Eating 2,000 calories a day might sound simple, but finding out “What is a balanced 2000-calorie meal plan?” takes more than just counting calories.
The right plan keeps you full of energy and ready to tackle any goal, whether you are building muscle, losing weight, or adopting healthier eating habits.
The problem is that many people struggle with:
The good news is that you can create a simple 2,000-calorie meal plan for every day of the week without spending a lot of time or money.
In this article, we have compiled all the recipes that can serve as inspiration for creating the perfect dietary schedule, paired with some tips on shedding excess weight.
Let’s jump right in.
Some people will lose weight eating 2000 calories daily, if it creates a calorie deficit.
This factor will depend on their individual energy needs. The average maintenance level is 2,500 calories for men and 2,000 calories for women, but these numbers vary based on age, height, weight, and activity level. If 2000 calories is below your maintenance calorie goal, you are likely to lose weight (1).
For some people, consuming 2,000 calories daily would result in a significant calorie surplus, which can lead to weight gain. For others, especially those with a lower maintenance level, 2,000 calories might be a slight surplus (2).
For example, if a person weighs 200 pounds, and burns 2,800 calories daily, a 2,000-calorie diet creates an 800-calorie deficit. Over time, this promotes sustainable weight loss.
Since one pound of fat is approximately 3,500 calories, the person would theoretically lose around 1.5 pounds per week. However, weight loss in real life is often not linear or perfectly formulaic. Pairing your diet with regular exercise is essential for slow and efficient progress.
For someone active, 2,000 calories is often not enough.
The more often and harder you exercise, and the bigger your body is, the more fuel you need.
The amount depends on how often you exercise, the intensity of your workouts, and your body size. If you’re training hard but only eating 2,000 calories, you may feel tired, run out of energy, or notice that your body takes longer to recover.
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The best way to know whether 2,000 calories is enough for you is to calculate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the amount of calories you burn in a day.
It starts with your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), which is the number of calories your body uses at rest, and then adds more based on your level of activity (4). You can estimate this number by using an online calculator and inputting your sex, age, height, weight, and activity level.
Consuming 2,000 calories a day can work well for:
Read more: Can You Lose Weight Eating Zero-Carb Meals?
A simple 2,000-calorie meal plan should balance all food groups.
Start with protein, like chicken, fish, eggs, or tofu. Include products like whole grains, which take longer to digest, such as oats, brown rice, or whole-wheat bread.
Then, add various plant foods to provide a diverse range of micronutrients and a robust microbiome through plant diversity (5).
Here’s how to build a balanced day:
Tired of guessing calories and which ingredient goes where? The BetterMe fitness app can help you plan your meals. Use it to create a customized meal plan that meets your macro goals, tracks calories, and provides delicious recipes daily.
If you’re curious about 2000-calorie meal plan high protein, check out our earlier article.
A 7-day 2,000-calorie meal plan includes a balanced mix of macronutrients in everything you eat. This means incorporating a variety of foods, including protein sources such as meat or meat substitutes, complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, and plant-based products.
Some individuals may follow a simple 2000-calorie meal plan low-carb and minimize their carb intake, depending on their goals. However, we are focusing on balance here; you can adjust and swap carbs as needed from the recipes below.
Here is a general guideline you can use to customize your weekly recipes, which leaves some space for snacks:
Breakfast: Sweet potatoes and black bean hash
Total calories: 550
Lunch: Mediterranean quinoa salad
Total calories: 700
Dinner: Sheet pan salmon
Total calories: 750
Breakfast: Greek yogurt parfait
Total calories: 500
Lunch: Turkey and vegetable chilli
Total calories: 760
Dinner: Teriyaki chicken stir-fry
Total calories: 500
Breakfast: Avocado toast with tomatoes
Total calories: 550
Lunch: Creamy white bean tomato soup
Total calories: 700
Dinner: Chicken and vegetable skewers
Total calories: 750
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Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with sauteed vegetables
Total calories: 400
Lunch: Garlic shrimp scampi
Total calories: 500
Breakfast: Whole wheat pancakes
Total calories: 600
Lunch: Roasted pork tenderloin
Total calories: 750
Dinner: Whole wheat spaghetti with lean meatballs
Total calories: 600
Breakfast: Spinach, mushrooms, and feta frittata
Total calories: 500
Lunch: Roasted red peppers and chicken wraps
Total calories: 700
Dinner: Chickpea and vegetable curry
Total calories: 700
Breakfast: Smoothie with berries and kale
Total calories: 650
Lunch: Rice and bean lunch wraps
Served with a simple salad with cucumber, celery, and tomatoes
Total calories: 800
Dinner: Southwestern chicken quinoa bowl
Total calories: 600
Our previous post goes into great detail about the 7-day vegan meal plan.
Eating around 2,000 calories a day may help some people lose weight, but the results depend on various factors, including age, sex, height, weight, activity level, and personal goals.
Weight loss isn’t just about calories. Your environment, lifestyle, and even health can affect it.
Still, cutting calories is a key strategy for managing weight.
For example, if you eat 2,500 calories a day and drop to 2,000, you could lose about 1 pound (0.45 kg) in a week, because 3,500 calories roughly equals 1 pound of fat (7).
However, weight loss is rarely that formulaic or linear.
In many cases, for someone to lose weight, their Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) should be over 2,000 calories. A daily deficit of around 500 calories can theoretically cause you to lose about 1 pound of weight per week (8).
However, 2,000 calories can be too much for some people, which could lead to weight gain instead. For example, if someone has a small body size and leads a sedentary lifestyle, 2,000 calories may be about 300 to 400 calories more than their body needs.
This amount of food can cause a caloric surplus over time.
For more details about the 2000 calorie keto diet, take a look at our prior publication.
A simple 2,000-calorie meal plan for weight loss should help you burn more calories than you consume. In most cases, this means creating a 500-calorie deficit per day, which can theoretically result in a weight loss of around 1 pound (0.45 kg) per week.
You can achieve this by combining balanced meals with regular exercise.
For example, if you consume 2,000 calories daily, options such as high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or steady-state cardio can help you burn approximately 500 calories per day. Develop a routine that allows you to steadily increase the duration of the activity to tone your body and lose excess fat.
Here is a workout plan that can burn 500 calories:
This high-impact workout provides quick results in a short time.
It uses short bursts of intense routines with short recovery times to burn significantly more calories. Practice each exercise for approximately 30-45 seconds, with 15 seconds of rest in between.
Round 1:
Round 2 (optional):
Cardio is less overwhelming on the muscles and more suitable for beginners.
It is a lower-impact exercise that burns calories, but requires longer exercise sessions, about 30 minutes.
Choose one of the activities listed below to burn calories:
Do you need help with practicing your workouts and planning meals tailored to your preferred physical activities? The BetterMe app has you covered.
Use it as a personal coach that tracks your progress and creates a unique workout routine.
To learn more about how to burn 2000 calories a day, check out our in-depth article on the topic.
If you follow a simple 2,000-calorie meal plan but still can’t lose weight, there are several reasons why this may be the case.
Everyday products, such as fruit juices, salad dressings, fattier cuts of meat, flavored smoothies, and lattes, often contain more calories than people may expect.
For example:
That’s why it can be helpful to write down the ingredients you plan to use and measure the products to ensure you don’t exceed the calorie limit.
Read More: What To Do When You Can’t Lose Weight: How To Stop The Scale From Creeping Up
A medium-sized banana contains approximately 105 calories, 14 grams of sugar, and 1.3 grams of protein. If you love bananas but prefer less sugar, then choose unripe (green) bananas. When you include them in smoothies or breakfast, don’t add extra sugar. HIIT burns more calories in a relatively short time. It tends to be more effective at burning calories compared to biking or running at a moderate pace. Some individuals spend much more energy doing intense training, which can feel exhausting (9). But the results can vary from person to person. If you weigh around 125 pounds, you burn about 38 calories every hour while you sleep. It might not seem like much, but over the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep, you burn roughly 266 to 342 calories just by resting (10). When you consume fewer calories than you expend over a prolonged period, your body utilizes a combination of fat and muscle to compensate for the energy deficit. The bigger your calorie cut and the less you move, the more muscle you can lose.Frequently Asked Questions
How many calories are in one banana?
Which exercise burns more calories?
How many calories do you burn sleeping?
Do you lose muscle or fat first?
To create a meal plan that limits calories, you need to balance your nutrients.
Adjust your eating and cooking plan according to your energy needs and activity level.
Remember to be consistent and stay hydrated. The 2,000-calorie meal plan we prepared for you is just a blueprint for inspiration.
If you are a vegetarian or vegan, you can eliminate meat and opt for plant-based protein instead. The key is to prioritize nutrient-dense foods and limit the consumption of ultra-processed products. The more colorful your plate, the better your options. So, don’t be afraid to experiment with vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and seasonings to create unique meals you will look forward to.
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