Weight Loss Meal Strategies For Men

As of 2008, only 26 percent of American men are at a healthy weight according to the Weight Control Information Network, a publication of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Overweight and obese men are at a greater risk of developing chronic health conditions. Men's dietary habits often promote weight gain, as they are unlikely to count calories and obsess about the nutritional value of every food they eat. Setting specific meal-time strategies may help men become more aware of what they are eating and make better choices that will promote weight loss.

Portions

Overeating any food---even healthy varieties---causes you to take in too many calories and gain weight. A 1998 study by the Journal of the American Dietetic Association reported that men successful at weight loss stuck to an average daily calorie intake of about 1650 calories per day. Men may be unwilling to track calories, so reducing portion sizes is a smart idea. When you order a restaurant meal, eat only 80 percent of it. Choose a smaller plate at home and load half of it with green vegetables and then one quarter with a whole grain and one quarter with a lean protein. Stick to one serving at meals, and if you are still hungry---go back for the green vegetables.

Discretionary Calories

Cut out soda and other sugary drinks. Moderate your intake of alcohol---stick to just two drinks a day at most. Skip the extras like donuts, cookies and chips. Cutting out just one 20 oz. soda, a 12 oz. beer, a mid-morning doughnut, an afternoon cookie and a pack of chips with lunch trims your daily intake by as much as 850 calories---more than one pound a week. Drink water and unsweetened teas instead. Choose fresh fruit or a handful of peanuts as snacks, if you are truly hungry.

Breakfast

Skipping breakfast can be a habit that leads to over consuming at the next opportunity. Seventy-eight percent of members of the National Weight Control Registry---a group of 5,000 men and women who have successfully sustained significant weight loss---report eating breakfast daily as an important part of their success. Even men who do not cook can toast a whole grain bagel and spread it with peanut butter, or pour a bowl of whole grain cereal with low fat milk. If you roll out of bed and hurry out the door---at least grab an ounce of low fat cheese and a banana.

White Foods

Replace half of your refined grains with whole grains, as recommended by the United States Department of Agriculture. Choose brown rice and 100 percent whole wheat bread over white versions. This change helps promote a weight loss because whole grains lead to slower digestion to keep you full longer. A 2008 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that replacing refined grains with whole grains also leads to less accumulation of belly fat.

Go Lean

Choose proteins low in saturated fat. Choose grilled chicken over a burger or order the broiled salmon instead of a porterhouse. If you are committed to red meat, select tenderloin or flank steak instead of ribs and brisket. To further reduce your intake of artery-clogging saturated fats, skip extra butter and cheese and switch to low fat dairy products like one percent or skim milk.