A Simple 1200 Calorie Diet 

a 1200 calorie diet seems so hard to do when you want to lose weight, not unless you will do it 7 days a week. If you want to create a calorie deficit to lose weight, then sample diet should be a good guideline for most days of the week.

By most days of the week I mean you will not do a low calorie diet like the 1200 calorie diet for more than 3 days in a row. If you are thinking to eat 5-6 small meals for 1200 calories, then you might suffer an Obsessive Compulsive Eating Disorder.

Forget all the diet "dogma" the fad fitness industry is telling you about maintaining metabolism or losing weight with 5-6 small meals a day. 

The Typical 5-6 Meals/Day Diet

Here's what my 1200 calorie diet looked like before:

*All exchanges are from a list. 

The Challenges

There is nothing wrong with eating 6 small meals a day; in fact I lost 20 pounds with this way of eating. The challenge is the measurements of how to eat such meals at a timely manner and getting it at the right amounts and not to mention difficulty being picky with groceries!

At first it was challenging and motivating but as time passed I gave up. For reasons like:

• if I were to do this everyday, how about the weekends?
• where is the "occasional" beer there?
• wouldn't it make me weird around gatherings and social events? 

Finally I decided to get out of this and learned you can:

Skip Meals

This is contrary with most of the fitness advice of 5-6 small meals a day to maintain the "fat burning metabolism". well, if your body can burn only 1800 calories per day (based on your basal metabolic rate) then if you want to lose weight just go lower on most days of the week to create a deficit.

My Typical "Normal" Diet

My 1200 calorie diet most weekdays is composed of 1-3 meals a day. the more meals, the smaller the portions are. Usually i'm a "big" eater so 1-2 meals is fine. Below is a rough guideline to how much calories I need to consume per day or per week. 1200 calories per day is what I aim for if there is not much happening socially so that leaves some "room" for when the weekend comes.

Breakfast - black coffee

Lunch - a small cup and a half of rice (195 grams) and a small bowl of viand (mostly a blend of meat with vegetables)

Estimated Calories = 400-500 calories

Snack - a protein shake  (optional)

Estimated calories = 120-200 calories (or more if with milk)

Dinner - smaller meal than the lunch with the rice, but a different viand 

Estimated Calories = 400-500 calories

*I can skip breakfast and lunch if I am fasting but I do that once or twice a week.

Most days of the week I aim eat this way so I can enjoy 3 "normal" meals or eat out during the weekends.

Weekly Calorie Budget

My Suggested calorie intake/week = 12000 calories

*source : Adonis Index Systems 

This 1200 calorie diet is what I use along with the suggested calorie intake per week. Here is how I typically budget my calories throughout the week.

Monday - Fasting (800-1000 calorie diet after fast)

Tuesday - 1200 calorie diet

Wednesday - 1200 calorie diet

Thursday- Fasting (800-1000 calorie diet after fast)

Friday - 1200 calorie diet

Saturday - ???? diet

Sunday - ???? diet

During Saturday and Sundays I tend to "guess" how much calories I take in. It differs because sometimes I eat out or eat with friends and family. The proper guideline is to know when a meal feels "enough" already. 

A good indication that I overate is when after an hour of eating I feel heavy and sleepy. Usually I do not eat anymore (if possible) until the next day.

This is a good guideline for eating if you want to lose weight. You must be careful though, as doing very low calories 3 times in a row can make you go insane. After reaching your goal weight, you can use your basal metabolic rate as a basis for your maintenance calories.

You can use the Adonis Index Systems as well to determine your suggested calorie intake per week as well as your maintenance calories. Click here for more information.

*For Women Check out the Venus Index Systems Video Presentation

Return from 1200 Calorie Diet to Weight Loss Diets

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