A 1,600-calorie diet menu plan provides enough calories to fuel your day but few enough to help most people lose weight. When limiting calories, make an extra effort to consume meals consisting of whole, natural foods to get the most nutrients and satisfaction. Divide your 1,600 calories up over at least three meals, or three meals and one or two snacks.
Strategies
Try not to go longer than four hours without eating, or you risk becoming exceptionally hungry and eating too much at your next sitting. Make each meal contain a high-quality carbohydrate, such as whole grains, vegetables or fruit, a lean protein and a small amount of unsaturated fat. Cooking at home can help you control the ingredients--and the calorie content--in your food.
Types of Foods
Most fresh vegetables and fruits contain high amounts of water and fiber, making them low in calories and filling. Whole grains, including oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa and whole-wheat bread, provide fiber, which makes you feel full and may protect your heart's health. Leaner proteins, such as chicken or turkey breast, fish and shellfish, egg whites and beans, are lower in calories than higher-fat options such as prime rib or pork ribs. Low- or nonfat dairy products, such as cottage cheese, skim milk and yogurt, provide calcium and protein. Unsaturated fats should make up 20 to 35 percent of daily calories, according to the Institute of Medicine. Oils such as olive, flaxseed, walnut and safflower, as well as nuts and nut butter, avocados and seeds, are sources of these heart-healthy fats that help with optimal body functioning.
Considerations
A 1,600-calorie diet plan may be inadequate for very active people, especially men. If you lose weight at a rate of faster than 2 pounds per week or feel weak, irritable and starved on the plan, consider increasing your daily calorie intake slightly. You can use about 130 of your daily calories for extras, such as saturated fat, sugars and additional servings. These discretionary calories offer little nutrition but may make meals more interesting. Foods such as butter, syrup, jelly and soda count as discretionary calories.
Sample Day
A 1,600-calorie day with three 450-calorie meals and one 250-calorie snack might begin with two whole-grain frozen waffles, toasted, with 8 ounces of nonfat Greek yogurt, a cup of fresh blueberries and 1 tsp. of honey. For lunch, try a pasta salad made with 1 cup whole-wheat penne, 1 cup steamed broccoli, 1 cup orange sections, 1/4 cup red pepper stripes, 1/2 cup chopped chicken breast and a dressing made from 1 tbsp. orange juice, 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar, 1 tsp. sesame seeds and 1 tsp. olive oil. For a snack, have an apple with 1 ounce toasted almonds. At dinner, stir fry 3 ounces of shrimp with 1 cup sugar snap peas, 1/2 ounce cashews, soy sauce and garlic. Serve over 1 cup brown rice.
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