Menu Plan for a 1600 Calorie Diet

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The 1600 calorie diet plan is quite popular amongst dieters and weight watchers. We provide some useful information on 1600 calorie diet menus and meal plans.

When thinking of a diet plan to reduce weight, many people often make the mistake of going to the extremes of cutting down their food intake to almost nil, working out for twice the amount of time than they should, etc. This can prove to be very harmful and dangerous for one's health and overall well-being, both in the short and long run.

The best way to go about dieting is to ensure that you consume a moderately low amount of calories, without starving yourself to keep health issues and medical problems at bay. The 1600 calorie diet plan is a suitable and smart way of doing so.

This diet plan provides your body with an adequate number of calories (here, 'adequate' means just enough to fulfill your body's minimum calorie requirement). It also takes care to ensure that you are not left completely fatigued after a rigorous exercise session or an energetic workout. Presented ahead are some sample diet menus for your reference.

Sample Diet Menus

One of the main fundamentals of this diet plan is to divide your daily food intake into multiple small meals, rather than just a couple of very heavy meals. A 'five-small-meals-a-day' format is a good one to follow. You can start off with an early morning breakfast followed by a light late morning snack.

Then, comes your lunch (which should also be a light affair and not a very heavy meal). After that, you can opt for a small mid-afternoon snack (alternatively, you can push this ahead by a few hours and make it an evening snack). Finally, the last meal of the day should be your dinner (once again, not a very heavy meal).

Also, make sure that you have your dinner at least two hours prior to bedtime and not just a few minutes before hitting the sack. Based on this five-meals-a-day diet format, here are a couple of sample diet plans for your reference.

Menu #1

Breakfast Boiled eggs (2), skimmed milk (half cup), and papaya or melon (half cup)

Late Morning Snack Large orange (1) or small oranges (2)

Lunch Lettuce salad (one serving), small grilled chicken breast (one), steamed green beans (one cup), and brown rice with low-fat margarine (one small cup)

Mid-afternoon or Evening Snack Medium-sized apple (one), low-fat crackers (six), orange juice (one glass)

Dinner Grilled lean loin lamb chop (one), baked potato (one), garden salad (one serving), and fresh strawberries with low-fat yogurt (one bowl)

Menu #2

Breakfast Low-fat oatmeal or wheat flakes with skimmed milk (one bowl) and large apple or pear (one)

Late Morning Snack Brown wheat bread (two slices), low-fat margarine or peanut butter (one tablespoon), and coffee (one cup)

Lunch Mushroom soup (one bowl), green salad (one large serving), and steamed mixed vegetables

Mid-afternoon or Evening Snack Unbuttered, low-fat popcorn (two scoops), diet coke (one), or orange juice (a glass)

Dinner Whole wheat pasta (one small cup), lentils (one cup), grilled fish (cod, salmon, or trout)- three ounces, and watermelon (two slices)

In the end, always do remember that by exercising a great control over your tongue, you can achieve the desired results within a short span of time and that too in a healthy way. Take care!

Disclaimer: This is for informative purposes only and does not in any way attempt to replace the advice offered by an expert on the subject.