1200 calorie diet
How useful is calorie counting to lose weight?
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Meals should be carefully planned on the 1200 calorie diet. We reveal great recipe ideas and whether you can actually lose weight with them in the long term.
What is the 1200 calorie diet?
The 1200 calorie diet limits your daily calorie intake to around 1200 in order to lose weight. Unlike many other diets, the concept recommends three balanced meals a day, which is intended to prevent cravings. It is important that healthy foods are on the nutrition plan. The diet is intended to make it easier to get started with a long-term change in diet – the significantly reduced amount of calories means that you are practically forced to eat more healthily, even if theoretically no food is forbidden.
Calorie reduction for weight loss
The 1200 calorie diet can be done for a few days and is designed to ensure that we shed a few pounds to start a diet change, which will boost motivation. It is important that after the diet you do not eat like you did before – otherwise there is a risk of the yo-yo effect. Instead, it makes sense to gradually increase the calorie intake slightly after the 1200 calorie diet – for example, by treating yourself to a small snack every day. So the body slowly gets used to it and does not react immediately with one kilo after the other. In order to find the right amount, it makes sense to check your weight regularly.
Finally lose weight: What can I eat on the 1200 calorie diet?
In general, any food is allowed in the nutrition plan of this diet, but in order not to exceed the calorie limit, healthy recipes are of course the better choice. The following applies: The fewer calories a food has, the larger the portion can be. It makes sense to have a daily mix of healthy carbohydrates (e.g. whole grain pasta and bread or quinoa), lots of fruit and vegetables, proteins (e.g. eggs, fish, lean meat and dairy products) and healthy fats (e.g .olive oil and nuts).
Alcohol, ready meals and sweets should be completely avoided during the diet. After that, small amounts are allowed again. However, the exception should not become the rule, otherwise the new desired weight can hardly be maintained, because kilo by kilo will come back. And then all that weight loss was for nothing.
Tips: Healthy recipes for the 1200 calorie diet
Are you now interested in starting a healthier diet with the 1200 calorie diet and want to lose a few kilos? Then we give you a few ideas for delicious and healthy recipes! Here is an example of three meals in one day that fit the concept and together have just over 1200 calories:
In the morning
A combination of oatmeal, an almond drink, raspberries and pears provides a sweet kick in the morning. Delicious and quick to make: In ten minutes you have a healthy breakfast for almost 370 calories per serving!
noon
As from the Asian snack bar, only better: Our fried noodles with pork and spinach marinated in teriyaki provide you with all the nutrients you need at lunchtime and just taste great. Also wow: only around 440 calories are required for one portion.
in the evening
Fish is full of protein and should be on the menu at least twice a week. And it always works – as our salmon medallion made from organic salmon fillet proves! Add a healthy side combination of Brussels sprouts, leeks and peas and we have a perfect dinner with only 445 calories per serving.
Even more combination ideas and recipe suggestions can be found in our Diet Plan and Low Calorie Eating articles.
Don’t forget to drink
The following applies to both men and women: We should drink at least two liters of water a day, more if we like. However, unsweetened tea is also allowed. In general, drinks are not included in our plans above. It is best to avoid soft drinks altogether, as these are full of sugar and can torpedo the loss of weight. If you really want to drink a juice, you should prepare a fruit spritzer with water.
Lose weight thanks to the right diet – and exercise!
Losing weight without exercise is possible, but difficult. In order to boost metabolism and build muscle, which we in turn need to burn more fat, exercise is actually essential. A combination of strength and endurance training at least three days a week is best. A minimum of 30 minutes should be scheduled for each workout. Endurance can be increased, for example, by running or swimming, our muscles are happy about circuit or classic dumbbell training. Bodyweight exercises are also effective.
1200 calorie diet – our conclusion
You can definitely test the diet as a starting point for a healthier life, because it automatically introduces us to healthy eating. Since it is only carried out for a few days and healthy meals are part of the diet plan, no nutrient deficiency is to be expected. In addition, the limited calorie intake will certainly shed one or two kilos – but a bit of discipline is also essential here. It is also important to only do the diet for a short time and then to gradually increase the amount of calories under control so that the body does not slip into starvation metabolism – in the long run, 1200 calories per day is simply not enough for most people.
Would you like more help with losing weight? Here we reveal our best weight loss tips, how to create a nutrition plan and how to lose weight without starving yourself. We also explain how the buttermilk diet works.