1600 Calorie Diet

1600 calories per day is appropriate for a medium-sized woman who exercises lightly and wants to maintain weight. See also 1500 Calorie Diet Plan

For the woman who exercises 3-5 times per week, 1600 calories per day will generally cause fat loss. See more on the Daily Calorie Needs Calculator

1600 Calorie Meal Plan

The following plan was written by the NHLBI (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute).

We suggest making the following changes - use olive oil instead of vegetable oil, basmati or brown rice instead of white rice. If possible, consider eliminating margarine from your diet completely.

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Meal Plan

TOTAL CALORIES ~1600

Breakfast

1/2 cup oatmeal, prepared with 1% milk, low fat
1/2 cup milk 1%, low fat
1 medium English muffin
1 T cream cheese, light, 18% fat
3/4 cup orange juice
1 cup coffee
1 oz milk 1%, low fat

Lunch

2 oz baked chicken, without skin
1 tsp vegetable oil
Salad:
- 1/2 cup lettuce
- 1/2 cup tomato
- 1/2 cup cucumber
2 tsp oil and vinegar dressing
1/3 cup white rice, seasoned with margarine, diet
1 small baking powder biscuit, prepared with vegetable oil
1/2 tsp margarine
1 cup water

Dinner

3 oz lean roast beef
1/4 cup onion
1 T beef gravy, water-based
1/2 cup turnip greens, seasoned with 1/2 tsp margarine, diet
1 small sweet potato, baked
1/2 tsp margarine, diet
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 medium slice cornbread prepared with margarine, diet
1/4 medium honeydew melon
1 cup iced tea, sweetened with sugar

Snack

4 Saltine crackers, unsalted tops
1 oz Mozzarella cheese, part-skim, low-sodium

Ensure you drink plenty of water.

For reviews of other diet plans, see our recommendations here.