Free 2000 Calorie Diet Plans

By Donna Sundblad

A 2000 calorie a day diet plan provides enough calories to include a variety of healthy foods to keep menu items interesting and your body fueled. If you're considering a 2000 calorie plan for weight loss or maintenance, it's fairly easy to follow once you learn how to track calories and substitute lower-calorie foods and drinks for some of your higher-calorie favorites.

If you're looking for dieting inspiration, you can find a number of on the Internet, or you can create your own by learning how to pare down calories in your favorite recipes. This takes a little extra work on the outset, but once you know the calorie content per serving for a recipe, the hard part is done. Some recipes come with calorie and serving size information included.

Calorie Control Council

The Calorie Control Council offers a 2000 calorie a day plan to encourage people to eat healthy, balanced meals. They not only offer a sample menu for seven days of meals, but they also provide a list of tasty low-calorie recipes to help build your lower-calorie recipe collection. They also offer a list of healthy substitutions to help you convert your own recipes, too.

2000 Calorie Diabetic Diet

Drugs.com offers the basics for a 2000 calorie diabetic diet. This diet is calorie controlled and designed to help control blood sugar as well as lose weight. A sample menu offers ideas for items to prepare, but also provides specific measurements for dieters to learn how to measure serving sizes.

DietBites 2000 Calorie Meal Plan

While DietBites offers a free 2000 calorie meal plan, they also recommend you change your diet to the number of calories required for your size. Other recommendations include setting a realistic goal weight based on your true frame size. This diet offers a healthy balance across all the food groups and a sample menu to get you started.

MyPyramid.gov

MyPyramid.gov offers a seven day menu plan for a free 2000 calorie-a-day diet. This menu also takes a balanced nutritional approach with foods selected from each food group.

Pros and Cons

Eating 2000 calories a day, whether for weight loss or maintenance, has it pros and cons:

ProsCalorie counting works to lose or maintain weight when done diligently.Allows you to eat a wider range of foods as long as you count the calories.2000 calories are enough calories to keep most dieters from feeling hungry as long as they make wise food choices.ConsMeasuring food portions and servings takes time.Not everyone wants to track their calories every day.Some dieters will feel like 2000 calories a day is not enough.For other dieters, 2000 calories will be too many.Is 2000 Calories a Day Enough?

Before you arbitrarily choose to follow a 2000 calorie diet plan, it is important to determine whether or not that is the right amount of calories for you in relation to your weight goal. Every person is different and the number of calories you need as an individual is determined by a variety of factors including your current weight, height, age, and activity level. For many women and smaller people, 2000 calories a day is more than they need, if they want to lose weight. Handy online calculators can help estimate the right amount of calories for you, but before you start any diet, it is best to talk with your healthcare provider. He will guide you to the plan best suited to your individual needs based on your medical history and current weight.

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