When trying to lose weight, you have to eat a diet that is low in calories. By avoiding dietary fat altogether, you will be drastically cutting your normal caloric intake and will most likely be increasing your intake of fat-free carbohydrates and proteins. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free dairy and proteins are all part of the nonfat and low-calorie diet.
Definition of a Low-Calorie Diet
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Dietary Guidelines for Americans, adult males and females will expend between 1,800 and 2,800 calories every day. In order to lose weight, though, the number of calories consumed must be less than the number of calories expended. Adults will need to reduce their intake by 500 to 1,000 calories per day in order to lose one to two pounds per week, which is the recommended rate of healthy weight loss. A low-calorie diet will, therefore, contain roughly between 1,200 and 1,800 calories per day. Talk to your doctor about what calorie level you should follow in order to lose weight.
Knowing the Fat Content of Foods
Simply by reducing your caloric intake, you will most likely be cutting back on your dietary fat intake. However, in order to consume no fat at all in your diet, you will need to be very careful about reading nutrition labels and knowing what is in your foods. Nutrition labels explicitly state the amount of total fat in each serving of food, so when following a nonfat diet, this value should always be zero. You can also read the ingredients on the nutrition label and make sure that the product does not contain any oils. If the food does not have a nutrition label on it, you can look up its nutrition information using an online calorie counter.
Carbs and Proteins
Calories come from three different sources: fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. Because you are not eating fats, you will need to get your calories solely from carbohydrates and proteins. Carbohydrates come from foods such as starch, grains, fruits, vegetables, and nonfat dairy. Proteins come from foods such as chicken, fish, legumes, nonfat dairy, and protein powder supplements. Always check the fat content on your carbohydrate and protein-containing foods in order to ensure that they do not also contain fat.
Food Preparation
When preparing foods on a nonfat and low-calorie diet, you will need to use specific cooking methods. Frying or sauteing is not permitted on this diet because of the oil you have to use in these methods. Steaming, baking, broiling, and grilling are all excellent methods of cooking and food preparation, and they do not require the use of any oils, butter, or margarine. In addition, when seasoning foods, use fresh herbs and spices instead of sauces and gravies.
Sample Menu
Breakfast: 1 c. steel-cut oatmeal made with 3/4 c. berries and 8 oz. nonfat milk, 1/2 grapefruit, coffee
Lunch: Large salad with spinach, lettuce, broccoli, tomatoes, cauliflower, carrots, zucchini, 3 oz. grilled chicken, and fat-free raspberry vinegarette dressing, 8 oz light yogurt, 1 c. melon
Dinner: 3 oz. baked tilapia, 1 c. steamed green beans, 2/3 c. brown rice
Snack: 1/2 c. nonfat cottage cheese with 1/2 c. fresh pineapple
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