Menus For A 900 Calorie Diet

If you are obese with a body mass index greater than 30 and suffer from diseases related to your weight, such as diabetes or heart disease, your doctor may suggest you follow a very low-calorie diet plan to help you lose weight quickly. A 900-calorie diet is such a plan. You should only follow such a low-calorie diet under the advisement and direction of your physician.

Diet Guidelines

When following a 900-calorie diet, it is important to include a variety of foods from each of the food groups to maximize your nutrient intake. However, on such a low-calorie diet you may not be able to meet all of your nutrient needs and will need to supplement your diet as advised by your physician. A balanced 900-calorie diet includes 1 cup of fruit, 1 cup of vegetables, 3 oz. of grains, 2 oz. of meat, 2 servings of dairy foods and 2 tsp. of oil. You should divide your food among three meals and one snack. Eating regularly on a low-calorie diet can help control hunger.

Breakfast

You may be tempted to skip breakfast to help promote your weight loss, but you may, instead, be setting yourself up for failure. Skipping breakfast, and any other meal for that matter, may leave you feeling very hungry at your next meal, causing you to overeat. A healthy breakfast on your low-calorie diet should include 1/2 cup of fruit, 1 oz. of grain and 1 cup of milk. A sample meal could include 1 cup of whole-grain unsweetened ready-to-eat cereal with 1 cup of nonfat milk and 1/2 cup of sliced bananas. This breakfast meal contains 240 calories.

Lunch

For lunch, include 1/2 cup of vegetables, 1 oz. of grain, 1 oz of meat or beans and 1 tsp. of oil in your meal. A sample lunch might include 1/2 cup of cooked whole grain pasta mixed with 1/4 cup of cooked chickpeas, 1/2 cup of cooked broccoli, cauliflower and carrots and 1 tbsp. of balsamic vinaigrette. This lunch meal contains 250 calories. The fiber in the whole wheat pasta, beans and vegetables slows digestion, helping to control hunger,.

Dinner

A healthy dinner on a 900-calorie diet should consist of 1/2 cup of vegetables, 1 oz. of grains, 1 oz. of meat or beans and 1 tsp. of oil. For dinner, you can have 1 oz. of grilled salmon with 1/2 cup of cooked brown rice and 1/2 cup of spinach sauteed in 1 tsp. of olive oil and garlic. This sample dinner meal contains 235 calories.

Snack

Snacking can also help control hunger on your low-calorie diet. Your snack should include 1/2 cup of fruit and 1 serving of dairy. A sample snack idea is 1/2 cup of fresh grapes with 1 1/2 oz. of low-fat cheese. This snack idea provides 125 calories.