The 1700-Calorie Meal Plan and Diet

According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, a 1,700-calorie diet may help men and active women lose weight and inactive women 50 and older maintain their weight.

 

Include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat or nonfat dairy items in your meals to get the most nutrition out of every mouthful of your 1,700-calorie diet, as suggested by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Complete meals with lean protein sources like poultry, lean red meat, eggs, shellfish, and beans, as well as healthy fats like nuts and seeds.

Your 1,700-calorie diet plan should include three 500-calorie meals and two 100-calorie snacks. Planning how much you’ll eat at each meal and snack, as well as eating regularly throughout the day, helps reduce hunger and makes it simpler to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

 

Begin your day with a nutritious and satisfying breakfast. 1 cup of oats, for example, cooked with 1 cup of nonfat milk or soy milk and topped with 10 chopped walnuts and 1 cup of sliced strawberries.

Foods high in fiber take longer to digest, allowing you to feel satisfied for longer. Eating fiber also helps stabilize blood sugar levels, which can reduce hunger, according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. 1 cup of oats contains 16.5 grams of fiber, according to the USDA.

On a 1,700-calorie diet, an omelet cooked with three eggs, 1/2 cup of sliced mushrooms, and 1 ounce of low-fat cheese served with a toasted whole-wheat English muffin is also a good breakfast option.

Make a smoothie with 12 ounces of nonfat Greek yogurt, 3/4 cup of fresh blueberries, 1 cup of fresh mango, and 1/4 cup of fresh avocado if you don’t have time for a sit-down breakfast.

 

Focus on fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, and whole grains for lunch to keep you full all afternoon.

Consider this vibrant salad: 2 cups mixed greens, 1/2 cup sliced cucumbers, 1/4 cup sliced cherry tomatoes, 1/4 cup shredded carrots, 1/4 cup raisins, 12 chopped almonds, 1/2 cup chickpeas, and 2 teaspoons low-fat salad dressing topped with a 6-ounce container of nonfat Greek yogurt.

A substantial, healthy lunch can be made with two cups of minestrone soup, a whole-grain roll, 1 ounce of part-skim mozzarella string cheese, a small apple, and 20 peanuts.

A 6-inch pita loaded with 3 ounces of turkey breast, 1 ounce of Swiss cheese, sliced tomato and lettuce, served with 1 cup carrot and celery sticks with 2 teaspoons of low-fat ranch dressing and a big orange is another lunch choice on your 1,700-calorie plan.

 

Toss 1 cup cooked whole-wheat penne pasta with 2 cups cooked mixed veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots, 3 ounces peeled and cooked shrimp, and 1/2 cup tomato sauce for a quick low-calorie dinner.

A bean burrito cooked with a 6-inch whole-wheat tortilla, 1/2 cup pureed pinto beans, 1 ounce pepper jack cheese, 1/2 cup brown rice, and 1 cup mixed greens topped with 2 teaspoons low-fat dressing is also a nice dinner option.

4 ounces roasted chicken breast with 1 1/2 cups roasted new potatoes and 2 cups roasted asparagus is another option.

Make sure your 100-calorie snacks are pre-portioned and easily accessible so you don’t eat too many calories.

Unplanned snacking or taking the majority of your calories at the end of the day — a common occurrence if you don’t eat enough throughout the day — has a negative influence on weight management, according to a March 2015 report in Current Obesity Reports.

Tip

This meal plan will help you get a sense of what it’s like to consume 1,700 calories each day:

Choose one of the following:

• Oatmeal with Cranberry Crumble (409 calories) and coffee with 2 tablespoons of whole milk (19 calories)
• Veggie Protein Omelet (290 calories) with 2 slices whole-wheat dry bread (163 calories) and 1/2 cup strawberries (35 calories)
• Sunrise Jasmine Green Smoothie (414 calories)

Opt for one of these:

• Champagne Cobb-Style Salad (256 calories) with 3.5 oz skinless chicken breast (158 calories) and one 5.5 oz container plain, nonfat Greek yogurt (92 calories)
• Lentil Walnut Soup with side salad (319 calories) and a whole-wheat dinner roll (117 calories) with 1 pat unsalted butter (36 calories)
• Lightened-Up Chicken and Fig Sandwich (472 calories) with 1/2 cup golden delicious apple slices (31 calories)

Pick one of these options:

• Steak and Sweet Potato Burrito (470 calories) with 1/4 avocado (56 calories)
• Power Pasta Bowl With Turkey-Kale Meatballs (549 calories)
• Pesto Zucchini Noodle Pasta With Avocado and Soft-Boiled Eggs (474 calories)

Choose two of these snacks per day, each of which is about 100 calories:

• 6 ounces of nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• 10 pecan halves
• 1/2 cup of whole-grain, unsweetened cereal with 1/2 cup of nonfat milk
• 2 cups of mixed greens topped with 2 tablespoons of low-fat salad dressing
• A small apple with 1 teaspoon of peanut butter
• 4 cups of plain, air-popped popcorn
• 1 1/2 cups of cubed cantaloupe