Developing An Effective Meal Plan For Weight Loss

The key to losing weight is to combine a healthy diet with plenty of exercise. As a simple as that sounds, it can be difficult to implement in the real world. Before you begin your diet, it is worth taking the time to sit down and develop a healthy meal plan for weight loss. The following tips should help you design a plan that is easy to stick with so you can quickly reach your weight loss goals.

Determine How Many Calories You Need

Before you develop a meal plan for weight loss, you need to determine how many calories your body requires each day. This number, which is known as your basal metabolic rate, depends largely upon your gender, age, current weight, height and activity level. The easiest way to calculate your basal metabolic rate is to use an online calculator. Simply enter your information into the appropriate fields and click the submit button to calculate your daily caloric needs. The number that is returned is the amount of calories you need to eat each day to maintain your current weight. If you want to lose weight, you should try to reduce this number by about 500 calories per day through a combination of diet and exercise.

Determine Which Foods To Include In Your Meal Plan

When designing a meal plan for weight loss, it is important to look for foods that provide a lot of nutrients without adding a lot of calories. In general, the foods that have the highest nutrient-to-calorie ratios are vegetables, eggs, beans and lean meat. Nuts and seeds are also packed with vitamins and nutrients. However, bear in mind that they are high in calories and should be consumed in moderation.

Make a list of your favorite foods that fall into these categories. For instance, if you love carrots, add them to your list. If, on the other hand, you hate spinach, don’t force yourself to eat it. Instead, look for another vegetable that you enjoy. By designing your meal plan around foods that you like, you will be more likely to stick with it.

Plan A Week’s Worth Of Meals At A Time

Using the list of foods from the last step, plan a week’s worth of meals. Be sure each day includes breakfast, lunch, dinner and two healthy snacks. Use an online calculator to determine how many calories each meal has. Add up all the calories for each day and make sure it falls within the correct range for weight loss. Don’t forget to incorporate leftovers into your meal plan. For instance, if you cook a chicken on Monday, you can use leftovers in other meals later in the week. Also, be sure to consider portion size. Even healthy meals can jeopardize your success if you overeat.

These simple tips should help you design a meal plan for weight loss that can help you reach your goals. By determining how many calories you need, choosing foods that you enjoy and planning a week’s worth of meals at a time, you can stick with your program and get the results you deserve.