Dr. Nowzaradan's 1200 Calorie Diet Plan: All You Need to Know About It | Dr Workout (2024)

Heard about the popular Dr. Nowzaradan’s 1200 calorie diet program? Planning to join but becoming skeptical about it? And why should you not be? When FDA recommends a 2000 calorie diet per day for an individual, it seems unnatural to live on just 1200 calories a day.

But, let us tell you that it is possible to live a super healthy life with such restricted calorie intake with the proper amount of nutrients included in it.

And Dr. Nowzaradan, aka Dr. Now, focuses on this factor strongly. His 1200 calorie diet program is not a simple menu of foods and lists of exercises. As a complete package for healthy living, it comprises all of the essential nutrients and lifestyle changes. Want to know more about it? Follow this article below.

With over 40 years of experience, the doctor guides people with effective advice and diet plans to lose weight.

Dr. Now’s diet plan is majorly for the pre-surgery weight loss program. It is designed to lose the patients’ weight before bariatric surgery and other similar surgical procedures.

Now let’s know about the diet plan of Dr. Nowzaradan in detail. From its importance to the sample menu- find everything here.

What is Dr. Nowzaradan’s 1200 Calorie Diet?

So, what is there in this much-discussed meal plan? Is it really possible to stick to a limited-calorie diet and remain healthy? A usual American tends to have 3600 calories per day. So, it is hard to believe that one can live with just 1200 calories per day.

Dr. Nowzaradan’s 1200 calorie meal plan is a strict nutrition plan that restricts the food and beverage intake to 1200 calories per day. It tactfully includes low-calorie, healthy foods avoiding the high-calorie, fat-based foods. In this diet, the doctor has firmly restricted the amount of calorie intake.

The diet may seem difficult at the beginning. But, as per patients from various age groups, it is highly effective. The calorie intake is limited here to ensure the energy deficit in the body and burn the extra fat in it. Gradually, an obese person starts losing weight with this process.

Why is it important?

Regarding the diet plan, the doctor is strict. According to some patients’ experience, he even denies performing the operations if the patient has not lost enough weight.

According to him, you cannot lose weight if you are not dedicated enough for it. And if you cannot lose weight before the surgery, you cannot maintain good health after surgery.

In short, he wants to check the level of determination through the diet plan. Also, surgery is a crucial task. And it is risky to operate any medical surgery on an obese person.

Especially those with a weight of more than 600 pounds are likely to be at more risk than others. With the strict yet beneficial diet plan, Dr. Now has strived to reduce the risks to a great extent.

As per the different studies, the limitation of the calorie intake to 1200 calories lowers down the hunger hormone in our body. Hunger hormone is responsible for triggering the urge to eat.

So, once eat and drink as per this diet plan, the tendency to frequent eating stops. Gradually, it shows positive results in the case of weight loss journey.

Losing weight is not a one-day miracle. It is a long and extensive journey. Consistency and perseverance are the keys to success in it. Only going for the surgery will not help until you are ready to continue a healthy lifestyle ahead throughout your life. Dr. Now, being the remarkable weight-loss expert, believes in this proven theory.

He prefers to provide customized advice to individuals considering multiple factors. The essential factors are:

• Present weight
• Target weight
• Weight before the surgery
• Age
• Gender
• Past medical history

The advice proves to be strongly effective for post-surgery health. Once they get used to the strict pre-surgery diet plans, they continue it after the surgery.

So, the 1200 calorie diet plan was created by Dr. Now after many years’ research and experience as a medical expert. Let us know what’s there in it.

Dr. Nowzaradan’s 1200 Calorie Diet Plan

It is hard to find the complete details about the meal plan as it is not officially published. But, however, we have collected the necessary information from trusted sources. Let’s find how he prepares the diet plan.

Dr. Nowzaradan highly focuses on consuming more veggies and lean protein. As per the study, such meals improve an individual’s life expectancy, lowering down the risks of diseases.

Being enriched with high fiber, the vegetables fill up the stomach with a minimum calorie intake. And the amino acid in the lean protein helps to improve the muscles and tissues. Dr. Now. recommends cutting down the carb from the diet.

In short, the diet plan strongly focuses on two major factors – they are:

• Little Portions
• Fresh, whole food groups

Here, you can find the meal plan suggested in the 1200 calorie diet plan.

So, this was the proposed meal plan by Dr. Now. Here are some of the important facts you need to know about the 1200 calorie diet plan.

• It is only for those who are highly obese (more than 600 pounds) and planning to go for laparoscopic surgery or something similar to that.
• The proposed plan is a sample menu. The plan is customized as per every individual’s needs.
• Although the keto diet is popular for weight loss, the doctor does not recommend its high-fat intake.
• Now asks to eliminate the frequent tendency of eating snacks. It leads to accumulating fat around the waist. Also, eating frequently increases the blood sugar level.
• The three square meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner), with the right portion of the food, leads to a healthy life.

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What to Eat

Dr. Now has suggested a perfect all-inclusive meal plan for a healthy life without any extra weight. This 1200 calorie high-protein and low-carb diet comprise foods like-

• eggs
• plant-based protein like tofu, tempeh
• fish
• turkey, chicken
• lean beef
• shrimp
• mackerel
• salmon
• other seafood
• spinach
• broccoli
• tomatoes
• kale
• pepper
• low-sugar fruits, e.g., apples, berries
• cheese
• milk
• kefir
• Greek Yogurt
• water,
• Green tea
• Coffee
• Other low-calorie beverages

What to Avoid

Along with suggesting a long list of essential foods, the doctor has strictly avoided some foods in the diet. If you want to get into the weight-loss journey, you should focus on avoiding these foods. They are:

• sugar and other artificial sweeteners,
• desserts (cookies, pie, brownies, doughnuts, ice creams)
• candy
• chocolate
• molasses
• jelly
• honey
• popcorn
• syrup
• canned flavored items
• nuts
• high-sugar fruits like melon, banana, pears, grapes, mangoes, etc.
• supplements,
• sports beverages
• starchy vegetables like carrots, peas etc.
• packaged snacks
• potatoes
• alcohol
• white pasta
• brown pasta
• white rice
• brown rice
• potatoes
• soda
• juice

Is Dr. Now’s Diet Healthy?

A healthy diet fulfills the nutrition requirement of an individual without increasing the fat in the body. Dr. Now’s diet perfectly follows this principle. Limiting calorie intake is definitely a significant step towards losing weight for obese people.

With the right proportion of protein and other nutrients, it is essential to get and maintain good physical and mental health. As per various studies, the 1200 calorie diet plan including three square meals is genuinely beneficial.

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The Bottom Line

It was all about the practical diet plan suggested by Dr. Nowzaradan. Well, restricting calories without any expert advice may lead to severe consequences.

It can increase stress levels and disturbs mental health. Many other health issues can occur as well. So, you should undergo this 1200 calorie diet plan under professional supervision and guidance.