Visual gallery of a series of meals in the 300-400 Calorie range. The visual representation gives an idea of portion size.
Breakfast – 290 Calories
1 whole wheat English muffin
2 pats low fat butter
1 hard boiled egg
1/2 cup of fruit
8 oz fruit juice
8 oz water
Cereal – 300 Calories
1 cup of cereal
8 oz 2% milk
1 banana
1 coffee or tea
Baked potato – 305 Calories
1 medium baked potato
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons salsa
1 cup sliced melon
12 oz water
Oatmeal – 325 Calories
1 cup oatmeal with raisins
1 cup of fruit
1 cup coffee or tea
1 banana
Soup – 350 Calories
1 bowl of soup
1 small tossed salad
2 tablespoons reduced fat oil and vinegar dressing
12 oz water
4 saltine crackers
Chicken – 345 Calories
6 oz of chicken
1 cup of green beans
2 pats of low-fat butter
1 small tossed salad
2 tablespoons reduced fat oil and vinegar dressing
12 oz water
Chicken Salad – 350 Calories
1 large tossed salad
2 tablespoons reduced fat oil and vinegar dressing
6 oz sliced chicken
1 cup of low fat wheat thin crackers
12 oz water
Scrambled eggs – 360 Calories
2 scrambled eggs
2 strips of turkey bacon
1 piece whole wheat toast
1 pat of low fat butter
1 coffee or tea
8 oz water
Fish – 365 Calories
6 oz broiled white fish
1 cup of mashed potatoes
1 pat of butter
1/2 cup of peas
8 oz diet iced tea
Chicken and Rice – 395 Calories
6 oz cooked chicken
2 tablespoons of barbecue sauce
1 cup of mixed vegetables
1/2 cup of brown rice
1 small tossed salad
2 tablespoons reduced fat oil and vinegar dressing
12 oz water
Consumption
It’s hard to believe that the average American consumes around 3,800 Calories per day. That’s more than all the food shown on this page. Highly processed foods are very easy to overeat.
I have begun to change my lifestyle to that of a healthy lifestyle. Like an addict I hit my rock bottom and I had enough. I always made excuses befoe about how it was too hard but its not. Since July, I have been eating 5 to 6 smaller meals a day instead of the unhealthy 2 large meals I was eating before. I actually eat some of these breakfasts that are listed. Once you begin to eat like this, it becomes habit. I do not work out with a personal trainer but I do have a gym membership. They are helpful in giving you advice on what you should be doing. This includes weight training and nutrition. I have not been dieting but since making the this change I have lost 18 pounds since July. I hate saying that b/c b4 I started not loosing weight as fast as others say they do discouraged me but as it was stated before, everyone’s body is different and making a change is better b/c you dont want to loose weight and revert to the same habits. I think that some of the comments are insensitive and rude but I totally think these meals are good ideas (except the low fat butter, I use real butter) and that loosing weight is a total body experience that requires regular exercies.
I’ve just started eating like this and it works. I have hurt my back and can’t exersice just yet, but plan to walk every day for a while until I change it up. (Not sure what I can do)I had gastric bypass surgery and lost 100 pounds. I have put about 30 pounds back on. I think it was from drinking coffee and lattes. I have cut that all out. Surgery is not the answer I found out the hard way. Eat smaller meals. BTW if I need butter I use a tiny dab of the real thing. I would rather have no butter than that plastic crap.
Anyone else get around 400 calories for the first two meals listed? Didn’t go through all the meals individually but that’s a little misleading…Other than that, thank you for a great post!
I agree when I was in the military almost twelve years ago I was able to eat excessive amounts of calories and burn them off and maintain approximately 225lbs and keep fairly lean and healthy. I was no super ripped muscle hound but I was fair and able to do the job required. Unfortunately over the years and a carwreck later this is not the case my knees will not allow me to run more than 50-75 yards prior to my falling on my face due to the knees giving out and buckling under the stress of the running. It is nice to see someone willing to put their info on the net to try to help others wish I can use the info to help me get back to 225 and be comfortable instead of unhealthy and just plain fat I know I have about 50 lbs to lose and will be greatful fo rany help I can find short of having to spend huge amounts of money for a club membership that is not able to do me any good with a diet to go with the reps.
Was this a diet or eating reform plan? or did you just decide to pick out foods on your own?
yes
im fat ur fat were all fat
Steve, what’s a sauna suit?
This is absolutely the best comment by far!
As a dietician, I may start handing these out… my clients would leave happier! Wonder if I’d get fired…
i eat nuts and honey nut cheerios every day with water is that bad??
Gee, it must be nice to be so physically fit and capable and eat what you want. I guess you’ve never had a debilitating knee injury or been in a car accident that disabled you so you could not exercise. You are truly special and blessed.
My sister in law has cerebral palsy. If she tries to exercise, she goes into spasm for hours. One day maybe you should skip the gym and take a class in compassion.
I dont believe this. A banana alone is about 200kcal already. Clearly each of the meals shown are more than 300kcal.
Water actually is absorbed through your stomach lining and does not ‘sit there’ while you digest the rest of your food. A better way is to drink the water first, then eat. You’ll feel fuller sooner and the portion control won’t seem so hard. And you only need enough water to stay hydrated, be that eight glasses a day or four. If you’re running to pee every hour, you’re drinking too much and putting your kidneys through unnecessary work!
I’m with you. I’d rather have a smaller portion of the real thing any time.
Sauna trajes son ideales para bajar de peso, y no sólo el peso del agua . Trajes Sauna son básicamente diseñada para duplicar los mismos efectos que obtendría por sentarse en una sauna en el spa de salud.
Walking is technically exercise.. but its not enough to “shed weight”. Sure, after a period of many years of diligent walking Many miles Every day, you might see some gradual improvement.. but for those looking to really lose weight you have to push yourself. In fact, its better to push yourself harder for a shorter period of time, than to go for a long distance, low intensity walk.
–and for those with “ravenous” appetites.. if you increase your output, you can and should increase your input.
900 calories a day is too little. Your body will go into starvation mode and hoard the fat. Check your base metabolic rate — it tells you roughly how much you would burn if you spent the entire day in bed doing absolutely nothing. If you eat that number of calories and get an hour of exercise* every day, you will lose weight.
*Alternating cardio and lifting weights will get you the best results. The point of exercise is not to burn calories — it’s easier to just not eat them — but rather to relieve the stress that causes your body to store fat.
The human body is able to eat a lot of food because it’s also able to go without. When food is scarce and you don’t know where your next meal is, you have to be able to stuff yourself when you have the food.
This is a great idea, but what I don’t like about it is the consistent use of strange “diet foods” like low fat butter and diet iced tea. I think the fillers in “low fat butter” are pretty innocuous, but why not just use half as much regular butter, not that these meals need it in the first place? Artificial sweeteners on the other hand come with health concerns and don’t taste like the real thing. However, if you make your own iced tea you really don’t need more than a tablespoon of sugar per pint, which makes it about 25 calories for an 8 oz serving, not bad at all. I’d rather see the emphasis on reasonable preparation methods instead of special diet products.
As far as the meals not being enough – sure if you only plan to eat 3 a day it’s not enough, but that’s not how you do it. To keep my calories around 1600-1800 for weight loss, I eat 3 meals a day of 250-500 calories and 2-3 snacks of 100-250 calories. I get hungry that often whether I eat a little or a lot at my meals, so it only makes sense. A 300ish calorie lunch I’ve been enjoying lately, to add to the list:
A thick slice of whole grain bread
1-2 oz cheese, depending on fat content
About 2 cups green salad
Dressing made from 1 tsp olive oil, 2 tsp rice vinegar, and 1 tsp Dijon mustard
Yum!