Hi - I'm new to this website. My name is Judy (aka pansylover) -- I'm 5'1" and weigh 155 lbs. This is the most I've weighed in my life, including pregnancies . I'm 58 y.y. and want to look as good as I feel. I am very fortunate to have no health problems at my age, and would like to keep it that way. I'm ready to lose weight. I really would like to find a 1200 calorie diet plan as I think this would help to jump start my new eating plan, so if anyone out there has one or knows where I can get one, please help me. Tomorrow (10/17) is D-Day for me!!!!!! Ready to hear from anyone out there who has been there and done that. Wish me luck, Judy.

If you look on amazon.com there are a couple of cookbooks called something like "the 1200 calorie cookbook" worth a look thru anyway.

I eat a reduced calorie diet, but I am not on any "plan" so to speak. I eat what I choose to eat, not what a plan tells me to have at each meal. It just works better for me that way.

If you are eating a 1200 calorie diet, you can split it up like so:

Breakfast: 300 calories

Lunch: 300 calories

Dinner: 450 calories

Snack: 150 calories

Don't worry if it isn't exact. You may eat 1195 calories one day, and 1250 the next-but you stay CLOSE to the range you are aiming for.

If you want a plan, you can try an exchange system, sort of based on the food pyramid, I think. Here's one for diabetics but it should be healthy for everyone:

http://www.dietsite.com/dt/diets/dia...meal_plans.asp

They have 3 suggested plans for 1200 calories, depending on how much milk you want.

If you go to Google and search for '1200 calories exchanges' you can find lots of exchange-based meal plans, and some suggested menus, for 1200 calories.

Here is a site that will make up a menu for you: http://www.shapeup.org/atmstd/kitchen/page0.php