1600-Calorie Keto Meal Plan To Jump-Start Ketosis: Can Upping Your Fat Intake Fast-Track Weight Loss?

The Basics Of Weight Loss

Many people who are new to the world of weight loss more often than not fall for restrictive fad diets and end up in the vicious cycle of yo-yo dieting. Mediterranean, lactose-free, paleo, gluten-free – all these diets can help you reach your fitness goals if followed correctly. You see, the main mistake people make when starting a diet and expecting incredible results is that they don’t understand how weight loss actually works. It is very simple: it all comes down to counting calories. If your goal is to drop a couple of pounds, you need to consume fewer calories than you burn, and vice versa, if you want to get bigger you need to eat more than you burn (2, 8). So, in order to lose weight, you need to create a caloric deficit with the help of regular exercise and a healthy diet that provides you with all the essential nutrients. A 1600 calories Keto meal plan is the perfect example. In this article, you will learn more about this nutritional plan and get a sample of a 1600 calorie per day keto meal plan.

How Does A 1600 Calorie Keto Meal Plan Work?

As was mentioned before, following a healthy diet doesn’t mean that you will inevitably lose weight. So, how can you be sure that a 1600-calorie Keto meal plan will work for you? Well, to understand that let’s get back to the topic of a caloric deficit. According to specialists, the best weight loss pace is 1-2 pounds (0.45-1kg) a week (6), since it would ensure a successful and sustainable result.

1 pound of fat equals 3500 calories, so, in order to lose 1-2 pounds a week, you should create a caloric deficit of 500-1000 calories a day (9). This makes a 1600-calorie Keto meal plan a perfect dietary plan for weight loss, since the recommended daily caloric intake of an average man is 2,500 calories, and for an average adult woman this number is 2,000 calories (7). So, if your goal is a gradual and healthy weight loss, then this diet might be exactly what you need.

Keto Diet: The Basics

If you are not familiar with the Keto diet, then today is the day we fix that. A Keto or ketogenic diet is a low-carb high-fat nutritional plan that aims at triggering fat-burning processes in your body. When following a keto diet, you enter a state of ketosis, where your body receives not enough energy from its primary energy source – carbs and begins to burn stored fat instead.

Read More: Keto OMAD Meals: Can This Unexpected Combo Fast-Track Your Weight Loss In A Healthy Way?

Foods To Eat When Following A 1600-Calorie Keto Meal Plan

The main goal of the keto diet is to ensure that your body stays in the state of ketosis and burns your fat storage, therefore you are to reduce and limit your consumption of carbs (5). Based on that fact you need to carefully choose your foods and plan your menu, as eating more carbs than recommended can kick you out of ketosis, setting you back and derailing all your efforts. Here is a list of foods that are low in carbs and can be consumed on a Keto diet (4):

• Seafood (wild salmon, sardines, mackerel, shrimp, crab, tuna, mussels, and cod)
• Low-carb vegetables (arugula, spinach, eggplant, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, bell peppers, fennel, cabbage, celery, brussels sprouts, and kale)
• Low-sugar fruits (tomatoes, avocado, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, coconut, lemon, and limes)
• Meat, poultry, and eggs
• Nuts and seeds (macadamia nuts, flaxseed, Brazil nuts, chia seeds, walnuts, pecans, hemp seeds, hazelnuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, and almonds)
• Dairy products (cheese, cottage cheese, plain Greek yogurt, cream, and butter)
• Oils (extra-virgin olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, nut oils, coconut butter, and MCT oil)

Foods To Avoid When Following A 1600-Calorie Keto Meal Plan

Keto diet allows you to consume not more than 20-50g of carbs per day. Therefore you should know which foods are carb-heavy and avoid them. Here are some of them (1):

• Most fruits (grapes and bananas)
• Grains and starches
• Processed foods
• Sweets and sugary foods (sugar, ice cream, candy)
• Most beans and legumes

Why A 1600-Calorie Keto Meal Plan?

Technically, you should lose weight no matter what you eat as long as your caloric intake is lower than your energy expenditure. However, if you follow a poorly balanced diet, you may end up with serious health-related issues. A 1600-calorie Keto meal plan is a win-win since it not only ensures a gradual and sustainable weight loss, but also offers you a myriad of health benefits (10, 11):

• Improves acne
• May lower the chance of certain cancers
• Reduces seizures
• May improve brain function
• Improves PCOS symptoms
• May improve heart health

Risks Of The Keto Diet

Besides its benefits, this nutritional plan has certain risks, such as (3):

• Keto flu
• Nutritional deficiencies
• Kidney-related issues like kidney stones

Whether you’re looking to simply pep up your fitness routine, jazz up your diet with mouth-watering low-calorie recipes or want to get your act together and significantly drop that number on your scale – BetterMe app has got you covered! Improve your body and revamp your life with us!

1600-Calorie Keto Meal Plan Menu

As you can see, the Keto diet has legitimate health benefits. Here are some examples of a simple 1600-calorie keto meal plan for you to use as a sample when creating your own 1600-calorie keto meal plan:

Day 1

• Breakfast: 2 eggs scrambled, 1 tsp butter, 2 pcs cooked bacon, 1 cup of coffee with 2 tbsp heavy cream
• Calories: 391, carbs: 2g, fats: 33g, protein: 19g
• Snack: ½ avocado
• Calories: 114, carbs: 1g, fats: 11g, protein: 1g
• Lunch: flax pizza (1/4 cup ground flax seeds, 1/8 cup finely grated parmesan cheese, ½ egg)
• Calories: 381, carbs: 4g, fats: 19g, protein: 24g
• Snack: 1 cup bone broth, 2 squares 90% dark chocolate
• Calories: 155, carbs: 3g, fats: 10g, protein: 4g
• Dinner: 1 paprika chicken thigh with sauce (1 chicken thigh, ½ tbsp paprika, 2 tbsp sour cream), ½ cup cheesy cauliflower puree (1/4 head of cauliflower, ½ tbsp heavy cream, 1 tsp butter, ½ oz sharp cheese), 2 cups raw baby spinach, 1 tbsp ranch dressing
• Calories: 616, carbs: 7g, fats: 50g, protein: 41g
• Total calories: 1657, carbs: 17g, fats: 123g, protein: 89g

Day 2

• Breakfast: 3-inch square sausage and spinach frittata (1 oz raw breakfast sausage, 1oz chopped spinach, ½ oz crumbled feta cheese, 1 egg, 2 tbsp heavy cream, 2 tbsp unsweetened plain almond milk), 1 cup of coffee with 2 tbsp heavy cream
• Calories: 326, carbs: 2g, fats: 28g, protein: 12g
• Snack: 24 raw almonds, 2 squares 90% dark chocolate
• Calories: 271, carbs: 5g, fats: 24g, protein: 9g
• Lunch: ½ cup simple egg salad (2 eggs, 1 tsp mayonnaise, 1/3 tsp Dijon mustard, 1/3 tsp lemon juice), 4 romaine lettuce leaves, 2 slices cooked bacon
• Calories: 262, carbs: 1g, fats: 21g, protein: 16g
• Snack: ½ avocado
• Calories: 114, carbs: 1g, fats: 11g, protein: 1g
• Dinner: 6 oz rotisserie chicken, ¾ cup cheesy cauliflower gratin (¾ cup raw cauliflower florets, ¾ tbsp butter, 1 tsp heavy whipping cream, 1 deli slice cheese), 2 cups chopped romaine lettuce, 2 tbsp Caesar salad dressing
• Calories: 677, carbs: 5g, fats: 48g, protein: 50g
• Total calories: 1650, carbs: 14g, fats: 132g, protein: 88g

Day 3

• Breakfast: 2 cream cheese pancakes (1 oz cream cheese, 1 egg, ½ tsp granulated sugar substitute, ¼ tsp cinnamon), 2 pcs cooked bacon, 1 cup of coffee with 2 tbsp heavy cream
• Calories: 384, carbs: 2g, fats: 33g, protein: 14g
• Snack: 1 cup bone broth
• Calories: 50, carbs: 0g, fats: 1g, protein: 1g
• Lunch: 1 cup Jalapeno popper soup (1 slice raw bacon, 1 oz cream cheese, 2 tbsp heavy cream, ½ cup chicken broth, 1 tsp salsa Verde, 1/8 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, 1/8 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese, 1 large jalapeno pepper), 1 Jalapeno and cheddar muffin (1/6 cup riced, raw cauliflower, ½ tsp minced jalapeno, ½ egg, ½ tsp melted butter, 1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese, 2 tbsp grated mozzarella cheese, 2 tbsp grated cheddar cheese, 1 tbsp coconut flour)
• Calories: 535, carbs: 4.5g, fats: 46g, protein: 25g
• Snack: 12 raw almonds, 2 squares 90% dark chocolate
• Calories: 188, carbs: 4g, fats: 16g, protein: 6g
• Dinner: flax pizza (1/4 cup ground flax seeds, 1/8 cup finely grated parmesan cheese, ½ egg) 2 cups raw baby spinach, 1 tbsp ranch dressing
• Calories: 465, carbs: 6g, fats: 26g, protein: 26g
• Total calories: 1622, carbs: 16.5g, fats: 122g, protein: 72g

Read More: What Happens If You Don’t Eat Enough Fat On A Keto Diet?

Day 4

• Breakfast: 3 eggs scrambled, 1 tsp butter, 2 pcs cooked bacon, 1 cup of coffee with 2 tbsp heavy cream
• Calories: 463, carbs: 2g, fats: 37g, protein: 25g
• Snack: 1 cup bone broth
• Calories: 50, carbs: 0g, fats: 1g, protein: 1g
• Lunch: 1 cup Cuban pot roast (5 oz boneless chuck roast, 1 tbsp salsa Verde, 1 tbsp canned chopped green chilis, 1/8 cup diced tomatoes, ½ tsp dried onion flakes), 2 cups chopped romaine lettuce, 2 tbsp sour cream, ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
• Calories: 452, carbs: 4.5g, fats: 33g, protein: 29g
• Snack: 24 raw almonds, 2 squares 90% dark chocolate
• Calories: 271, carbs: 5g, fats: 24g, protein: 9g
• Dinner: 1 ½ cup chili spaghetti squash casserole (2 oz lean ground beef, 1 tbsp prepared salsa, ½ cup cooked spaghetti squash, 1 tsp melted butter, 2 tbsp sour cream, ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese), 2 cups raw baby spinach, 1 tbsp ranch dressing
• Calories: 368, carbs: 8g, fats: 27g, protein: 25g
• Total calories: 1604, carbs: 19.5g, fats: 122g, protein: 89g

The Bottom Line

If you have tried a couple of weight loss diets but failed, don’t despair! Perhaps you just haven’t found the diet that would work best for you. And perhaps such a diet is a 1600-calorie Keto meal plan. This nutritional plan encourages you to reduce your consumption of carbs and up your healthy fats intake. Such a dieting approach will push your body in the state of ketosis (when your body begins to burn stored fat because it ran out of energy made from carbs).

A 1600-calorie Keto meal plan ensures that you stay in ketosis and within a calorie deficit, which should lead to weight loss. It also offers such health benefits as improved acne, better heart health, and improved brain function among others. Besides numerous health benefits, the Keto diet has its risks, so it is necessary to consult your doctor or dietician before starting to follow any variation of the Keto diet. If you have the approval of a health specialist, you can use our 1600-calorie Keto meal plan sample as a starting point of your weight loss journey. 

DISCLAIMER:

This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!

SOURCES:

1. Best and Worst Foods to Eat on the Ketogenic Diet (n.d., news-medical.net)
2. Counting calories: Get back to weight-loss basics (2020, mayoclinic.org)
3. Keto diet side effects: What to expect (2020, medicalnewstoday.com)
4. Keto Diet: A Complete List of What to Eat and Avoid, Plus a 7-Day Sample Menu (2020, everydayhealth.com)
5. Ketogenic diet: Is the ultimate low-carb diet good for you? (2017, health.harvard.edu)
6. Losing Weight (2020, cdc.gov)
7. Rapid Weight Loss (2019, webmd.com)
8. Weight-loss basics (2019, mayoclinic.org)
9. What to know about calories and body fat (2019, medicalnewstoday.com)
10. What’s a Ketogenic Diet? (n.d., webmd.com)
11. Why is the keto diet good for you? (2020, medicalnewstoday.com)