1200 calorie meals

What You Should Know About 1200-Calorie a Day Diets

Medical professionals agree that losing 1-2 pounds a week is a healthy way to lose weight. It took some time to put those pounds on, and losing them should go the same way. A 1200-calorie a day diet should do just that.

If you stick with our meals, they will show you what a proper portion looks like, and you'll be less tempted to overeat. Americans tend to eat portions double what they should. MagicKitchen.com meals keep you on track, and get you used to eating the way you should.

When you've lost the recommended amount of weight, you should be in the habit of eating right. You can always continue getting our meals, and fill the calories in with a healthy snack or two.

Get up and Move

Exercise is great for your body, and wonderful for your mental health. Once you get in the habit of a walk or run every couple of days, you'll find yourself craving that time.

You don't need to do much, but every bit you do is chipping away at the calories you're consuming. Exercise can also lower your risk of many diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, obesity, osteoporosis and even some cancers. Another benefit of exercise while dieting is that you will push your body to lose fat rather than muscle. Weight training is recommended, and again you don't need to work out like a Ms. or Mr. Olympia contestant. You just want to retain muscle.

If you find yourself craving a snack even when you aren't hungry, get up, put in the earbuds and go for a walk. You'll thank yourself later!

Planning Your Day

With MagicKitchen.com portion control weight loss meals, all you need to do is decide which you will have for breakfast, lunch and dinner, add up the calories, and then plan some snacks around them. As an example:

Breakfast: Cheese Omelet & Salsa, with Broccoli & Hash Browns: 285 calories
Lunch: Diced Beef Stew with Potatoes and Carrots, Spinach and Cauliflower - 250 calories
Dinner: Salmon & Vegetable Linguini - 380 Calories

That's a total of 915 calories, leaving you 285 for snacks if you want them.

Morning snack: 1/2 cup of blueberries or raspberries (44 calories)
Afternoon Snack: 2 cups of air-popped popcorn with a sprinkle of chili powder, curry powder, onion powder or onion salt. (60 calories)
Evening Snack: A hard boiled egg. (155 calories).