This printable 1200 calorie low carb meal plan offers practical ideas for following a low-calorie, low-carb approach for weight loss.
I enjoy printable meal plans — I’ve collected them from magazines and websites for years. I don’t always follow every plan exactly, but having a variety of tested meal templates makes planning easier. With that in mind, I created this 1200 calorie low carb plan from several weeks of tracking my own meals to prepare for a bodybuilding/bikini show.
I tracked everything in MyFitnessPal to ensure the daily averages matched my goals. Typical nutrients for this plan are:
- About 1200 calories per day
- Approximately 45% protein (~130 grams)
- About 30% carbohydrates (~80 grams)
- About 25% fat (~35 grams)
Many so-called “low carb” plans are actually higher in carbs than people expect. My focus was keeping protein high — generally over 100 grams per day — while keeping carbs near or below 100 grams. Using this approach helped me lose 15 pounds in three months while retaining energy and supporting training.
Who is 1200 calories appropriate for
Not everyone needs to drop to 1200 calories. This level is most appropriate for smaller individuals or those whose maintenance calories are already fairly low. For example, if your usual intake is around 1500 calories, reducing to 1200 creates a reasonable deficit. Most experts advise against going much below 1200 calories long term, so increasing protein and lowering carbs can help preserve lean mass while dieting.
What are the meals for 1200 calories
I built this menu over several weeks of tracking and adjusting portion sizes to hit macro goals. Where I used specific low-calorie products (zero-calorie syrup, low-carb protein powder, or 80-calorie tortillas), I accounted for those items when calculating nutrition.
- Printable: A printable PDF meal plan was created for convenience (printable meal plan).
- Grocery list: A grocery list matching the plan is available in printable form (grocery list).
Monday: 1183 calories — 145 g protein, 90 g carbs, 27 g fat
| 8:00 AM (scrambled eggs with cheese and a banana) |
| Egg whites — 1 cup |
| Egg — 1 large |
| Mozzarella cheese — 1 oz |
| Banana — 100 g |
| 10:00 AM (peanut butter yogurt) |
| Greek plain nonfat yogurt — 1 cup |
| Zero-calorie pancake syrup — 2 tbsp (used in calculations) |
| Peanut butter powder — 2 tbsp |
| 12:00 PM (rice with beef and mushrooms) |
| Jasmine rice — 80 g |
| Mushrooms — 1 cup |
| 95% lean ground beef — 4 oz cooked |
| 3:00 PM |
| Protein powder — 1 scoop |
| Sugar-free gelatin cup — 1 snack |
| 5:00 PM (chicken, sweet potato, sautéed zucchini) |
| Butter — 2 tsp |
| Zucchini — 1 cup, sliced |
| Chicken tenders — 4 oz |
| Sweet potato, mashed — 100 g |
Tuesday: 1148 calories — 130 g protein, 85 g carbs, 32 g fat
| 8:00 AM (scrambled eggs and oatmeal) |
| Eggs — 2 large |
| Egg whites — 1 cup |
| Oats — 1/3 cup dry |
| 10:00 AM (berries in yogurt) |
| Greek plain nonfat yogurt — 1 cup |
| Frozen mixed berries — 100 g |
| 12:00 PM |
| Ground chicken — 4.5 oz |
| Sweet potato — 100 g |
| Cucumber — 1 medium |
| 3:00 PM |
| Protein powder — 1 scoop |
| 5:00 PM |
| Chicken thighs — 4.5 oz |
| Jasmine rice — 75 g |
| Mushrooms — 1 cup |
Wednesday: 1147 calories — 127 g protein, 81 g carbs, 35 g fat
| 8:00 AM (scrambled eggs with cheese on toast) |
| Egg whites — 1 cup |
| Egg — 1 large |
| Mozzarella — 28 g |
| Whole wheat bread — 1 slice |
| 10:00 AM |
| String cheese — 1 stick (28 g) |
| Grapefruit — 1 medium |
| 12:00 PM (lettuce wrap) |
| Strawberries — 200 g |
| Light cheese wedge — 21 g (1 wedge) |
| Lettuce leaf — 1 leaf |
| Deli turkey — 4 oz |
| 3:00 PM |
| High-protein bar — 1 bar (50 g) |
| 5:00 PM (spaghetti squash with chicken and cheese) |
| Chicken tenders — 4.5 oz |
| Spray butter — 1 spray |
| Parmesan cheese — 1 oz |
| Spaghetti squash — 1 cup |
Thursday: 1167 calories — 126 g protein, 87 g carbs, 35 g fat
| 8:00 AM |
| Low-calorie tortilla — 1 (approx. 80 calories) |
| Egg whites — 1 cup |
| Mozzarella — 28 g |
| 10:00 AM |
| Zero-calorie syrup — 1 tbsp |
| Peanut butter powder — 2 tbsp |
| Greek plain nonfat yogurt — 1 cup |
| 12:00 PM |
| Jasmine rice — 80 g |
| Mushrooms — 1 cup |
| 95% lean ground beef — 4 oz cooked |
| 3:00 PM |
| Deli turkey — 3 oz |
| String cheese — 1 stick |
| Rice cake — 1 cake, lightly salted |
| 5:00 PM |
| Steak — 4 oz |
| Ranch dressing — 2 tbsp |
| Tossed green salad — 2 cups |
| Sweet potato — 100 g |
Friday: 1146 calories — 137 g protein, 73 g carbs, 34 g fat
| 8:00 AM |
| Cheese — 1/2 oz |
| Egg — 1 large |
| Egg whites — 1 cup |
| 10:00 AM (pink cottage cheese snack) |
| Low-fat cottage cheese — 1 cup |
| Sugar-free chocolate gelatin powder — small amount (used in recipe) |
| Berries — 1 cup |
| 12:00 PM (chicken wrap) |
| Canned chicken — 5 oz |
| Low-calorie tortilla — 1 (approx. 80 calories) |
| Light mayonnaise — 1 tbsp |
| 3:00 PM |
| Protein powder — 1 scoop |
| 5:00 PM (taco salad) |
| Ground beef (96% lean) — 4 oz |
| Cheese — 1/2 oz |
| Corn — 1/2 cup |
| Ranch dressing — 2 tbsp |
| Tossed green salad — 2 cups |
Prepping your 1200 calorie meals
Meal prep makes staying on plan simple. I typically batch-cook proteins and prepare starchy sides ahead of time. My usual prep steps:
- Cook chicken tenders, thighs, and other chicken in bulk
- Cook ground beef and ground chicken
- Roast or steam sweet potatoes and prepare jasmine rice
That’s usually enough. Having cooked proteins and prepared starches in the fridge makes assembly quick and prevents impulse choices.
I also post many of these meals on Instagram and in other meal-plan posts — if you like visual examples, look for photos matching the meals above.
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