1600 Calorie A Day Meal Plan | LIVESTRONG.COM

You may wonder why I have chosen to focus our meal plans around 1600 calories per day. It's simple math, really.

You may have tried one of the free calorie tracking sites on the web. I know of several--I use Livestrong.com's MY PLATE feature. But as I started tracking my calories to lose some baby weight, I quickly realized that the more weight I lost, the less I got to eat....hmmmm....that kind of stinks for a girl who was used to being pregnant and then nursing and basically getting to eat as much as I wanted.

So, I figured any diet that would work for me would have to be based around a lifestyle change centered on consistency, routine and re-education. So, I did the math. I figured out how many calories I could consume at my goal weight---1620! That way when I finally reached my goal weight, I wouldn't have to live a restricted lifestyle, I have already learned how to live on 1600 calories. Plus---there is plenty of wiggle room because if I work out at all, there is room for splurges here and there.

So when I read the following article about 1600 calorie diet, I thought I would share it.

1600 Calorie A Day Meal Plan | LIVESTRONG.COM

A healthy 1,600-calorie eating plan includes three servings of fruits and four servings of vegetables, according to the USDA Food Guide. Eat at least 2 cups of dark green vegetables each week, and include orange, dark yellow and starchy varieties, as well as legumes in your weekly menus. The USDA recommends that a 1,600-calorie diet include five servings of grains, 5 oz. lean meat and beans, 3 cups of reduced-fat milk or dairy and up to 22 g healthy oils

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/251163-1600-calorie-healthy-meal-plan/#ixzz18iSTUlYJ

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What's "Kitchy" all about?

I chose the name Kitchy Mama Meals because I like the way it rolls off the tongue, but the word Kitchy also characterizes what I hope to be about on this blog.   Here is the definition from Urban Dictionary:

(n.) love for life and desire to enjoy it with people

(adj.) characterized by a positive disposition and a playful attitude.

So, even though we are talking healthy food choices, weight loss, and calories, we should not lose touch of role food should play in our lives.  It is meant to nourish us, energize us, satisfy us, and bring excitement and pleasure.  

Food should not be our enemy and it should not stripped of all the pleasure it offers.  Food should bring us together, help us experience life and love the life we are experiencing.  We need to let loose and play with our food a little bit too....let's get out of the rut, try some new tastes, and learn to enjoy food without going overboard.

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Healthy Pumpkin Muffins and Cajun Ham and Beans

Mama's Plan

I am excited to launch KitchyMama meals beginning January 1, 2011.  I have been working steadily entering recipes, researching nutritional facts, and creating meal plans in order to provide an educational site that will help you plan meals for your family, make healthier food choices and track your calorie intake.  With each post I will include an idea for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner as well as snack and dessert ideas when possible. I can't wait to begin this journey together of saving time and money as we become better meal planners, and reach our weight loss goals so we feel better about the food we put into our bodies and the way we look in the mirror.

Breakfast- Total Calories: 559

Healthy Pumpkin Muffins (2)

Banana
Skim Milk- 8oz
Black Coffee

Snack- Total Calories: 150

Light String Cheese
Almonds (10 Raw)

Lunch- Total Calories: 315

Spinach Salad with Cranberries and Walnuts

Chicken Breast (4 oz)

Snack- Total Calories- 80

Apple

Dinner- Total Calories: 522

Cajun Ham and Beans (1.5 servings)

Cornbread Muffin (1)

Total Calories: 1626

I know...no chocolate today.  That kills me too.  I have a serious sugar addiction that I'm sure will need to be addressed as we get into the meal plans.  When I get more meal plans up on the blog, I think you will be able to better plan your meals incorporating the meal plans into your grocery shopping. I also have plans to eventually include a newsletter that will give subscribers a preview of the meal plans.  

I am a big coupon shopper, so I also plan to help you find coupons to the items in the recipes.  When I get really good at this I hope to actually plan the meals around the coupons that are available...we'll see about that!  So don't forget to keep an eye out for coupon links!

I am working on pictures too.  I'm not a gourmet chef and presentation has never been as important to me as taste and timeliness.  I am having to teach myself to pause for the photo opp rather than just digging in.  Also, I'm not super happy with the way the posts look yet.  I want to create a table, but I don't know how. Here's to learning!

One more thing...since this is primarily a meal planning site and not necessarily a "how to cook" site, I have opted not to include all my recipes in each blog. For the items that need/have a recipe you can find the link by scrolling over the item.

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Getting Started.... A big day!

I am known for my wealth of ideas....some practical, some unrealistic, and some that actually come to fruition and really work. Here's to hoping this meal planning blog is one of the latter! I think I can do this....I have a goal of coming up with 60 meal plans, each under 2000 calories before I publicize this blog. I have been planning my own meals for several years with some consistency, but if your house is anything like mine....we like our junk food and over time we lean toward the junk and away from the health and we hate counting calories and dieting so we gain a couple of pounds and then scramble to figure out just how that happened....could have been the bowl of ice cream we had every evening after the kids when to bed all summer....but naahhh.

So here is the plan....
Daily meal plans---BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER and SNACKS----2000 calories or less. (The goal is 1600 calories with some built in motivators for getting off my butt and exercising to earn the extra 400 calories each day)

If this works here are the built in benefits:
1. No more 4:00 scrambles trying to figure out what's for dinner.
2. Natural weight loss...since at my ideal weight I can eat 1600 calories per day and still maintain that weight.
3. Plans for meal prep that make breakfast and lunches no brainers and mostly homemade to boot!
4. A routine for healthy eating that anyone can follow. Either cooking all the meals in the blog or substituting their own favorites in at any point.

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