Crafting a Customized Dog Diet Plan for Weight Loss Tips for Success

1200 Calorie Meal Plan for Weight Loss

A 1200 calorie meal plan is a great way to lose as much weight as possible, quickly. But 1200 calories a day can also be a baseline on which to build upon.

Even the National Institutes of Health advocates a 1200 calorie diet plan as part of a healthy reduced-calorie meal plan. (1)

No matter what your average calories per day should be, 1200, 1350, 1500, this simple 1200 calorie meal plan can help you plan better, and have a more successful week!

So here it is: The Lose Weight by Eating 1200 Calorie Meal Plan. This is a do-it-yourself plan meaning you pick recipes and fill out the weight loss meal plan yourself. If youre looking for a pre-prepared printable 1200 calorie diet plan, make sure to see below as I have supplied several to make your life easier.

With a 1200 calorie meal plan you can limit your calories easily without going under the calories per day recommendation.

You can also use a 1200 calorie weight loss meal plan to act as a baseline for a 1500 calorie diet or any average calories per day.

1200 Calorie Meal Plan for Weight Loss

You can make a weight loss meal plan simple by starting with a baseline and that is why this article focuses on a 1200 calorie diet plan.

For instance, if you are trying to follow a 1500 calorie diet plan, then start at 1200 calories a day and add in 2 snacks viola, you now have a 1500 calorie meal plan.

More on how to add calories per day, how to find out your calories per day to lose weight, and more below.

In this Low Calorie Meal Plan article you will find:

1. How to do a 1200 Calorie Meal Plan Diet
2. How many Calories Per Day to Lose Weight
3. Calories Per Day Calculator
4. The 1200 Calorie Meal Plan
5. 1200 Calorie Diet Basics
6. 1200 Calorie Diet Meal Plan Options
7. 3 Sample 1200 Calorie Meal Plan Menu
8. 1500 Calorie Diet and adding more calories as needed
9. Weight loss Meal Plan Video
10. Final Thoughts on the 1200 Calorie Diet Plan

Below you will find everything you need to set up a low calorie meal plan!

Find options to try a 1200 calorie diet plan, a 1500 calorie meal plan, and a 30 day meal plan for weight loss PDF.

How To Do A 1200 Calorie Meal Plan Diet

Starting a Low calorie meal plan is simple and easy follow my steps in this section and before you know it you will be all set up with your meal plan to lose weight.

1. Find out your calories per day recommendation In the next section we will discuss how many calories per day you should have with the help of our extra simple Calories Per Day Calculator.

A low calorie meal plan can be created for any calories per day recommendation (including 1200, 1300 or 1500 calories a day). So this is where we will start find out how many calories per day to lose weight.

2. Get your calories per meal calculation Once you know how many calories per day you should have, you can figure out how many calories per meal you will need.

3. Click on the printable meal planner in the link below Once you click on the low calorie meal planner below, you can start filling it out. You can easily print it, or screenshot/PDF save the low calorie meal plan for quick referencing.

4. Pick out your low calorie meals All of the recipes in my 4 cookbooks will fall inline with your calories per day recommendation. So will all the low calorie meal options below.

Add these meals to the meal planner, I like to alternate two breakfast recipes every other day to save money and time. I also do this with lunches, and snacks.

• Pick 2 breakfasts
• Next Pick 2 lunches
• Pick 7 dinners (or leave one night blank to go out)
• Finally Pick 2-4 snacks

5. Print out your low calorie meal plan Place it on your fridge for easy access, or if you dont have a printer make a screenshot, or save as a PDF.

Here is an example of a Low Calorie Diet Meal Plan:

I created this meal plan for one of my weight loss coaching clients, I like to add page numbers so for easy referencing.

On this particular weight loss meal plan, my weight loss client wanted to try out a modified Detox Week, we used lots of yummy recipes from the Detox Week Cookbook, and as you can see, made it easy by alternating meals and snacks.

Try a 1200 calorie diet for a few weeks (or months) or add in a 100 or more calories per day to lose weight.

Below you will find a calculator for calories per day its so easy you can do the math in your head!

How Many Calories Per Day to Lose Weight

Everyone is a little bit different when it comes to an average calories per day recommendation. Some people will need 1200 calories, others need 1500 calories a day.

In this section we will talk about how to find out how many calories per day to lose weight, maintain weight, and how to find out your personal calories per day to lose weight.

Below in the 1500 Calorie Diet and adding more calories section we will talk about adding calories mid-week or mid diet as needed

Calculator for calories per day:

There are plenty of fancy calculators to find the calories per day to lose weight But this one is so simple I suppose I need to correct it to Calculator for calories per day, because you can do the math in your head!

1. Step #1 what is your goal weight?

2. Step #2 add a zero to the end of your goal weight.

3. Step #3 that is your calories per day to lose weight

So if your goal weight is 120 LBS, your daily calorie goal is 1200.

And if your goal weight is 150 LBS, a 1500 calorie diet is right for you.

Again: Goal weight: 120 pounds add a zero to the end, calorie goal is 1200

How many calories per meal?

Now that you know how many calories per day to lose weight, its time to do a bit of division so you know how many calories per meal, and per snack.

Before we dive into math, follow these easy steps for better success in following your weight loss meal plan:

1. What can you not live without? For me thats coffee, two cups per morning, with cream and sugar. I KNOW I cannot succeed in a weight loss meal plan without adding these calories at the beginning, then working around them.

For instance, if you simply MUST have 2 cups of air popped popcorn each night, or cant live without a glass of wine after work, write those down!

I add the coffee to my breakfast calories per day, you can add the popcorn or the wine as snacks, or add on one of the meals.

2. Subtract your snacks Say you are working on a 1200 calorie diet plan for weight loss, and you simply must have a glass of red wine every night. Take 120 calories out of your 1200 calories a day goal, now leaving you with an easily divisible number.

So set two snacks, or one snack and a glass of wine, or one snack and a healthy dessert. Subtract the total of the snacks from your calories per day recommendation.

I recommend adding 2 snacks a day (100-150 calories each) to your low calorie diet plan. You dont have to eat them both, but you will be less likely to fall off plan if you have them available to you.

3. Divide the remaining calories by 3 Now that youve subtracted snacks you can take the total calories per day recommendation, and divide it by 3.

For instance, say you are working on 1200 calorie meal plans, your snacks total 200 calories you then have 1000 calories for meals.

Here are two options to find your calories per meal:

• Take the total and divide by 3: (For Instance) 1000 3 = 333 calories per meal
• Start with your largest meal and work backwards: (For instance) Dinner is 400 calories, so with 600 calories left, breakfast and lunch will be 300 calories.

Finding out your average calories per day recommendation is simple take your goal weight and add a zero to the end of it. So if your goal weight is 135 pounds, your calories per day goal is 1350.

Now that you have your calories per day, your ready for the simple 1200 calorie meal plan PDF

The 1200 Calorie Meal Plan

I want to empower you to make your own 1200 calorie diet menu. So I will give you EVERYTHING for FREE! Here is a 1200 calorie diet menu plan in PDF format for you to print out. Then click on the links below it to choose your own 1200 calorie meal plan meals.

The great thing about this printable 1200 calorie diet plan, is that you can fill in on your computer. Or print blank and hand write in!

This free 1200 calorie meal plan PDF is meant to make your life easier, you can click the photo for the meal planner above, or the link below:

Click Here To Download The 1200 Calorie Diet Meal Plan Worksheet

This weight loss meal plan free access to all, and easy to access here on the Lose Weight By Eating website.

For more 7 day weight loss meal plan forms filled out already, scroll below! There youll find one for each of my best selling cookbooks, as well as a weight loss meal plan easy 7 days of recipes from this website.

1200 Calorie Diet Basics

Were working with a number here, which can be divided between 3 meals, or 3 meals and 2 snacks, or 3 meals and 1 snack sounds overwhelming, right? Heres what I recommend:

First off lets look at food for our bodies like fuel for a car. You wouldnt drive your car around all day on empty, then fill it up before you pack it away for the evening. Heck, your car would break down and refuse to do what youre asking it to do (like drive, or in the case of weight loss, shed excess fat).

We have to stop eating all of our calories at dinner, and either spread them out more with calorie-heavy breakfasts and lunches and low-calorie dinners. Or through Intermittent Fasting.

Here is a healthy way to divide your 1200 calorie diet meal plan so that you boost metabolism and reduce fat:

• 8:00 am Breakfast: 400 calories
• 12:00 pm Lunch: 350 calories
• 7:00 pm Dinner: 300 calories
• Snacks: 150 calories

If this seems too difficult, try a16:8 Intermittent Fast, you dont eat fewer calories just less time per day.

1200 calorie diets are just as easy as meal planning and calorie dividing. If even that seams too much, tryIntermittent Fasting. The easiest way to stick to a 1200 calorie meal plan!

1200 Calorie Diet Meal Options

Choose 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 5 dinners (click on the links). Alternate the breakfasts and lunches every other day and use leftovers for the last two dinners.

• Snacks should be fruit and veggies, no pre-packaged junk, just what comes from nature.

Here are some Healthy Breakfasts to add to your low calorie meal plan:

Below, in the Sample 1200 Calorie Mean Plan Menu section there will be more information and a printable 1200 calorie diet plan using all the following recipes.

10 Breakfast Smoothies for Weight LossBanana and Almond Butter Oatmeal

Here are some Healthy Lunches to add to your low calorie meal plan:

In the Sample 1200 Calorie Mean Plan Menu section below youll find a printable 1200 calorie diet plan using all the following recipes.

Here are some Healthy Dinners to add to your low calorie meal plan:

Further in this article under Sample 1200 Calorie Mean Plan Menu section Ill share a printable 1200 calorie diet plan using all the following recipes.

Garlic Chicken- Whole Roasted ChickenSteak, Avocado, and Cheddar PaniniOverloaded Baked Potatoes

See the section above to learn how to divide your 1200 calorie diet into 3 meals and snacks. This section will give you some free recipes for your 1200 calorie meal plan.

In the Sample 1200 Calorie Mean Plan Menu section below, theres a printable 1200 calorie diet plan using all the following recipes.

Sample1200 Calorie Meal Plan Menu

In this section I will supply you with three 1200 calorie PDF documents. The printable 1200 calorie diet plans will have recipes from the Lose Weight By Eating website And the first two Lose Weight By Eating cookbooks.

Three 1200 Calorie Meal Plans:

• Lose Weight By Eating Website 1200 Calorie Meal Plan PDF
• Lose Weight By Eating Cookbook 1200 Calorie Meal Plan PDF
• Detox Week Cookbook 1200 Calorie Meal Plan PDF

Lose Weight By Eating Website 1200 Calorie Meal Plan PDF

In this section I will supply you with a printable 1200 calorie diet plan, using the recipes I shared above.

The great thing is that all the recipes above will bring you to more healthy meal options. This will help you stay within 1200 calories a day!

Click the photo to view the simple 1200 calorie meal plan PDF:

As you can see in the above low calorie meal plan, I have utilized leftover chicken and steak in more meals.

In the case of the lunches where there are two different calorie counts. The lower calorie count is without chicken and the higher count is with 1/4 cup cooked shredded chicken.

Lose Weight By Eating Cookbook 1200 Calorie Meal Plan PDF

In this 1200 calorie diet meal plan I will use recipes from my best selling cookbook Lose Weight By Eating.

This low calorie diet plan for weight loss is full of comfort food made healthy. Just as the entire Lose Weight By Eating cookbook is all about making the comfort food you crave in healthy new ways so you actually lose weight!

Click the photo to view the simple 1200 calorie meal plan PDF:

Some people need a lot of bread carbs to stick with a low calorie diet plan But for those of you looking for more salads and smoothies, the next 1200 calorie meal plan is for you!

Detox Week Cookbook 1200 Calorie Meal Plan PDF

My best selling cookbook Lose Weight By Eating Detox Week is full of veggie forward recipes making it great for 1200 calorie meal plans!

This weight loss meal plan 7 days is great if youre looking to reset your cravings and start eating healthy foods daily going forward.

Click the photo to view the simple 1200 calorie meal plan PDF:

1500 Calorie Diet and Adding More Calories as needed

Not everyone will be satisfied with 1200 calories a day and so I wanted to chat quickly about what to do when you needs to add more calories.

For instance, if you did the calculator for calories per day above, and you need 1500 calories a day, or perhaps 1350, this section will help you add calories.

1500 calorie meal planning can be simple and easy! All you need to do is add snacks to the 1200 calorie meal plan above!

Simply add 1-3 snacks to the day, each is around 100-150 calories and will get you to the 1300, 1400, 1500 calories a day you are looking for.

Weight Loss Tip: Try Fruit Infused Water if youre still hungry!

Often people have a hard time on their first week of a 1200 calorie diet plan, that is when I recommend water or better yet, Fruit Infused Water!

One thing my site is pretty famous for is my fruit infused water recipes. Drinking infused water-a fantastic way to improve your weight loss by helping you drink more water without artificial sweeteners or other nasty chemicals.

I recommend you drink about a gallon a day, or as close as you can. These detox drinks will keep you full among other health benefits, including making your skin more beautiful and increasing your metabolism. (2)

Meal Plan Printable Guide

Low Calorie Diet Plan (1200 Calorie Meal Planner)

Lose Weight By EatingIt is easy to create a 1200 calorie (or 1500 calorie) meal plan, when you have all the tools!Below, we have shared 10 breakfasts, 10 lunches, 10 dinners, and 10 snacks (40 total low calorie recipes) PLUS a printable 1200 calorie meal plan pdf and directions on how to fill out a meal planner.All of the recipes, and this guide are all printable!! So pick your recipes, print your meal plan PDF and this guide to help make meal planning easy and fun.

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course meal planning, meal prep

Cuisine American

Servings 1 week

Calories 1172 kcal

10 Low Calorie Breakfasts to Choose From:

10 Low Calorie Lunches to Choose From:

10 Low Calorie Dinners to Choose From:

10 Low Calorie Snacks to Choose From:

Calories: 1172kcal

Keyword meal planning, meal prep

Weight Loss Meal Plan Video

If you still need help setting up your 1200 calorie meal plans, follow along as I fill one out in the video below:

Final thoughts on the 1200 Calorie DietPlan

Although this 1200 calorie diet plan is healthy and highly recommended for most people, there are some restrictions if you are nursing or have other dietary restrictions, you should consult a doctor before starting this restricted-calorie diet.

For some folks cutting calories this low will be too big of a step to take so it is recommended to start with a 1500 calorie a day diet and work your way down to a 1200 calorie diet. The National Institute of Health provides some great tools for calculating your Body Mass Index or BMI, as well as additional 1200 calorie diet menu plans. (3)

Dont forget to check out my best selling Lose Weight by Eating Cookbook youll love it and lose weight by eating amazing food!

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