How to Plan Your Meals for Weight Loss

!±8± How to Plan Your Meals for Weight Loss

If you're thinking about losing a few pounds, there are a few ingredients you need to ensure your success. Of course you need to have an exercise program scheduled in your week, complete with resistance, stretching, and cardio training. BUT, I'd like to focus mostly on how to organize and plan what you should be eating throughout the day to make those strides towards your goals in weight loss.

If you are like me on the days you haven't planned what you will eat, you may be likely to either skip eating or grab a bunch of empty calorie foods or a boat load of pretzels. Planning and being prepared is key.

One of my tricks is to stay as consistent in what I eat from each day. Now if you are a person that likes creativity and variety, then I suggest you plan out a couple of days and then just rotate around them until you get in the habit of knowing how to pair up the foods you eat and the portion sizes. But for me, creature of habit. I'm pretty much good with the same thing everyday.

General rule of thumb is to choose foods you actually like to eat, and yes, healthy foods. Additionally, my suggestions below may not fit exactly in your dietary guidelines, and always suggest checking with your doctor.

But in general, you need to eat carbs, protein, and fats. Your life is not living a lifestyle if you omit a food group so you can quickly lose weight. I am not a fan of the no carb diets. Your body needs carbs as well as good fats. I'm a mom of 2 toddlers, married, running my own home business, as well as working professionally in the fitness world. I don't have a lot of time to "think" about what I want to eat. These are my general guidelines:

Find out how many calories you should be eating for your body type, weight, and goals (maintenance & weight loss) On average- decrease by 500 calories from maintenance to lose 1 lb per week. Once you know what your caloric goal for the entire day should be, divide up those calories into 5-6 meals. Then just choose serving sizes and foods each time you eat to fit that caloric range. If I'm on a 1800 calorie diet and eat 6 meals a day, then each time I eat- I'll eat about 300 calories each meal. Always choose protein, carbs, and sometimes fats. Suggest eating 1-2 times a day of good fat. (Avocado, Olive Oil, Peanut Butter, Almonds.) Eat your starchy whole grain carbs in your first meals and switch to the fibrous carbs in the afternoon for the later meals. Starchy Whole Grain- Oatmeal, Whole Grain breads (be sure it doesn't say enriched wheat) Fibrous Carbs- Vegetables are best choices (green) limit too many fruits. Be sure to always eat every 2 1/2 - 3 hours. Fuel your metabolism!

The quality of the food you choose will be your focus as well. When selecting your protein sources, be sure to choose lean meats prepared broiled, baked, or grilled. The more processing to the meat, the higher chance it's not a good food choice. Also, you want to stay clear of deli meats. Those have a lot of preservatives and are not the best choice of meats to choose from. Only select that option if you are in need of something quick.

I personally supplement my meals as well so I'm not always "preparing". I personally use meal replacement bars like Kashi but additionally everyday, I at least have 1 or 2 Shakeology shakes.

I know I'm getting the delivery of all my fruits and vegetables, probiotics, prebiotics, daily vitamins, and many rare ingredients I just couldn't possible eat or fit in my day. It's easier sometimes to just have a quick shake as well so your body is processing food. I personally chose to be a rep with this company because of this product, but I would suggest it no matter. If you want to know more about it or try a sample for taste, let me know.

Your main goal is to have your body run like a fire. Keep throwing small pieces of wood on it to keep the fire burning! Rather than 1 big load, which will extinguish your fire (metabolism) If you feed your body small mini meals, the fire of your metabolism starts working for you and increases caloric burn.

Also, don't be so hard on yourself! Allow for moments of sweet tooth fulfillment!. Just jump back on your schedule. The more strict you are in your diet for too long of a time, the higher the chance you will go off on a binge and throw it out the window. So schedule in those days of indulgence. Maybe exercise a bit more that day or cut back the calories in the day leading and following. Be flexible, and know this is a lifestyle. We're human, and as long as you keep working to see what works best for your lifestyle and to see that improvement, you will get there.

How to Plan Your Meals for Weight Loss

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Proper Nutrition Is Key To Your Weight Loss

!±8± Proper Nutrition Is Key To Your Weight Loss

When you go on a diet do you think you have to cut out fat, carbohydrates, and or meat in order to lose weight? Did you know you should never cut these out of your diet in order to lose weight? Why? Fat is needed for many functions of the body. It is used for absorption of vitamins, production of hormones, and development of brain and nerves. Fat can also be converted to energy if needed. Your body needs carbohydrates for energy and meat because it contains protein to build muscle. You should cut out anything that is not nutritional for your body such as candy, and processed foods, but should never cut out anything nutritional.

Eating healthy nutritious food is key to your weight loss. Nutrients are substances your body uses to function correctly. When you eat food that contains the nutrients your body needs your body is going to use those nutrients from the food and not store it as fat. Here are four basic types of food you should be eating and how they help you with your weight loss.

1. Eat whole and multi grain breads, pastas, cereals, and snacks - You should eat between 6 to 11 servings a day. Grains contain fiber. Even though, there is no nutritional value in fiber it is very healthy for you. It helps keep your bowel movements regular and eliminate toxins and excess fat from the body. Fiber also stays in your stomach longer and slows down the rate of digestion, so you feel full much longer. Besides having fiber, whole and multigrain breads, pastas and cereals contain nutrients your body needs. They are digested slowly so blood sugar levels remain stabilized so your body uses the carbohydrates for energy instead of converting it to fat to store, and you don't feel hungry right after.

Here are some food brands that contain whole grain and fiber. They are Kashi, Healthy Choice, and Smart Choice. Kashi makes cereals, crackers, cookies, bars and entrees. Healthy choice makes pastas, frozen meals and entrees, and Smart Choice makes pastas. You can also buy whole grain all natural breads. I have a job where I have to work for four and a half hours before getting a break to eat. So I make sure I eat one of kashi's cereals or a slice of whole grain natural bread for breakfast, so I feel full longer and don't feel hungry during those four and a half hours.

2. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables - You should be eating 2 to 3 servings of fruit per day and 3 to 4 servings of vegetables per day and even more if you want to lose weight. They are high in volume, low in calories, contain fiber, and packed with nutrients your body needs. Eating these helps you lose weight because they fill you up with less calories, and because they contain nutrients your body needs and craves, you are less likely to have cravings for junk food. You only crave junk food because your body is looking for nutrients that it is not getting.

When I started adding more fruits and vegetables to my diet, I felt full longer and didn't crave junk food as much. I also started feeling better, and noticed I had more energy, ate fewer calories and lost some weight as well. I did this by adding a fruit in the morning for breakfast, a fruit or vegetable for a snack, and included at least 1 or 2 vegetables for lunch and dinner. You should eat a variety of fruits and vegetables of different colors every day to get the best all around nutrition since every color contains a unique set of nutrients that your body needs.

3. Consume dairy products - You should have 3, 8 ounce, calcium rich, servings per day. Dairy contains calcium and protein which are key nutrients used for burning fat in your body that research indicates is the trigger to losing weight. Strive to get at least 600 mg of calcium from 24 ounces of dairy per day. Read your labels. Also, look for protein levels of 5 grams or higher. Low fat, milk, yogurt and cheese are good sources of calcium and protein. You need fat in your diet but not to much. Try to stay away from dairy that is high in fat because if it is high in fat it is also high in calories and may be counterproductive if you are watching your weight.

4. Finally, eat nuts, beans, and lean meats such as chicken and fish - These foods contain protein. Protein helps you lose weight by preserving muscle mass and is also needed to build more muscle when you exercise. One pound of muscle burns approximately 30 to 50 calories per day. The more muscle you have the faster your metabolism. Protein also helps to curb your appetite by making you feel full, and you burn calories when digesting these foods, because protein is hard to digest. These foods also contain fat your body needs in order to function properly. You should eat a serving of these foods with each meal.

Remember a balanced diet is key to your weight loss. So, ditch that diet that cuts out a major food group and eat a diet that is balanced and nutrient rich and just watch your weight come off!! I wish you much success with your weight loss.

Proper Nutrition Is Key To Your Weight Loss

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