How to Lose Weight With a 1200 Daily Caloric Intake

In order to be successful at losing weight, you need to devise a healthy eating plan that balances your nutritional needs with your energy expended. The daily minimum safe calorie intake for women is 1200 calories, unless you are on a supervised diet, according to Medline Plus. So increase your daily activity while reducing your calories but maintaining your nutritional requirements and you will soon see the pounds melt away.

Instructions

• 1

  Divide your calories carefully. The Mayo Clinic suggests you base your daily requirements on the food pyramid. Consume only 75 calories from sweets and divide the remaining 1,125 calories between three to five servings of fat, three to seven servings of lean protein, four to eight servings of carbohydrates, unlimited servings of fruit (but choose a minimum of three) and unlimited vegetables, with a minimum of four servings. Limit servings of dried fruits and juices to one or two because they are high in calories and low in volume, unlike their fresh counterparts. A daily intake of 1200 calories is sufficient to keep you from feeling deprived, but if you use up too many calories in fruits other than fresh, you will have too few left for other nutrient-rich food. Strike a balance with your 1200 calories because balance will stop your cravings for fat and sugar.

• 2

  Exercise every day. Not only will it help you shift the pounds, the good habit formed will assist you in keeping them off. Steady aerobic exercise for at least 30 minutes is the best way to lose fat. According to The Mayo Clinic, if you weighed 160 pounds and walked for 30 minutes at three and a a half miles an hour, you would walk off 138 calories. Bank the calories to lose weight faster, and one day a week, treat yourself to something you crave within 138 calories. Treating yourself to something over your daily 1200 diet will help your willpower and give you a boost. Once you are accustomed to walking for 30 minutes, build it up until you spend an hour walking. Increasing your fitness will burn up your 1200 calories faster, helping speed weight loss.

• 3

  Complement your 1200 calorie diet with a good multivitamin and mineral. Not only will it help stabilize your blood sugar levels, certain nutrients assist with weight loss. Judy Dodd, R.D., past president of the American Dietetic Association, says "Nutrition is a problem when people restrict calories." Having a calorie quota of 1200 instead of the average 2000 calories can lead to deficiencies in certain vitamins and minerals. Ensure that you are getting your full recommended daily allowance of the vitamin B complex because these vitamins, as well as lecithin, are essential in aiding weight loss. They assist in producing energy and help to relieve stress and depression. Lecithin enables your body to expel fat. Chromium is also key in losing weight. It controls your blood sugar levels by increasing your body's sensitivity to insulin, which in turn helps promote weight loss. Coenzyme Q10 is necessary to transport fat and to break it down into energy, while magnesium can treat cramps that dieters so often experience and is essential for every biological function. Essential fatty acids such as flaxseed, primrose and salmon oils help control appetite. Carnitine helps with the transportation of fats for burning into energy. It can break up fat deposits, helps with weight loss and also reduces cravings for sugar and fat. Taking a good multivitamin and mineral can emulate a healthy and varied diet, contributing to a successful weight loss with an intake of 1200 calories.