The 1400 Calorie Meal Plan + Weight Loss Guide

Trying to follow a 1400 calorie meal plan is a popular approach to weight loss, but is 1400 calories enough to lose weight?

According to Harvard Health, the minimum calories a day adults should be eating unless otherwise guided by a healthcare professional is 1200 calories a day for a woman and 1500 calories a day for a man.

Because men have a larger body size and more muscle mass on average, the caloric needs of the average man are generally higher than the average woman (biological sex).

Thus, there are differences in eating 1400 calories a day female vs male results and safety, and even for women, a 1400 calorie meal plan may not be enough. 

In this 1400 calorie meal plan diet guide, we will take a look at how to determine if a 1400 calorie diet is right for you, how to eat 1400 calories, and some sample 1400 calorie weight loss diet plans.

We will discuss:

• Is 1400 Calories Enough?
• What Does a 1400 Calorie Meal Plan for Weight Loss Look Like?

Ready? 

Let’s jump in!

Is 1400 Calories Enough?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends creating a caloric deficit to lose weight; a deficit of no more than 3,500-7,000 calories per week—which would yield 1-2 pounds for effective and sustainable fat loss. 

This works out to a total daily caloric deficit of a maximum of 500 to 1000 calories, which can be generated through cutting calories in your diet, increasing your physical activity, or a combination of both.

Therefore, you should estimate your BMR with online calculators such as the one here and learn more about calculating your TDEE here.

You can also estimate your caloric needs here.

So, is 1400 calories enough to lose weight?

After doing so, you can decide if eating 1400 calories per day is enough for weight loss yet enough to support your health if it falls within the 500 to 1000 calorie deficit based on your TDEE and any changes you are going to make in your physical activity levels. 

What Does a 1400 Calorie Meal Plan for Weight Loss Look Like?

Below, we have made two different sample 1400 calorie meal plans with healthy weight loss meals.

One is a low-carb 1400 calories a day meal plan for those who want to eat more protein and consume meat, poultry, fish, etc.

Note that this is a high-protein 1400 calorie meal plan for weight loss and isn’t necessarily ideal for long-term adherence, particularly if you are an endurance athlete, because it may not provide all of the carbohydrates and micronutrients you may need.

The second free meal plan with 1400 calories a day is a plant-based 1400 calories a day meal plan. You can consider this to be an “ovo-lacto vegetarian“ meal plan for weight loss.

This means that there is no poultry, meat, fish, or animal flesh, but there is dairy and eggs.

The vegetarian 1400 calorie meal plan has a better macronutrient balance relative to the low-carb 1400 calories a day diet provided.

This is mainly to demonstrate different approaches for how to eat 1400 calories a day and because many plant-based proteins are inherently higher in carbs and fiber.

Whether you follow an omnivorous diet or are a vegetarian, you can mix and match to get ideas from both of these 1400 calorie diet plans, and note that fiber can help reduce appetite and decrease visceral fat.

If you are looking for a vegan 1400 calories a day meal plan, you can swap out the dairy yogurt for coconut yogurt, soy yogurt, cashew yogurt, etc. We highly recommend looking at Forager Project if you need alternative plant-based yogurt.

High Protein 1400 Calorie Low-Carb Meal Plan

Breakfast: 310 calories, 20 grams of carbs, 7 grams of fat, 33 grams of protein, 7 grams of fiber

• Yogurt Parfait: 3/4 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt, 10 almonds, 1/2 cup raspberries (210 calories, 7 grams of fat, 21 grams of protein, 17 grams of carbs, 6 grams fiber)
• Egg white scramble with 1.5 cups of baby spinach (7 calories per cup) and 5 egg whites (17 calories per egg white from a large egg, 4 grams of protein) (100 calories, 22 grams of protein, 3 grams of net carbs)
• 12 ounces of water
• Black coffee or unsweetened tea

Lunch: 326 calories, 35 grams of protein, 10 grams of carbs, 3 grams of fiber, 16 grams of fat

Cilantro Lime Shrimp Over Spiralized Zucchini Noodles

• Cilantro Lime Shrimp Recipe (294 calories, 33 grams of protein, 4 grams of carbs, 16 grams of fat)
• Salt to taste
• Serrano pepper to taste
• 1/8 cup fresh cilantro
• 1 tbsp lime juice and zest
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil (62 calories 7 grams of fat)
• 8 oz deveined shrimp
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• Served over 1 cup of spiralized zucchini noodles (32 calories, 2 grams of protein, 6 grams of carbs, 2 grams of fiber)

Snack: 165 calories 28 grams of protein, 1 gram of net carbs

• 2 turkey roll-ups, each made with ¼ cup fat-free ricotta (50 calories, 8 grams of protein, 4 grams of carbs), 1 slice of low-sodium turkey breast (28 grams) (30 calories, 6 grams of protein) each in a butter lettuce leaf.

Dinner 380 calories, 24 grams of fat, 7 grams of carbs, 35 grams of protein 

• Pecan-crusted tilapia with 1/4 cup of chopped pecans, 4 ounces of tilapia, cumin, and black pepper to taste, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese (290 cal, 1 g of net carbs, 20 g of fat, 28 g of protein)
• Spinach and broccoli salad with 2 cups of baby spinach, 1/2 cucumber sliced, ½ cup mushrooms, ½ cup of broccoli florets chopped, lemon juice to taste, 1 tablespoon of pumpkin seeds, ¼ cup of tomatoes, lemon juice (90 calories, 4 grams fat, 7 grams protein, 6 grams net carbs)
• 12 ounces of water

Dessert Snack: 232 calories, 7 grams of fat, 16 grams of protein, 26 grams of carbs, 11 grams of fiber

• 1 Banza Chocolate Chip Protein Waffles (these are awesome, delicious, healthy waffles made from chickpea flour, so they won’t cause bloating, and they have more protein, plus you can get them in different flavors) (110 calories, 5 grams of fat, 5 grams of protein, 12 grams of carbs, 3 grams of fiber)
• ½ cup raspberries (32 calories, 7 grams of carbs, 4 grams of fiber, 1 gram of protein)
• 1 scoop of PB2 Almond Protein Powder with Madagascar Vanilla (90 calories, 10 grams of protein, 2 grams of fat, 7 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber) mixed with water
• Dash of cinnamon 

Total Daily Intake: 1,408 calories, 147 grams of protein, 53 grams of fat, 64 grams of carbs, 28 grams of fiber

Plant-Based 1400 Calorie Meal Plan

Breakfast: 326 calories, 28.5 grams of carbs, 6.5 grams of fat, 41 grams of protein, 10 grams of fiber

• 1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt, (134 calories, 1 gram of fat, 23 grams of protein, 8 grams of carbs, 1 gram of fiber)
• 1/2 cup of Magic Spoon cereal (70 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, 6.5 grams of carbs, 7 grams of protein, 1 gram of fiber)
• ½ cup raspberries (32 calories, 7 grams of carbs, 4 grams of fiber, 1 gram of protein)
• 1 scoop of PB2 Almond Protein Powder with Madagascar Vanilla (90 calories, 10 grams of protein, 2 grams of fat, 7 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber)
• 12 ounces of water
• Black coffee or unsweetened tea

Lunch: 364 calories, 31 grams of carbs, 15 grams of fat, 26 grams of protein, 14 grams of fiber

• Full pouch (10 ounces) of Good Bean Heat and Eat Low-Carb Classic Chili (330 cal, 25 g of carbs, 23 g of protein, 12 g of fiber, 15 g of fat) or similar vegan low-carb chili
• 2 cups of shredded lettuce (16 calories, 3 grams of carbs, 1.5 grams of protein)
• 1/2 cup of tomatoes diced (18 calories, 3 grams of carbs, 1 grams of protein)
• 12 ounces of water
• Herbal tea

Snack: (171 calories, 17 grams of carbs, 4 grams of fiber, 26 grams of protein)

Spinach and Yogurt Dip With Red Pepper Strips 

• 8 oz nonfat Greek yogurt (133 calories, 8 grams of carbs, 23 grams of protein)
• 1 cup fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or dill
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Blend everything together 
• Chill and then dip in 1 medium red bell pepper cut into strips (31 calories, 7 grams of carbs, 2.5 grams of fiber, 1.5 grams of protein)

Dinner: 370 calories, 41 grams of protein, 19 grams of fat, 12 grams of carbs, 10.5 grams of fiber

Tofu Stir-Fry With Wilted Garlic Bok Choy 

• 2 servings of (6.5 ounces) of tofu (we like Nagoya High-Protein Extra Firm Tofu 130 calories, 7 grams of fat, 14 grams of protein, 2 grams of carbs, 2 grams of fiber per serving for 260 calories, 14 g of fat, 28 g of protein, 4 g of carbs, 4 g of fiber)
• 1/16 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tbsp low-sodium veggie broth 
• Dash of rice wine vinegar
• ½ cup Chinese bean sprouts (add on top at the end)
• 1/3 cup asparagus chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped broccoli
• ½-inch of fresh ginger chopped 
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
• ½ carrot chopped
• 1 large egg (70 calories, 5 grams of fat, 6.5 grams of protein)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Prepared over: 2 cups of steamed bok choy, Salt and pepper, and 1 clove of garlic minced

Snack: 180 calories, 25 grams of protein, 16 grams of carbs, 3 grams of fiber)

• 1 cup fat-free cottage cheese (140 calories, 10 grams of carbs, 23 grams of protein)
• ½ cup frozen mixed berries (40 calories, 6 grams of carbs, 3 grams of fiber)

Total: 1411 calories, 159 grams of protein, 40.5 grams of fat, 105 grams of carbs, 41.5 grams of fiber

Remember, eating too few calories is not only unsustainable but unsafe.

You should speak with your doctor or work with a nutritionist to find the best diet for you.

For a more sustainable weight loss diet plan, check out our guide to what a week of healthy clean eating looks like here.