What Do 300 Calorie Meals Look Like?
Need help visualizing appropriate portion sizes? This guide will help by showing you the amount of food 300-400 calories looks like on a plate.
Breakfast Meals
English Muffin Breakfast – 394 Calories
1 whole wheat English muffin
2 pats low fat butter
1 hard boiled egg
1/2 cup of fruit
8 oz fruit juice
8 oz water
Cereal – 300 Calories
1 cup of cereal
8 oz 2% milk
1 banana
1 coffee or tea
Oatmeal – 345 Calories
1 cup (cooked) oatmeal with raisins
½ cup of fruit
1 cup coffee or tea
1 small banana
Scrambled eggs – 360 Calories
2 scrambled eggs
2 strips of turkey bacon
1 piece whole wheat toast
1 pat of low fat butter
1 coffee or tea
8 oz water
Lunches
Baked potato – 305 Calories
1 medium baked potato
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons salsa
1 cup sliced melon
12 oz water
Roasted Veg. Salad – 373 Calories
3 cups mixed greens
1 cup sweet potato
1 cup eggplant
1 cup red bell pepper
3 Tbs lite honey mustard
Soup – 350 Calories
1 bowl of soup
1 small tossed salad
2 tablespoons reduced fat oil and vinegar dressing
12 oz water
4 saltine crackers
Chicken Salad – 350 Calories
1 large tossed salad
2 tablespoons reduced fat oil and vinegar dressing
6 oz sliced chicken
1 cup of low fat wheat thin crackers
12 oz water
MORE: Quick Lunches for under 400 Calories
Dinners
Chicken – 345 Calories
6 oz of chicken
1 cup of green beans
2 pats of low-fat butter
1 small tossed salad
2 tablespoons reduced fat oil and vinegar dressing
12 oz water
Grilled Eggplant – 323 Calories
1 cup eggplant
1/4 avocado
Asparagus (10 spears)
3 whole wheat crackers
1 Tbsp olive oil and seasonings
Fish – 365 Calories
6 oz broiled white fish
1 cup of mashed potatoes
1 pat of butter
1/2 cup of peas
8 oz diet iced tea
Tortellini – 366 Calories
3/4 cup tortellini
1/2 cup marinara
1 cup mixed vegetables
Chicken and Rice – 395 Calories
6 oz cooked chicken
2 tablespoons of barbecue sauce
1 cup of mixed vegetables
1/2 cup of brown rice
1 small tossed salad
2 tablespoons reduced fat oil and vinegar dressing
Stuffed Butternut – 376 Calories
1/2 small butternut squash (2 cups)
1/2 cup quinoa (prepared)
1/2 cup red bell pepper
1/2 cup onion
curry seasoning
cilantro
1/4 cup lite coconut milk
Think you can estimate calorie amounts?
I can’t. It’s too hard.
It’s one of the reasons why it is so hard to eat healthily. Most meals you buy out are far more calorie-dense than what you thought.
If you don’t believe me – check out a standard Starbucks Hot Chocolate. It’s 440 Calories. Even you ask them to hold the whipped cream, it’s still 360 Calories.
What happens when you combine that with a snack? Maybe a small chocolate croissant.
Ouch! That’s another 340 Cals.
Looking for some easy ways you can save a lot of calories in your everyday cooking? Learn how cook healthy.
Meal prep can be a great way to have portioned meals waiting for you in the fridge and helps take out the guesswork. Here’s a good meal prep guide that explains the process.
The Challenge
Most of these photos are from a doctor who had prepared a diet for his patients. He felt it was easier to show them the pictures.
I think the doctor’s done great here. Although there are some items I don’t like. Low-fat butter? What is that? Reduced fat oil?
I don’t like frankenfoods. Better to have the real thing, but in moderation.
What do you think?
Did you spot some meals that didn’t quite fit?
The ones with the colorful plate.
They were made by one of our writers here – Ted. I think they are much more enticing than the doctor’s photos. You can see all his recipes here.
Any better ideas?
MORE – 10 Quick Snacks for under 200 Calories
Ted Kallmyer is an ISSA certified Specialist in Fitness Nutrition, is an expert macros coach, and the author of The Macro Solution. If you need personal help reaching your weight loss/fitness goals see his nutrition & macros coaching options. Follow Ted on Instagram114 Comments
Very interesting! I can’t wait to get my 1st kit my goal is to loose 30lbs.
Hi. I m 85kg, with 1.78mtr height. Trying to lose weight. Started doing a constant 3km run everyday for a month. But yet to reduce weight. How to do about it? I take roughly about 1500kcal to 2000kcal a day. With 2 ltrs water a day.
Hi Thanes, You should try to establish a more refined TDEE. You can use my calculator to get you more zeroed in. Flexible Dieting Macro Calculator
I have to take medicine before bed time and i’m supposed to have 350 calories with it .I don’t want to gain weight any suggestions on what to have?
Hi Mary, You have to make sure you have 350 calories left over for this out of your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). TDEE Calculator : Easily Calculate Your Daily Calorie Needs
Mary
My medication requires 350 calories my sister checked and 2 pop tarts will do it. I know it doesn’t sound healthy but it works for the medication
If I drink 10 water bottles a day, and skip breakfast and lunch, but eat a 395 calorie dinner how much weight will I lose?
Hi Abianna. That’s a dangerous and unhealthy approach. Not only are you over-hydrating, you are depriving your body of the nutrition it needs. Please reconsider and only do a safe deficit.
Can you provide me a balanced diet by which I can gain weight. My height is almost 6feet with just 62 kg weight.
Hi Gafoor, You can use my macro calculator to figure out how much overall nutrition you should be consuming for weight gain: Flexible Dieting Macro Calculator
Eating 800 cal a day. How many pounds can I loss.
Hi Diana, That’s not a very wise or sustainable way to lose weight. You should keep your calorie deficit around just 20%.
Hello, I was too much worried about my weight and had not idea what I do for reducing weight. I have go through from many weight loss blogs but I have not find any interesting information. But when I read your blog, I have got very useful points which will really help me in reducing weight
Awesome! Glad that I could help and all the best with your journey towards better health!
This is a great service. The pictures help a lot. See it. Make it. Eat it.
Thanks for the interesting article. I will keep this in mind
All the numbers “may” be correct but the pictures don’t show the proper corresponding amount of food. Portion control is the MOST important aspect of not overeating regardless of the recipe.
Please use ‘healthy’ and ‘healthily’ correctly. One is an adjective and one is an adverb. The correct grammar is ‘how to cook healthily’. Also, please watch your possessive adjectives e.g. the correct grammar is ‘more enticing than the doctor’s photos’.
Thanks for the suggestions. I’ve fixed up the grammar.
I know from personal experience that sometimes the “grammatical ” mistakes are just typos I missed. I would hope for a gracious and tactful correction in such cases.
I agree!
It is appropriate that the grammar checker has the name Grahams. Free advice is always a plus!
Thanks for the information you wrote about. It is helpful. I was happy to find this site.
I love these food items and would love to have the recipes and any other ideas would be great.I have reach my weight loss goal and would like all of the help that I can receive to maintain it .