If you don't make a big deal about it, it won't be a big deal.
Weekly Goals
Calories: 1200
Fat: 24-40
Exercise: 200 minutes
When the IDEA program told me that my new calorie goal was 1200, I flinched. That's low! I got my diet about as low as I thought I could get it already. Unfortunately, the "team of dietitians and doctors" are not actually providing individual advice like I thought. Luckily, my fiancee is also a registered dietitian. She showed me some 1200 calorie meal plans online and we've been bouncing around ideas about ways I can meet 1200 calories. I get asked how I do it without being hungry all the time. It didn't happen overnight. For starters, my stomach shrank. I actually eat pretty well. I just do it very carefully. Here's what a day looks like.
Breakfast - 230 calories
Kashi Go Lean Crisps cereal - 190 calories
Almond Milk for the cereal - 20 calories
Gummy Vites vitamins - 15 calories
Black Coffee - 5 calories
Morning Snack - 105 calories
Bananas - 105 calories
Water - 0 calories
Lunch - 280 calories
Turkey and cheese pita sandwich with lettuce, tomato and cucumber - 190 calories
(I use a half piece of cheese, exactly 2 oz. of turkey meat, and a Flat Out low calorie pita wrap)
Side Salad with tomato, cucumber, croutons, and Marzetti italian dressing - 90 calories
Water - 0 calories
Dinner - 640 calories
Green Curry Tofu with asparagus and shallots on a bed of capellini - 640 calories (That's two greedy servings)
Sprite Zero - 0 calories
Water - 0 calories
TOTAL: 1255 calories
Some things to point out... I drink a lot of coffees, teas, water, and maybe a zero calorie soda for a change of pace (sometimes a half diet/half regular soda mix). Liquid calories are easier to cut than most other things. It also lets me have a pretty decent sized dinner. If I decided I wanted a drink or an evening snack, my dinner was 320 calories per serving and leaves me the flexibility to adjust my day if I stray from what I wanted to eat that day. I try to include a lot of veggies in my diet too. They're filling and low in calories.
As for exercise, I'm having trouble staying consistent from week to week. I did great on week 8 but I did horrible on week 9. I'm conflicted between the program's "exercise" vs lifestyle activities. If I mow the lawn, it's a lifestyle activity. It doesn't count as exercise because it wasn't done for the sake of exercising. Yet, that still takes time and energy to do.
Weigh-in Weight: 188.6 lbs.
Do you like quinoa? It's a new favorite of mine! I mixed in a bunch a veggies and spices for dinner the other night and it was super filling. Plus it was fabulous. Also I'm trying a new cold summer oatmeal recipe today that you let sit overnight in the refrigerator - I'm a little nervous. But we should do a recipe / website swap! Keep up the great work! Also - I think there may be a typo on your weight above.
ReplyDelete-Laura
:)
Quinoa makes regular appearances on the menu. A great one is quinoa and beets. It makes for a vibrant colored side. However, you have to be careful because quinoa can be high in calories depending on how it's made. I tried one of those Near East quinoa boxes. While it's good, I could only have about a half cup because it was a higher caloric item to have as a side dish. When possible, buy it in bulk and make your own rather than use a Near East kit.
ReplyDelete(When I say it's high in calories, I am referring to it in terms of a 1200 calorie diet.)