I’m happy to say I am back in Iowa after ten days on the west coast. I was in Portland, Oregon then in Ashland (what a charming city!) and our last stop was in Davis, California (also very nice). As much as I enjoy visiting with family and friends and seeing new places, I do get tired of eating out. The food can be fabulous but watching what I eat and staying on track with a healthy diet day after day when away from home is HARD! So I will be following my own advice and sticking with 1200 to 1500 calorie diet menus for a while. I haven’t weighed myself, but my clothes are telling me I may have put on a pound or two despite my best efforts.

Today I will share with you a 1200 calorie diet menu that includes a sandwich for lunch from a fast food restaurant. Yes, nutritionists do eat at fast food restaurants occasionally as does just about everyone else. For me it is much more likely when traveling. If you need some tips on picking the best low calorie choices when eating out be sure to read my previous articles/posts on “A Low Calorie Restaurant Food Guide” and “Easy Ways to Cut Calories with Restaurant Meals” Also, you can choose to substitute a similar sandwich made at home for the suggested choice here.

Something else to point out with this menu is that it is somewhat low in total fiber compared with my previous sample menu (“Notes on a 1200 Calorie Diet and Sample Menu”. This menu is also low in calcium for women of all ages and on the low side for iron for women below the age of 51. Are you remembering to take a daily vitamin and mineral supplement? Or if you are following my recommended suggestion to allow additional calories for exercise, choose extra foods which might offer you more of these nutrients for both health and satisfaction. (See “1200 Calorie Diet: Getting Started” for more on this.)

1200 Calorie Sample Menu #2

Breakfast

1/2 cup Oats - Old fashioned Quaker (measured when dry)

2 Tbsp. Craisins - Original

4 oz. orange juice

Snack

1 Nonfat Vanilla Yogurt

Lunch

1 Subway sandwich - 6 inch Roasted Chicken Breast

8 oz. skim milk

Snack

1/2 cup grapes (European type Red or Green raw)

Supper

13 pieces Cheese Ravioli, small round

2 Tbsp. Spaghetti Sauce (Prego 100% Natural Spaghetti Sauce) or comparable product

1/2 cup stir-fried zucchini

water, unsweetened tea or coffee, or diet soda

(Always remember to drink plenty of water throughout the day.)

Total Calories = 1204

Total Fiber = 15.6 grams

Fat = 17%

Carbs = 65%

Protein = 18%

Calcium = 582 mg (Women between 19 and 50 years need 1,000 mg a day, 51+ need 1,200 mg a day)

Iron = 10.8 mg (Women 19 to 50 years need 18 mg of iron, 51+ need 8 mg)

My tendency is for diet menus to be on the higher end of the scale with respect to calories from carbohydrates. There are many reasons for this, one of which has to do with my goal of getting plenty of fiber and nutrients. This isn’t easy to do as you can see when working with only 1200 calories. It’s also harder to achieve the best balance when eating out and when purchasing processed and pre-prepared food products.

Whenever possible, choose to prepare your food yourself. And otherwise, stay on the lookout for whole grain foods both as purchased from the supermarket and at restaurants. For example, if the Subway sandwich were prepared with whole wheat bread (made from a whole grain not just in name or color) or if the cheese ravioli in this example were made with whole wheat, the fiber and nutrient count otherwise would have been higher.

To go back to the total carbohydrate issue, I will be sharing some higher protein and/or higher fat (lower carb) sample menus in the future. There is new research to indicate that some people are better off with lower carb diets than others. I bet that is something you already knew just from experience! Whatever your choices might be, do try to stay within the guidelines shared by the National Academy of Sciences which call for total carbohydrates to be in the 45-65% range, protein 10-35%, and fat 20-35%.

Eat well, be well and still manage your weight! Tracking your calories and the nutrient balance in the foods you eat, especially for a 1200 calorie diet, can be much easier if you use a service such as My Food Diary (read the MyFoodDiary.com review to learn more).