This Is What 1,200 Calories Looks Like On The Mediterranean Diet
Sorry to break it to you, but you can't just mainline hummus all day.
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Ever notice how 1,200 calories seems to be the magic number for so many women who are looking to lose weight?
While it’s unclear exactly why 1,200 become such a go-to calorie count for dieters, it may be because it’s the absolute lowest you’d ever want to go if you’re counting calories. If you consume any fewer calories than that, you risk depriving your body of the nutrients it needs and throwing your body into starvation mode, which will ultimately backfire and slow down your metabolism, says Keri Glassman, R.D., founder of NutritiousLife.com and author of The New You (and Improved) Diet.
“I would say about 1,200 to 1,500 is what you’d want to aim for if you’re trying to lose weight,” Glassman adds. Of course, how many calories you need depends on how active you are—and your unique metabolism. That’s a big part of why Glassman actually discourages people from counting calories at all.
“I’m more about thinking about proportions, eating the right types of foods,” she says. “When you listen to your body and pay attention to proportions, you don’t really need to count calories.”
That said, we know that a lot of women find calorie counting helpful for getting to and staying at a healthy weight. And calorie counts can look very different, depending on which eating plan you’re following.
Take the Mediterranean diet, for example, which is inspired by the way Mediterraneans eat: “lots of fish, lots of healthy fat, wine [in moderation], lots of olive oil, lots of vegetables and fruits, very little packaged, processed foods,” says Glassman. Rich in inflammation-fighting antioxidants and healthy fats, the Mediterranean diet is consistently linked to health benefits. For example, while research shows that the Mediterranean diet significantly improves health, one study published in The New England Journal of Medicine found that the diet is also better than low-fat diets at spurring weight loss.
Related: This Is Your Best Weight Loss Strategy, According To Your Zodiac Sign
If you’re thinking about trying the Mediterranean diet, use this 1,200-calorie one-day eating plan that Glassman put together as a baseline for the absolute minimum amount of food you would want to eat in a day.
BREAKFAST
Start your day with 1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt (276 cal), mixed with 1 cup blueberries (85 cal) and 2 Tbsp chopped pistachios (88 cals).
Total: 449 calories
Note: Getting full-fat yogurt here is important because it will help you feel satiated, says Glassman.
Related: This Is The Diet Jessica Alba Used To Lose 11 Inches In 4 Months
LUNCH
Serve up a salad with 4 cups spinach tossed in 1 tsp olive oil (80 cal), with 1 tomato (11 cal), 1/4 cup sliced cucumber (4 cal), 3 Tbsp crumbled feta (75 cal), 2 Tbsp balsamic vinaigrette (45 cal), and 5 large roasted shrimp (40 cal).
Total: 255 calories
Note: You can overdo it with ingredients like oil and feta, so just be sure to be conscious of your portion sizes when you’re trying to lose weight, says Glassman. (Blast belly fat with satisfying meals and avoid tedious calorie counting – and still lose weight! Try Instant Flat Belly: One Pot)
SNACK
This one is super easy: 1/4 cup almonds (152 cal).
Total: 152 calories
Note: Nuts contain healthy fats, but they’re another ingredient that people often go overboard on, says Glassman. A quarter-cup is about the right portion size for a snack.
Related: The 8 Best Bedtime Snacks for Weight Loss
DINNER
Cook 4 oz whitefish (like cod or halibut) with oregano (196 cal), and pair with 1 cup broccoli rabe sautéed in 1 tsp oil (49 cal) and 1/2 cup cooked quinoa (111 cal).
Total: 356 calories
Note: Make sure to measure your olive oil! It's easy to over-pour!
DAILY TOTAL: 1,212 CALORIES
Now that you know what the lower end of the calorie spectrum looks like on a Mediterranean diet, you don’t really have to worry about calorie counting so much. And remember—you can always add 200 or 300 calories’ worth of food if you’re feeling famished (and you definitely should add more calories if you’re hitting the gym).
Robin Hilmantel is the digital director at Women's Health, where she oversees the editorial strategy for WomensHealthMag.com and its social platforms. She has almost 10 years of experience writing and editing for national publications, and more than 8 years of experience writing and editing health, fitness, and nutrition content specifically. In addition to Women's Health, her work has also appeared in TIME, Food Network Magazine, Cosmopolitan, New York Magazine, SELF, Glamour.com and other publications.
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