How to Plan a Low Calorie Diet
See a doctor before you begin your low-calorie diet., Calculate your activity level and daily calorie intake., Cut about 15% – 25% of your daily calorie intake., Calculate the caloric intake in the food you eat., Keep a food diary., Re-evaluate as...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: See a doctor before you begin your low-calorie diet.
This will allow you to make sure a low-calorie diet is right for you, and to avoid any unwanted health complications.
Ask your doctor specifically if you need to be concerned about high cholesterol or high blood pressure, as these may have an effect on how many calories you can safely cut you’re your diet., The key to losing weight on a low-calorie diet is to burn more calories daily than you take in.There are a number of calorie calculators (or websites that describe calculation methods) online.
These are useful tools to calculate how many calories you should cut, and will let you take your lifestyle and activity level into account as well.Individuals who lead a largely sedentary lifestyle burn relatively few calories during the day compared with more active individuals.
If you are active during the day (work at a physically strenuous job or exercise frequently), you will need to cut fewer calories from your diet in order to lose weight.
Alternately, if you are largely sedentary (work at a desk and seldom exercise), you will need to cut more calories from your diet. , Figure out how many calories you are currently eating on a daily basis to maintain your current weight — a good rule of thumb is to take your current weight (in pounds) and multiply that by
12.For example, a 180-pound man will need to eat about 2,160 calories a day (180 x 12 = 2,160) to maintain a weight.
To begin your low-calorie diet, cut 15% of those calories.
So, if the 180-pound man is active and eating 2,160 calories a day, then he would cut out 324 calories from his daily intake, or 15% of 2,160.
If you lead a sedentary lifestyle, plan to cut closer to 25% of your daily caloric intake.
The same man, if he is sedentary, would cut out 540 calories from his daily intake, or 25% of 2,160.
It’s important to cut the right amount of calories, but it’s just as important to eat a wide variety of whole, nutritionally dense foods.
Eating a low-calorie diet of processed, unhealthy foods will lead to poor nutrition and hunger, making it hard to continue on the diet. , This is relatively easy when you eat packaged food, since you can simply read the label.
When you cook your own meals, estimating calories can be more complicated, although you still need to determine the calories you eat with every meal.
Check the labels on each individual ingredient you use, and use that to roughly calculate the calories in a meal.
You will need to keep track of the amount of each ingredient you use, and then total the number of calories., Cutting calories takes daily dedication and planning, and a good way to do this is by physically journaling each day.Your diet will be more successful if you keep track of your daily calorie intake.
You’ll also be able to identify spots in your diet where you can cut further.
For example, if you have a tendency to have a large dessert after dinner, or to have a calorie-heavy brunch on weekends, your food diary can help you identify and correct those trends.
Use a food tracker app on your smartphone, like MyFitnessPal, or a pen and paper journal. , Just because you’ve chosen to cut 15% of your daily calories doesn’t mean you’re locked into this plan permanently.
Keep an eye on your weight loss (assuming that you want to lose a certain number of pounds while on a low-calorie diet), and adjust your diet accordingly.If you’re losing weight too slowly, consider cutting an extra 5% of your calorie intake.
If you’re losing weight more quickly than anticipated, constantly hungry, or having difficulty maintaining the low-calorie diet, consider adding back 5% of your calorie intake. , Exercising is a crucial part of weight loss, and should be paired with your low-calorie diet, especially if you have a sedentary lifestyle.To burn large numbers of calories, focus on aerobic exercises.
Jogging or running and rowing are effective, as they raise your heart rate and circulation.
If you’re substantially reducing your calorie intake, you will have less energy to expend on exercise.
Stop exercising immediately if you begin to feel light headed or nauseous. , It’s important to eat nutritionally dense, whole foods while on a low-calorie diet.These types of foods help you feel fuller longer, compared to highly processed foods like chips, cookies, etc.
For example, instead of a sugary cereal for breakfast, have a bowl of oatmeal.
Grains such as brown or black rice are flavorful and provide great fiber. , Vegetables are low in fat, often high in protein, and contain very few calories compared to proteins and carbs.
Some vegetables, like broccoli, asparagus, celery, and cauliflower, actually burn more calories when your body digests them than they contain in the first place.Eating vegetables will make it easier to consume fewer calories in day, but still feel full at the same time. , Decrease the amount of unhealthy fats (saturated and trans fats) you eat.
Instead of saturated fats, choose unsaturated fats.
Unhealthy fats are found in baked goods (look for the word "hydrogenated" on the label), in fatty meats, and in fried foods.
Only 20 – 35% of your daily caloric intake should come from fats.It is important to note that fats are still an important part of your diet and should not be completely eliminated.
Unsaturated fats include olives, nuts, and seeds, and oils made from these foods (such as olive oil).
To decrease sugar intake, drink water, flavored water, or tea instead of soda.
Since much of the flavor in fatty foods comes from the fat itself, cutting back on fat consumption can reduce the amount of flavor you eat.
To counter this, especially if you’re cooking your own meals, try adding more spices for flavor.
While it’s fine to eat dairy and drink milk on a low-calorie diet, try to find low-fat dairy products., These complex carbohydrates will provide plenty of nutrition and energy, will keep you full in between meals, and are low in fat.
Plan for carbohydrates to constitute 45 – 65% of your low-calorie diet.Complex carbohydrates often go well in soup.
For example, a soup with brown rice and non-starchy vegetables will be high in complex carbs and low in fat.Water-dense foods like fruits, vegetables and soups are an excellent choice for those wanting to consume less calories, but still feel satisfied.
The water in these types of foods helps fill you up without the added calories.
Try eating a broth-based (and not cream-based) soup before your dinner so you fill up on the soup before you start eating the calorie dense main dish. , Instead of eating fatty red meats, focus on low-fat meats like poultry and fish.Protein provides much of your energy during the day.
Eating fatty meats will increase your unhealthy fat intake, so limit fatty meats like bacon, sausage and 80/20 ground beef.
Always trim off any visible fat. 10 – 35% of your daily calorie intake should come from proteins.Legumes like beans and lentils are also an excellent source of protein, and they contain relatively little fat. -
Step 2: Calculate your activity level and daily calorie intake.
-
Step 3: Cut about 15% – 25% of your daily calorie intake.
-
Step 4: Calculate the caloric intake in the food you eat.
-
Step 5: Keep a food diary.
-
Step 6: Re-evaluate as time goes by.
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Step 7: Increase your daily exercise if possible.
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Step 8: Eat healthy
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Step 9: filling foods.
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Step 10: Incorporate vegetables into your diet.
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Step 11: Decrease unhealthy fats.
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Step 12: Eat whole grains and fruits.
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Step 13: Complete your diet with low-fat proteins.
Detailed Guide
This will allow you to make sure a low-calorie diet is right for you, and to avoid any unwanted health complications.
Ask your doctor specifically if you need to be concerned about high cholesterol or high blood pressure, as these may have an effect on how many calories you can safely cut you’re your diet., The key to losing weight on a low-calorie diet is to burn more calories daily than you take in.There are a number of calorie calculators (or websites that describe calculation methods) online.
These are useful tools to calculate how many calories you should cut, and will let you take your lifestyle and activity level into account as well.Individuals who lead a largely sedentary lifestyle burn relatively few calories during the day compared with more active individuals.
If you are active during the day (work at a physically strenuous job or exercise frequently), you will need to cut fewer calories from your diet in order to lose weight.
Alternately, if you are largely sedentary (work at a desk and seldom exercise), you will need to cut more calories from your diet. , Figure out how many calories you are currently eating on a daily basis to maintain your current weight — a good rule of thumb is to take your current weight (in pounds) and multiply that by
12.For example, a 180-pound man will need to eat about 2,160 calories a day (180 x 12 = 2,160) to maintain a weight.
To begin your low-calorie diet, cut 15% of those calories.
So, if the 180-pound man is active and eating 2,160 calories a day, then he would cut out 324 calories from his daily intake, or 15% of 2,160.
If you lead a sedentary lifestyle, plan to cut closer to 25% of your daily caloric intake.
The same man, if he is sedentary, would cut out 540 calories from his daily intake, or 25% of 2,160.
It’s important to cut the right amount of calories, but it’s just as important to eat a wide variety of whole, nutritionally dense foods.
Eating a low-calorie diet of processed, unhealthy foods will lead to poor nutrition and hunger, making it hard to continue on the diet. , This is relatively easy when you eat packaged food, since you can simply read the label.
When you cook your own meals, estimating calories can be more complicated, although you still need to determine the calories you eat with every meal.
Check the labels on each individual ingredient you use, and use that to roughly calculate the calories in a meal.
You will need to keep track of the amount of each ingredient you use, and then total the number of calories., Cutting calories takes daily dedication and planning, and a good way to do this is by physically journaling each day.Your diet will be more successful if you keep track of your daily calorie intake.
You’ll also be able to identify spots in your diet where you can cut further.
For example, if you have a tendency to have a large dessert after dinner, or to have a calorie-heavy brunch on weekends, your food diary can help you identify and correct those trends.
Use a food tracker app on your smartphone, like MyFitnessPal, or a pen and paper journal. , Just because you’ve chosen to cut 15% of your daily calories doesn’t mean you’re locked into this plan permanently.
Keep an eye on your weight loss (assuming that you want to lose a certain number of pounds while on a low-calorie diet), and adjust your diet accordingly.If you’re losing weight too slowly, consider cutting an extra 5% of your calorie intake.
If you’re losing weight more quickly than anticipated, constantly hungry, or having difficulty maintaining the low-calorie diet, consider adding back 5% of your calorie intake. , Exercising is a crucial part of weight loss, and should be paired with your low-calorie diet, especially if you have a sedentary lifestyle.To burn large numbers of calories, focus on aerobic exercises.
Jogging or running and rowing are effective, as they raise your heart rate and circulation.
If you’re substantially reducing your calorie intake, you will have less energy to expend on exercise.
Stop exercising immediately if you begin to feel light headed or nauseous. , It’s important to eat nutritionally dense, whole foods while on a low-calorie diet.These types of foods help you feel fuller longer, compared to highly processed foods like chips, cookies, etc.
For example, instead of a sugary cereal for breakfast, have a bowl of oatmeal.
Grains such as brown or black rice are flavorful and provide great fiber. , Vegetables are low in fat, often high in protein, and contain very few calories compared to proteins and carbs.
Some vegetables, like broccoli, asparagus, celery, and cauliflower, actually burn more calories when your body digests them than they contain in the first place.Eating vegetables will make it easier to consume fewer calories in day, but still feel full at the same time. , Decrease the amount of unhealthy fats (saturated and trans fats) you eat.
Instead of saturated fats, choose unsaturated fats.
Unhealthy fats are found in baked goods (look for the word "hydrogenated" on the label), in fatty meats, and in fried foods.
Only 20 – 35% of your daily caloric intake should come from fats.It is important to note that fats are still an important part of your diet and should not be completely eliminated.
Unsaturated fats include olives, nuts, and seeds, and oils made from these foods (such as olive oil).
To decrease sugar intake, drink water, flavored water, or tea instead of soda.
Since much of the flavor in fatty foods comes from the fat itself, cutting back on fat consumption can reduce the amount of flavor you eat.
To counter this, especially if you’re cooking your own meals, try adding more spices for flavor.
While it’s fine to eat dairy and drink milk on a low-calorie diet, try to find low-fat dairy products., These complex carbohydrates will provide plenty of nutrition and energy, will keep you full in between meals, and are low in fat.
Plan for carbohydrates to constitute 45 – 65% of your low-calorie diet.Complex carbohydrates often go well in soup.
For example, a soup with brown rice and non-starchy vegetables will be high in complex carbs and low in fat.Water-dense foods like fruits, vegetables and soups are an excellent choice for those wanting to consume less calories, but still feel satisfied.
The water in these types of foods helps fill you up without the added calories.
Try eating a broth-based (and not cream-based) soup before your dinner so you fill up on the soup before you start eating the calorie dense main dish. , Instead of eating fatty red meats, focus on low-fat meats like poultry and fish.Protein provides much of your energy during the day.
Eating fatty meats will increase your unhealthy fat intake, so limit fatty meats like bacon, sausage and 80/20 ground beef.
Always trim off any visible fat. 10 – 35% of your daily calorie intake should come from proteins.Legumes like beans and lentils are also an excellent source of protein, and they contain relatively little fat.
About the Author
Deborah Wells
Brings years of experience writing about practical skills and related subjects.
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