When it comes to dieting, there are various types of diet to choose from. However, with the advancement in nutrition, one particular diet has risen to the forefront—the 1200 calorie low carb diet.
According to recent findings, a low-carb diet is more effective than the conventional diet when it comes to weight loss.
This is because refined carbs such as white bread and cookies hit the bloodstream very fast. As such, cutting them from your diet takes a huge chunk of calories out of the picture.
WHAT EXACTLY IS A LOW-CARB DIET?
There have to be less than 40% carbs consumed for any diet to be considered’ low-carb’. It would be best if you never went below this. A general rule of thumb propagated by nutritionists.
They recommend that about 65% of your calories should come from carbohydrates. Another important aspect of the 1200 calorie low carb diet is attaining balance.
Even when you cut down heavily on carbs, the carbs you actually consume should come from various foods.
For instance, you should consume a little from whole grains, legumes, fruits, and veggies. This provides a wide array of nutrients, including fibres that help out with low carb constipation.
When following a 1200 low carb diet, the plan revolves around specific nutrients. That means ensuring that 20 to 35% of your calories are obtained from protein, and 20 to 35% come from fat.
This is so to give you the best chance of retaining lean muscle as you lose fat. Averting the risk of shedding muscle due to weight loss.
This is considering since low carb diets restrict carbs, they thus inhibit regular production of insulin.
Insulin is responsible for shuttling nutrients into cells; this is what creates the conditions for muscle growth.
Lack of these conditions leads to loss of muscles and hindered muscle growth.
CREATING YOUR OWN MEAL PLAN
A meal plan acts like the map that sets the course for your weight loss journey. It provides with your options hereby helping you know what you need to go shopping for.
Also, for accuracy purposes, you can use a recipe calculator. This will prove to be very helpful as you go shopping considering which foods are lower in calories, sugar and fat.
A 1200 Calorie Low Carb Diet is all about balancing nutrients and calories. Each meal should have roughly the same number of calories. For instance:
DAY 1
BREAKFAST: 1 ORANGE + 1/8 CUP NUTS
162 calories
Ingredients
1 Orange medium
1/8 cup nuts
LUNCH: SWEETGREEN FISH TACO SALAD
418 calories
Ingredients
4-ounce salmon fillet
½ cup cabbage, shredded
1 tbsp cilantro
½ -ounce tortilla chips
¼ cup quinoa, cooked
2 cups, leafy greens, kales raw
1 tbsp hot sauce
A Tbsp vinaigrette dressing, more than 50 calories per 2 Tbsp
1 slice lime
Directions
Cook quinoa as instructed on package.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (if you have it, if not – go without!) & spray it with an oil spray. Bake salmon for 15 minutes or until flakes easily.
Crumble tortilla chips.
Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
Top with dressing, hot sauce & lime juice.
In case you can’t get your hands-on salmon, chicken or tofu for vegans will suffice.
SNACK: PLAIN YOGURT WITH ¼ CUP NUTS
310 calories
Ingredients:
1 yoghurt, plain (you can swap out for flavoured if you prefer)
¼ cup nuts
DINNER: BROCCOLI CHEESE SPAGHETTI SQUASH
313 calories
Ingredients:
1/2 squash, spaghetti
1 cup broccoli
1/3 cup cheese, shredded, mozzarella
2 Tbsp cheese, Parmesan, grated
Dash: garlic salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Scoop out seeds of spaghetti squash.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper, spray it with an oil spray.
Bake spaghetti squash, cut side faced down on the baking sheet, for 35 minutes.
Shred spaghetti squash when it has cooled down for a few minutes.
While spaghetti squash is baking, spray a pan with an oil spray.
Stir fry broccoli for 5-6 minutes.
Once spaghetti squash is shredded, mix with cheese and broccoli.
If it needs heating, microwave or stirs fry with an oil spray briefly.
Top with garlic salt.
DAY 2
192 calories
BREAKFAST: YOGURT PLUS ¾ CUP BLUEBERRIES
Ingredients:
1 container of low-fat yoghurt
3/4 cup blueberries
1 tbsp chopped unsalted almonds
1 cup coffee with 1 tablespoon half and half
LUNCH: TURKEY SANDWICH
270 calories
Ingredients:
4 thin slices of roast turkey
1 slice whole-grain bread
lettuce, tomato, 1/4 avocado chopped, a dollop of mustard
15 baby carrots with 1 tablespoon hummus
SNACK: STRAWBERRIES PLUS NUT BUTTER
138 Calories
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup strawberries
1 tablespoon nut butter
DINNER: GRILLED SHRIMP QUINOA BOWL
308 calories
Ingredients:
4 ounces grilled shrimp
1/2 cup cooked quinoa in water or low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped peppers
1/4 cup shredded low-fat cheese
1 tablespoon salsa
DAY 3
BREAKFAST: GREEK MUFFIN-TIN OMELETS WITH FETA & PEPPERS
288 calories
Ingredients:
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¾ cup diced onion
¼ teaspoon salt, divided
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano
8 large eggs
¾ cup crumbled feta cheese
½ cup low-fat milk
½ teaspoon ground pepper
2 cups chopped fresh spinach
¼ cup sliced olives
1 medium orange
SNACK
131 calories
1 large pear
LUNCH: CAULIFLOWER TACO BOWLS
344 calories
Ingredients:
1 large bell pepper, sliced
DINNER: 1 SERVING HOMEMADE CHICKEN TENDERS0 WITH EVERYTHING BAGEL OVER SALAD
394 calories
DAY 4
131 calories
BREAKFAST: SWEET POTATO STRAWBERRY TOAST
LUNCH
309 calories
Ingredients:
5 chopped veggies and greens egg salad
top on 1 whole-grain brown rice cake
1 cup blackberries
8 to 12 ounces water or seltzer
DINNER
231 calories
Ingredients:
5 ounces baked fish with lemon, garlic powder, salt, pepper, 1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small baked sweet potato topped with cinnamon and 1 teaspoon butter
1.5 cups steamed spinach
8 to 12 ounces water or seltzer
DAY 5
BREAKFAST: 1 SERVING BLUEBERRY ALMOND CHIA PUDDING
229 calories
SNACK: 1 CLEMENTINE
35 calories
LUNCH: CAULIFLOWER TACO BOWLS
344 calories
DINNER: 1 SERVING MAPLE-MUSTARD PORK CHOPS & CARROTS
376 calories
DAY 6
BREAKFAST: SCRAMBLED EGGS PLUS ½ AVOCADO
350 calories
Directions
SCRAMBLED EGGS + 1/2 AVOCADO
Simply scramble the eggs following the guide on the recipe attached, cool the eggs uncovered, and add 1/2 an avocado. The combination of the fat from the eggs plus the avocado make this recipe keto.
LUNCH: CHICKEN SALAD
330 calories
DINNER: BAKED SALMON CAKES
340 calories
DAY 7
BREAKFAST: SHEET EGG AND SAUSAGE PAN
340 calories
LUNCH: CHICKEN PARMESAN
590 calories
DINNER: BUNLESS BURGERS
390 calories
IS IT BETTER TO COUNT CALORIES OR CARBS FOR WEIGHT LOSS?
This depends on the method you’ve chosen to use as a weight-loss measure. However, when it all comes down to the wire, there are specific ways of counting both.
For weight loss, we measure calories in terms of calories burn vis a vis calorie consumed. When it comes to carbs, we look at the net carbs. This is obtained by subtracting fibre from total carbs per serving.
CONCLUSION
A 1200 calorie low carb diet is very effective. However, dedicating yourself to getting through a 1200 calorie low carb diet requires discipline. Failure to adhere to the set guidelines can have adverse effects.
This is because the 1200 calorie low carb diet is very delicate and affects a lot of anatomic processes. As such to ensure effectiveness follow your meal plans to the letter.
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