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When I originally committed to a 1200 calorie diet a couple of years ago, I lost 25 pounds. I’m 5’1″ and based on my weight I need about 1,450 calories to maintain my weight. Now typically people who count calories choose to cut 500 calories/day so that they are at a 3500 shortage each week, which is roughly 1 pound lost per week. However, it’s rarely recommended for anyone to eat less than 1,200 calories a day so for people like myself who need less than 1700 calories to maintain, our weight loss is usually a bit slower because we have less room to work with. Starting with a weight loss calculator can help you determine what is right for you.

In part because it is tricky to stay within 1200 calories I’ve re-gained some of the weight that I’ve lost here and there. A couple months back I had re-gained about 10 of the 25 pounds that I had lost. I’ve been back to being really strict with my meal plan and I”ve lost 6 pounds, leaving about 4 more to go before I’m back down to my goal weight.

While it stinks to have to loser slower due to having a lower calorie level, it’s really nice how visible small amounts of weight loss can be on a short person! My poor boyfriend had lost over 30 pounds before he was first complimented on his weight loss! I had only lost about 8 when it happened for me.

I’ve learned a few trips and tricks along the way that I thought I would share. How to make sticking to a 1200 calorie plan easier.

1. Check calories on everything and swap to low-calorie options when possible. Bread, tortillas, butter alternatives, pasta sauces, yogurt, cheese, etc all can vary quite a bit in calories from one brand to the next. I can easily save 50 calories per container by choosing a low calorie yogurt, and 25 calories per tablespoon by choosing a light butter-spread. While that doesn’t seem like a lot, if you can save 50 calories per meal each day, that will leave you 150 more calories which is enough for an extra snack!
2. Try eating just 3 meals, or adding snacks. I’ve went back and forth on this. I am a habitual snacker so early on, the idea of only eating 3x a day scared me. So originally I ate 3 300-calorie meals, and then two 150 calorie snacks each day. I was able to eat more frequently (About every 3 hours while awake) but I was always thinking about food. Eventually I started giving up snacks and just eating three 400 calorie meals and waiting about six hours in between and I was really surprised at how I stayed more satisfied throughout the day. Everyone is different, but trying both to see what works best for you makes sense.
3. Count all of your calories. I think this is smart for anyone, but I’ve seen people who are on 2000 calorie diets say ‘oh it’s just lettuce (or an apple, etc) that doesn’t count’. Of course, if it has calories it does count, but when you are on a 1200 calorie diet an apple (roughly 100 calories) truly is not insignificant. Where lettuce or celery (30 calories, maybe) is somewhat insignificant for someone on a 2000 calorie diet. Most people don’t find staying at 1200 easy so if you don’t write everything down you will probably go over, even on low calorie fruits or veggies.
4. Focus on protein. In order to avoid being hungry on a 1200 calorie plan, you need to prioritize protein because it keeps you feeling fuller, longer. When I first started a 1200 calorie diet and was doing two snacks a day I noticed a huge difference between having a banana as a snack vs having a yogurt as a snack. Yogurt has a lot more protein (about 6-8x in regular yogurt, more like 12-14x more if you choose greek yogurt!) so yogurt is a much more filling snack than a banana.
5. Pile on low calorie veggies. When I make tacos or fajitas, I had in a lot of peppers and onions so that they are 50% or more of the taco fillings. This lets me eat two tacos or fajitas for about as many calories as one meat-heavy taco or fajita. I use 3oz of chicken and 1/2 of a bag of salad for a single salad so there is way more lettuce than chicken. The chicken is enough protein to keep me full, but the greens let me make a BIG bowl and adds volume to the meal.

Do you have any tips for sticking to a low calorie diet? Share in the comments below!

Emily

Hi there! I am Emily Evert, the owner of Emily Reviews. I am 28 and live in a small town in Michigan with my boyfriend Ryan and our two pugs. I have a large family and I adore my nieces and nephews. I love reading memoirs, and learning about child development and psychology. I love watching The Game of Thrones, Teen Mom, Sister Wives and Veep. I like listening to Jason Isbell, John Prine, and other alt-country or Americana music. I created Emily Reviews as a creative outlet to share my life and the products that I love with others.

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