, Ph.D. has overseen some of the most fascinating research into the reasons why we overeat of anyone I know. He is the author of “Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think” (2007) and the head of Cornell University’s Food and Brand Lab. His research demonstrates how our eating behavior is strongly influenced by the society we live in and our immediate environment. How would you answer the question “How do you know if you are through eating dinner?” Dr. Wansink’s research revealed a fundamental difference between the responses from 150 Chicagoans as compared with 150 Parisians. The Americans were primarily influenced by external factors whereas the Parisians were influenced by internal factors. I suspect the Chicagoans in the study may very well be typical of many if not most Americans. I encourage you to watch the YouTube video I’ve posted of an interview with Dr. Wansink to see what people shared. You may be surprised at the responses that were given. We have little control over the dominant food culture. In the United States, that means having food within plain sight and easy reach too much of the time. In addition, all too often the food is a poor choice. We are also bombarded with highly effective advertising messages and other forms of food marketing. In restaurants the portions are often too big, far more food than one person needs to eat. Dr. Wansink’s perspective is that our best chance for eating less food and in turn, managing weight, is to gain some control over the things we can in our immediate environment. For example, we have a choice as to the amount and kind of food we bring into our homes and where we choose to eat out when we go to a restaurant. Changing the society we live in and the cultural norms would be a much more difficult battle. He’s not so sure that’s something that needs changing. I disagree. Bringing about change in the dominant culture is difficult. However, I believe it is what we need. And I believe it is beginning to change for the better as awareness increases about the nature of the problem we are facing. It may take many years but it will happen. In the meantime, keep in mind some of the observations Dr. Wansink shares from his research: 1. We eat more when we eat family style meals with the serving bowl on the table. 2. We eat more if we eat directly from a bag or carton. 3. We eat more from a bigger plate than a smaller plate. 4. We eat more when we are in front of the television, in the car, or with friends. Of all the societal and environmental influences on our food habits, he claims that visibility and convenience have the greatest influence. All too often if food is available for eating and within sight, we eat. In this next video you get a glimpse into the ways in which small changes, which affect visibility and convenience, can have an enormous impact on our eating behavior. Candy Dish Placement and Weight Gain Fascinating! In my last post I wrote about the importance of record keeping for weight loss. If you are keeping a food diary, make notes about your eating habits. Keep in mind what Dr. Wansink has shared. Watch for the moments when you may convince yourself that eating a little more won’t hurt. Keep track of when you eat just because you can and not because of hunger. Now get creative about what you might do to protect yourself from the “See it, eat it” tendency. Have a great week, watch those calories, and stay healthy! calories, Healthovereating mindless eating food culture food habits awareness food diary food records Enjoy this post? Click here to treat Lori to a coffee and say Thanks!

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