1,600 Calorie Meal Plan for a Week

Sixteen hundred calories isn't a lot of food, but for some men and women looking to reduce their calories or live a sedentary lifestyle, it can be enough for awhile. Of course, a 1,600 calorie plan should be used for no more than 12 weeks. After that, you should start adding in more calories until you get to your maintenance range. Remember, no human was born to eat the exact same number of calories every day. You can use a calorie calculator to figure out an appropriate calorie range (if you are the calorie counting sort). ​

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Before outlining the meal plan, let's talk about calories. The FDA cites that the average woman needs 2,000 calories per day to maintain her weight. Men need something like 2,400. Okay. Those numbers are based on  the average woman weighing 135 pounds and working out three times per week.

Let's just say that most of us aren't this woman.  I know that if I were to eat 2,000 calories every day, I wouldn't fare so well because I am a petite gal. Even though I am muscular, my body doesn't demand that many calories (I range from 1,400-2,400 a day), but for some women 2,000 calories make sense.

For the sake of everybody's sanity, let's presume that you are eating 2,000 calories everyday. And if you want to know how many you "should" be eating daily, check out this calorie calculator. If you are looking to lose some weight, dropping to a 1,600 calorie meal plan with the inclusion of exercise can help you lose about a pound per week.

The meal plan that I have prepared for you hits between 1,500-1,650 calories per day. You can swap fruits and or veggies depending on the season. The plan does contain wheat, fish, and animal products, but you can do some substitution if needed.