Ola Martinsson asked:


A 1200 calorie diabetic diet limits intake of carbohydrates, fats and proteins so that you get only 1200 calories per day and nothing more than that. You can use this diet to control blood sugar or to lose weight. You can take the help of a registered dietitian to plan your diet. While planning your diet always keep in mind that instead of large meals take small meals and increase number of meals, for example replace the regular three meal pattern (that is breakfast, lunch and dinner) with a six meal pattern by adding snacks between the meals. Always give preference to fresh food instead of refined and processed foods. Drink lots of water because it is calorie free and helps to flush away the toxins.

A 1200 calorie diet healthy breakfast will include one wheat bread with low fat butter or a cup of cereal with a boiled egg and one small fruit. For a lunch options are mixed salad, baked potato, and French bread pizza. You can also include some vegetables like broccoli, bell peppers, cabbage etc. For a dinner choose grilled chicken or fish and pasta salad or mix vegetable salad with some dressing. To ensure the right quantities of these foods you can take the help of a dietitian.

To plan a 1200 calorie diet above food list is not compulsory and you can make variation of foods and also manage calorie intake. This can be done with the exchange system. The exchange food system provides information about food content from which you can easily estimate calories in any food. It also helps to maintain the balance of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats throughout the day. Before developing diet plans you must know your nutritional requirement in terms of calories, then select the food from exchange list and plan your daily meal according to your calorie requirement.

The exchange system contains six different lists of foods and food from each exchange group is well defined so that one serving of each food contains the same amount of carbohydrates, proteins, and fat. These groups are starch/bread, vegetables, fruit, milk, meat and fat. From each food list a certain number of exchange choices are allowed, but amount and type of these exchanges are based on a daily exercise, insulin injections, blood pressure and body weight. The food substitution can be done only within an exchange list but not between lists even if they have the same calorie count. In the exchange lists some foods are free; these foods contain less than 20 calories per serving.

In 1200 calorie diet you can include per day five exchanges of starch/bread exchange group, two exchanges of vegetable group, three exchanges of fruit group, two exchanges of milk group, four exchanges of meat and three exchanges of fat group. Each exchange of starch/bread group contains 80 calories. In vegetable exchange group each group contains 5 grams of proteins, 5 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of fiber. In fruit exchange group each exchange contains about 60 calories. For a diabetic 1200 calorie diet avoid artificially sweetened milk and include skim or very low-fat milk and milk substitutes. When you choose meat remove the fat before cooking. You can include high fat meat exchanges maximum three times a week. Include fat exchange in very small amount. In this calorie diet avoid saturated and Trans fatty acid instead of that choose polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats.

Drink lots of water because it is calorie free and helps to flush away the toxins. Did you know that flavored carbonated water has no calories, sugar, body, sweetener, color or preservatives?
The taste is fantastic, extremely refreshing and gives diabetics a great drink without any carbohydrates. Read more about flavored carbonated water concentrate at carbonatedseltzerwater

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Rachel Car Johnson asked:


I understand how you guys all feel.  When I first starting changing my lifestyle (and not by choice I might add) I was distraught with all of the things that I couldn’t have anymore.  I love bread!  I love pasta!  It’s not like I never have them, but I definitely incorporate low carb eating into my weekly lifestyle.  But in order to get into camera ready shape in a short amount of time, I decided to explore the wide world of low carb recipes and experimented, coming up with a great collection of delicious low carb recipes that make you more than satisfied while you drop that weight fast. 

Here is one that I love, and it’s actually a tasty vintage recipe from the 1960’s.  Hold on to your hats!

Avocados with Prawns Recipe

INGREDIENTS

3 Ripe Avocados 1 1/2 oz (45g) Small Cooked & Peeled Prawns or White Crab Meat Lemon Juice Salt & Pepper For the sauce: 1 tsp Lemon Juice 2 tbsp Olive Oil 1/4 tsp Dijon Mustard Pinch of Salt Pinch of Pepper

3 tbsp Red Tomato Chutney 1 tsp Tabasco Sauce

METHOD

Halve the Avocados and place on six individual serving plates. Squeeze a dash of Lemon Juice over each one and sprinkle with freshly grounded Salt & Pepper. Set aside.

For the sauce: Put the Lemon Juice, Dijon Mustard and Salt into a bowl and beat together until the Salt has dissolved. Slowly pour in the Olive Oil, continually beating. Add the Pepper. Add the Red Tomato Chutney. Add the Tabasco Sauce. Beat a little more until thoroughly mixed.

To this mixture now add the Prawns or Crab. Combine well. Adjust seasoning if necessary.

Spoon a serving of this mixture into each Avocado.

Now there are two ways to eat this.  You can eat this as an appetizer, which would serve 6 or you can serve three with two avocado halves each and a side salad.  Delicious!

A rule of thumb as well when you are creating your own dishes is stick to white meat, fish, shellfish and tofu as your main source of protein.  There are many recipes in both “The $100 Diet – How Naughty Pin Up Girls Stay THIN” as well as the new cookbook release entitled “The $100 Diet Presents The Official Come and Get It Recipe Book”.  You will be amazed at how much fun low carb eating can be, as well as how it makes you feel.  I also feel it is quite beneficial in the summer time, when heavier and saltier eating tends to make you feel the bloat in the heat.    Instead, try the low carb recipes I have created and have yourself feeling lighter and bouncier than ever.  Avoid that over-stuffed summer fatigue and get to feeling foxy!

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Jean Jitomir asked:


I developed the following recipe for mother’s day when my mom was on a low-carb diet. Though I am not an advocate of the particular diet she chose, I wanted to appease her sweet tooth, which had been neglected for nearly a month. I found that I needed about double the Splenda sugar equivalent to get an acceptable taste; the texture of these meringues is more delicate that the traditional version, due to the lack of sugar in the recipe.

The following recipe will require making an egg white foam and a hand mixer.

Pre-heat oven to 275 F

Ingredients:

4 egg whites (fresh, room temperature)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

½ teaspoon cream of tartar

1½ cups Splenda

Directions:

1. Beat egg whites and extracts at a medium speed until thick and foamy.

2. Add the cream of tartar.

3. Slowly add the Splenda about ¼ cup at a time until stiff peaks form (turn mixer on high about after all Splenda is added).

4. Place large spoonful of the mixture on a large cookie sheet about 1 inch apart.

5. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until golden and completely dry*

6. Turn the oven off and allow cookies to cool in the oven for one hour.

Nutrition: Variable based on the size of the cookies, but the only nutrition in the recipe is from the egg whites (about 12g protein total) and some starch mixed with the sucralose sweetener in Splenda.

* Meringues cookies do not fair well in humid environments; do not set out on a plate. Will keep for a week or two in an air tight container.

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Jenny P Edwards asked:


When time is tight and your energy is shot, these grab-and-go meals fit the bill for quick, low-cal fuel.

#1. Chick-Fil-A. 8-count chicken nuggets with honey-mustard sauce, fruit cup, diet soda. 13 grams of fat, 28 grams of protein, 375 calories.

#2. McDonald’s. Bacon Ranch Salad with grilled chicken and low-fat balsamic vinaigrette, iced tea. 12 grams of fat, 33 grams of protein, 300 calories.

#3. Taco John’s. 2 crispy tacos, diet soda. 20 grams of fat, 18 grams of protein. 360 calories.

#4. Quiznos. Cantina Chicken Sammie, cup of chicken noodle soup, iced tea. 7 grams of fat, 17 grams of protein, 335 calories.

#5. Wendy’s. Cheeseburger kids meals with mandarin orange cup and water. 11 grams of fat, 16 grams of protein.

#6. Panera Bread. You pick 2: Smoked turkey ****** sandwich on sourdough with everything, Low-Fat Vegetarian Garden Vegetable soup, iced tea. 10 grams of fat, 19 grams of protein.

Nutritional and Low Fat Diet Guidelines

When selecting a low calorie or low fat plan, make sure you are consuming a balanced and complete diet. For best results when selecting a low calorie or low fat meal plan, consume a balanced diet that includes 4-6 meals a day. If you’re on a tight schedule, plan your meals ahead the night before so you are not running around before work to whip your meal or even worse, skipping it all together and resorting to fat drenched junk food. As someone who’s battled weight loss myself, I know how challenging it can be.

These are very good portions of filling food. Since portions are often super sized these days, people’s expectations of what a “real” plate of food looks like is often skewed.

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Molly Bickford asked:


If you are truly interested and committed then try switching over gradually. Don’t try to quit cold turkey (no pun intended). Try eliminating one type of meat at a time. Then you will gradually be able to eliminate all the meat from your diet.

Over this time period introduce and increase the number of Vegetarian meals that you consume. You can find some incredible vegetarian cookbooks online and at your local bookstore that are filled with delicious recipes.

Just remember to start slow and take your time. To give you a little push here are some incredible benefits of a vegetarian diet as compared to an orthodox diet.

The Benefits of a Vegetarian Lifestyle

Vegetarian diets, when well chosen, are linked to a reduction in the incidence of chronic diseases. And they are more conducive to better health than your average, orthodox diet.

Chronic Diseases and Vegetarian Diets:

1. Obesity. Among vegetarians there is less obesity. Vegetarians consume more fiber-rich bulky foods so fewer calories are consumed.

2. High Blood Pressure. Vegetarian lifestyle is void of smoking and drinking alcohol. This in combination with regular exercise decreases blood pressure. Also, a vegetarian diet that is low in fat, saturated fats, high in fiber, fruits, and vegetables may also contribute to lowered blood pressure.

3. Heart Disease. Vegetarian diets call for fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and soybeans as a replacement for meat (which is much higher in saturated fats and much lower in fiber, antioxidants). This contributes to a healthy heart. High fiber also helps the digestive tract.

4. Cancer. Meats and other foods not consumed in a vegetarian diet can produce carcinogens which can lead to Cancer.

There are many other benefits to a vegetarian lifestyle:

1. It’s humane as it saves animals from being slaughtered for food.

2. Saves money (as meat is expensive)

Less demanding on the environment

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Trisha L. Elliott asked:


Herbert is sliding a cream-cheese coated piece of bacon into his mouth while boiling his cabbage soup and slurping a Slim-Fast Shake. Herbert is on a diet.
 
He’s a creative man. He’s not about to listen to some crusty guy with letters behind his name in regards to the contents of his fridge. But he will listen to three of them.
 
Herbert is combining three fad diets: The Atkins Diet, The Cabbage Soup Diet, and the Slim Fast Jump Start Diet.
 
The Atkins Diet

Limit your consumption of root vegetables, ban white rice (3 billion Asian people are wrong?), and eat as much greasy meat and cheese you can consume without nausea.
 
The Cabbage Soup Diet

Cook a huge pot of cabbage vegetable soup. Eat all the things specified from Day 1 to Day 7, AND whenever you’re hungry, eat as much cabbage soup as you can stomach (you’ll probably get a sore jaw and a bad gas problem, before you get full).
 
Slim Fast Jump Start Diet

This diet tells you to eat vegetables, salads, Slim Fast shakes, and sugar-free gelatin (that’s bone marrow, for anyone who didn’t go through a vegetarian phase).
 
I don’t have letters behind my name. I’ve got a love handle or two. But Herb: What are you thinking? My opinion is that we should all love the shape we come in, but if your shape is bringing you grief, read on.
 
“The Trisha Diet” (why not?)

Take the insurance off your car, and then walk around downtown looking for a Drive-In Movie Theatre. Attach yourself to the back bumper of a slow-moving vehicle (wear runners). Sell every dish in your house. Break into a serving career (think of each customer as a personal trainer). Take up smoking cigarettes. You’ll have something different to do with your mouth, and you’ll look really cool. Drink coffee and coca-cola whenever you’re hungry and dance in your living room until the buzz wears off. Vacuum the entire house every time you see a crumb (this will also encourage you to not eat all those evil carbs). Spend lots of time with your special someone in a power outage. Start a hobby farm in your backyard and promise to eat only personally slaughtered chicken. Have a baby. George Junior on the hip is like free weight-training and labour is apparently a very good work-out.

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Andrew Grennier asked:


Starting a diet and sticking with it can be extremely hard.  A lot of people choose diets that that contains foods that they just plain do not like.  This is a complete set up for failure.  Unless you are extremely discipline and learn to like these foods over time.  You will not stick to the diet.

You need to look at the meals plans to see if the majority of foods that you will be eating are to your liking.  One of the most flexible diet plans out there is called the Abs Diet.  The Abs Diet uses what they call their power foods.  These are the foods that you make your meals from.

    Almonds and Nuts eat with the skins on.
    Beans and Legumes
    Spinach and Green Vegetables

    Dairy: Milk, Yogurt, Cheese etc…  They should be low fat.
    Instant Oatmeal: Unsweetened, unflavored
    Eggs
    Turkey or lean meats such as Chicken

    Peanut Butter – Make sure it is sugar free and natural.
    Olive Oil
    Whole-Grain Breads and Cereals
    Extra-Protein – Whey recommended
    Raspberries and Berries (good antioxidants)

You notice the “ABS DIET POWER?”  I do not know if that is just a marketing ploy or just an acronym to help you remember the foods.  To give you an idea of what a typical day might look like I prepared a sample meals for a typical day.

Breakfast

Abs Diet Ultimate Power Smoothie – This should be 8 to 12 ounces (contains 5 power-foods)

1% milk – 1 cup
Low-fat vanilla yogurt – 2 tbsp
3/4 cup instant oatmeal – microwave it in water
Peanut butter – 2 tsp
Whey protein chocolate – 2 tsp
6 ice cubes, crushed

Snack #1

Raw vegetables (All you can eat)
Peanut butter – 2 tsp

Lunch

Turkey sandwich on wheat or whole-grain bread
1% milk – 1 cup
1 apple

Snack #2

Almonds – 1 oz
Berries -1½ cups

Dinner

Mas Macho Meatballs (contains 3 power-foods)
Extra-lean ground beef – 1 lb

Saltine crackers – ½ cup crushed
1 onion chopped up
1 clove garlic minced
Whey protein or flaxseed – 1 tbsp
Tomato sauce – 16 oz jar
4 hoagie rolls – whole-wheat
Shredded mozzarella cheese reduces fat – 1/2 cup
You are going to mix the ground beef, flaxseed, crakers, garlic and onion in meatballs about the size of a ping pong ball. Use medium heat to cook the meatballs in either a skillet or frying pan.  Drain the fat and then all the tomato sauce. Cut the hoagies in half and scoop out some of the bread in the middle to forma ridge.  Once the mixture is warm scoop the meatballs with some sauce out of the skillet and place it in the hoagie.  Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top.Makes 4 servings

Snack #3

8 to 12 ounces Abs Diet Ultimate Power Smoothie – Same as a breakfast

I know that there is some work to be done preparing meals.  That is just something that you will have to schedule in.  What you do to save some time is make enough for a few meals so it is just a matter of reheating.  The plus side of this diet is that it offers a large variety of meals and does not have too many restrictions.

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Amy Leonard asked:


A lot of times people find themselves in a position where they are pressed for time and must eat. During these times it can be easy to fall into bad eating habits which is why you should always plan ahead! Here are 7 easy and fast low calorie meals on the go.

#1 Premium Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken From McDonald’s – Comes in at only 220 Calories and only 6 grams of fat!

#2 Taco Bell’s Crunchy Fresco Taco – This taco is one of my favorite quick snacks. It is only 150 calories and 7 grams of fat. Great for a quick energy pick up and light on calories!

#3 Cantina Chicken Sammie Sandwich from Quiznos – Another favorite of mine. With this I also get a cup of chicken noodle soup and in iced tea. All together comes in at 335 Calories, and 7 grams of fat.

#4 Chargrilled Chicken Sandwich from Chick-Fil-A. This sandwich comes in at 260 calories and ONLY 3 Grams of fat. Great for when you are watching your fat intake.

#5 Broccoli and Cheese Soup from Atlantic Bread – Only 250 Calories for 1 and 1/4 cup and its 17 grams of fat.

#6 Burger King’s 6 Piece Chicken Tenders – 270 Calories and 16 grams of fat

#7 Wendys Mandarin Chicken Salad – A total of 180 calories with Only 2 grams of fat!!

It is always important for you to stay balanced in your diet. You should eat 4-6 small meals a day, the smallest meal being your last one before you go to sleep. If you are always on a tight schedule it might be a good idea for you to plan your meals ahead that way you do not end up eating unhealthy all the time.

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Jeannie Crabtree asked:


Please, just because you want to lose weight, don’t dump your
nutritious foods and live on celery sticks and diet sodas.
It will hurt you in the long run by depriving you of needed
nutrition and fiber.

Instead replace some of your unhealthy foods with healthy
foods. You can start a better diet and it will be a low
calorie diet compared to what many people have been eating.

Focus on more vegetables in your diet. Especially the leafy
green vegetables. Eat 7 or more half-cup servings of vegetables
a day. This would mean two or three different servings of
vegetables per meal.

Eat a variety of vegetables, with a variety of colors each day.
This creates visual appeal, different textures and the good
nutrition that you need.

Don’t cut them out, but don’t use as much of the root
vegetables because they are more starchy. Example:
potatoes, sweet potatoes.

Drink water instead of soft drinks and fruit juices. This will
lower your calories and provide you with the fluids you need
for health and weight loss. Yes, water and plenty of it will help
you lose weight.

I saw a show in which an obese teenager did not have a clue
about calories or nutrition, but she was very willing to learn.
Dr. Phil told her that cutting out the sodas the teenager was
drinking would allow her to lose 50 pounds of fat in a year.
This may apply to you as well, if you drink a lot of sodas.

Be ready ahead of time for snacks. Don’t reach for the nearest
goodie or candy bar, instead get out the snack you thought about
ahead of time. Maybe a little cheese and apple, a piece of fruit, or
some cottage cheese with mixed fruit. Keep the serving small – it is
not a meal, just a snack.

All of these suggestions give you an idea of how to have a low
calorie diet without depriving you of needed nutrition.

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Julia Eves asked:


In the last few years the Mediterranean region has been the focus of much study; not just for its connections with money and high fashion, but because researchers observed that the region has lesser incidents of heart and chronic diseases. More people there seem to maintain a healthy weight and have a longer lifespan. It’s a known fact that obesity is approaching epidemic proportions in the US now, with all its attendant problems and complications.

Perhaps the Mediterranean Diet is what allows people from this region to stay young longer, maintain a healthy weight, a healthy heart and reduce the risk of cancer, hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia and obesity.

What is the Mediterranean Diet?
It is difficult to come up with an exacting definition of a Mediterranean Diet as the countries in the Mediterranean region consume a diverse set of foods, for example the Spanish consume a healthy amount of fish, olive oil and wine, while the traditional Greek diet consists of 60% fruit and vegetables, 20% meats, 10% carbohydrates and 10% fats.

Prime constituents Mediterranean diet predominantly consists of fibers such as grains, fruit, beans and vegetables. Fibers in pasta, rice, bread, bulgur (dried cracked wheat), polenta, potatoes and couscous, are natural fillers and so prevent a person from periodically reaching out for snacks. Researchers also feel that the liberal consumption of yogurt and garlic have beneficial effects.

The Mediterranean diet also involves limited consumption of red meat. This avoidance of high calorie foods clearly helps, not just with maintaining healthy weight but with weight loss as well. Some researchers argue that the large amount of fish, fruit and nuts consumed in the diet provide anti-oxidants that delay the appearance of wrinkles and helps as an anti-aging method.

Not a new-fangled technique: It is interesting to note that the ‘Mediterranean Diet’ is less a new-fangled technique to maintain healthy weight and more a result of health-conscious people re-looking at eating habits that have been followed in the Mediterranean region for thousands of years. Thus the Mediterranean Diet promotes a radically different perspective on ‘food’ and ‘consumption’ and is less of a ‘diet’ to be tried for a short duration of time, and more a way of life that one can choose to adopt permanently.

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