Losing weight comes about as a result of eating fewer calories than you consume. Creating a daily diet plan can help you master this equation. A daily diet plan to lose weight can be drawn up the night before or in the morning--or even a week in advance. Use the plan to help you create strategies to deal with daily dieting challenges and hold you accountable to your weight loss goals.
Calorie Intake
Before creating a daily diet plan, you must determine the number of calories you need to support daily activity but still lose weight. Estimate the number of calories you burn daily by multiplying your weight by 12, recommends registered dietitian Joanne Larsen on Ask the Dietitian. From this number, subtract 500 calories to determine the number of calories you should eat daily to yield a 1 lb. weight loss per week--as 3,500 calories equals a pound. You can create a larger deficit to lose weight more quickly, but do not eat fewer than 1,200 calories per day--the minimum amount needed to ensure adequate nutrition and energy says Larsen.
Structure
A daily diet plan should feature three meals and two small snacks or five meals containing an equal number of calories. Use your calorie target for weight loss to determine how many calories you can consume at each sitting. For example, if you plan to eat 1,500 calories per day, go for three 400-calorie meals with two 150-calorie snacks or five 300-calorie mini-meals. The strategy you choose really depends on your personal preferences and schedule.
Nutrition
A daily meal plan should help you eat a varied diet full of nutrient-rich foods. Base your daily meal plan on plant foods, like fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Each meal will also feature a lean protein like skinless poultry, fish, beans, tofu or lean beef. Include some low-fat dairy and unsaturated fats in your plan as well. Write down serving sizes so you can estimate your calorie intake for the day.
Benefits
Having a daily diet plan can help you stay on track with your weight loss goals. Pre-planning helps you prevent skipped meals, which can lead to binges or impulsive high-calorie choices. A daily diet plan helps you deal with dieting pitfalls, like restaurant visits, social events and travel. A plan can help you budget calories to allot for an occasional indulgence. A daily diet plan also helps you remember to carry snacks or lunch with you when you know healthy options will not be readily available.
Expert Insight
A daily diet plan can help you stick to a regular eating pattern, which helps you control your weight, says a study in the January 2005 edition of the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition." Researchers from the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom found that participants who ate six meals at regular, predictable intervals took in fewer calories and had a slightly higher metabolism, due to digestion, than participants who ate three to nine meals at irregular times.
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