Our Color Wheel Diet Plan for the 1,200 calorie per day dieter found below encourages the use of color in the daily diet. For a detailed breakdown of the Color Wheel Diet Plan, please click on the link above.

Adding color to your daily diet not only adds fun, it also helps ensure that daily nutritional needs are met.

Because a 1,200 calorie diet is so restrictive, it may be difficult to meet minimum nutrition needs. And the more weight that an individual needs to lose, the more important that it become to ensure that daily calories are not too restrictive. For example, if an individual is in need of losing say....seventy-five pounds, a 1,200 calorie diet is not going to be a healthy option for weight loss - and may even present serious health risks.

Outside of being too restrictive in calories (energy), a 1,200 calorie diet may create a situation 'ripe' for weight gain as the metabolism slows when it detects the body is in a touchy situation. Whereas the dieter may be telling the body, "I'm eating less, so I am suppose to be gaining weight," the metabolism might be thinking, "Something is wrong. Perhaps harvest time has not proven plentiful and the nutritional needs of the body are unable to be supplied. Therefore, I must slow down and conserve precious energy until things (ie calories) pick up. Grow, crops, grow."

If you are a small individual in need of dropping say....twenty pounds, a 1,200 calorie daily diet might be perfect for you. Even so, it's imperative that you meet with you doctor before beginning any diet plan to: a) determine your personal calorie needs during the weight loss process; b) to cross out risks associated with dieting which may effect you; c) to rule out other factors which may be causing or contributing to weight gain; d) to rule out other diseases and medical conditions which may make dieting and/or some modes of dieting, impossible at the current time - such as during pregnancy. Certain medical conditions may require a specialized diet - one that is based on the Food Pyramid, yet one that veers slightly in other directions such as an increased OR decreased need for specific vitamins and minerals found naturally in foods.

1,200 Calorie Daily Diet - Diet Bites' Color Wheel Diet Plan
Food Group	USDA Recommended Daily Amount	Diet Bites' Color Wheel Diet	Examples of Food Choices
Fruits	1 cup =	1/2 cup of red fruit 1/2 cup of orange fruit	1/2 cup of strawberries 1/2 cup of cantaloupe
Vegetables	1.5 cups =	1/2 cup of dark green vegetables 1 cup of raw green leafy vegetables** 1/2 cup of yellow vegetables	1/2 cup broccoli 1 cup of salad greens 1/2 cup of yellow squash
Grains	4 ounces =	1/2 cup of cooked wheat pasta (tan) 2 slices of whole grain bread (tan) 1/2 cup of cereal (multi-color)	1/2 cup of wheat pasta 2 slices of whole grain bread 1/2 cup of cereal
Meat, Beans, Seeds, Nuts, Eggs, Peanut Butter	3 ounces =	1/2 cup of beans, peas, lentils or legumes 1 ounce of white meat 1 yellow /white egg (or brown egg)	1/2 cup English Peas 1 ounce of chicken breast 1 egg
Milk, Dairy	2 cups =	2 cups of white skim milk	2 cups of milk
Oils	4 teaspoons =	Use Golden Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Margarine Sparingly	Use Golden Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Margarine Sparingly
Discretionary Calories	Allow 171 Calories =	These are the calories that you choose to fit into your daily diet which may or may not fall into the official food groups. Preferably, the discretionary calories should come from healthy sources.	171 discretionary calories

Keep in mind that the Color Wheel Diet Plan is intended as a pattern to enhance the healthy daily diet. Don't forget about all the important colors - such as purple eggplant, sunshine yellow lemons, pink grapefruit, maroon colored grapes and so forth. In addition, don't forget to experiment with a variety of healthy foods - such as adding a dash of peanut butter to the 'nuts, seeds, protein, bean' food group.

As to daily oil & fat consumption recommended by the USDA, decreasing such can trim calories significantly. However, equally important to keep in mind is the fact that fats are an important part of any diet plan and should not be totally eliminated.

As to beverages, outside of skim milk we recommend water and low calorie/sugar free beverages.

In Summary:

While the 1,200 calorie daily may be perfect for some individuals, for most dieters it's not - and may be too low in calories to meet daily nutrition minimum recommendations.

It's imperative that you meet with you doctor before beginning any diet plan to: a) determine your personal calorie needs during the weight loss process; b) to cross out risks associated with dieting which may effect you; c) to rule out other factors which may be causing or contributing to weight gain; d) to rule out other diseases and medical conditions which may make dieting and/or some modes of dieting, impossible at the current time - such as during pregnancy.

Certain medical conditions may require a specialized diet - one that is based on the Food Pyramid, yet one that veers slightly in other directions such as an increased OR decreased need for specific vitamins and minerals found naturally in foods.

The Diet Bites Color Wheel Diet Plan

Based on USDA Daily Recommendations

1,200 Calorie Diet | 1,400 Calorie Diet | 1,600 Calorie Diet | 1,800 Calorie Diet

2,000 Calorie Diet | 2,200 Calorie Diet | 2,400 Calorie Diet

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2,400 Calorie Diet | 2,600 Calorie Diet | 2,800 Calorie Diet | 3,000 Calorie Diet | 3,200 Calorie Diet

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