Meal Planning/Choice Activity

Activity Overview:
This activity will present participants with 2 scenarios emulating real-life eating situations. The
purpose of this activity is to demonstrate how meal planning can be a fun, easy, and helpful tool
for meeting daily caloric goals.

Objectives:
By the end of this activity participants will learn:
1. The importance of meal planning as a helpful tool in meeting their daily caloric intake
goal.
2. How to plan meals to meet their daily caloric intake goal
3. How to recognize proper portion sizes in a setting outside the home
4. How to identify and make appropriate food choices to meet their daily caloric intake goal

Materials:
Calculator
CalorieKing Book
Pens/Pencils
Paper
Food models
Projector (to display food and beverage choice lists for scenario 1)

Directions:
1. Prior to starting the activity, set up the buffet table for Scenario 1
a. Place all food models associated with the food choices list in the activity on a
table
2. Introduce activity to participants
a. Briefly discuss how/why meal planning is important in terms of weight loss and
maintenance
3. Instruct group to divide into teams of about 2-4 people, depending on size of the group
4. Present Scenario 1 to the group
a. Give members about 3 minutes to complete the activity
b. Bring group back together to discuss individual group responses (3 minutes)
5. Present Scenario 2 to the group
a. Give members about 3 minutes to complete the activity
b. Bring group back together to discuss individual group responses (3 minutes)
6. Present hand-out/discuss further the importance & purpose of meal planning and portion
control in helping with weight loss and maintenance

Scenario 1:
You have all ready eaten 900 calories today. Your daily caloric limit is 1500 calories, so you are
allotted 600 more for the remainder of the day. You have just arrived at a family cook-out and
are about to make a plate for dinner from the buffet table. Listed below are the food choices
available. Which choices could you pick in order to stay within and meet your daily caloric
intake goal?

1
Instructions for Scenario 1
- Groups will walk up to the buffet table and make one plate of food based off of the
information given from the scenario.
- Once the plate is made, groups will return to their seats. At this point the food and
beverage choices with given caloric values (listed below) will be displayed.
- Groups will now calculate the total calories from their plate and determine how close
they have come to their calorie goal for this meal (600kcals).
- Ask the groups to share whether or not they have met the calorie goal. If the goal was not
met by any or all of the groups, lead a quick discussion asking the groups to share what
changes in their food selections can be made in order to meet the calorie goal.

Food Choices:
1 Hot Dog w/Ketchup, Mustard & Relish= 260kcals
1 Cheese Burger (beef patty, 1 slice American cheese, Ketchup, lettuce, tomato
and bun) = 470kcals
1 Brat w/ bun, Ketchup, Mustard and Onions= 312kcals
1 cup Potato Salad= 350kcals
1 cup Pasta Salad (prep. w/Italian dressing) = 370kcals
1 Watermelon Wedge= 86kcals
1 piece (6oz) Grilled Chicken= 220kcals
1 cup Fruit Salad= 120kcals
1 Party Roll (0.6 oz) = 55kcals
17 Potato Chips= 150 kcals *w/2 Tbsp Frito Lay Onion Dip= 60kcals
12 Doritos= 150kcals
12 Tortilla chips=150kcals *w/1 Tbsp salsa= 15kcals
~5 ½ oz Ear of Corn = 80kcals *w/1 tsp regular butter= 35kcals
½ cup Baked Beans, original= 170kcals
½ cup Coleslaw, traditional= 150kcals
2cups Caesar Salad w/Light Dressing =100kcals
Vegetable Platter (with Stop and Shop Veggie Dip, 2 Tbsp)= 110kcals
-Carrots sticks (4- 1 ½ oz sticks)= 6kcals
-Cauliflower (3 florets)=12kcals
-Celery (4-½ oz sticks)= 2kcals
-Cucumber (½ cup, sliced)= 5kcals
-Bell Pepper (1/2 cup, chopped)= 12kcals
-Cherry Tomato (1 cup)= 27kcals
- Broccoli (3 florets)= 23kcals
1 Brownie= 224kcals
1 slice Pound Cake (All Butter)= 320kcals
1 slice Angel Food Cake=140kcals
Topping Options for Angel Food Cake:
2 Tbsp Lite Cool Whip= 20kcals
6 medium Strawberries=15kcals
½ cup Blueberries=40kcals
½ cup Raspberries 30kcals

2
 Beverages:
12 fl oz.Regular Beer=140kcals
12 fl oz. Light Beer=110kcals
8 oz. Pre-Sweetened Tea=100kcals
8 fl oz. Unsweetened Tea=2kcals
12 fl oz. Coca-Cola=140kcals
12 fl oz. Diet Coke= 0kcals
12 fl oz. Dr. Pepper=150kcals
12 fl oz. Diet Dr. Pepper= 0kcals
12 fl oz. Sprite=150kcals
12 fl oz. Mountain Dew=170 kcals
12 fl oz. Ice Water=0kcals

Scenario 2:
Tomorrow night you and your closest friends are going out to your favorite restaurant for dinner!
Luckily, the restaurant’s website is equipped with the nutrition facts of all menu items. You have
all ready consulted the online menu and have planned what you will order. The menu items you
plan on ordering consist of 870kcals. Your daily caloric intake goal is 1500kcal, so you are
allotted 630 more for the remainder of the day. Your dinner plans are at 6pm. What are some
appropriate food choices you could make through out the day in order to meet/stay within your
daily caloric intake goal? Please refer to your CalorieKing book to select foods/prepared meals.

Instructions for Scenario 2:

- Have participants list in blank spaces all foods would eat for their breakfast, lunch and
snacks. In the blanks have them calculate the total calories for that meal/snack keeping in mind
they have set aside 870kcals for dinner and only have 630kcals left.

Breakfast: Total _____ kcals

Suggestions:
Food Amount Calories
Bran Flakes ¾ cup 100
Oatmeal, cooked, no fat ½ cup ckd or 1 pkg instant 100
added, unsweetened (plain)
Special K 1 cup 110
Skim Milk 4 oz 43
Nonfat yogurt with aspartame 6-8oz 100-120
(100-120calories and 0 gram
from fat)
Whole Wheat toast 1 slice 70
English Muffin ½ 67
Egg Whites 3 large 42
Banana, 8’’ long ½ fruit 48
Orange. Fresh, 2 5/8’’ diam 1 each 62

3
Strawberries, fresh 1 cup 46
Orange Juice, unsweetened 4oz 56
Jam or Jelly, regular 2 tsp 32
Jam or Jelly no sugar added 2 tsp 27
Cream cheese, fat free 2 Tbsp 30
Margarine, low-calorie 2 tsp 34

Snack Food: Total ______ kcals

Lunch: Total _____ kcals

Suggestions:
Menu 1:
Salad
Salad Dressing, low-calorie or fat free (1 serving)
Chicken, turkey, salmon, tuna, or ham (1 serving)
Condiment (1 serving)
Fruit (1 serving)
Menu 2:
Salad
Salad Dressing, low-calorie or fat free (1 serving)
Beans, cottage cheese, tofu, or hummus (1 serving)
Bread (1 serving)
Fruit (1 serving)
Menu 3:
Salad
Salad Dressing, low-calorie or fat free (1 serving)
Low-calorie frozen entrée (< 300 calories and < 10 grams fat)
Fruit (1 serving)

Food Amount Calories

Tuna, canned in water, drained 3oz 99
Turkey Breast, processed 3oz 90
luncheon meat, oven-roasted
Ham, processed luncheon 3 oz 90
meat, sliced or chipped
Cottage cheese, 1 % milk ½ cup 82
Hummus, plain 2 tbsp 79
Tofu, regular, no fat added ½ cup 94
Pita or pocket bread, shite, 7’’ ½ pita 96
diam
Whole Wheat Bread 1 slice 70
Apple, 2 ¾ diam 1 each 81
Peach, fresh, 2 ½ diam, or 1 each 37
canned in water
Mayonnaise, low-calorie 1 Tbsp 49

4
Salad Dressing, fat free 1 Tbsp 16
Mustard (check label of honey 2 Tbsp 24
mustards for fat grams)
Frozen entrée or dinners, low- < 300calories and < 10 grams
calorie of fat
**Please note all suggestions came from the Healthy Habits meal plan. For more opinions,
please refer to Healthy Habits meal plan handout in your notebook.

Dinner: Total 870 kcals