What Do 300 Calorie Meals Look Like?
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.
418 Comments
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Created / Updated: September 3, 2010
to me, those are very good portions of filling food. but as portions are so super-sized thesedays in resturants, fast food outlets and even for ready meals people's ideas of what a real portion of food looks like is very distorted.
i had to purchase some kitchen scales to weigh my food and i was surprised at the weight of some foods. now i eat about 65grams of rice (weighed when uncooked) which is about 3-4 tablespoons and the portion seems like a lot of me. however before this i could easily be eating 250grams (uncooked) of rice. a lot of people carry around the notion that unless the meal is big then it wont fill you up. but really i think part of this probably stems from people eating more junk food which lacks fibre and has a high gi so will leave them feeling hungry quicker. not to mention eating healthily is sometimes mocked as "bird food", "bland" etc. it would seem people get away with eating huge amounts of crap more than they do eating to live.
Reply3 to 4 spoons of rice? Are you really serious. Ithink weight hte rice is taking it to far.
The human body is designed to be able to eat a good amount of food.
It took me a long time to realize, it wasn't the amount of food that counts but the quality of the food.
Eat brown riche whole wheat foods and cut out all the processed junk, and you may be suprised at the amount of food you can eat, and still lose weight.
ReplyI would say you are only partially right there.
quality is key... no doubt. But quantity? I think you are off.
Now I am saying this to make sure no one gets confused by what you wrote. Eat untill you are no longer hungry, NOT till you are full.
Even if you eat a "QUALITY" meal, stuffing yourself to the rim will not help the fat loss process.
If this is what you meant originally then dont mind me =)
Sahil
Replyflawlessfitnessbook-com
I agree to what everyone is saying, once your body is used to 300 calories per every 2.30 - 3hrs. you can pretty much eat what every you want as long as it's 40p/40c/20f - and the biggest selling point is you must work out 3 - 4 times per (resistance training) and implement Cardio 3 - 4 time per week or immdiatley after your workout. Stick to that and you will get cut.
ReplyIf you only cut out junk food, you'll only lose so much before you plateau. You can't keep eating large portions and expect to look like that 'skinny' person. Those portions are the size we are SUPPOSED to be eating. You've trained yourself to not be satisfied with that amount. You are the one who has to train yourself again. Eat to live, not live to eat. If you keep making excuses, you'll struggle for the rest of your life.
ReplyRight! Quality is they key. Quantity can be too little. I struggled for years trying to eat tiny amounts of food. My body thought I was in starvation mode. Now I eat the right food (whole grains, olive oil, fish, nuts,fruits and vegetables) and plenty of them, and I have lost 16 pounds in 7 weeks.
ReplyWas this a diet or eating reform plan? or did you just decide to pick out foods on your own?
Replyif you look at the person's name it says 'Mia'. In the eating disorder world Mia means Bulle"Mia" and Ana means An"(a)"orexia
I could be wrong-which I hope I am, but trying to tell someone with an eating disorder what is "healthy" is like screaming at a wall.
However, if Mia is infact her real name, then I do apologize and commend her for trying to eat healthy.
ReplyThe 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.
ReplyI totally agree with you. I am going to Argos shortly to purchase a scale. I realise most of the times we eat more than the body really needs
ReplyI joined the United States Marine Corps.. and working out while in the Delayed Entry Program I was able to keep a healthy track of how much I eat, and the Calories I intake, also the weight I was losing. I got a good work out, 3 times a day using a sauna suit, and sweats just walk for 10 minutes and then run for 3-5 minutes, and throw in some jumping jacks and mountain climbers for that personal sensation. I did this and lost 15 pounds in 1 week, but I also watched what I eat. This menu is extravagent, for people who need to visually see what is out there for them to eat and its appealing. I mean the food you actually cook doesnt look like that in the end. But It will be those foods, so In conclusion losing weight really depends on watching calories and working out. Enough said, just get your fat lazy asses off your computer and go out, buy a suana suit at your local wal-mart in the workout training equipment section, grab an old pair of sweats and tennis shoes, and go walk your ass a healthy dose of cardio. Dedication is the key. Dont forget to watch the calories too.
Replywat can u do besides mountain climbin but wit the same effect
Replyexcuse me but sauna suit only expels excess water weight so as soon as you re -hydrate you gain that back. They are not a safe suggestion for long term weight loss
ReplyI can't even BELIEVE you are telling people to buy a sauna suit! That's all well and good if you are cutting weight before a wrestling meet or a boxing match, but you're losing weight by losing WATER!!! As soon as you re-hydrate you will gain that weight back. This is an unsafe practice. Worst. Advice. Ever. Really dumb. Like, wow.
Replyi agree with Bob and you only prolly lost the 15 lbs the first week... i lost 10 lbs in 3 days my first week, and now ive lost 105 lbs... my advice is to eat 1500-2000 calories a day watch ur sodium intake make sure you it breakfast and walk or run 1-2 miles a day and you will be succesful
ReplyOMG! I'm joining the Marines as well. And as a female, dropping weight feels so hard! I'm currently taking diet pills and trying to find recipies with less than 300 calories. Future Semper Fi-devil puppy. =]
ReplySteve, what's a sauna suit?
ReplyWhat a great visual representation of the fact that we can eat satisfying meals of a decent size! Good post.
Brian
ReplyI would love to lose weight with you. I have struggled for awhile, and I am tired of feeling the way that I do. My problem is emotional eating, I hate myself for that.
ReplyIf you are stuggling with emotional eating check this book out. "Women Food and God" It will rock your world.
ReplyGreat post.
Those are great as a reference for portions. I find it so hard to not eat everything in front of me when i go to the restaurant(usually take the other half home) Now I know I really shouldn't even be eating half of the plate as it's still an exagerated portion.
It's so much easier to eat at home.
ReplyYou rigth I hate eating out I never eat heathy when I go out I love eating at home is better then going to a restaurant.there is not place like home
ReplyLow-fat butter?
http://www.apv.com/us/eng/industryofferings/dairy/milkfat/lowfatbutter/Low+Fat+Butter.htm
No thanks...I'll stick with real butter =)
ReplyWell if so many people want to whine about this diet this person so greatfully put on here than maybe that is why you are not losing weight is because so many americans want to sit on their rear-end and do nothing but eat fatty foods.
Replyi feel bad for you guys i eat whatever i want. what most of you dont realize is that the human body is built to burn calories. i eat near 5000 to 6000 calories a day and am in great physical shape. intake doesnt matter as long as you burn i work out an hour a day five days a week and run 4 to 6 miles religiously. if u want to lose weight just get off your fat lazy ass.
ReplyJ, I agree with you 100% brah. What most people don't realize is that loosing weight takes effort on your part, and that effort must be to excercise more. You will not loose much weight if you don't excercise. People listen to me, if you want to loose weight, don't sit on your ass eating chips and pop and ice cream all day and watching T.V. or playing computer and eat healthy foods. Get up, excercise, and eat right, thats all you need to do, its not that hard.
ReplyI never thought of going to that extreme! ;)
ReplyThere is more to lossing weight than excerising. I walk any where from 3 to 6 miles almost everyday. I do weight training and aerobics. If I eat anything I want to, I would not lose any weight what so ever. I have tried and it does not work. I have lost 4lbs. in 2 days, because I have lowered my calorie intake. I eat fish, chicken, oatmeal, all the good stuff. I do not drink sodas. So before telling people to get up off there lazy ass, because you know so much, walk in there shoes and then speak.
ReplyOne day, everyone will realize that everyones boday is different. There are skinny people that eat 5-6 thousand calories a day and dont gain an ounce and dont work out, there are large people that eat healthy and excersize but lose weight very slowly. Depending on your body one thing will work more effectively then another. The best way is to eat right, excersize and don't expect the lbs to come of overnight, it takes time to lose weight. Some people will respond to weight training, others to eating right, others to aerobic, the real trick is to find what your body responds to. However, losing weight should be a goal, but being healthier is the more important part, so the men and woman that run 10 miles but eat junk food all day can still have negative effects.
ReplyExactly! Some people are so obnoxious, think they know it all! =/ Every situation is different - not everyone who struggles with weight is lazy, sedentary.
Reply"walking" is not really exercise. Albeit, its better than nothing. Running on the treadmill or street or trails conditions your joints and muscles as it requires resitance of the muscles to off-set the pounding the joints take. Basically, after your body adjusts after 4-6 weeks of walking, you must run. Eat sensibly (ie. cut out salt, sugar and excessive fats) you will lose weight. Elipitcals and stationary bikes, spinning, etc. is all crap exercise. You MUST run. Period. End of story.
Reply@ shon moore
If walking is not exercise, than neither is running. Your post makes absolutely no sense what-so-ever. Either way calories are burned, a calorie is just a measure of energy, and it takes energy to do anything. So when energy is used, calories are burned. It takes longer to burn calories when walking, but that does not invalidate walking as exercise. The idea that walking isn't exercise is just nonsense. It's just a low key exercise. Also, your body adjusts to anything (including running) if you do the same thing consistently without increasing the difficulty and thus, continue to challenge yourself. We all know that we need to eat sensibly, that's just common sense. You MUST exercise, of which running is but one form, but it doesn't HAVE to be running. Elipticals, spinning, etc... are all forms of exercise as well. If you want to say "period/end of story" please make sense in the future, or expect for someone to tear a hole in your "logic".
Replywell thats abit rude these people want motivation not to be put down. Your crtisism was not in the least constructive. No ones going to present you a medal for biggin yourself up
Replyha ha ha your comment made me laugh, is true we have to exercise
ReplyGood for you that you eat 4,000-5,000 calories a day. But have you paused to think that....
1) YOU ARE A MAN-with MORE MUSCLE MASS? Women can't top that-unless they take steroids. ;) Even then their metabolic rate can't match yours.
2) You are probably younger. Not everyone is young.
I work out 7 days a weeek-I do 1 hour cardio-enough to get my heart rate at 165-170 bpm, and burn 900 calories. I also do light weights. I am a 27 year old woman, and I need 1500-1700 calories a day to maintain a healthy weight of 135 lbs at my 5'7" height.
Everyone's body is different. I know mine is. I could never eat 4,000-5,000 calories a day-even with activity.
Ciao.
ReplyUhm. Hello. Grow up. This is put here to help people gain the knowledge, and will power, to be able to take care of their problems on their own. People need support, not narrow minded fools, who sit their and degrade them. Im a fatty, I have a beautiful son, and a boyfriend who loves me for who and what i am, If you have to run 4-6 miles, and work out to feel loved then more power to you. No one needs your criticism.
ReplyGee, 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.
ReplyI 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.
ReplyI find that if I take Hoodia I don't really have the desire to a a lot of high fat or high carbohydrate foods. I actually like fresh juicy things like salad and fruits.
ReplyWhat type of hoodia do you take---there are so many different types and stories about rip off versions---thanks-----marcey
ReplyYeah, that's what I was wondering. What is low fat butter?
ReplyI'm with you. I'd rather have a smaller portion of the real thing any time.
ReplyMe too, and those concerned with heart disease can just use some real olive oil. The only kind of low-fat anything that is not funky is low-fat milk and yogurt. All other products are loaded with plastic-sounding things.
ReplyOlive oil is actually better for you than butter, and I think it tastes better too.
ReplyDid you know that you can save A TON of calories just by eating low fat butter instead of real butter??? That works the same with almost ALL low fat things. Just remember: Low fat means less than I think 5 grams of fat per serving. But...how many servings are you eating???
ReplyThe egg white omelet doesn't seem correct.
2 egg whites = 35 cals (about 17 each)
1/2 c peppers = 14 cals
1/2 c fruit = ~50 cals.
Not even 100 calories! Even if we add an ounce of low-fat cheddar cheese (~ 70 cals), we haven't hit the 200 calorie mark.
ReplyThe original picture on the website above is at
http://myphotodiet.com/diet/sample_menu_2.html
And you are correct....the breakfast has 220-calories...and that's because it's an omelet with eggs, not just egg whites!
This is how the above site lists it:
Breakfast
2 egg omelet
½ cup chopped green and red peppers
½ cup of fruit
1 coffee or tea
8 oz of water
220 | 13 (calories | fat grams)
ReplyNice concept, but I think they'd be more successful if they weren't pushing the low-fat thing. People would be excited to eat real butter, real dressing and egg yolks. It's better not to make people feel as if this is a sacrifice, and to not eat so many processed foods!
Replyi want to make an eating diary via a blog. where do you suggest i go to do this. e
Replyi use mytrainerbob.com its a really nice website and it gives you tips how to lose weight too
ReplyIt can be a great idea if you hate the idea of counting calories to come up with a load of healthy "300 calorie options" based around your normal regime.
After that it's so easy to keep track of your intake.
Book idea for someone?? "The 300 Calorie Diet." Would sell like hot-cakes no? :)
Nice post.
Reply~Mike.
The breakfasts are okay. But the meal with the baked potato (#3) was unappetizing to me. There are hardly any meat dishes; I really don't see this as more than a breakfast and occasional lunch/dinner kind of thing. Only 300 calories at every meal will leave you hungry unless you eat a lot of snacks. But that's a personal preference. I couldn't see these meals as getting me through the day every day. It's a little too spartan for me.
ReplyYour comment did not make sense to me, because dont you want to eat smaller portions to loose weight? This, to me is a great way to start counting calories under 400.
ReplyI actually agree with Debbie. Yes you do want to eat smaller meals to lose weight but it's imperative that the meals are enough to get you through the day. There is hardly any variety other than breakfast and unless you have the time to eat often you'll definitely be hungry and wind up binging. However, your point is extremely valid
ReplyRemember; the author mentions eating 6-7 of these per day! That's more eating than I could manage! Who'd even have time to snack with all those meals?
ReplyProper meals every 3 hours you can and will loose alot of weight. Believe it or not you will be starving for next meal drink water or tea between them.
ReplyGoogle search body builders diet has meals planned out in order.Do as it says,this is free to get I paid $100 for it from a trainer but well worth the results.I lost a total of 65 pounds in 3 months went from 325 to 260.Then cut down to 3 times a week and don't overindulge on junk when not on meals.Will keep your metabolism boosted it starts from day one doing diet.
I've tried them all this is only one that I've seen work with me and everyone else that had a hard time with taking off weight.
Rick if you are still out there I would like to know more about the search engine you used. I believe in the 300 cal meals and I have been working out on the treadmill and started lifting small weights. But I platued and have seen nothing for 2 weeks
ReplyIf you think you will eb hungry, you can always add on a large salad with low calorie dressing, or add in a big side of green beans to fill you up. This always works for me if I'm eating a small Lean Cuisine meal, and I am never hungry after adding a low fat side dish.
ReplyIf you think you will be hungry, you can always add a large salad with low calorie dressing, or a big side of green beans to fill you up. This always works for me if I'm eating a small Lean Cuisine meal, and I am never hungry after adding a low fat side dish.
ReplyThank you for this. Great post. I'm submitting it to Reddit.
ReplyI think that second image is one cup of cereal, not two (I looked on the source web page). It depends a lot on the cereal, of course ^_^
Debbie, you're right... their dailiy diets have one larger meal, either lunch or dinner. Take a look at the source web page.
The shock for me when I started being careful about portion size was the number of calories in cooked rice. It's around 200 calories a cup. I can eat two cups of rice without thinking and head back for more.
ReplyI think 300 cals a meal works, cause you can eat 5 or 6x a day and end up in the 1,500-1,900 range, give or take.
I just have a great cookbook rec: "Stella's Kitchen". Best cookbook ever, the food is clean but appetizing, not the old "tuna and brown rice with a side of lettuce".
ReplyYeah, that was sort of what I was thinking, because if you only eat 3 meals a day of 300 calories, that's really not enough food. 900 calories...yikes. Unless you're in a coma or something.
ReplyAnyway, I did look on the website and added up the calories in one of their sample meals (3 meals and 2 snacks) and I got about 1550, which is a lot more reasonable, especially if one is trying to lose weight.
what the heck is low-fat butter? it sounds icky!
ReplyOh, hey. I read the link posted above and it really is icky. No processed foods please!
I eat 6-7 250-300cal meals/day so I make a lot of meals that look like these. Usualy 3-4 ounces of protein, 1/2 cup starchy stuff and a bunch of veggies and/or fruit. It really does make you feel good and I never get too hungry as long as I don't go more than 4 hours without eating.
ReplyI'd rather fast every other day and eat what I wanted the rest of the time.
Replythat is not very good for you man, during fasting, your body will be in a catabolic, fat storing state, and it will not be very beneficial to your health, just saying...
ReplyAnyway, when I plan 300 cal meals, I still end up at around 2,200 cals, and not 1,900. I always add little things here and there (soy sauce, raisins to the oatmeal, etc.) and I always have a slight carb problem at lunch, making it more like a 450 cal meal. Some days, I have the same problem at breakfast. So it works out in the end.
ReplyVery awesome pictures here -- nice to have something to reference for once!
ReplyBased on those plates which I commonly eat, I'm
getting less than 1000 calories a day.
No wonder I can't gain weight.
ReplyThose are what my meals look like but I can't seem to lose any :( Far worse IMO.
ReplyJesus, I eat way too much.
ReplyGreat pictures! It really does show how much food we've been accustomed to thinking is "normal". I routinely measure my rice when I eat it. It's 170 calories for 1/4 cup of uncooked brown rice and the portion looks a LOT smaller than the massive piles of rice you usually get with Chinese food.
I think Richard Simmon's Deal-A-Meal cookbook from back in the day had photos of all the meals you could make and it showed exactly the portion sizes...it was really similar to this, but it included the recipes for everything.
Reply1/4 cup uncooked rice is 1/2 a cup of cooked rice. Typically with chinesse food you get 2 cups of cooked rice... Wheather it be fried with pork... brown and steammed or white.
ReplyWrong, 1/4 cup uncooked rice makes 1 cup cooked. Check out the nutrition label on any rice, it says that 1/4 cup uncooked in a serving, which makes 1 cup cooked.
ReplyWhat's the deal with 8oz vs 12oz water in some of those menus? Does water have calories?
ReplyI think you'll notice Vince, that when they list 8 oz. of water instead of 12, it's because they have another drink listed in the menu (fruit juice, coffee, tea, etc.)
ReplyNice!
ReplyVery nice presentation ... it's probably not a good idea to consume less than 1800 calories a day so you can have five to six of those meals a day and be good to go.
Reply