The 1,300-calorie diet is a plan that helps facilitate a slow and gradual weight loss in healthy adults. The diet includes enough calories to ensure that you receive all your essential nutrients and have enough energy. Thankfully, though, it is still low enough in calories to promote a weight loss of around one or two pounds per week.

Counting Calories

The 1,300-calorie diet is simple: you limit yourself to no more than 1,300 calories from food and beverages per day. The easiest way to do this is counting the calories you ingest. Count calories by reading the nutrition labels on the foods and beverages you consume. When you read a nutrition label, look for the serving size and the number of calories per serving size. Remember that if you consume two servings, you have to multiply the number of calories by two. If you do not have access to the nutrition label, you can always go online and search for the food or beverage and find its nutrition information.

Achieving a Balanced 1,300-Calorie Diet

400 Calorie Meal Ideas

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The calories that you consume on the 1,300-calorie diet should come from a variety of nutritious foods. This allows your body to get all the necessary vitamins and minerals on a regular basis. While you can ingest 1,300 calories of fast food and soda and still lose weight, it is healthier to make get your calories come from healthy foods, such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains and low-fat dairy and protein sources. Vegetables, in particular, are an excellent food group for the 1,300-calorie diet. Nonstarchy vegetables, such as tomatoes, carrots and broccoli, are low in calories but high in nutrients.

Potential Health Benefits

If you have a few extra pounds to shed, the 1,300-calorie diet may be just what you need. Most adults expend about 1,800 to 2,000 calories per day, so by following the 1,300-calorie diet, you will lose weight at a slow and healthy pace. One of the benefits of of weight loss, especially if you are overweight or obese, is that it will lower your risk of chronic diseases, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and some cancers.

Sample Menu

Healthy Food at McDonald's

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The following diet includes 1,300 well-balanced calories and would be appropriate for any healthy adult following the 1,300-calorie diet plan.

Breakfast: 1 slice whole grain toast, 2 teasponns sugar-free jam, 1 scrambled egg, 1/2 small grapefruit, coffee with 2 tablepoons nonfat milk Lunch: 1 low-fat frozen entree with 300 calories or less, an additional 1 cup of frozen vegetables to add to the frozen entree, 1 small apple, 1 cup light yogurt with 6 almonds, 16 ounces water Dinner: 4 ounces grilled trout, 1 cup steamed broccoli and cauliflower, 1/2 cup corn, 1 1/4 cup strawberries with 2 tablespoons light whipped cream, 16 ounces water Snack: 3 cup low-fat popcorn

Don't Forget to Be Active

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that American adults achieve a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each day. Additional activity, particularly vigorous-intensity physical activity, will allow you to burn more calories and lose more weight. Try performing at least 30 minutes of activity each day. Physical activity can include jogging, biking, walking and swimming, but most importantly, find something that you enjoy doing on a consistent basis.