Diet Plan For Slimming

Seeking a Slimming Diet Plan That Works for You

You may think the Food Guide Pyramid focuses solely on healthy eating, not weight loss, but in fact it does both. Your main objective in reducing your food intake is to do so while choosing foods from all the food groups.

Don't forget the importance of balance, variety, and moderation, too. Those words should help to start making necessary dietary changes. Remember, balance means selecting foods from each of the different food groups for your meals and snacks each day. Selecting a variety of foods means choosing different options from each of the food groups in order to obtain a variety of nutrients each day. And moderation means keeping portion sizes adequate. And as you select foods, keep them lower in fat and higher in fiber.
FOOD GROUP

1,200 CALORIES

1,500 CALORIES

1,800 CALORIES
Grain/Starch Group

5 servings

6 servings

8 servings
Vegetable Group

3 servings

4 servings

5 servings
Fruit Group

2 servings

3 servings

4 servings
Dairy Group

2 servings

2 servings

2 servings
Meat/Protein Group

5 ounces

6 ounces

7 ounces
Fat/Oils/Sweets Group

limit to 1/day

limit to 1-2/day

limit to 2/day

Although it is not really necessary to count calories, it is important to understand the calorie contributions of various foods. Be careful not to cut your intake too low. It is not safe to decrease your intake to fewer than 1,200 calories. In the meantime, strive for a plan that works for you.

Be smart with weight loss. Any plan you choose should do all the following:

    • Be safe. It should offer sufficient calories and include the recommended dietary allowances for vitamins, minerals, and protein.
    • Offer a slow and steady weight loss. Loss of 1/2 to 2 pounds per week is adequate.
    • Alter lifestyle habits. Changes to eating and exercise patterns are essential in order to eliminate problems that may have contributed to weight gain.
    • Include direction for weight maintenance after initial weight goal is achieved. There is no benefit to losing the weight if you regain it. Weight maintenance can be as difficult as weight loss.
    • Seek support assistance and keep educated. Learning along the way is key to living a healthier and happier life.

Let's focus in on a specific plan. Here you can divide the recommendations from the above chart into your meals and snacks each day.

If you find the 1,200-caloric plan too restrictive, add an additional fruit or some vegetables. Or work between two different plans throughout the week depending on your hunger and schedule.

There are also many free-type foods that do not fit into any of the groups, as they are considered bonus choices. These foods do not have significant calories or nutrition, but they are good for helping to fill you up and satisfying hunger pangs. Add these selections throughout your day as necessary. Some food choices you may enjoy are dill pickles, sliced cucumbers, fresh green beans, unsweetened gelatin, calorie-free soft drinks and beverages, sugar-free hard candies or gum, and broth or bouillon.

Foods are definitely metabolized differently at different times of the day. Foods consumed at breakfast are quickly metabolized (burned) because physical activity usually follows this meal. Large meals eaten late at night are not metabolized as well because resting at night requires little activity.

 

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