While low-calorie, high-protein diets can assist with weight loss, you can go too low. A 1,000-calorie diet is lower than the minimum recommended amount of calories both women and men should eat per day for optimal nutrition and energy. For some people, a high-protein diet plan may not be healthy. Before going on a 1,000-calorie, high-protein diet plan, consult with your physician.
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A high-protein diet recommends getting 30 percent or more of total daily calories from protein. For a 1,000-calorie plan, this is at least 300 calories, or 75 g per day. When consuming just 1,000 calorie, each meal should contain about 300 calories with one 100-calorie snack slotted between breakfast and lunch or lunch and dinner. Each of these meals should contain between 15 and 30 g of protein, to help you get your daily allotment.
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Carbs and Fats
You still want to eat some carbohydrates for energy and fats for hormone production and vitamin absorption. The Institute of Medicine recommends consuming a minimum of 45 percent of your calories from carbohydrates and 20 percent from fats. Choose healthy carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables and dairy which provide vitamins and minerals as well as fiber. You should choose unsaturated fats, found in nuts, avocados, plant oils and fatty fish, to meet your fat requirement without raising your risk of heart disease.
Warning
Most adult women need a minimum of 1,200 calories per day and adult men 1,500 calories per day. If you are able to sustain a 1,000-calorie plan, you may become nutritionally deficient in certain vitamins and minerals. Even though protein can help you feel fuller for longer, a 1,000-calorie plan is likely to leave you hungry and feeling deprived.
Sample Plan
A meal plan with 993 calories and 45 percent carbohydrates, 20 percent fat and 35 percent protein begins with three scrambled egg whites with 3 cups of fresh spinach, ½ cup of chopped tomato and2 oz. of sauteed lean ground turkey. Have a glass of skim milk alongside. At lunch, have 8 oz. of nonfat, plain Greek yogurt mixed with 1/2 cup blueberries and 1 oz. of chopped almonds. For dinner, broil 2 oz. of salmon and have with 1/2 cup of brown rice and 1 1/2 cups of steamed broccoli. Your snack might consist of 2 oz. of deli turkey with three rye crisp crackers.