What is a healthy diet plan to lose weight? What types of foods should be excluded from the PP diet, how much protein, carbohydrates and fats should you eat daily?
Basics and healthy eating rules
For the best results, especially if you are just starting a healthy lifestyle, you can follow the MyPlate method. That is, you divide each meal into 5 food groups. Read more about them.
Protein
Protein should ideally represent about 20% of 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 body weight per day. You should try to divide that amount into all meals and snacks throughout the day, instead of turning them into one or two meals. Protein is especially important if you are trying to lose weight by burning fat in your body. The fact is that it takes more energy to break down and assimilate proteins than any other macronutrient, resulting in higher caloric expenditure.
Cereals
Cereals generally have a bad reputation because most foods that contain grains today are processed industrially 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 cereal or 170 grams a day. A slice of bread and half a cup of cooked rice or pasta count as one serving. At least half of your portions must be whole grains.
Fruits
What else do you need to include in your diet to lose weight? Fruit. Even the fact that fruits contain sugar, more specifically fructose, is not a problem if you do not exceed your daily calorie intake. Your body needs fructose to stay healthy. So fruits are naturally sweet, which means they can satisfy your sugar cravings if you don't want to eat chocolates at night.
How many fruits do you need?
You should consume about two servings a day. A whole apple, orange or banana counts as one portion.
Which fruit should you choose?
You should eat mostly fresh fruits and limit your intake of fruit juices and processed foods like apple puree, for example (unless you have done so yourself).
Vegetables
If you really want to know how to eat right to lose weight, remember vegetables - your new best friend. They are rich in fiber, which is beneficial for the 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, 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, such as potatoes, are also beneficial. Cooking vegetables (not boiling, as this eliminates all nutrients) is a way to improve the taste, if you do not like to eat them raw.
Dairy products
We consume dairy products because of their high amount of vitamins and minerals. They 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 often a great source of protein, they are also part of a weight loss package.
How many dairy products do you need?
Approximately, you need about three servings of dairy products every day. A cup of milk or yogurt counts as one serving.
What if you can't / don't want to consume dairy products?
It is not the dairy itself, but its nutrients that are important for a healthy diet. So, if you can't eat dairy products due to allergies or lactose intolerance, or 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.
- Vegetables with dark green leaves (cabbage, broccoli), tomatoes and citrus fruits contain vitamin C.
- Minerals like phosphorus, magnesium and iron are found in many other foods you already eat.
- You can also take a multivitamin daily to fill all micronutrient gaps.
What about fat?
Fats and oils are no longer technically a separate food group. During the diet, you are likely to automatically consume the fats you need to stay healthy.
And where do I get the fats from?
If you eat a variety of healthy foods, you should eat all the healthy fats you need. But no more than 30% of your daily calories must come from fat.
The truth about carbohydrates
You may have heard that not all carbohydrates (sugars) are bad. When you see experts talking about how bad sugar is for you, they usually talk about adding sugar. This sugar is added to our foods during processing for a number of reasons and should be limited, if not excluded.
However, carbohydrates found in grains, fruits, vegetables and dairy products are not harmful in moderation. You should not be intimidated by this type of sugar. In your body, it becomes the energy you need to stay healthy.
How many calories should I consume per day?
Now that you know how to eat well to lose weight, you're probably still wondering how many calories you can eat each day. Technically, you don't have to count calories if you don't want to. The standard for men and women is 2, 000 kcal. You can calculate your calorie needs if you really want to know and monitor them daily, but it all depends on what you eat and how active you are. Instead, pay attention to the types of foods and portion sizes, as this can be a much more effective, but less difficult way to get 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. It 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 value is multiplied by the physical activity coefficient:
- Sedentary work, sedentary lifestyle: 1, 2
- Average stress level (morning exercise 3 times a week) 1, 38
- Heavy loads1, 56
- Very heavy loads1, 73
- Real extreme (you can't take it, don't even think about it. 1. 9
But if you start to have questions like "Why can't you lose weight? ", it may be that your daily caloric intake is overestimated and your body simply does not need to expend fat stores. In this case, it is better to calculate the daily caloric intake and make a menu based on the data obtained. It is especially important to know the caloric content of the diet, when the weight stops after reaching certain results, it will be easier to cut the diet by another 500 calories and continue to lose weight.
A portion 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 teaspoon vegetable oil;
- 12 grapes;
- 1 apple, banana, orange or pear;
- 1/2 mango or grapefruit;
- 1/4 avocado.
Track your balance
In order to lose weight without impairing health and maintain good health, harmony, the body needs to obtain sufficient proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Approximate proportions - 75 g of protein: 60 g of fat: 250 g of carbohydrates: 30 g of fiber. Protein-containing foods are sources of amino acids for building muscle fibers, maintaining the health of the skin, hair, nails, fats for the proper functioning of the brain and nervous system, as well as for the skin, and carbohydrates are a sourcepower.
Is mealtime important?
Optional. Make life easier and eat when you're hungry, even if it's just a snack. If you prefer to eat six small meals a day than three large meals a day, do so. If you like to stuff yourself every few hours, then just eat 3 times a day at a convenient time. Just don't skip meals (you'll end up eating, but somewhere in the evening and potentially sabotaging quality results). The diet is important, but not in terms of time, but of quality.
Menu and meal planning
Eat several complete and balanced meals every day, maintaining a healthy diet. The secret is to eat different foods. Below is an example of a breakfast, lunch and dinner menu to help you start planning your meals.
Daily ration:
Breakfast
- Low-fat Greek yogurt or oats with fruit and granola
- Half bagel with fat-free cream cheese
Lunch
- 2 items of shawarma (tortilla, meat, lettuce, guacomole, sour cream)
- 1 bowl of cooked brown rice with baked beans
Dinner
- Small salad (lettuce, red onion, tomato, cheese, Italian dressing)
- Roasted chicken breast
- 1 bowl of green beans
- Baked potatoes with cheese
Snack ideas
- Celery and walnut butter
- Fresh vegetables with hummus
- Sliced fruits and whipped cream
- Applesauce
- Pretzel
- Dried fruits
- Nuts
- Tortilla and sauce
- Pickled cucumbers
Shopping list
Here are some examples of healthy foods that you can buy at your local supermarket. Knowing which foods to buy is part of the weight loss package.
Healthy eating:
- Meat (steak, pork, beef)
- Fish and seafood
- Eggs
- Nuts and seeds
- Cereals
- Whole Noodles
- Brown rice
- Buckwheat
- Brown Bread
- Greek yogurt
- Cheese
- Milk or soy milk
- Avocado
- Fatty fish like salmon
- Nuts
- Fat 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 for a day or an entire week, you decide. A well-formulated diet gives us not only the opportunity to lose weight, but it is also convenient when all problems with eating are resolved in advance. When the ingredients for a tasty and healthy dish await 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. It could be, for example: six breakfasts for everyone, five family dinners, one lunch four times and one afternoon snack.
2. How long does it take to cook?
This is a very important element for effective food planning and is often overlooked or overlooked. You can make as many plans as you like, but if you don't have enough time to complete them, what are they for? With that in mind, expand your list with pre-prepared dinners and lunches. This means that you must first become familiar with the dishes you are going to prepare - the more information you find about them, the easier it will be to find dishes that fit easily into your schedule.
If you have a tough week ahead of you, pay attention to quick meals, meals that can be reheated, or pre-prepared meals that can be served quickly. After all, we don't want to waste time cooking, cooking five times a day. Having worked as a cook once, you can immediately cook several dishes that will be consumed throughout the week. For example, make a chili or fry two chickens at once, so that’s enough for today's dinner and the next. In addition, it will be a tasty and healthy complement to sandwiches and salads.
3. Selection and programming of dishes
Using your list, choose meals that fit organically into your schedule. Also, watch your loved ones' favorite foods or flip through a cookbook. You also need to consider the time of year, what is now on sale with seasonal vegetables and what everyone would like to eat. When planning, you also need to remember the life of the products. For example, fish dishes should be prepared within one to two days after purchasing fish, while frozen or dry foods can be prepared later.
You also need to be able to use all the ingredients wisely so you don't have to throw anything away. That way, you can save time and money. If you want to eat better and spend less, buy seasonal products and look for products with discounts and promotions.
Make a list of the best recipes. Having a list of meals that work for you and your family is one of the easiest ways to calculate and streamline your meal planning process. Whenever you find a recipe for a dish that you like, put it on this list. You can also keep recipes in your fitness diary. This will not only help you with your diet, but it will also make planning your meals easier.
4. Insert everything into the calendar
It doesn't matter which calendar you use, whether on your computer screen or on the wall. But it is always best to keep a paper copy of your calendar in plain view. Usually hangs in the refrigerator. When today's meal plan is visible, we are more responsible for its preparation. In addition, your family will not constantly ask, “What's 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 while filling in the calendar. Remember to write down the quantities of each product you need and also to check how much is left so you don't accidentally buy too much. You can save time by sorting the products on the list into groups as they appear in the store. For many supermarkets, it is:
- Fruits and vegetables
- Bread and grains
- Spices and bakery products
- Oils
- Cookies
- Drinks
- Dairy products
- Meat and eggs
6. Preparing and preparing meals
Chop vegetables, grate cheese, make sauces - prepare what we can in advance. You can even measure seasonings, boil potatoes or fried vegetables.
The meal schedule not only puts us in a privileged position to achieve a healthy diet, but also saves a lot of time, as we can prepare the ingredients while you have free time.