The topic of calorie counting has become rather controversial in the past few years. While some are all for it, some are completely against it. While both sides of the debate make valid points, we all can agree that at the beginning of a weight loss or muscle gain journey, minding your food intake matters (6, 13, 8, 1).
A 1750-calorie meal plan is a diet that – depending on your physical activity, normal maintenance calorie intake, individual factors, and more – could help you either maintain or lose weight or even help you gain muscle.
If you’d like to learn what to eat while on this diet, find simple recipes to try and figure out whether or not such a diet could help you reach your body goal, read on.
Will I Lose Weight On 1750 Calories A Day?
It depends. We understand that the question, ‘Can I use a 1750-calorie meal plan for weight loss’ is one that most would like a simple and direct answer to. While we would like to give a firm ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer, it is simply not that simple. When it comes to weight loss, many forget that while diet does matter, the number of calories required to make this happen differs from person to person.
Experts say that your daily calorie needs are determined by a number of factors including your (3):
- Daily activity level (both exercise activity and non-exercise activity) – The more you work, move around doing chores and other things, and even fidget, the more calories you burn.
- Height – Taller people burn more calories than shorter people, as the former usually support a greater mass against gravity, which requires more energy.
- Weight – The heavier you are, the more energy that is required to simply move your body around
- Age – Older people tend to have less muscle mass than younger people and thus have a slower metabolic rate.
- Sex – Men generally have more muscle in their bodies and a larger body size, thus they generally tend to burn more calories at rest than women.
- Muscle mass – Regardless of sex, weight, and even age, those with more muscle mass will burn more calories than their counterparts with less muscle mass.
- Other factors like environmental temperature, energy expenditure, pregnancy, hormonal status, and more.
Looking at this, we can see how it’s hard to say if a 1750 meal plan can help you lose weight. With that said, experts also say that on average a woman should consume around 2000 kcal to maintain her weight, while a man should consume around 2500 kcal to do the same (4).
For someone to lose weight, they might reduce their intake by 500 kcal, putting the average woman at an intake of around 1500 kcal and the average man at around 2000 kcal. However, not everyone is the average.
If we take this into consideration and say that your daily energy requirement to maintain your weight is around 2300 calories, then we can safely say that a 1750 or even an 1800-calorie meal plan can help you lose weight.
However, if your energy requirements to maintain your weight are closer to 1800 calories, then you might not see much change with a 1750-calorie meal plan. . At the end of the day, it is a numbers game.
To determine if a 1750 meal plan or even an 1800-calorie diet is just enough or too much for you, we suggest using an online calorie counter or reputable calorie app to help you do the math.
If you tend to let yourself off the hook, raise the white flag when things get tougher than you expected, send yourself on an unconscious binge-eating trip – BetterMe app is here to help you leave all of these sabotaging habits in the past!
What Does 1750 Calories Look Like?
Because we all follow different diets, some vegan, others keto, vegetarian, pescatarian, high protein, low carb, etc., it can be hard to say what every 1750-calorie meal plan will look like. However, here is a simple 1750-calorie meal plan for women and men who follow a basic but healthy diet. Feel free to modify the ingredients to fit whichever diet you are following.
Sample 1750 kcal Meal Plan – Easy Recipes
Meal 1 – Sweet Potato Avocado ‘Toast’ & Matcha Smoothie
Ingredients – For the ‘toast’
- 1 large sweet potato
- 1 avocado
- 2 tbsp avocado oil (vegetable or canola oil also works)
- 2 tsp olive oil
- Salt to taste
- Microgreens, everything but the bagel seasoning, chili crisp or other preferred toppings
Directions
- Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees
- Rinse off the sweet potato and slice them lengthwise into ⅓ inch slices
- Drizzle 1 to 2 tbsp of your preferred oil on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the oven for about 2 minutes until very hot.
- Carefully remove the baking sheet from the oven and place sweet potato slices down in a single layer on the hot oil.
- Return the baking sheet with the sweet potatoes back in the oven and allow to bake for 15-20 minutes. Remember to flip halfway through so the potatoes may crisp evenly on the outside and fork tender on the inside.
- Once time is up, remove from the oven and let sweet potato slices cool slightly.
- Top with avocado, microgreens, a drizzle of olive oil, and flaky salt. Or any toppings you like. Serve immediately.
This makes 2 servings (11).
Calories for 1 servings: 310. Fats: 19 g. Protein: 3 g. Carbs: 34 g.
Ingredients – For the smoothie
- 1 cups ice cubes
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk
- ¼ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt (opt for a dairy-free alternative if vegetarian/vegan)
- ½ cup baby spinach
- ½ cup baby kale
- ½ banana
- ⅛ cup sliced almonds
- ½ tbsp matcha green tea powder
- 1 tsp natural sweetener of choice
Directions
- Add all ingredients into a blender and blend till smooth
This makes 1 serving
Calories: 168. Fats: 4 g. Protein: 8 g. Carbs: 31 g.
Meal 2 – Salmon Rice Bowl
Ingredients
- ½ cup rice
- 240 g salmon filets
- ¼ sliced cucumber
- 1 sliced avocado
- 1 cup Edamame
- 1 grated carrot
- 50 g pickled red onions
- 2 chopped spring onions
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp sriracha sauce
Directions
- Boil the rice according to package instructions – or simply how you normally prefer it.
- Airfy your salmon filets
- Place half the cooked rice in a bowl, and top with half-prepared cucumber, carrot, edamame, avocado, pickled red onions, as well as half of the cooked salmon.
- Top all this off with half of the spring onions, sesame seeds, and Sriracha sauce.
This recipe makes 2 servings (10). If you wish to follow a 1750-calorie low-carb diet meal plan, replace the rice with some riced cauliflower, riced broccoli, and chopped/shredded cabbage.
Calories for 1 servings: 613. Fats: 26 g. Protein: 37 g. Carbs: 59 g.
Read more: A Beginner Intermittent Fasting Meal Plan To Fit Your IF Journey
Snack – Tofu, Chickpea Veggie Wrap
Ingredients
- 8 oz extra firm tofu
- 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas
- ½ diced onion
- ¾ tsp garlic powder
- ¾ tsp onion powder
- ¾ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper (plus more if desired – skip if not a fan)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¾ cup bbq sauce
For the Salad
- 1 large grated carrot
- 1 grated zucchini
- ¼ cup chopped parse;y
- 1 small lemon
Extras (for serving)
- Tahini dressing
- 3 large whole grain, high protein wraps
Directions
- Saute the tofu and chickpeas with a drizzle of olive oil in a large skillet and over medium-high heat till golden brown. This should take about 6 minutes
- Add the onion and cook for another 2 minutes. Keep stirring all the while. After 2 mins, add the spices – garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Cook everything for another minute
- Pour in your sauce of choice and allow to cook for another 2 minutes then take off the heat
- In a medium-sized bowl add the carrot, and zucchini and drizzle the olive oil, some extra salt, and pepper then squeeze the juice of the lemon on everything. Toss to combine
- Place your wrap in a microwave and warm for 15 seconds. Place the tofu-chickpea mixture and salad on the wrap. Drizzle tahini on everything and then wrap everything in the wrap.
This makes 3 wraps (7).
Calories for 1 servings: 290. Fats: 4 g. Protein: 30 g. Carbs: 36 g.
Meal 3 – Oven Baked Fish & High Protein Stuffed Peppers
This combination is perfect for anyone who is considering doing a 1750-calorie high-protein diet.
Ingredients (For the fish)
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ to 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ tsp pepper
- 4 tilapia filets (6 oz each)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Crack the egg in a shallow bowl and beat it. In another shallow bowl, combine the cheese, Italian seasoning, pepper flakes, and pepper. Dip the filets in the egg and then in the cheese mixture.
- Place filets in a 15x10x1 inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake until the fish just begins to flake easily with a fork. This should take anywhere between 10 to 15 minutes.
This makes 4 servings (9).
Calories for 1 serving: 179. Fats: 4 g. Protein: 35 g. Carbs: 1 g
Ingredients (for the peppers)
- 3 bell peppers
- 1 pound lean ground pork (can be substituted with turkey or beef)
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 cups shredded cabbage
- 1 tsp ginger powder
- 1 minced garlic clove
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ⅛ tsp kosher or sea salt
- 2 tbsp lite soy sauce
- 4 diced green onions
- 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Remove seeds, core, and membrane from bell peppers then slice each pepper in half vertically. Set them aside.
- Cook ground pork over medium-high heat, breaking it up as it cooks. Cook until the pork loses its pink color and is cooked through. Drain off any fat.
- In a separate pan, heat sesame oil. On medium heat, add the cabbage, ginger, garlic, pepper, salt, soy sauce, and half the green onion. Cook until the cabbage just begins to wilt. Add pork to cabbage mix and combine.
- Evenly distribute the mixture into the bell pepper halves. Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 10 minutes or until peppers are hot.
- Remove the peppers from the oven and top with remaining diced green onion and chopped fresh cilantro.
This makes 6 servings (1 half makes 1 serving (12).
Calories for 1 serving: 162. Fats: 8 g. Protein: 18 g. Carbs: 6 g
Snack – ½ Grapefruit
Calories: 52. Fats: 0.2 g. Protein: 0.9 g. Carbs: 13.2 g
Total intake for the day: Calories: 1774. Fats: 65.2 g. Protein: 131.9 g. Carbs: 180.2 g
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Is 1750 Calories Enough For A Man?
It can be in certain circumstances.
As explained above, the average energy needs for an adult man is around 2500 calories a day. When losing weight, you are generally advised to cut between 500 to 1000 kcal from your typical daily caloric intake.
Thus if the man in question was consuming about 2500 kcal or more a day and they’d like to lose weight, then a 1750 calorie meal plan male diet is within the recommended calorie deficit range. Whether it provides enough energy for them to go about their normal daily activities and feel satisfied will vary by individual. It may require some trial and error to find the right amount of calories for your personal goals.
How Many Meals Is 1700 Calories?
A 1700-calorie meal plan can include anywhere from 3 to 6 meals and more. It all depends on how many calories are in each meal. The more calories per meal, the fewer meals you have to eat overall to hit 1700 kcal.
How Do I Eat On A 1750 Calorie Meal Plan As a Vegetarian?
The vegetarian diet comes in different variations. While the basis of the diet is to avoid meat and other animal products, different versions of the diet restrict different things (15, 14). When it comes to what to eat as a vegetarian on a 1750 meal plan, the first thing would be to take out everything that you do not want to consume.
Once that is done, here are some tips to follow
- Start slow – This is for the beginners. While going cold turkey might be a cool way to show your dedication, it could also lead to cravings. Slowly cut out the animal products you do not want.
- Eat a lot of fruit and vegetables – At least 5 servings a day.
- Focus on whole grains – These come from sources like brown rice, quinoa, oats, buckwheat, etc. They are rich in fiber and protein
- Dairy or dairy alternatives for those who do not consume dairy
- Plant protein – This is especially important for vegans – a branch of vegetarians that do not consume any animal protein or use anything made from or tested on animals.
Plant protein comes from many sources, but the highest amounts can be found in all types of beans and other legumes, as well as tofu, seeds, and nuts. If your variation of vegetarianism allows for some animal protein, such as eggs, dairy, or fish, then these are fantastic sources of protein.
Read more: Vegan Weight Loss Meal Plan and Prep Tips
FAQs
How Many Calories Is Too Little?
According to Harvard Health, anything below 1200 kcal a day is too little for women, while anything below 1500 kcal a day is considered too little for men (2). Some experts would place these cutoffs even higher.
Can A Human Eat 20,000 Calories?
No, the average human cannot consume 20,000 kcal a day. However, some bodybuilders claim to consume this much in a day and people who participate in competitive eating competitions can eat this much in such an event (5).
Is 1200 Calories Realistic?
As stated above, a woman might eat 1200 kcal a day – this tip is sometimes given to women who want to lose weight. However, we also know that calorie requirements differ from person to person. To be certain, if 1200 kcal a day is realistic for your goals and lifestyle, please speak to a registered dietitian, or healthcare provider or use a reputable calorie counting app.
How Many Calories Does 10,000 Steps Burn?
Calorie burn like calorie intake is also determined by several individual factors. The best way to estimate how many calories you will burn walking 10000 steps is by using a fitness tracker and inputting your individual data.
What Foods Burn Fat?
Proteins, green tea, and chili peppers are some of the foods that are thought to temporarily increase your metabolic rate which helps with calorie burning. However, any impact they might have is likely to be minimal. The way to lose fat is to eat a reduced calorie, balanced diet and increase physical activity.
Is A 500 Calorie Diet Good?
No, it is not. A 500 calorie diet is not good for adults, teenagers or even children. Such a diet is severely undereating, which can lead to a slew of health and medical issues.
DISCLAIMER:
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not serve to address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on for making any kind of decision-making. Any action taken as a direct or indirect result of the information in this article is entirely at your own risk and is your sole responsibility.
BetterMe, its content staff, and its medical advisors accept no responsibility for inaccuracies, errors, misstatements, inconsistencies, or omissions and specifically disclaim any liability, loss or risk, personal, professional or otherwise, which may be incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and/or application of any content.
You should always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or your specific situation. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of BetterMe content. If you suspect or think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor.
SOURCES
- Body Recomposition: Can Trained Individuals Build Muscle and Lose Fat at the Same Time? (2020, journals.lww.com)
- Calorie counting made easy (2024, health.harvard.edu)
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- Effects of diet and fitness apps on eating disorder behaviours: qualitative study (2021, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
- High Protein Veggie Wrap (2023, cookingforpeanuts.com)
- Macronutrient considerations for the sport of bodybuilding (2004, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
- Red Pepper & Parmesan Tilapia (2023, tasteofhome.com)
- Salmon Rice Bowls (2023, hungryhealthyhappy.com)
- SWEET POTATO AVOCADO TOAST (2022, bigdeliciouslife.com)
- The Best Asian Stuffed Peppers (2024, skinnyms.com)
- The Effect of Adherence to Dietary Tracking on Weight Loss: Using HLM to Model Weight Loss over Time (2017, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
- Type of Vegetarian Diet, Body Weight, and Prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes (2009, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
- Vegetarians: Past, Present, and Future Regarding Their Diet Quality and Nutritional Status (2023, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)