Simply put, the 1,800 calorie diet is one in which you eat 1,800 calories a day! For people who are very active, have a lot of muscle mass or are just of a taller and larger frame, eating 1,800 calories a day is enough energy to fuel activity but enough of a calorie deficit to drop pounds at a realistic and sane pace of one to two pounds a week.
If you’d like to try the 1,800 Calorie Diet, check out the meal plan below (noticing all the nutritious, delicious foods that you can eat!), along with the exercise plan to stay fit and trim.
1,800 Calorie Diet Meal Plan
Breakfast: Eat one cup of cooked steel cut oatmeal, topped with half of a cup of fresh blueberries, half a cup of skim milk and teaspoon of brown sugar. Also enjoy an apple with one tablespoon of natural peanut butter.
Morning Snack: Enjoy a small container of Greek yogurt and a large orange.
Lunch: Prepare a veggie burger on a small whole-wheat bun. Also eat one cup of mixed greens with lots of diced red and yellow peppers, diced red onion, cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices and half of a cup of garbanzo beans. Top your salad with one tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese, one teaspoon of olive oil and one tablespoon of balsamic vinegar.
Afternoon Snack: Nosh on a Kashi Granola Bar.
Dinner: Eat 3 ounces of a broiled salmon fillet, one cup of brown rice and one cup of steamed broccoli, along with one slice of whole-wheat bread topped with two teaspoons of trans-fatty acid free margarine.
Evening Treat: Savor 4 ounces of nonfat pudding.
1,800 Calorie Diet Exercise Plan
Cardiovascular: Get 30 to 60 minutes of moderate- to high-intensity exercise most days of the week.
Strength: Do some sort of resistance training three times a week for 30 to 60 minutes. Try to include one strength workout a week that also has a cardiovascular component, like a bootcamp.
Flexibility: Stretch every day of the week. Note that this can be done before or after a workout — yoga counts, too!
Also Read:
What is the 1,200 Calorie Diet?