If you’re looking to lose weight, you’ve probably considered trying a meal plan. But with so many options out there, it can be hard to know where to start. That’s why we’ve put together this list of the best weight loss meal plans for 2019. Whether you want to lose weight for health reasons, or you’re just looking to fit into your favorite pair of jeans again, these meal plans will guide you.
A healthy weight loss meal plan includes a variety of food groups and limits processed foods.
Here's an example of a healthy weight loss meal plan:
Breakfast: Whole grain toast with peanut butter and banana
Lunch: Garden salad with grilled chicken
Dinner: Salmon with roasted vegetables
Snacks: Greek yogurt with berries, carrots, and hummus, or an apple with almond butter
Creating a weight loss meal plan can be difficult on your own. Of course, you can follow a diet plan found in a magazine or online. But you never know if the plan is based on scientific evidence. Following a diet created by an expert nutritionist or dietitian is usually the best option. These downloadable schedules and simple tips can help you reach and maintain your goal weight.
Choosing a Weight Loss Meal Plan
It’s important to understand how many calories you need to eat each day in order to lose weight. The number varies depending on your size, sex, and level of activity. Weight loss does not occur without a calorie deficit- which means you need to burn more calories than you consume.
Many commercial weight-loss plans restrict women to 1,200 calories per day. This amount might be higher if the woman is physically active. The number is based on total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). For example, if you burn an extra 300 calories per day through exercise, you can eat 1,500 calories and likely still lose weight.
Men often have to adhere to a 1,500- to 1,800-calorie daily diet plan. Again, your size and activity level will play a role in the number of calories you should eat. If you are active and do physical activity for most of the day, your caloric needs may be much higher than someone who is less active.
Metabolic adaptations to weight loss typically occur during the loss process. You will likely need to adjust your calorie deficit over time in order to maintain results.
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Best Weight-Loss Programs: Diet Plans to Help You Lose Weight
According to a recent Gallop poll, 55% of people want to lose weight, while 43% of people are always worried about their weight. If you’re considering joining a weight-loss program to help reach your goals, here are some things to keep in mind. There are many different programs available, so it’s important to find one that will fit your needs and style of eating. It’s also important to be realistic about your expectations, and remember that weight loss is a gradual process. With these tips, you have a good chance of reaching your goals.
Learn the best diet programs for weight loss:
WW (Weight Watchers): Weight Watchers is a popular commercial diet plan that experts in nutrition, diabetes, and heart disease believe is the easiest way to lose weight. They rate WW’s eating principles as healthy and sound. Experts also say it’s one of the most effective weight-loss plans for short-term and long-term results.
Jenny Craig: Jenny Craig may be a good option for those who want help with pre-packaged meals that are high in healthfulness. These meals are supplemented with fruits, veggies, and dairy foods (or their equivalent), so the diet gets high marks in this area. However, once you stop eating Jenny Craig’s packaged meals, it is likely that you will regain weight.
Mayo Clinic Diet: The Mayo Clinic Diet is great for people who want to form good habits. The 12-week program is divided into 2 phases and focuses on creating new healthy habits (e.g. eating breakfast) and breaking old, less-healthy habits (e.g. eating in front of the TV).
Flexitarian diet: If you're looking to lose weight, U.S. News recommends the flexitarian diet – a diet based on the book by registered dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner. This diet emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and plant-based proteins, all of which are good for your weight loss goals – especially since they're higher in fiber and lower in calories per bite. So you can enjoy satisfying portions without piling on the pounds.
Volumetrics: Volumetrics, created by Penn State University nutrition professor Barbara Rolls, is a way of eating that categorizes food into low-, medium-, and high-density categories based on caloric density. People are encouraged to fill their plates with high-volume, low-calorie foods like fruits and vegetables, grains, and lean protein, and limit high-calorie foods like meat, dairy, fried and processed food, and sweets. Although no food is off limits.
Nutrisystem: The Nutrisystem diet is a portion-controlled eating plan that centers around prepackaged foods delivered to your home. Some meals emphasize lean protein and low-glycemic index carbohydrates, such as whole grains and non-starchy vegetables. The 2021 U.S. News and World Report Best Diets ranks the Nutrisystem diet as number 20 in Best Diets Overall and gives it an overall score of 3.5/5.
Perfectbody: With Perfect Body, you’ll have everything you need to lose weight in the safest and easiest way possible. The meal plan includes more than 1,000 delicious recipes that are created from the foods you love. Plus, our web-based meal plan lets you customize your diet even further. And if that’s not enough, our mobile app has everything you need to stay on track—including more than 10,000 recipes!
Noom: Noom is an app that helps people lose weight and get fit. Using a traffic light system, foods are graded according to their calorie content. “Green” foods, such as spinach and broccoli, are the least calorie-dense, whereas “red” foods, such as nuts and seeds, contain more calories. The idea is that people use green foods to make up the bulk of their diet and eat red foods only in small portions.
I hope you enjoyed reading about my weight loss programme. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. I’d love to hear from you!
