Recommended Discretionary Kcals
for the 2800 Calorie Diet
Article by Diet Bites
|
|
The amount for this plan equals 426 discretionary calories.
How these extra amount work while dieting.
Let's explain how these extra calories work in your weight loss plan. Let's say that John has planned all of his meals and snacks for the day; when he totals up the kcal values, he may have 100, 200, 400 or even more to go in order to meet his set kcal allotment for his diet. On other days, he may have no spare calories left over to play with.
Therefore, the discretionary amount is simply an estimate that can be used for adding the more desirable foods and drinks of the dieter. When the situation involves the 426 kcal mark, that is basically enough for another meal.
Take note that on the 2800 calorie diet that there will not always be this amount of kcals to work with for discretionary use. The following meal plan for one day shows how this can come about as well as healthy foods that can be chosen to meet the discretionary energy values.
Meal Plan Based on Discretionary Energy
First, let's look at the number of servings that John will require in order to meet his nutritional needs based on the number of kcals contained in this plan:
Dairy Group: 3 cups, Protein Group: 7 ounces, Fruit Group: 2.5 cups, Grains: 10 Ounces, Vegetable Group: 3.5 cups.
Based on these recommendations, let's build the meal plates and snacks, keeping in mind that our goal is to end up with extra kcals that we can work with at our discretion.
Breakfast: 1 small whole grain bagel sandwich containing scrambled egg and a thin slice of deli ham. One serving of sugar reduced orange juice, 1 cup of skim milk and a cup of coffee. We'll use a few discretionary kcals here for creamer and a spoon or two of sugar in the coffee.
|
|
Mid Morning Snack: a banana and another cup of skim milk
Lunch Meal Plate: 1 beef, bean and cheese burrito that is low fat; 1 serving of Mexican rice, 3 cups of mixed raw vegetables served with low fat dressing and water for the beverage. He will also add a serving of yogurt and a ripe peach to his meal.
Afternoon Snack: John will enjoy about 200 of his discretionary kcals by eating a bag of microwave popcorn. He will enjoy another 140 by adding a cola based soda.
Dinner Menu: Roasted chicken, a baked potato with light margarine, a serving of beans, another raw vegetable-mix salad with light dressing, two slices of whole grain bread and iced tea that is unsweetened.
He will also add a serving of fresh sliced fruit topped with light whipped cream.
In Summary
By wisely planning his meals, John was able to enjoy several servings of grain in his discretionary allotment of kcals; the popcorn was of the butter flavored variety - his favorite brand. While the cola contained sugar grams, when we look at all the food within his daily menu, he ate quite healthy - so this added burst of sugar is very minimal in comparison. Remember the rule of thumb when it comes to good health: 'Everything in moderation."
|
|
2,200 Kcal Plan | 2,400 Calorie Diet
2,600 Kcals | Example of 2,800 Kcal Plan
Related Articles
Calorie Burn Charts | Body Fat Index
Diet Bites is a Trademark