One of the things that I don’t like about recipes is that I always feel I have to buy a ton of ingredients I don’t normally have in my pantry or cupboard. Any recipes or menus I suggest will be “low maintenance and low cost” but ALWAYS tasty.
Also, each meal in this 1000 calorie meal plan for weight loss is designed with a healthy protein and healthy carbohydrate. This is KEY for keeping blood sugars stable which is KEY for promoting weight loss. Often, breakfasts start out with just a carbohydrate for the day which sends most people into craving sugar and carbs later in the day.
In this menu I am going to assume your drink of choice will be water or green tea WITHOUT SUGAR.
BREAKFAST:
- ¼ cup of Rolled Oats boiled in ½ cup of unsweetened almond milk. You can sweeten the oatmeal with sugar free maple syrup or add a small amount of sugar – no more than a teaspoon which adds 15 calories!!
- 2 scrambled eggs on the side
Fat: 13 grams/ Carbohydrates: 16 grams/ Protein: 15 grams/ Sugar: .05 grams
TOTAL CALORIES: 233 calories
MID AM SNACK:
- ½ cup of blueberries and ½ cup of strawberries
**NOTE: In this 1000 calorie meal plan for weight loss, fruit should be eaten alone and not with other foods. The simple sugars and additional nutritional benefits of fruits need time to be absorbed by your body and is best done on an empty stomach to reap the benefits of fruit. In addition, if fruit is eaten too close or with other meals the absorption process of the fruit is slower and it can rot and ferment in your gut causing heartburn, indigestion and other digestive problems.
TOTAL CALORIES: 65 calories
LUNCH:
- Low Carb Wrap (Mission Carb Balance Wrap) with 3 ounces of grilled chicken and 2 tablespoons of guacamole spread on wrap.
Load up with any green veggies (spinach, baby kale, romaine lettuce, asparagus spears, etc..)
** NOTE: not all wraps are created equal. I recommend certain brands because they give you the most bang for your buck in terms of calories, carbs, fat, etc..
Fat: 6.5 grams/ Carbohydrates: 13 grams/ Protein: 20.5/ Sugar: 0 grams
TOTAL CALORIES: 203
MID PM SNACK:
14 raw almonds unsalted
Fat: 8 grams/ Carbohydrates: 3.6 grams/ Protein: 3.5/ Sugar: 0 grams
TOTAL CALORIES: 98
DINNER:
- Roasted Salmon with Asparagus
You will need olive oil, your favorite spices, cooking spray, lemon and garlic, one bunch of asparagus and ONE 8 ounce salmon fillet.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
TIP:
I buy salmon fillets from Trader Joe’s in the frozen fish department for $5.99 per lb. vs. the $11 or $12 per lb. at the grocery store. Although fresh fish is tasty, it also sends me to the supermarket more often because the purpose of fresh fish is to use it – FRESH.
Then I wind up buying items I don’t really need and send my grocery bill higher than it has to be. I prefer to buy a bulk bag of frozen fish and keep it in my freezer – works much better!!
Fat: 6.6 grams/ Carbohydrates: 12 grams/ Protein: 20.3 / Sugar: 1.2 grams
TOTAL CALORIES: 176
EXTRAS:
OK – we are now totaling 775 calories for the day using this 1000 calorie meal plan for weight loss. This is where I like to teach my members about their choices – there are 225 calories left for the day to reach the 1000 calorie goal.
Being given recipes is not always the solution to weight loss since weight loss is not permanent unless the ability to make food choices becomes CONSCIOUS.
So if you have 225 “free” calories left, where would you place those calories?
Here are some options:
You can add:
- 1 sweet potato with dinner – 130 calories.
You can boil it, microwave it or bake it. However you choose to prepare it is fine – just don’t go loading it up with butter and brown sugar and all that. I may put on a small amount of butter and I add cinnamon. My daughter loves it like this and it’s great filler in any meal.
OR:
Use the remaining 225 calories for a dessert at night. I do have dessert if I have room and I try not to have it right before I go to bed.
Also, PM snack does not have to be sweet – it can be a slice of toast with cream cheese (145 calories total).
Or you can have 3 squares of dark chocolate (225 calories total)!!!
Flexibility is Key
I truly feel that rigidity in menus makes “diet recipes” extremely difficult to follow and stick with. Use this 1000 calorie meal plan for weight loss to start learning how to have some choices and place those choices in places where you, as an individual, feel you want that little something “extra” is helpful when wanting to succeed.
Also…you should NOT stay on a 1000 calorie meal plan for weight loss for an extended period of time. People are always thinking that “less is best” when it comes to calories and this simply is NOT THE CASE.
If you have been using a 1000 calorie meal plan for weight loss for longer than 4 weeks and you are no longer losing weight – please increase your calories to help your metabolism speed up.
Feel free to shoot me an email and I will be happy to explain this to you so you avoid a sluggish metabolism.
