Weight-loss meal planning: calories, protein and portions

Compare calories, protein and portion sizes in a sample meal. Adjust cooked food weights and track oils without treating a sample as a personal diet prescription.

Build a meal before changing portions

Start with foods you actually eat: a protein-containing food, vegetables, a carbohydrate source and any added fats. Weigh edible portions and record sauces, drinks and snacks separately. No single food or combination guarantees weight loss.

Compare changes instead of prescribing a daily target

Use the example below to compare a smaller rice portion or a different amount of added oil while keeping the other foods fixed. It represents one meal, not a complete day. Individual energy needs depend on age, body size, activity, health and other factors; this page does not calculate a personal deficit.

Use cooked weights consistently

The chicken, rice and broccoli below are cooked records. Do not enter a raw ingredient weight against a cooked food entry: water gain or loss changes nutrients per 100 g. Cooking oil in the example is added separately; marinades and sauces are not included.

A sample is not medical advice

This tool is not a complete nutritional adequacy assessment. For pregnancy, childhood, eating-disorder history or conditions requiring a therapeutic diet, seek individualized advice from a qualified clinician or dietitian rather than following an online weight-loss target.

Sample meal nutrition: adjust ingredient weights

This illustrates meal arithmetic, not a weight-loss prescription or a complete daily diet. Defaults: 120 g roasted chicken breast, 150 g cooked rice, 150 g cooked broccoli and 5 g additional olive oil.

Food / source	Calories	Protein	Carbohydrate	Fat	Dietary fiber
Chicken, broilers or fryers, breast, meat only, cooked, roasted USDA SR28 (2015) · NDB 05064	198 kcal	37.22 g	0 g	4.28 g	0 g
Rice, white, long-grain, regular, enriched, cooked USDA SR28 (2015) · NDB 20045	195 kcal	4.04 g	42.26 g	0.42 g	0.6 g
Broccoli, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt USDA SR28 (2015) · NDB 11091	52.5 kcal	3.57 g	10.77 g	0.61 g	4.95 g
Oil, olive, salad or cooking USDA SR28 (2015) · NDB 04053	44.2 kcal	0 g	0 g	5 g	0 g

Adjusting grams updates individual nutrients and the total below. — means unknown.

Calories: 489.7 kcal · Protein: 44.83 g · Carbohydrate: 53.03 g · Fat: 10.32 g · Dietary fiber: 5.55 g

Per-100-g values come from the built-in USDA SR28 (2015) records, not laboratory testing or live branded labels. This table is not a complete micronutrient analysis and excludes additional sauces.

Open these portions in the original meal calculator

With JavaScript enabled, this link follows the portions above; continue editing and export CSV in the combination calculator.

Sources and further reading

USDA FoodData Central / SR Legacy · NHS Eatwell Guide

Boiled egg nutrition and portions · Milk nutrition and portions · All food guides