We've put together seven days of meals and snacks that all fall around the 1,400- to 1,600-calorie range, which is about the average number of calories a woman should eat a day if she's looking to lose weight. To break that down even further, losing one pound a week equates to cutting 3,500 calories out of your diet, or 500 calories a day. A typical adult woman's diet is about 2,000 calories per day, so cutting it to 1,500 will shed you a pound a week. Each day of this plan also has a range of protein from 70-90 grams, which is a bit elevated, because your ideal protein intake is based on your weight. However, you want to make sure you're staying full so you're not tempted to reach for empty calories that will halt your weight loss.
Each day's meals and snacks have balanced servings of each food group, and each dish is a healthy option that's also delicious. While this plan takes calories and protein into consideration, if you're looking to track something like macros or carbs or sugar, you'll have to adjust slightly. And because this is a jump-start to a weight-loss journey, we didn't factor in any rigorous exercise, which will burn off calories. It's a good idea to settle into a healthy-eating plan first before adding in strenuous workouts, so you can get your body used to a new way of behaving.
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