Cheap and Easy Weight Loss Meal Plans

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As I have been able to maintain my weight loss the past 6 months, I noticed a pattern for my daily meals that helped me stay on track! Here's the exact, yet flexible, low calorie meal plan I've been following.

Maintaining my recent 20 lb weight loss has been possible by continuing to count and track my calories. (you can read my weight loss story here)

Before and after weight loss

But, I can be stubborn about my meals. I like eating the same foods every day, but I also have a rebellious streak where I crave variety. I don't like being 'boxed into a plan'. It doesn't even make sense to me. I'm complicated, I know!

It wasn't until I started documenting my meals more consistently for Instagram, that I realized I eat was eating the same foods every day, but with so much variety! I think it's my method is the perfect balance of predictability and flexibility.

My Low Calorie Meal Plan

I thrive on a high protein, balanced carb, low fat diet. I've written several meal plans with macros split between 40% protein, 40% carbs, and 20% fat. (here's my 1500 calorie one)

But at the heart of it all, I attribute my success to starting with a calorie deficit and sticking to my calorie goals. End of story .

If I eat too many grams of carbs, I'll reduce my portions of protein. As long as I don't go over my calorie budget for the day and maintained a calorie deficit, I kept losing weight. (you can see what calories you need to create a calorie deficit for you at my macro calculator)

I try to avoid snacking, which was the biggest hurdle in my weight loss, and kind of still is. My main meals range between 300-500 calories.

So, even when I can eat the same foods every day, the meals can have a great deal of variety. Whatever I add or season the meals with need to be weighed, measured, and tracked in MyFitnessPal (or any calorie and macro tracking app.)

This printable is how my diet breaks down by meals that I call predictable, yet flexible!

30 Healthy Meal Ideas for the Low Calorie Plan

So, here I listed 30 meal ideas that give variety to the meal plan template. I realize the table is a bit squishy, so feel free to print the 30 days here.

Print the meal ideas spreadsheet here!

Breakfast Options (300-400 calories)

What I noticed in my weight loss meals, was that every morning I would eat eggs and oatmeal. But, it would be a variety of ways to prepare them.

Sometimes, I'd make low calorie pancakes which were just oats, egg whites, and cottage cheese.

Other times, I'd make an omelets with oatmeal and fruit.

And I'd also make egg white oatmeal, which just puts my egg whites, INTO my oats. There's a surprising MANY ways you can prepare eggs and oats. (Jump to my spreadsheet for 30 ways!)

Low Calorie Lunches (300-400 calories)

For lunch, I've been having a salad every day. In fact, I just started documenting on Instagram my salad a day streak so I can remember all the salads I like!

For my green salad, I use 4 ounces of meat, a lot of veggies, and then a low calorie dressing. My favorite dressings right now are the

• Bolthouse Dressings (35-45 calories per two tablespoons and you can find it in the produce department at the grocery store)
• Walden Farms Dressing (zero calories!)
• or Olive Garden Italian Light (30 calories for 2 tablespoons.)

Here's a few chicken salads that I REALLY like, and eat a lot.

Jump to the spreadsheet for 30 salad ideas.

Protein Snack (200 calories)

This is easy, and right now, my favorite meal of the day!! I will either have 200 calories worth of Greek yogurt, a recipe made with protein powder (like protein peanut butter cups) or both together!

Nonfat Plain Greek yogurt with protein powder! (jump to the spreadsheet for 30 ideas here!)

My favorite right now is just mixing nonfat plain Greek yogurt with sugar free pistachio pudding mix! I could eat this EVERY MEAL OF THE DAY!

High Protein Dinner (400-500 calories)

This is a super easy one, and a meal that the entire family can get behind. You don't have to make it a diet meal at all.

Pairing 4 ounces of meat, like chicken, fish, steak, pork, etc., with some cooked or raw vegetables can be the pattern for any dinner meal.

Then, add some starchy carbs or regular carbs. I'll have pasta, bread, potatoes, fruit, tortillas, etc.

EGGS	OATMEAL	SALAD	PROTEIN TREAT OR YOGURT	DINNER
Scrambled Eggs	Strawberries and cream	Berry Spinach Salad	Cake batter Ice cream	Tacos with corn tortilla and ground turkey
Egg white omelete	Salted Caramel	BBQ Chicken salad	Strawberry ice cream	Ground beef with rice and veggies
Hard boiled eggs	Birthday Cake	Taco Salad	Protein PB Cup	Chicken Stir Fry
Quiche	PB Banana	Cobb salad	Cookies & Cream protein bars	Steak with potatoes and broccoli
Deviled Eggs	PB Chocolate	Chef's Salad	Protein mug cake	Chicken Fajitas
Frittata	Blueberry	Turkey Ranch Salad	Protein pancakes	Hamburger on lettuce w/ homemade fries
Egg salad	Raspberry	Asian Salad	Pumpkin Protein Fluff Sandwiches	Fish and Asparagus with sweet potato
Egg sandwich	Banana Bread	Hard boiled Egg Salad	Protein cookie dough	BBQ chicken and rice
Egg muffins	Coconut	Chicken Caesar Salad	Sweet potato protein pancakes	Chili
Baked Eggs	Almond poppyseed	Chicken Cobb Salad	Cake batter protein balls	Homemade Pizza with chicken
Overeasy	Lemon Poppyseed	BLT salad	Protein Cheesecake	Chicken Caesar Salad
Egg white pizza	Maple & brown sugar	Apple Chicken Salad	Protein Pumpkin Mug cake	Meatball Stroganoff
Egg crepes	Cookie Dough	Strawbery and Grilled chicken	Cookies and cream mug cake	Grilled chicken tenders with cucumber salad
Chaffles (cheese waffles)	Pumpkin	Thai Chicken Salad	Protein donuts	Sticky Ginger Chicken
Microwave eggs	Carrot Cake	Greek Avocado Salad	Cinnamon Vanilla Protein Bites	Italian Chicken and Cauliflower Rice
Egg wrap	Apples and Cinnamon	Cranberry Walnut Feta salad	Pistachio Protein Shake	Spaghetti Squash Carbonara
Egg white oatmeal	Cinnamon Roll	Maple Burboun Bacon	Blueberries and cream cake	Low Calorie Chicken Alfredo Pasta
Cloud Egg	Brownie	Poppyseed salad	Protein powder crepes	Homemade Chick-fil-A
Eggs and laughing cow cheese	Blueberry Lemon	Farmhouse Ranch	YOGURT	Italian Stuffed Peppers
Poached Eggs	Cherry	Southwest Salad	Caramel	Chicken Fajita Rollups
Scrambled egg pizza	Orange creamsicle	Mixed Greens with Dijon	Peanut butter powder	Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Breakfast burrito	S'more	Lemon Parmesan Salad	Birthday Cake	Chicken Lo-Mein
Cottage Cheese eggs	Pistachio Oatmeal	Broccoli Berry Salad	Pistachio	Spaghetti squash with chicken and Parm
Inside out omelette	Almond Butter	Turkey Bacon Salad	Strawberry cheesecake	Spaghetti Squash Tacos
Eggs benedict	Peaches & Cream	Chicken Raspberry Nut Salad	Yogurt and cookies and cream powder	Cheesy Meatballs over rice
Denver Omelette	Dried fruit & nuts	Turkey Cranberry Sunflower Salad	Yogurt blueberry cheesecake	Chicken Noodle Soup
Egg white pancakes	Pumpkin and chocolate	Southwest BBQ salad	Yogurt Pistachio pudding	Sloppy Joes with Ground Turkey
Breakfast quesadilla	Peanut butter and Jelly	Pulled Pork Salad	Frozen Yogurt Pie	Pork roast and potatoes
Bell Pepper ring Eggs	banana caramel	Roasted Veggie and chicken salad	Yogurt plus chocolate protein powder	Pork loin and Rice
Breakfast Egg casserole	Oatmeal raisin cookie	Bell Pepper and Ranch salad	Yogurt plus protein cookie butter	Cauliflower Gnocchi with rotisserie chicken

What you want to know!

How do I know how many calories I should be eating?

I have a calorie and macro calculator here!
https://healthbeet.org/weight-loss/macro-counting/

Will I lose weight on 1200-1500 calories?

Losing weight on these calories really depends on where you are starting from. The only way to know this is to keep track for at least a week, without making dietary changes. If you don't lose or gain weight during that week, that is your baseline calories. Once you have a baseline, creating a deficit of 500 calories per day will help you lose 1 lb per week.

How do I balance my families meals with my own weight loss meal plan?

The meals on this program can be eaten by anyone in the family! The only difference will be in how much you eat compared to your family. Maybe you'll have 4 ounces of meat for dinner, and they'll have 6 ounces.

Can I exercise on these calories?

Exercising while you are eating 1200 – 1500 calories will depend on what you consider exercise, the intensity, and how long you've been exercising. Walking is a great place to start, and can be done comfortably on this program. Assess your energy level during the day and make adjustments from there.

Are you a medical professional?

I am not. I graduated with a bachelors degree in health education, and recently became a certified personal trainer. This meal plan and my low calorie recipes are for information only. Please visit a qualified provider in your area to discuss your personal circumstances.

Breakfast Basics: Oats & Eggs 300-400 calories

• 1/3-1/2 cup oats
• 1 cup egg whites
• 1-2 large eggs

Lunch: Salad – Meat and Greens 300-400 calories

• 4 ounces chicken ,beef, tuna, or pork
• 2 cups greens
• 2 tablespoons low calorie dressing
• 1 cup chopped veggies or other toppings

Snack – Protein powder or Greek Yogurt 200 calories

• 2/3-1 cup nonfat plain greek yogurt
• 1 scoop or 30 grams protein powder

Dinner – Meat and Veggies 400-500 calories

• 4 ounces chicken, beef, pork, or other protein
• 2 cups Vegetables
• 1 ounce carbs such as rice, pasta, sweet potatoes, or other starchy carbs

• Each day, select a meal from each category.

• Weight and measure your ingredients to stick to the calorie allotted for each meal.

• For a 1200 calorie diet, select the calorie limit on the lowest end. For the 1500 calorie diet, select the higher number.

• Be flexible and enjoy the meals each day!

Pin this to your favorite meal planning pinterst boards, or follow me here!

CLICK NEXT FOR MY 1200 CALORIE LOW CARB HIGH PROTEIN MEAL PLAN

Amy Roskelley, Bsc. MBA, ACE, AFPA, IAP, IPEis a health & fitness professional with a Bachelors of Science in Community Health from BYU. Masters of Business (University of Utah) Certified Personal Trainer (ACE), Certified Personal Chef (IAP), and Certified as a Nutrition & Wellness Consultant (AFPA), Certified Mind, Body, Eating Coach. (IPE)
She is the creator of many low calorie recipes author of weight loss books. Mother of 3, runner, and NPC Fitness competitor.

fraserprad1993.blogspot.com

Source: https://healthbeet.org/the-easiest-low-calorie-meal-plan-for-weight-loss/