Eating fewer calories than you burn results in weight loss. Making meals that help you stick to this strategy can be easy if you arm yourself with the right tools and ingredients. A low-calorie meal plan requires some planning, but it does not involve a great deal of complicated cooking.
Calories
The number of calories in a low-calorie meal depends on your particular daily goals, which are contingent on your weight loss target, your activity level and your size. Dipping below 1,200 calories per day for women and 1,500 calories for men is not recommended, notes MedlinePlus. Dividing these calories up over three meals and two snacks helps keep hunger in check and prevents overeating at any one meal. For these calorie amounts, each meal should contain between 350 and 400 calories, with snacks ranging from 50 to 150 calories each.
Features
Low-calorie meals feature foods that contain few calories per serving, but they still offer plenty of nutrients. Filling your plate with watery and fibrous green and orange vegetables helps provide a lot of volume, without a lot of calories. One to two servings of whole grains, such as brown rice, oatmeal and whole-wheat bread, and a few ounces of a protein round out low-calorie meals. When restricting calories, there is not much room for empty calories, such as sugary sweets, fried foods or refined, white carbohydrates.
Types of Food
Salads, steamed vegetables and vegetables sticks are the easiest options for produce. Buy pre-washed bags of lettuce and cut-up vegetables like celery sticks and baby carrots. Check the freezer section for steam-in-the-bag vegetables, without sauce. Frozen shrimp, skinless chicken breast, pre-formed, extra-lean ground turkey burgers and egg whites are low-calorie, easy-to-prepare proteins. Brown rice is available precooked and frozen or in instant varieties. Quinoa, whole-wheat pasta and whole-grain English muffins are other grain sources that make quick and easy low-calorie meals. Stock your pantry with olive oil and nuts to provide some unsaturated fats to meals. Although these foods are higher in calorie, eating some fats is important to proper bodily functions, notes registered dietitian Joanne Larsen on Ask the Dietitian.
Cooking Strategies
Simply sprinkle chicken or fish with salt, pepper and spices and place under the broiler for a few minutes on each side. Alternatively, set the oven to about 400 degrees F and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness. Roast vegetables, like red peppers, zucchini and eggplant, alongside your protein, or serve a broiled piece of meat with steamed vegetables or a green salad. Another easy technique is to toss a serving of fresh or frozen broccoli in with your pasta for the last three to five minutes of cooking. At every meal, use your microwave to prepare grains, such as oatmeal or brown rice, to steam vegetables, or even to poach eggs.
Meal Ideas
Easy low-calorie breakfasts might include a 1/3 cup oatmeal cooked with water in the microwave for 3 minutes and topped with ½ cup skim milk, ½ cup blueberries and 1 oz.. chopped walnuts; an egg scrambled with two egg whites, chopped tomatoes and 1 oz. low-fat mozzarella cheese with a whole-grain English muffin; or a smoothie made with frozen peaches, one-half banana and 1 cup of soy milk. For lunch, make a sandwich on a whole-wheat English muffin with mustard, ham and a slice of avocado or hummus and egg whites. Have an orange or apple for dessert. Other options for lunch include salads topped with ½ cup beans and low-fat dressing with 1 cup of a broth-based soup, like chicken noodle or minestrone on the side, or a grilled turkey burger on a whole-wheat bun. At dinner, broil 4 oz. salmon and serve with quick-cooking brown rice and a salad made with pre-washed lettuce and low-calorie, bottled dressing. Another option is to boil 2 oz. whole-wheat pasta and, in the last few minutes, toss in frozen shrimp. Top with a low-calorie, jarred marinara and 1 tbsp. feta cheese.
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