How to Create Low Calorie Diet Plans That Work

We all know how to lose weight, right? Eat less and exercise more, but why isn't that enough? There are a million different low calorie diet plans out there, but how do you design one that works? The first step is in knowing yourself. Some people have trigger foods that cause them to overeat. If you know that you cannot eat just one pretzel, then do not bring them into your home. If the trigger food isn't there, you can't consume it. Simple, right?

Plan out your meals. Don't expect low calorie foods to prepare themselves. Fast food is quick and inexpensive, but you pay a high price for eating those foods when it comes to calories. A way to avoid the drive through window is to have your low calorie meals already made. Prepare meals on the weekend. You can cook everything at once and then portion out the foods and freeze them. When you need a low calorie meal, you can simply look in your freezer, pop it into the microwave and you will have a nutritious meal in minutes.

Include foods in your diet that you like to eat. If you hate cottage cheese, don't eat it! A high protein diet will make you feel fuller longer. It is a good idea to have high protein snacks ready to go when you are starving and need something quick. Carrot sticks are tasty, sometimes they just won't do. Low fat cheeses, low calorie yogurt and canned chicken and tuna are great sources of protein that you can eat as part of your low fat diet.

Incorporate some sort of exercise into the week to go along with the low calorie diet. Weight loss is not achieved by food choice alone. You will need to exercise 45-60 minutes a day three times a week. If you have been fairly sedentary, then just adding in a walking program will be good enough. However, if you already exercise three times a week, make sure that you are doing cardio to help with your weight loss.

Remember to check with your doctor before starting any low calorie diet.

Healthy Low Calorie Meals

The ideal way to keep your metabolism revved up is to eat small-frequent meals, which in turn makes it much easier to lose weight! Eating small, balanced meals of approximately 300 calories each, will help you to assure your weight loss and assist you in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

One of the easiest ways to cut the extra calories out of the diet is to cut out the empty calories. Empty calories are found primarily in soft drinks, juices and even alcoholic drinks. Regular consumption of these drinks usually account for all the daily calories required for simple day to day survival. Stick with water and low fat milk!

Here are some tasty foods you can eat on a low calorie meal plan.

poultry (no skin, chicken breast, turkey breast, ground turkey, etc.)
white fish
eggs
lean meat
fresh fruits and vegetables
skim milk
rice
low fat cheese
baked or boiled potatoes
whole grain bread
whole grain pasta
low calorie/low fat salad dressing
sugar free foods

Take the time to measure out a serving size. It will make meal planning and calorie counting a lot more productive and enjoyable.

Here is a breakdown of how to distribute your caloric intake throughout the day for a 1300 calorie per day diet. As long as you stay within your intake (of course with little to NO fats) you can choose just about anything you would like to eat.

Breakfast:400 calories
Morning Snack: 100 calories
Lunch: 400 calories
Afternoon Snack: 100 calories
Dinner: 200 calories
Evening snack: 100 calories