Today’s meal plan, the second in the latest weekly diet menu includes a couple of easy to prepare meals along with a frozen entree for dinner. I’ve included oatmeal for breakfast as I have for other menus in the past. However, with this menu I’m sharing a recipe for you to make your own “instant” oatmeal that is tastier, more filling, and more nutritious than the store bought versions. It won’t take you long to make up a mix ahead of time and have enough for 6 meals or more.
Lunch calls for making a delicious sandwich with tuna fish and slices of ripe avocado. Sounds odd? Try it! I honestly think you’ll like it. I do. Today’s supper calls for a Lean Cuisine Cafe Classics Bowl of Three Cheese Stuffed Rigatoni with 1/2 cup of steamed broccoli on the side. All of today’s meals can be ready to eat in minutes!
A tip to keep in mind when preparing dishes with only 1/4 to 1/2 a piece of fruit is to keep the peeling on the remaining fruit (botanically speaking, an avocado is a fruit but it is considered to be a vegetable when it comes to food preparation). By leaving the peeling on it will reduce the browning that would otherwise occur. Just squeeze a little fresh lemon juice on the cut edges and then refrigerate the leftover to use with meals later in the week. If you are doubling these recipes to serve more than one person this may not be as much of an issue.
To modify today’s menu for a 1300, 1400, or 1500 calorie diet, look for my comments below.
1200 Calorie Menu (Day 2)
Breakfast
1 serving Homemade Instant Oatmeal (236 calories)
1/2 pear
1⁄2 cup Orange Juice
Snack
1 container French Vanilla Yogurt (Dannon – Light ‘n Fit, 100 calories)
Lunch
1 Tuna Fish Sandwich with Avocado
1 medium apple
water, unsweetened tea, or coffee
To prepare tuna fish sandwich with avocado:
Make tuna fish salad with 1 small can of white tuna canned in water (about 1/2 cup). Mix with 1 tbsp. low fat mayonnaise and 1/2 tsp curry powder. Makes enough for two sandwiches.
Spread 1/2 tuna fish salad on one slice whole wheat sandwich thin by Arnold. (Reserve the remaining tuna salad in the refrigerator for another day.) Add 1/4 cup reduced fat shredded mexican cheese blend. Microwave the open sandwich on low to medium for about 30-40 seconds (enough to melt the cheese). Remove from microwave and top with slices of avocado (1/4 medium avocado) and then the second slice of bread.
Snack
Starbucks Cafe au Lait w/Nonfat milk (Tall, 60 calories)
4 Triscuits Reduced Fat Crackers
Supper
Three Cheese Stuffed Rigatoni – Lean Cuisine, Cafe Classics Bowls (240 calories)
1/2 cup steamed broccoli
Water, unsweetened tea, or coffee
(Always remember to get plenty of water throughout the day. Read Water, Weight, and Women to learn more about your water needs.)
Total Calories = 1206
Total Fiber = 27.7 g
Fat = 16%
Carbs = 62%
Protein = 22%
(U.S. Dietary Guidelines Recommended percentages: Fat 20-35%, Carbohydrates 45-65%, Protein 10-35%)
Calcium = 1074 mg (Women between 19 and 50 years need approximately 1,000 mg a day, 51+ need 1,200 + mg a day)
Iron = 7.5 mg (Women 19 to 50 years need 18 mg of iron, 51+ need 8 mg)
This meal plan comes up somewhat short for total fat. The U.S. Dietary Guidelines suggests 20-25% for fat. However, this is an average. What’s more important is how it balances out over a few days or more. We need fat to get enough of certain essential fatty acids that are important for good health.
Although the weekly diet menu does come up slightly on the low side for fat, this shouldn’t be a problem. Most women need more than 1200 calories to keep metabolism running smoothly. Consuming more than 1200 calories makes it easier to get all the nutrients you need. I strongly encourage you to make sure you are getting enough calories in the first place. There are many reasons why 1200 calories is likely to be too little. A couple of my previous articles will help you learn how to determine your minimum SAFE calorie intake.
1. How Many Calories Per Day Do I Need?
2. 1200 Calorie Diet: How to Get Started
1300, 1400, or 1500 Calorie Diet Menu
This menu has a fairly good balance of nutrients. However, it is a little short on fat for all women as I just mentioned. Because you will be adding calories to the basic plan you will likely increase your fat intake for the better.
Iron comes up short for women who are premenopausal. Today would be a good day for a supplement. The meal plan is also little short on calcium for postmenopausal women. If this describes you, you may want to supplement this menu with an additional serving of milk, cheese, or ice cream. Or be sure to take a calcium supplement (with vitamin D). Otherwise, for women of all ages, simply add an additional serving or two of one of the menu items or other food of your choice to bring the total calories up to the level you need.
I will be publishing the next installments in this weekly diet menu over the coming weeks so be sure to check back!
Till next time watch those calories and eat healthy food!
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Great information. I am always looking for ideas for changing up my own diet. Little changes to diet and exercise can also have an affect on your weight loss efforts over time. I am an advocate of even small changes are better than no change at all.
I’ve tried various low-carb, low-calorie, and low-fat diets for the past couple of years. Although the Atkins diet is very popular, it made me feel somewhat unhealthy.
The diet plan I’m on right now is the Medifast Diet. The caloric intake is roughly 800-1000 calories. However, it doesn’t make my body feel weak. It is a bit of a pricey diet, but there are plenty of coupons available on the internet. You should never pay full price.
Amy, I hope your diet choice works out for you. I am not an advocate of very low calorie diets (less than 1200 calories) because it is very difficult to achieve nutritional balance or meet basic physiological energy needs with less than 1200 calories. In fact, most people need more than 1200 calories to stay healthy when dieting. (See 1200 Calorie Diet: Getting Started or How Many Calories a Day Do I Need? for more information.)
im fithty and want to lose weight i need help
Doris, Let me know more about your situation. What kind of struggles/frustrations do you face with weight loss? How much would you like to lose? Have you determined what a healthy realistic weight might be for someone of your age and height?
I have a LOT of tips and advice that might help you. And if not, maybe I could steer you to another website that might be more appropriate for your needs.
I wish you the best,
Lori
Just have a couple of questions. Were do I find the full seven days of the 1200 calorie diet? Also I calculated my BMI at 1485 and I am a little confused as to how calculate how many calories I need per day to lose weight. Hight 5’5′, weight 155, age 30. I would like to lose 10 to 20 pounds.
Hi Christina,
I gather from what you are telling me you are already aware that the basic plan for following a 1200 or 1500 calorie diet can be accessed from the menu bar at the top of every page. HOWEVER, the link for the 7 Day Sample Menus is not as easily found. My apologies. You can access the sample menus by going to 1200 Calorie Diet and then scroll down to the bottom of the page. Do modify the sample diets to fit your preferences. What I have provided are samples only.
Your BMR (Basal metabolic rate) does seem to be 1485, which suggests you would be best off with the 1500 calorie diet plan. You can adjust/modify any of the sample menus to fit a 1500 calorie plan. If you’d like to calculate your “weight loss range” you might want to read How Many Calories a Day do I Need? This article is part of a 3 part series that discusses metabolism and caloric needs.
Hope this helps. Don’t hesitate to ask if you have more questions.
Lori