2000 Calories a Day for Two Weeks Diet

Restricting your caloric intake to the Food and Drug Administration's recommended amount can stabilize your weight and ensure that you have received proper nutrition throughout the day. A 2,000-calorie-a-day diet maintained for even a week will help you make a habit out of proper nutrition and will help you reach your fitness goals.

Why 2,000 Calories?

According to the FDA, the 2,000-calorie benchmark approximates the caloric intake that a "moderately active adult female (weighing approximately 132 lbs.) needs to maintain her weight." In general, a person needs about 15 calories per pound of body mass to maintain a healthy weight, so men usually need to consume more calories than females. If you are more active, this number rises. People who are sedentary need fewer calories to maintain their weight.

For the purpose of simplicity, use the FDA's benchmark as a basis for a simple 2,000-calorie-a-day diet. Limiting your caloric intake to the recommended value is a good way to ensure that you are not overeating, and designing a meal plan based on this intake provides well-rounded nutrition.

Making Your Meal Plan

When starting any diet, you need to design a meal plan that is tailored to your fitness goals. For this diet, 2,000 daily calories for a week is the goal, and that will serve as our basic guideline for building a nutritious diet. Determine your need for fat (no more than 20 percent of total calories), protein (40 to 50 percent) and carbohydrates (30 to 40 percent). For a 2,000-calorie diet, that amounts to 400 calories from fat, about 900 calories from protein and around 700 calories from carbohydrates.

You'll also need to include varied sources of other vitamins and minerals such as calcium, iron and vitamin B. Include lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy and lean cuts of meat in your diet.

Sticking to Your Diet

One of the best ways to stick to a restricted-calorie diet is to prepare your meals ahead of time. This little trick helps you stave off times when hitting a fast-food restaurant seems more convenient than preparing a healthy meal. Keep healthy snacks like trail mix and granola on hand; they will help you survive hunger pangs while keeping your metabolism running high throughout the day.