The menu for Day 5 of the 7 Day Diet Plan for a 1200 kcal diet is simple. Just pop a couple of waffles in your toaster oven for breakfast. Enjoy with a little apple butter for a spread instead of high calorie butter and syrup. Lunch is a delicious leftover from Qdoba Mexican Grill from Day 4. Supper is a very quick fix of a twice-baked potato with veggie toppings. Include the snacks and you have the fixings for a nutritious and low calorie day with minimal time and fuss!
[Did you find the term kcal to be confusing? If so, you may be interested to learn that what we call calories in the United States are actually kilocalories or kcal. So, although the two are not technically the same, for everyday use they refer to the same thing.]
To modify today’s menu for a 1300, 1400, or 1500 calorie diet, look for my comments below.
1200 Calorie Menu (Day 5)
Breakfast
2 Honey Oat Waffles (Kashi – 160 calories)
Apple butter
3 Tbsp. Apple Butter (Eden Foods – 60 calories)
1⁄2 cup Orange Juice (Light ‘N Healthy Orange Juice with Calcium- Tropicana – 25 calories)*
Snack
1 cup Soy Dream Soy Milk, enriched vanilla (1 cup = 120 calories)
Lunch
1/2 Grilled Veggie Burrito (Qdoba Mexican Grill – about 330 calories for the half leftover from lunch on Day 4)
Water, unsweetened tea, or coffee
Snack
1/4 cup Almonds, whole
Supper
Make a Twice-Baked Potato with toppings
1 medium potato, baked
1Tbsp. Light Butter (Land O’Lakes Butter with Canola – 50 calories)
1/2 cup steamed broccoli
1/4 cup Black-eyed Peas
2 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese (Kraft, Grate-it-Fresh – 20 calories)
(Scrub the potato well so you can eat the whole potato, skin included for a great source of dietary fiber and nutrients. Pierce potato with a fork and bake in a microwave oven about 4-6 minutes on high. Slice the baked potato open across the top and blend in the butter with a fork. Top with the Black-eyed peas and steamed broccoli. Then add grated parmesan. Reheat for a short time. Enjoy!)
Water, unsweetened tea, or coffee
(Always remember to get plenty of water throughout the day. Read Water, Weight, and Women to learn more about your water needs.)
Total Calories = 1221
Total Fiber = 31.6 g
Fat = 31%
Carbs = 55%
Protein = 14%
(U.S. Dietary Guidelines Recommended percentages: Fat 20-35%, Carbohydrates 45-65%, Protein 10-35%)
Calcium = 1046 mg (Women between 19 and 50 years need approximately 1,000 mg a day, 51+ need 1,200 + mg a day)
Iron = 19.9 mg (Women 19 to 50 years need 18 mg of iron, 51+ need 8 mg)
1300, 1400, or 1500 Calorie Diet Menu
This menu has a fairly good balance of nutrients. However, it is a little short on calcium for postmenopausal women. If this describes you, you may want to supplement this menu with another serving of a low fat milk product. Or be sure to take a calcium supplement (with vitamin D).
Otherwise, for women of all ages, simply add an additional serving or two of one of the menu items or other food of your choice to bring the total calories up to the level you need. (I encourage you to read my article on how to determine the minimum SAFE caloric intake for you: 1200 Calorie Diet: How to Get Started!)
*Light N’ Healthy Calcium Orange Juice by Tropicana. I included this juice because it is a source of a little extra calcium and it helped the numbers to add up right for a total of approximately 1200 calories. However, I believe a regular orange juice product (with or without added calcium) would be a better choice for not too many more calories. Why would it be better? Adding water to plain orange juice is what makes light juice. That dilutes the available nutrients, which may or may not be added back. In my opinion, the original mix of nutrients as nature intended is always best.
If you’ve read this far, good for you! Here are the links for day one, two, three, and four of this latest weekly plan:
Healthy Low Calorie Sample Menu
Day 4 Sample Menu for 1200 Calories
That’s five days out of 7. The remaining two days to complete the week will be coming soon. Remember not to be confused if you see 1200 kcal diet instead of 1200 calorie diet!
Till next time watch those calories and eat healthy food!
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