What does a healthy diet plan for weight loss look like? What types of foods should be excluded from the diet for PP, how much protein, carbohydrates and fats should you eat daily?
Basics and rules of healthy eating
For optimal results, especially if you are just starting out on a healthy lifestyle, you can follow the MyPlate method. That is, you divide each meal into 5 food groups. Read about them further.
Protein
Protein should ideally make up about 20 percent of your total daily calories.
How much protein should you eat?
You should consume about 0. 8 to 1. 2 grams of protein for every kilogram of your body weight per day. You should try to break this amount down across all meals and snacks throughout the day, rather than turning them into one or two meals. Protein is especially important if you are trying to achieve weight loss by burning fat in your body. The fact is that it takes more energy to break down and assimilate protein than any other macronutrient, resulting in higher calorie expenditure.
Cereals
Cereals often have a bad reputation because most grain-containing foods today are industrially processed and converted to fast carbohydrates such as sweet cereals and white breads. If you choose unprocessed grains and grains, you will immediately receive all the benefits of cereals: energy, vitamins and minerals necessary for the normal functioning of the body.
How many cereals do you need?
You need about six servings of cereals or 170 grams per day. A slice of bread and half a cup of cooked rice or pasta counts as a serving. At least half of your servings should be whole grains.
Fruit
What else do you need to include in your diet for weight loss? Fruit. Even the fact that fruits contain sugar, more specifically fructose, is not a problem as long as you do not exceed your daily caloric intake. Your body needs fructose to stay healthy. Thus, fruits are naturally sweet, which means they can satisfy your sugar cravings if you don't want to eat chocolates at night.
How much fruit do you need?
You should consume about two servings a day. A whole apple, orange, or banana counts as one serving.
Which fruit should you choose?
You should eat mostly fresh fruit and limit your intake of fruit juices and processed foods like applesauce, for example (unless you made it yourself).
Vegetables
If you really want to know how to eat right in order to lose weight, just remember vegetables - your new best friend. They are rich in fiber, which is beneficial for your digestive system. They are also low in calories and satiety, so you can eat more vegetables than other foods and consume fewer calories at the same time, ultimately leading to quality weight loss.
How many vegetables should you eat?
You need three to four servings.
Which vegetables to choose?
Try to eat lots of dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, broccoli, and asparagus. Starchy vegetables like potatoes are also beneficial. Cooking vegetables (not boiling, as it washes out all the nutrients) is one way to improve the flavor if you don't like eating them raw.
Dairy products
We consume dairy products because of their high amount of vitamins and minerals. These are high protein foods, so a snack like cottage cheese is ideal if you need to eat something before your next full meal. Since dairy products are generally a great source of protein, they are also part of a weight loss package.
How many dairy products do you need?
Roughly, you need about three servings of dairy products every day. One cup of milk or yogurt counts as one serving.
What if you can't / don't want to consume dairy products?
It's not dairy products themselves, but their nutrients that are important for a healthy diet. So if you can't eat dairy products due to allergies or lactose intolerance, or you just don't like them, there are other potential ways to get these essential vitamins and minerals, and still get great results.
- Broccoli, cabbage, figs and oranges are rich in calcium.
- Dark green leafy vegetables (cabbage, broccoli), tomatoes and citrus fruits contain vitamin C.
- Minerals such as phosphorus, magnesium and iron are found in many other foods that you already eat.
- You can also take a daily multivitamin to fill all those micronutrient gaps.
What about fat?
Fats and oils are no longer technically a separate food group. While dieting, you are likely to automatically consume the fats you need to stay healthy.
And where do I get fats from?
If you eat a healthy variety of foods, you should be getting all the healthy fats you need. But no more than 30 percent of your daily calories should come from fat.
The Truth About Carbohydrates
You may have heard by now that not all carbohydrates (sugars) are bad. When you see the experts talk about how bad sugar is for you, they usually talk about added sugar. Such sugar is added to our food during processing for a number of reasons and should be limited, if not excluded.
However, the carbohydrates found in grains, fruits, vegetables, and dairy products are not harmful in moderation. You shouldn't be intimidated by this type of sugar. In your body, it turns into the energy you need to stay healthy.
How many calories should I consume per day?
Now that you know how to eat well for weight loss, you are probably still wondering how many calories you can eat per day. Technically, you don't need to count calories if you don't want to. The standard for men and women is 2000 kcal. You can calculate your calorie needs if you really want to know and track them on a daily basis, but it all depends on what you eat and how active you are. Instead, pay attention to food types and serving sizes, as this can be a much more effective but less difficult way to achieve results.
Calculation of daily calorie intake for weight loss
To find out how many calories you need per day, you can use one of the calorie calculation formulas. The most commonly used formula is Tom Venut. She looks like this:
Men: 66 + (13. 7 x body weight) + (5 x height in cm) - (6. 8 x age in years)
Women: 665 + (9. 6 x body weight) + (1. 8 x height in cm) - (4. 7 x age in years)
The resulting figure is multiplied by the coefficient of physical activity:
- Sedentary work, sedentary lifestyle: 1. 2
- Average level of stress (morning exercises 3 times a week) 1. 38
- Heavy loads1, 56
- Very heavy loads1, 73
- Real extreme (you can't take that much, don't even think. 1. 9
But if you start to have questions like "Why can't you lose weight? ", it may well turn out that the daily calorie intake is greatly overestimated and the body simply does not need to spend fat reserves. In this case, it is better to calculate your daily calorie intake and make a menu based on the data obtained. It is especially important to know the calorie content of the diet, when the weight has stopped after achieving certain results, then it will be easier to cut the diet by another 500 calories and continue losing weight.
One serving is:
- 100-150 grams of vegetables (the size of your fist);
- 150 ml of dairy products;
- 120 g of meat or fish (about the size of a palm; )
- 1 tspvegetable oil;
- 12 grapes;
- 1 apple, banana, orange or pear;
- 1/2 mango or grapefruit;
- 1/4 avocado.
Keep track of your balance
To lose weight without harm to health and maintain good health, harmony, the body needs to get enough proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Approximate proportions - 75 g protein: 60 g fat: 250 g carbohydrates: 30 g fiber. Foods containing proteins are sources of amino acids for building muscle fibers, maintaining healthy skin, hair, nails, fats for the proper functioning of the brain and nervous system, as well as for the skin, and carbohydrates are a source of energy.
Is meal timing important?
Optional. Make it easy for yourself and eat when you're hungry, even if it's just a snack. If you'd rather eat six small meals a day than three large meals a day, do so. If you like to gorge yourself every few hours, then it is enough to eat 3 times a day at a convenient time. Just don't skip meals (you will end up eating, but somewhere in the night and sabotaging potentially quality results). The diet is important, but not in terms of time, but in quality.
Menu and meal planning
You can eat several complete and balanced meals every day while maintaining a healthy diet. The secret is to eat different foods. Below is a sample breakfast, lunch and dinner menu to help you get started planning your meals.
Daily Ration:
Breakfast
- Lean Greek yogurt or oatmeal with fruit and granola
- Half bagel with fat-free cream cheese
Lunch
- 2 items of shawarma (tortilla, beef, lettuce, guacomole, sour cream)
- 1 bowl of cooked brown rice with baked beans
Dinner
- Small salad (lettuce, red onion, tomato, cheese, Italian dressing)
- Baked chicken breast
- 1 bowl of green beans
- Baked potatoes with cheese
Snack Ideas
- Celery and nut butter
- Fresh vegetables with hummus
- Sliced fruit and whipped cream
- Applesauce
- Pretzel
- Dried fruits
- Nuts
- Tortilla and salsa
- Pickled cucumbers
Shopping List
Here are some examples of healthy foods that you can purchase from your local grocery store. Knowing which foods to buy is part of the weight loss package.
Healthy Food:
- Meat (steak, pork, beef)
- Fish and shellfish
- Eggs
- Nuts and Seeds
- Cereals
- Whole Grain Pasta
- Brown rice
- Buckwheat
- Whole Grain Bread
- Greek yogurt
- Cheese
- Milk or soy milk
- Avocado
- Fatty fish like salmon
- Nuts
- Fatty Yogurt
Healthy Eating Planning Guide for Beginners
Meal planning is one of the simplest and healthiest things you can do to achieve weight loss results through a healthy diet. Whether it's just for a day or a whole week, it's up to you. A properly formulated diet gives us not only the opportunity to lose weight, but it is also just convenient when all issues with food are resolved in advance. When the ingredients for a tasty and healthy dish are waiting for us at home, it becomes easier to avoid buying something harmful.
1. How many meals do you need?
First, let's think about our plans and the plans of our loved ones for the week. From here we can get a rough idea of how many meals we need. This could be, for example: six breakfasts for everyone, five family dinners, one lunch four times, and one afternoon snack.
2. How long will it take to cook?
This is a very important element of effective meal planning and is often overlooked or forgotten. You can make as many plans as you like, but if you don't have enough time to complete them, then what is the use of them? With this in mind, expand your list with pre-prepared dinners and lunches. This means that you must first familiarize yourself with the dishes that you will be preparing - the more information you find about them, the easier it will be to find dishes that easily fit into your schedule.
If you have a tough work week ahead of you, be mindful of quick meals, meals that can be reheated, or pre-cooked meals that can be quickly served. After all, we do not want to waste time cooking, doing it five times a day. Having worked as a cook once, you can immediately cook several dishes that will be eaten throughout the week. For example, make a chili or fry two chickens at once, so that it will be enough for both today's dinner and the next. Moreover, it will be a tasty and healthy addition to sandwiches and salads.
3. Selection and schedule of dishes
Using your list, choose meals that fit organically into your schedule. Also, look at your loved ones' favorite foods or flip through a recipe book. You also need to consider the time of year, what is now on sale from seasonal vegetables and what everyone would like to eat. When planning, you also need to remember the shelf life of the products. For example, fish dishes must be cooked within one to two days after buying fish, while frozen or dry food can be prepared later.
You also need to be able to use all the ingredients wisely so that you don't have to throw anything away. This way you can save both time and money. If you want to eat better and spend less money, then buy seasonal products and look for products with discounts and promotions.
Make a list of top recipes. Having a list of meals that suit you and your family is one of the easiest ways to calculate and streamline your meal planning process. Every time you find a recipe for a dish that you like, put it on this list. You can also keep recipes in your fitness journal. This will not only help you with your diet, but also make planning your meals easier.
4. Enter everything in the calendar
It doesn't matter which calendar you use, be it on your computer screen or on the wall. But it's always best to keep a paper copy of your calendar in plain sight. Usually it is hung on the refrigerator. When the plan of today's dishes is visible, then we become more responsible for their preparation. Also, your family will not constantly ask: "What is for dinner today? "They can just look at the calendar.
If you prefer a digital calendar, you can create a plan for today's meals on your phone and share this menu with friends and family.
5. Make shopping lists
This is best done at the same time as filling the calendar. Remember to write down the quantities of each product you need, and also check how much you have left so you don't accidentally buy too much. You can save time by sorting the products in the list into groups as they appear in the store. For many supermarkets this is:
- Fruits and vegetables
- Bread and grains
- Spices and baking products
- Oils
- Crackers
- Drinks
- Dairy Products
- Meat and eggs
6. Preparing and preparing meals
Chop vegetables, grate cheese, make sauces - just prepare what we can in advance. You can even measure spices, boil potatoes, or fry vegetables.
Meal scheduling not only puts us in a prime position to achieve healthy eating, but it also saves a ton of time as we can prepare ingredients while you have free time.