1200 Calorie Diet Plan

A very low calorie diet, or what used to be known as a "semi-starvation" diet, should be a short-term solution for losing a bit of weight. This should help kick-start a healthy, moderate diet plan. It must be carefully devised to ensure a proper intake of essential nutrients, and should be supplemented with vitamins and minerals as recommended by a nutritionist.

What To Eat

• The trick with all diets is that, essentially, you have to eat something. (Don't try to quit. Besides being unpleasant, it can lead to a dramatically lower metabolism and therefore make you even more sensitive to calories.) What you eat is as important as how much of it you eat.

  When you're following a very restricted diet, you must take care that everything you do eat is packed with nutrients. No empty calories are allowed on a 1200 calorie diet plan. This means that no sugar, flour or anything processed should be in your diet.

  All macronutrients are critical for your health, so you cannot cut calories by simply eliminating them. Instead, replace unhealthy fat sources like chips with healthy ones like avocados and almonds. Spend your carbohydrate calories on fruit and green vegetables rather than on pasta and potatoes. Get your protein from complete protein sources like eggs rather than incomplete proteins such as in oatmeal.

  You must also not allow your body believe it's in starvation mode, which can lower your metabolism. Therefore you should be eating at least once every three to four hours, and immediately upon waking.

Sample Plan

• Wake up and drink half a glass of 2-percent milk within half an hour. (4 ounces provides: 60 calories, 6 grams carbohydrate, 4 grams protein, 2 grams fat.)

  An hour later, have two scrambled eggs and a small orange. (2 eggs: 150 calories, 2 grams carbohydrate, 12 grams protein, 10 grams fat. Orange: 60 calories, 15 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram protein, 0 grams fat.)

  Three hours later, a bowl of curry lentil soup and a green salad with carrots, peppers, and olive oil and balsamic dressing. (Soup: 210 calories, 36 grams carbohydrate, 17 grams protein, 1 gram fat. Salad: 200 calories, 24 grams carbohydrate, 3 grams protein, 12 grams fat.)

  Two hours later, snack on an ounce of almonds. (165 calories, 6 grams carbohydrate, 6 grams protein, 15 grams fat.)

  After two hours, have a two cups of broccoli with a few teaspoons of Parmesan cheese. (Broccoli: 90 calories, 18 grams carbohydrate, 10 grams protein, 0 grams fat. Cheese: 25 calories, 0 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams protein, 2 grams fat.)

  Last, have a 4 ounce fillet of salmon, cooked in half a tablespoon of olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon. (Salmon: 250 calories, 0 grams carbohydrate, 28 grams protein, 14 grams fat.)