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1200 Calorie Diets for Diabetics

Diabetes is a disease which is characterized by the body's inability to regulate blood sugar levels due to impaired production and responsiveness to the storage hormone insulin, according to information from the medical health website Medline Plus. Living with diabetes means adhering to a strictly regulated diet to keep blood sugar levels within the normal range, and any diabetic eating plan you follow in order to lose weight should follow the same principles.

  1. Diabetic Dieting

    • Follow a carb-regulated (not necessarily low carb) diet to properly manage your insulin levels, thus keeping diabetes under control. According to information from Medline Plus, you should strive to keep your blood sugar normalized by eating frequently throughout the day. Each meal should contain roughly the same number of carbohydrates, with most of your carbs coming from fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Additionally, you should strive to limit intake of fat--especially saturated and trans fats. Foods to avoid while on a diabetic diet (or any diet, for that matter) include sugars, alcohol and carbs other than those found in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains--such as white flour and processed foods.

    1,200 Calorie Menu Plan

    • Consume four small meals consisting of roughly 300 calories each throughout the day to meet your 1,200 calorie total. Breakfast could consist of three eggs cooked to order (210 calories) along with a bowl (one cup) of fresh berries (roughly 70 calories).

      Lunch could consist of two oven-roasted chicken breasts (roughly eight ounces--250 calories) along with a spinach and tomato salad (two cups spinach--20 calories--and one medium tomato--another 20 calories).

      Dinner could consist of four ounces of grilled herring (180 calories) served with a half-cup of brown rice (100 calories) and a cup of broccoli (30 calories).

      For a snack on the plan, consider eating a medium-sized apple (100 calories) with a half-cup to 3/4 cup of almonds (250 calories). This will take you close to your 1,200 calorie goal for the day, helping you to lose weight while conforming to the rules of diabetic dieting.

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