1600 Calorie Meal Plan: Simple Healthy Meals to Lose Weight, Sample Nutrition Plans to Help You
1600 Calorie Meal Plan
Example food menus that can help you lose weight with easy nutritious meals.
The 1600 calorie diet plan is for those looking to lose weight. It is important to talk to a dietician before starting any low-calorie diet.
The Guidelines
1600 Calorie Diet Guidelines
The 1600 calorie menu plan outlines a reduced calorie, whole-foods diet that is low in added sugar, refined carbs, and processed food. Please consult with a physician before beginning and do not continue if you have any other health concerns like diabetes or high blood pressure.
Meal planning and food prep is an essential part of any healthy diet. It removes the guesswork. Start the week off with a fridge full of packed and prepped food to prevent you from making impromptu decisions that could derail your progress.
To improve your overall health, expand the diet and focus on eating a variety of items. This ensures that you get enough vitamins and minerals and the essential nutrients needed from most food groups. A well-balanced meal plan will contain a variety of healthy items from all food groups. It should include lean proteins, whole grains, starchy vegetables, legumes, healthy fats, and non-starchy vegetables.
Your Weight Loss Goal
Your Weight Loss Goal, Easy 1600 Calorie Planning
If you want to lose weight, you need to reduce the number of calories you normally take in. A great way to do this is by following a meal plan based around calorie counting.
Burning more calories than you consume is the most basic definition of weight loss. Reduce your caloric intake by 500 calories per day and this will result in approximately 1 pound of weight loss per week. If you are looking for a faster rate of weight loss, you can cut your caloric intake by 1000 calories per day, which will result in approximately 2 pounds of weight loss per week.
While losing weight on a 1600 calorie diet will help you shed pounds, it is important to understand that weight loss will not happen overnight. It takes time and effort. If you are not seeing results after a week or two, adjust your nutrition accordingly.
The 1600 calorie diet plan, when combined with regular exercise, could help you lose weight faster. We have plenty of easy workout ideas that will fit within your schedule.
Your Caloric Needs
1600 calories a day is not for everyone. You need to first determine how many calories you need to eat per day. The numbers are based on your estimated metabolic rate, activity level and goal. To lose weight, you should determine your calorie needs. Use this daily calorie calculator to find your starting point.
Sample Menu Plan
1600 Calorie Sample Menu Plan
Our easy daily meal plan shows you exactly how to create quick, healthy menus in minutes. We will also show you how many calories and macronutrients are in each low-calorie recipe, so it’s easy to swap out items if you want to cut or add extra calories for an upcoming workout.
Here is the sample 1600 calorie plan.
| Breakfast | |||||
| Amount | Item | Protein | Carbs | Fats | Calories |
| 12 ounces | coffee-w/caffeine | 0.40 | 1.40 | 0.00 | 8.00 |
| 1 cup | milk, 2% | 8.00 | 11.00 | 5.00 | 120.00 |
| 1 tbsp | cream, fluid, half and half | 0.44 | 0.65 | 1.73 | 19.55 |
| 1.5 cups | cheerios | 4.50 | 34.50 | 3.00 | 165.00 |
| Total | 12.98 | 46.26 | 9.73 | 305.22 | |
| AM Snack | |||||
| 1 each | apple-medium with peel | 0.30 | 21.10 | 0.00 | 81.00 |
| Total | 0.30 | 21.10 | 0.00 | 81.00 | |
| Lunch | |||||
| 2 each | bread whole wheat-slice | 6.00 | 24.00 | 2.00 | 140.00 |
| 1 each | orange-medium | 1.10 | 17.40 | 0.30 | 69.00 |
| 0.15 cup | mayo | 0.32 | 8.47 | 11.77 | 137.37 |
| 2 ounces | turkey breast/white meat or ham | 17.00 | 0.00 | 0.40 | 76.50 |
| Total | 24.42 | 49.96 | 14.47 | 422.87 | |
| PM Snack | |||||
| 1 each | banana-med. | 1.20 | 26.70 | 0.60 | 105.00 |
| Total | 1.20 | 26.70 | 0.60 | 105.00 | |
| Dinner | |||||
| 5 ounces | halibut - broiled | 37.50 | 0.00 | 5.00 | 198.75 |
| 1 cup | rice-brown cooked steamed | 6.00 | 62.00 | 0.00 | 164.00 |
| 1 tbsp | thousand island-reduced cal. Kraft | 0.00 | 3.00 | 1.00 | 20.00 |
| 1 spear | broccoli | 4.50 | 7.90 | 0.50 | 42.00 |
| 1 small | salad-sm. Garden w/tomato, onion | 1.30 | 9.50 | 0.40 | 49.00 |
| Total | 84.50 | 82.40 | 10.90 | 660.75 | |
| TOTAL | 123.39 | 226.42 | 35.70 | 1574.84 | |
WEEKLY SHOPPING LIST
| Food | Quantity |
| Apple - medium with peel | 7 each |
| Banana - medium 8 inches | 7 each |
| Bread whole wheat - slice | 14 each |
| Broccoli | 7 spears |
| Cheerios | 10.5 cups |
| Chicken Breast / White Meat | 28 ounces |
| Coca Cola - diet | 84 ounces |
| Coffee- w/caffeine | 84 ounces |
| Cream, fluid, half and half | 7 tablespoons |
| Halibut - broiled | 35 ounces |
| Mayo type, reg., w/salt | 1 cup |
| Milk - 2 % fat | 7 cups |
| Orange - medium | 7 each |
| Rice - brown | 7 cups |
| Salad - small garden | 7 small |
| Thousand-island - reduced cal. | 7 tablespoons |
| Turkey Breast / White Meat | 14 ounces |
Help Me
The Best Meal Plan App
Using the latest science and research, the team at changingshape.com offers plans developed by certified nutrition and fitness professionals. Join the changingshape.com calorie counter app free today.
