Free Diet and Meal Plans

A series of meal plans forms the basis for any calorie-controlled diet. These examples will help you to get a handle on what your daily energy intake will look like.

Calculate your daily calories for maintenance or weight loss here.

Current government calorie recommendations are as follows:

  • Women (aged 19-30) – 2000
  • Women (aged 31-50) – 1800
  • Men (aged 19-30) – 2400
  • Men (aged 31-50) – 2200

These amounts are for weight maintenance (neither losing or gaining weight), and assume little or no physical activity. As we age, our basal metabolism lowers, as does our muscle mass.

By Number of Calories

As a very basic guide, daily calories under 1600 will suit a smaller-framed woman looking to lose weight. 1600 Calories and above will suit men.

Sample Meal Plans from Popular Diets

These meal plans are a selection of extracts from a number of popular diets. To obtain further plans you will need to purchase the book.

Calorie controlled diets do not suit everyone. If you are someone that is prone to obsessing over food, then measuring calories may ultimately cause more harm than good.

  • Smith, C. F., Williamson, D. A., Bray, G. A., & Ryan, D. H. (1999). Flexible vs. Rigid dieting strategies: relationship with adverse behavioral outcomes. Appetite, 32(3), 295-305. Link
  • Bosy-Westphal, A., Eichhorn, C., Kutzner, D., Illner, K., Heller, M., & Müller, M. J. (2003). The age-related decline in resting energy expenditure in humans is due to the loss of fat-free mass and to alterations in its metabolically active components. The Journal of nutrition, 133(7), 2356-2362. Link
  • Hession, M., Rolland, C., Kulkarni, U., Wise, A., & Broom, J. (2009). Systematic review of randomized controlled trials of low-carbohydrate vs. low-fat/low-calorie diets in the management of obesity and its comorbidities. Obesity reviews, 10(1), 36-50. Link