Best low Calorie diet plan

Cutting back to 1000 calories a day is pretty drastic, and should only be used if you just want to lose a few pounds quickly, or feel the need to kick-start a longer term weight loss plan. Our 1000 Calorie Diet Menu sample packs in as much good nutrition as possible whilst trying to keep it simple, tasty and realistic.

Even so, it's not a good idea to stick to such dramatic calorie restriction for more than a week. Not just because you'll be short of essential nutrients, but on a diet of just 1000 calories a day - your body will be convinced it's in the middle of a famine if you keep it up for long.

This means it will slow down, in order to hold on to every calorie for as long as possible... not helpful when what you really want when you're trying to lose weight is a lively, active body burning up the calories as fast as possible.

That's why health professionals recommend aiming for a weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds a week, and keeping active when you're on a diet - pushing your body into starvation mode is counterproductive.

1000 Calorie Diet Sample Menu

Drinks throughout the day can include water, black tea and/or coffee without sugar and negligible calorie carbonated drinks such as Diet Coke.

This menu provides 1000 calories, 60g protein, 145g carbohydrate, 21g fat.

Breakfast

• Banana sandwich made with 2 small slices of wholemeal bread and a small banana.
• 200ml glass of orange juice

Morning Snack

• 100g pot of low fat fruit yoghurt

Lunch

• 1 wholemeal roll (45g) filled with 70g tuna (canned in brine) and 10g reduced calorie mayonnaise
• Mixed salad of 50g lettuce, 50g red or yellow sweet peppers, 10g spring onions.

Afternoon Snack

• 28g bag of lower fat crisps (eg. Walkers Lites)

Dinner

• 70g Roast Chicken breast (without skin)
• 80g Potatoes, mashed with 30ml semi-skimmed milk
• 60g Broccoli, steamed or boiled
• 50g Carrots, boiled
• 100ml Gravy (made from granules)

Evening

• 1 serving of low calorie Hot Chocolate Drink made with powder and water (eg. Cadbury's Highlights)

Women will lose 2-4 lbs in a week, men 3-5 lbs in a week, depending on start weight and activity level. It is not recommended that calories be so restricted for more than one week - for most people this level of calories is too low to obtain enough nutrition, and may have the effect of slowing metabolism.