Low-calorie Diet 1200 Calories - Menus, Recipes, Reviews And Results

Low-calorie 1200 calorie diet: pros and cons

The 1200 calorie diet is considered one of the most harmless and effective weight loss methods. The menu is designed in such a way that the daily calorie intake is equal to 1200 kcal. A person should not receive more than this figure, otherwise, the process of losing weight will be suspended. Despite such strict requirements, the diet does not provide for strict restrictions. The menu has a balanced composition, and weight is reduced due to the burning of fat reserves. Water is not excreted from the body in excessive volumes, which is also important.

If you follow all the rules of the diet impeccably, then every day you can lose 0.4 -0.6 kg of excess weight. After 7 days, it will be possible to fully assess the result. After 2 weeks from the start of the diet, the plumb line will be equal to 5-7 kg.

The diet is based on the fact that the calorie intake in it is underestimated. To start losing weight, you need to spend more calories than you get. For a woman, the average daily calorie intake is 1500-1800 kcal. The diet provides for a deficit of 300-600 kcal. If you start to play sports in parallel, then the process of losing weight will be accelerated.

Content:

• Principles of the 1200 calorie diet
• Sample portions and meals
• 1200 calorie menu
• Allowed and prohibited foods of the 1200 calorie diet
• Low Calorie Recipes with Calories
• Pros and cons of a 1200 calorie low-calorie diet
• Contraindications
• How many calories can you go on a 1200 calorie diet?
• Reviews and results
• Conclusion

Principles of the 1200 calorie diet

The key principles of the 1200 calorie diet are as follows:

1. The number of meals is equal to five. Three of them are basic and two are snacks.
2. The main meals should have 300 kcal. For snacks - 150 kcal.
3. The total daily volume of water per day is 2 liters. Drinks with gases and sugar should be avoided.
4. The emphasis on the menu should be on fruits and vegetables.
5. The total calorie content of food eaten per day should be 1200 kcal.
6. The ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates should look like this: 15-30-55%.

Sample portions and meals

You don't need a scale or calculator to create portions on a 1200 calorie diet. It is enough just to know how many calories are in a particular dish. This will allow you to combine breakfasts, dinners and lunches without burdening yourself with calculations.

The following portions “pull” 100 kcal:

• A plate of vegetable stew in water, no vegetable oil added.
• Half a bowl of vegetable soup or low-fat cabbage soup.
• Jacket baked potatoes (1 pc), or one boiled potato. You can add chopped greens to it.
• Boiled chicken egg with a spoonful of light mayonnaise.
• A tablespoon of vegetable oil.
• 4 tablespoons of industrial sour cream.
• Cabbage and carrot salad with vinegar and a drop of oil. A portion of salad is equal to 200 grams.
• Chicken broth and half a boiled chicken egg.
• Hercules - 2 tbsp. l.
• A small banana.
• Boiled chicken meat - 50 g.
• Cheesecake with a teaspoon of sour cream.
• A small apple with a teaspoon of honey.
• 1/2 cup grapes
• Almonds - 10 pcs.
• Cream.
• Hard cheese - 50 g.

200 calories are found in the following dishes:

• Eggplant or squash caviar - 200 g.
• Whole grain bread - 3 slices
• Scrambled eggs cooked in a drop of vegetable oil. The dish is based on two eggs.
• Vinaigrette with a little oil. A serving of salad is 150 g.
• Cottage cheese (three tablespoons) with a teaspoon of honey.

• Sausage (1 pc) with two tablespoons of fresh vegetable salad.

300 calories are found in the following dishes:

• Two homemade cabbage rolls.
• Mashed potatoes - standard portion.
• Boiled pasta (5 tablespoons) and a spoonful of grated cheese.
• Two pancakes with cottage cheese or dietary meat.
• Two small cutlets.
• Sausage and vegetable salad (fresh vegetables).

1200 calorie menu

Day	Menu	Total (total kcal)
First day	Oat flakes (25 g) in milk (150 ml). Pear and apple (one fruit each). Yogurt (150 ml). Cocoa without sugar in milk with 0% fat. Bran bread (25 g). Boiled chicken fillet (50 g), green salad (1 leaf). Vegetable soup (250 ml). Boiled potato. Boiled dietary meat (70 g), lettuce. Wheat flour crispbreads (3 pieces).	1204 kcal
Second day	Banana. Toast with a teaspoon of honey. Vegetable soup (250 ml "standard" portion). Cheese - 50 g, lettuce. The cucumber is fresh. Fresh tomato. Cod - 100 g. Apple. Processed cheese (50 g), crackers. Unsweetened cocoa in milk with 0% fat (a glass of drink). Muesli (25 g) with skim milk (150 g). Any fresh berries (100 g). Grain flour crispbread (2 pcs).	1185 kcal
The third day	Wheat loaf and boiled egg. Two bran bread and a spoonful of honey. Two cucumbers in a salad with olive oil dressing (oil should be taken no more than a tablespoon). Vegetable soup (250 ml portion), crackers. tuna - 50 g. Apple and pear (2 pcs). Brynza - 100 g. Salad with two tomatoes, onions, herbs and 10 g of cheese. Unsweetened cocoa in low-fat milk. 100 g of boiled chicken fillet, two lettuce leaves.	1210 kcal
Fourth day	Bran bread (25 g), low fat sausage (50 g), toast. Three crackers. Beans in pods (50 g). Vegetable soup (250 ml). Salad (2 tomatoes + 2 cucumbers + greens). Boiled fish - 80 g. Toast thinly smeared with linden honey. 50 feta cheese and a loaf of grain flour. Low-fat cottage cheese (100 g). Pear and apple (1 pc).	1200 kcal
The fifth day	One tomato, boiled porcini mushrooms (50 g), bran bread (slice). Berries (100 g), large apple. Boiled green beans (0.25 kg), boiled chicken fillet (100 g), bran bread (two slices). Low-fat milk (0.2 ml), a loaf of grain flour. One apple and pear. Salad (tomato + cucumber + celery + greens + sour cream with 0% fat). Vegetable soup (0.25 kg). Kish-mish (0.15 g).	1200 kcal
Sixth day	Grapefruit. Two loaves of grain flour, greased with a teaspoon of honey. Boiled beef (75 g). 0.2 kg of raw cauliflower. 100 ml of kefir with 0% fat. Orange. Low-fat sausage (50 g), small tomato, bread. Steam omelet based on one egg, 30 g feta cheese, 50 g sausage, small tomato. Boiled fish (100 g). Apple juice 0.25 ml. Vegetable soup - 0.25 l portion. Vinaigrette - 100 g.	1195 kcal
Seventh day	Boiled egg, a spoonful of sour cream with 05 fat content, green onions. Banana. Braised fish (150 g), bread and greens. Fresh carrots. Large tomato. Boiled buckwheat (100 g). Low-fat cottage cheese (100 g). Vegetable soup (0.25 ml). Boiled beets. Boiled beef (100 g), lettuce. Freshly pressed carrot and apple juice - 0.25 l. Pear and apple. Boiled egg, black bread (30 g).

Allowed and prohibited foods of the 1200 calorie diet

During the diet, you can include the following foods and dishes in the menu:

• Bread, which is made on the basis of bran, rye flour or whole wheat flour.
• Low-fat calf and rabbit meat, beef, chicken and turkey. It is allowed to cook dishes from lean parts of lamb and pork. The portions should be small.
• You can cook porridge from buckwheat, pearl barley and barley groats.
• Lean fish and seafood are allowed on the menu.
• Do not limit the consumption of low-fat kefir and cottage cheese. Less often you can afford hard cheese.
• Chicken eggs are eaten in the form of an omelet, or boiled.
• The basis of the diet is made up of fresh vegetables and herbs.
• For snacks, it is good to use fresh, unsweetened fruits and berries. Compotes are made from them, fresh juices are prepared. They also eat nuts for this purpose.
• Vegetable oil is used only for dressing salads.
• Tea is best drunk green. Herbal teas, unsweetened coffee, mineral, but still water are allowed.

There are such foods that you need to completely refuse to eat:

• Sugar and its analogues.
• Spicy foods, fried and fatty foods.
• Any fatty meat.
• Fried egg yolk.
• Fatty fish and seafood.
• All canned food.
• Premium pasta and products made from wheat flour.
• Fatty foods and milk-based drinks.
• Cheese that is high in salt and fat.
• Ready-made store sauces.
• Vegetables marinated, salted.
• Any confectionery.
• Alcoholic drinks.
• Industrial-made juices, cocoa, nectars.
• Cooking oil, animal fat.

Products that need to be partially limited in the menu:

• Spicy spices, salt.
• Legumes and potatoes.
• Berries, fruits and dried fruits with a high sugar content (grapes, figs, bananas, raisins, etc.).
• Semolina, rice, oatmeal.
• Sweets containing natural sugars such as honey or jelly.

The number of calories in foods that should be avoided or partially limited:

Product	Number of kilocalories per 100 g
Groats in the form of porridge
Buckwheat	137
Yachka in flakes	354
Millet groats	92
Oatmeal	93
Barley porridge	84
Oatmeal in flakes	358
Rice	79
Pearl barley	102
Oils
Olive oil	898
Butter	747
Sunflower seed oil	899
Milk based products
Curd mass	344
Yogurt with a fat content of 1.5%	65
Dutch cheese	352
Yogurt with a fat content of 3.2%	87
Kefir with a fat content of 2.5%	51
Milk 0% fat	thirty
Fermented baked milk with a fat content of 2.5%	53
Cream 10% fat	121
Cream, 20% fat	209
Sour cream 10% fat	118
Sour cream fat content 20%	208
Curdled milk	57
Russian cheese	366
Fatty cottage cheese	236
Suluguni	293
Low fat cottage cheese	89
Milk with a fat content of 2.5%	53
Meat products
Sheep meat	201
Duck	348
Ram kidney	78
Hen	161
Ram liver	102
Turkey	192
Ram heart	85
Veal	91
Pork kidneys	84
Beef	191
Pork tongue	203
Beef brains	126
Pork heart	87
Beef liver	100
Fatty part of pork	484
horsemeat	149
Pig liver	105
Beef kidney	67
Low fat part of the pig	318
Beef udder	176
Beef heart	89
Rabbit meat	197
Beef tongue	160
Vegetables
Cauliflower	thirty
Sorrel	29
Green peas	75
Swede	38
Zucchini	thirty
Beans	59
Boiled potatoes	80
Spinach	22
Green onions	21
Garlic	103
Leek	38
Horseradish	70
Eggplant	22
Onion	41
Beans	36
Carrot	29
Tomatoes	nineteen
Cucumbers	fifteen
Beet	46
Olives	111
Salad	fifteen
Sweet pepper	25
Turnip	27
Parsley	45
Radish	33
Radish	22
Dried fruits and nuts
Peanut	555
Dried apples	275
Walnuts	662
Prunes	262
Raisins with pits / quiche-mish variety	273/285
Hazelnut	701
Cashew nuts	647
Pistachios	555
Dates	277
Dried apricots	270
Dried apricot	279
Sunflower seeds	582
Almond	643
Fish, caviar, seafood
Sturgeon / chum salmon / pollock caviar	201/250/127
Carp	95
Gobies	147
Squid	77
Pink salmon	151
Flounder	86
Smelt	93
Carp	84
Chum	138
Rudd	106
Sprat	142
Ice fish	76
Shrimp	85
Bream	109
Mackerel	eleven
Salmon	200
Pollock	67
Capelin	159
Navaga	78
Boiled mussels	53
Sea bass / river	123/80
Burbot	85
Octopus	74
Sturgeon	161
Halibut	106
Roach	108
Saury	257
Carp	119
Baltic herring	124
Whitefish	141
Salmon	222
Mackerel	158
Herring	248
Horse mackerel	119
Catfish	141
Zander	81
Sterlet	126
Tuna	95
Cod	76
Sea eel	331
Coal fish	153
Trout	99
Oysters	91
Hake	84
Sole	89
Pike	83
Berries and fruits
Cherry plum	35
Apricots	44
Quince	37
Orange	38
A pineapple	49
Lingonberry	42
Bananas	87
Cherry	46
Grapes	73
Grapefruit	37
Garnet	53
Blueberry	35
Pear	41
Blackberry	31
Melon	34
Strawberry	40
Kiwi	46
Fig	57
Cranberry	27
Dogwood	42
Lemon	thirty
Gooseberry	43
Mandarin	39
Raspberry	43
Cloudberry	33
Mango	69
Peaches	42
Rowan	57
Sea buckthorn	31
Plum	41
Pomelo	29
Currant	39
Persimmon	61
Blueberry	41
Cherries	54
Apples	48
Flour and bakery products
Wheat flour	324
Sliced loaf	261
Drying	335
Rye flour bread	210
Pita	239
Rye flour	321
White bread	246
Wheat rusks	327
Egg
Chicken eggs	153
Omelet	181
Non-alcoholic beverages
Apricot juice	39
Coffee with milk	56
Apple juice	42
Pineapple juice	48
Tea
Orange juice	36
Peach juice	37
Pomegranate juice	58
Lemon juice	18
Bread kvass	26
Alcoholic drinks
Dry wine	66
Semi-dry wine	78
Dessert wine	175

Low Calorie Recipes with Calories

Salad with eggs, tomatoes and broccoli

To prepare the dish, you will need the following products:

• 0.4 kg broccoli.
• Egg - 3 pcs.
• 0.1 kg of tomatoes.
• Garlic - 2 cloves.
• 60 ml of olive oil.
• Balsamic vinegar - 30 ml.
• Lemon juice - 20 ml.
• Dill, basil.
• A mixture of pepper, salt to taste.

The cabbage is boiled for 6 minutes in boiling water, thrown into a colander. Boiled eggs are cut into cubes, garlic slices. Tomatoes are cut into large slices, greens are chopped or torn by hand. All components are mixed with each other, seasoned with lemon juice, olive oil and vinegar, salt and pepper. Calorie content - 75 kcal.

Cabbage salad with apple and vegetables

To prepare the dish, you will need the following products:

• White cabbage - 0.3 kg.
• Apples - 0.3 kg.
• Pickled cucumbers - 0.15 kg.
• Onions - 125 g.
• Carrots - 75 g.
• Celery - 70 g.
• Olive oil - 80 ml.
• Apple cider vinegar - 20 ml.
• Zira, black pepper, salt.

Grate an apple, celery stalk, carrots. Cut cabbage, cucumbers, hands. Fry the cumin in a dry frying pan for 2 minutes, pour olive oil into the grains, salt and pepper, pass through a blender. All components of the salad are mixed, seasoned with vinegar, olive oil and served. Calorie content - 85 kcal.

Rice soup with vegetables and cabbage

To prepare the dish, you will need the following products:

• Vegetable broth - 2.5 liters.
• 0.2 kg of potatoes.
• 0.1 kg of white cabbage, tomatoes, sweet peppers, tons of onions.
• 75 g carrots.
• 50 g tomato paste.
• Rice - 40 g.
• Sunflower oil - 20 ml.
• Sour cream - 40 g.
• Parsley, dill, black pepper, salt.

Chopped carrots, onions and tomatoes are fried in a pan with tomato paste. Spread the frying in the broth, where the diced potatoes should already be boiled. After a few minutes, add chopped cabbage and pepper to the soup, salt and pepper, cook until cooked. Soup with sour cream and herbs is served. Calorie content - 25 kcal.

Soup with Brussels sprouts and cream

To prepare the dish, you will need the following products:

• 0.4 kg of Brussels sprouts.
• 0.2 kg of potatoes.
• 0.15 kg of carrots.
• 0.1 kg of processed cheese.
• 0.15 l of cream.
• 0.7 liters of water.
• Black peppercorns, bay leaves, spices, salt.

Potatoes, diced, carrots, diced, Brussels sprouts are boiled in salted water. Peppers and bay leaves are wrapped in cheesecloth and boiled together with vegetables. The average cooking time is half an hour.

Chilled processed cheese is grated and added to the vegetable broth. Cream is poured there, brought to a boil and the gas is turned off. The gauze bag is removed, the soup is pepper and served. Calorie content - 55 kcal.

Silver carp with lemon and aromatic herbs

To prepare the dish, you will need the following products:

• 0.5 kg of silver carp.
• Lemon - 70 g.
• Lemon juice - 50 ml.
• Soybean oil - 20 ml.
• Rosemary, herbs, spices, salt.

The fish is marinated in lemon juice for half an hour, then salted and pepper. The foil is greased with soy oil, fish is baked in it. The finished dish is decorated with lemon slices, rosemary leaves, parsley. Calorie content - 40 kcal.

Savoy cabbage rolls

To prepare the dish, you will need the following products:

• 0.4 kg savoy cabbage.
• 0.3 kg shrimp.
• 0 kg of onions.
• 0.2 kg of rice.
• 0.1 kg of tomatoes.
• 0.1 kg of sweet pepper.
• 75 g carrots.
• 50 ml of olive oil.
• Ground nutmeg, black pepper, salt and aromatic herbs.

Boil rice, add cabbage leaves in boiling water. Tomatoes, onions, peppers, carrots are fried in a pan. Peel shrimp, combine them with vegetables and herbs, salt and pepper. Spread the finished minced meat in cabbage leaves, wrap them like stuffed cabbage. Water and cabbage rolls are added to the oil that remains after frying vegetables, stew under a closed lid for 15 minutes. The calorie content of the dish is 145 kcal.

Omelet with pepper and greens filling

To prepare the dish, you will need the following products:

• 0.3 kg of sweet pepper.
• 2 eggs.
• Milk - 30 ml.
• Butter - 10 g.
• Basil - 20 g.
• Parsley, salt.

Diced bell peppers are fried in a pan, parsley is added to it. Eggs, milk, salt are mixed in a cup, poured into a pan with pepper. When the omelet thickens, pepper is placed in its center, the eggs are rolled up in an "envelope", and fried until tender. The dish is served with basil. Calorie content - 47 kcal.

Zucchini with meat

To prepare the dish, you will need the following products:

• 0.5 kg of courgettes.
• 0.25 kg of beef.
• 0.2 kg of tomatoes.
• 75 g of onions and the same amount of carrots.
• 30 ml of olive oil.
• Garlic - 3 cloves.
• Cherry boneless.
• Dill, black pepper, spices, salt.

Scroll meat, carrots, garlic and tomatoes in a meat grinder. Add cherries, spices to the minced meat, salt and pepper.

The zucchini is divided into two halves, cored, salted and rubbed with garlic.

The boats are filled with minced meat and baked for 20 minutes at 200 ° C. Fry one tomato, onion and bell pepper in a pan. This frying is spread on zucchini and kept in the oven for another 10 minutes. Calorie content - 70 kcal.

Grilled vegetables and meat

To prepare the dish, you will need the following products:

• 0.3 kg of pork.
• 0.1 kg of cherry tomatoes.
• 50 g zucchini and the same amount of eggplant.
• 30 ml olive oil.
• 30 g dill and parsley.
• 10 ml lemon juice.
• Garlic - 2 cloves.
• Bay leaves, salt and ginger.

Marinade: minced garlic + a little olive + bay leaf + ginger. The meat is kept in this marinade for at least 2 hours, after which it is grilled, turning it all the time.

Zucchini and eggplants are cut into circles, grilled. The remaining olive oil is mixed with chopped herbs and lemon juice. Spread vegetables and grilled meat on a dish, garnish with cherry tomatoes, pour over with sauce. Calorie content - 140 kcal.

Curd

To prepare the dish, you will need the following products:

• Cottage cheese - 0.2 kg.
• Yogurt - 4 tablespoons.
• Honey is a tablespoon.
• Berries and peaches.

Cottage cheese is mixed with yogurt and honey, laid out in tins, decorated with raspberries, peaches and currants. Calorie content - 65 kcal.

Kefir jelly

To prepare the dish, you will need the following products:

• Gelatin - 2 tablespoons.
• Water - 4 tablespoons.
• 0.5 ml of kefir.
• Sugar - 3 tablespoons.
• Sour cream - 2 tablespoons.
• Berries for decoration.

Gelatin is mixed with water, left to swell, then heated in water, but not brought to a boil. Kefir is mixed with sugar and sour cream, a gelatinous mass is introduced into it, and mixed again. Dessert is poured into bowls, cooled. Garnish with berries before serving. Calorie content - 180 kcal.

Pros and cons of a 1200 calorie low-calorie diet

Diet Pros:

• Even with a sedentary lifestyle, the diet will achieve the desired results.
• The diet menu is balanced.
• No harmful products.
• The diet can be rearranged at your own discretion.
• The effect comes quickly.

Cons of the diet:

• It is necessary to count the kilocalories.
• At the very beginning of the diet, a feeling of weakness and drowsiness may arise, since the daily calorie content is sharply reduced.
• If a person is involved in heavy sports or undergoes significant physical activity, this diet is not suitable for him.

Contraindications

Contraindications to diet:

• Diseases of the urinary and hepatobiliary system.
• Diabetes.
• Inflammation of the gallbladder.
• Infectious diseases.
• Age under 16.
• Pathology of the heart and blood vessels.
• Alcohol abuse.
• Bronchial asthma.
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding.
• Oncology.
• Drug addiction.
• Postponed heart attack or stroke.
• Age over 65.

How many calories can you go on a 1200 calorie diet?

The diet should not be kept longer than 3 weeks. Even if a person feels great, it is not recommended to exceed this period. It will be possible to repeat the diet no earlier than after 3 months.

Reviews and results

Evgeny Semenovich, nutritionist:

“The 1200 kcal diet is a healthy weight loss system. It is very simple, because you just need to stop eating fatty foods and reduce portions. The diet, after consulting a doctor, can be practiced even by those patients who have diseases of the intestines, liver and kidneys.

You should not adhere to this diet for longer than a month. After 30 days, e` can be repeated.

Diet will not only allow you to lose weight, but also develop a habit of eating right. When it is over, you will need to play sports and not lean on fatty foods. This will help maintain the achieved result”.

Reviews of those who have lost weight

Irina, 48 years old: “I decided to start eating right when I was 40 years old. I eat mainly vegetables, I gave up oil. Cholesterol level returned to normal, blood pressure stabilized. I do not practice the diet often - once a year. I lose 8 kg in 20 days, that's quite enough for me."

Zhenya, 29 years old: “I am impressed by this diet because it has practically no prohibitions. You can eat everything, but in small portions. The recipes do not require long cooking, all products are available. In 2 weeks it is possible to lose weight by 5-7 kg."

Anna, 29: “I stayed on a 1200 calorie diet for a month. It came easily to me. I made the menu myself, which is very convenient. I lost 8 kg in 30 days - an excellent result."

Albina, 35 years old: “The doctor advised me to diet 1200 calories when my weight exceeded 80 kg. The diet was very easy for me. In a month, I managed to lose 15 kg. Then I switched to my usual diet, but added a little calorie content. I also started to play sports. The result has been lasting for 4 months already."

Conclusion

So, you cannot eat food more than 1200 kcal per day. If you do not follow this recommendation, then you will not be able to lose weight. You should not eat less than the specified rate either, since metabolic processes will slow down, which will negatively affect your well-being.

The author of the article: Kuzmina Vera Valerievna | Endocrinologist, nutritionist

Education: Diploma of the Russian State Medical University named after NI Pirogov with a degree in General Medicine (2004). Residency at Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry, diploma in Endocrinology (2006).