Diet Meal Plan

Diet meals may sound unappetizing, but they don't have to be. Portion control allows you to eat the foods you love without having to break your diet. The average person should be able to lose weight on a 1,500-calorie daily diet consisting of three meals, ranging from 300 to 500 calories each, and three small snacks throughout the day. Eating at regular intervals will help you stay full and avoid diet pitfalls.

Breakfast

Eat a good breakfast. A nutritious breakfast will help you resist stopping at a fast-food drive-through on the way to work or snagging a doughnut from the break room. A 300-calorie breakfast of healthy foods will keep you satisfied until lunchtime or at least until your mid-morning snack. One 300 calorie breakfast consists of 1/2 cup dry oatmeal and 1/2 cup frozen blueberries cooked in water with one scoop (80 calories) of flavored protein powder stirred in after cooking. This dish can be prepared in the microwave in only 3 minutes. (Remember to reduce the amount of water when adding frozen fruit.) Another idea is to cook eggs along with egg whites for a low-calorie breakfast. One whole egg provides 75 calories while an egg white has only 17 calories. If you don't like the taste of egg whites, mix in a few whole eggs to improve flavor.

Lunch

Allow yourself approximately 400 calories for lunch. Preparing your own lunch at home will make counting calories much easier but sometimes it just isn't an option. Plan ahead and look up the nutritional facts for the various places you eat regularly by visiting the restaurants' websites. Some restaurants do not provide nutritional information to the consumer. You may want to avoid those restaurants when you are counting calories. When you can find nutritional information, pick a few different menu items in advance so that you will have options when it is time to order lunch. At McDonald's, a premium Caesar salad with grilled chicken, topped with low-fat balsamic vinaigrette dressing, and a small vanilla ice cream cone add up to 410 calories.

Dinner

Dinner on this meal plan can contain up to 500 calories. Include a serving of lean protein such as chicken, fish, beef with all visible fat trimmed away, tofu or tempeh. Add at least one serving of green vegetables and one serving of whole-grain bread or starchy vegetables, such as yams or potatoes. A typical 500-calorie dinner is a 6-ounce broiled chicken breast, a cup of steamed broccoli, one small baked yam with two tbsp. sour cream and one small apple. Focus on healthy food choices so that you can eat more food to avoid hunger and food cravings.

Snacks

Eat small, 100-calorie snacks throughout the day in order to control hunger. Some ideas for 100-calorie snacks are 10 almonds, 3 cups of air-popped popcorn, two large flavored rice cakes or 6 to 8 ounces of orange juice (the calories vary slightly for different brands). You can also use 100-calorie snack packs, but limit them to one a day because most of them are high in sugar.