What Is Good to Eat for Breakfast on a 1,200-Calorie Diet?

When trying to lose weight, you need to consume fewer calories than you burn. Women should not consume fewer than 1,200 calories per day, so while a 1,200 calorie diet may result in quick weight loss, you need to be careful you do not eat any fewer than this. When on a 1,200-calorie diet, breakfast is extremely important. According to the Mayo Clinic, a healthy breakfast can help you feel full and ensure you make healthier choices throughout the day, whereas skipping breakfast can lead to weight gain. To get the best results, it's vital you eat the right breakfast.

Calories

To make sure you stay on track with your 1,200-calorie diet, you need to plan your meals carefully. You should eat three main meals and two snacks per day. The easiest way to break down your calories into individual meals is to eat 300 calories at each main meal, which leaves you with 150 calories for each snack. A 300-calorie breakfast should fill you up, provided you pick the right foods.

Protein

Nutritionist Jonny Bowden recommends having a higher-protein breakfast, as it helps keep you feeling fuller for longer. The ideal breakfast protein choice is eggs. A medium-size egg contains around 7 g of protein, and 75 calories, so start your breakfast with two of them. Alternatively, you could choose to have meat or fish, but it may take you a while to get used to consuming these foods early in the morning.

Fats

Like protein, fat also digests slowly so helps you to feel full. Trainer Charles Poliquin recommends that along with your protein, you should have a small handful of nuts. These provide healthy fats that keep your blood sugar levels stable. An ounce of unsalted nuts provides 100 calories. Alternatively, you could cook your eggs in a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil or grass-fed butter, all of which would also provide 100 calories and a good dose of healthy fats.

Carbohydrates

If you opt for two eggs and an ounce of nuts, you have 50 calories left over for your carbohydrates. To get the most nutrients from your carbs, choose some fruit. Low-sugar fruits such as strawberries, raspberries and kiwis all contain as little as 10 g of sugar per 100 g, and a cup of these provides about 50 calories, along with a host of vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants.