The Perfect Plate diet is a program for weight loss. The basis of the Perfect Plate diet is that you only eat food that you can place in either the meal- or snack-sized plates the program provides. You can choose and cook your own foods and do not need to buy diet products. The program includes instructions for a meal plan and for your exercise program.
Plates
The Perfect Plate diet uses meal and snack plates with lids. You must fit each meal or snack that you eat into the appropriate plate and be able to close the lid. The meal plate has three compartments. The largest one is for your entrée and the two smaller compartments are for fruits or vegetables. PerfectPlate.com says that the meal plate holds about 500 calories and the snack plate can hold about 150 calories. If you eat the recommended three meals and two snacks per day, you will get 1800 total calories.
Foods
You can choose your foods on the Perfect Plate diet as long as they fit into the correct plate and they meet the criteria. For meals, you choose fruits and vegetables to fill the smaller compartments of the meal plate. On the diet, you may not choose sweets or caloric beverages. These two restrictions help increase the nutrients and decrease the calories in your diet. The recommendation is to drink only water, but you can drink 8 oz. of a low calorie beverage per meal if you want.
Exercise
According to PerfectPlate.com, the Perfect Plate program is a lifestyle change including both a dietary component and a fitness program. The exercise instructions are to integrate 30 to 50 minutes of moderate physical activity into your daily routine. This is consistent with the key recommendation in the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans to exercise for least 30 minutes at a moderate intensity on most days of the week. Examples include walking, biking and playing sports.
Why It Works
To lose weight you must eat fewer calories than you expend. The Perfect Plate uses meal and snack plates to provide portion control so that you may eat less than you would if you were eating from a normal plate. Eating only from Perfect Plates also means that you are not eating mindlessly throughout the day and getting in extra calories. Although you may choose your foods, you may not put sweets in the Perfect Plate, and this restriction can also limit your calories. The Perfect Plate diet may be sustainable long term because you choose the foods you like to eat.
Evaluation
MayoClinic.com recommends choosing a diet that is palatable, has a slow rate of weight loss and has a balanced nutritional approach without excluding entire food groups. You should also think about your own personal factors such as your dieting history, budget and lifestyle. The Perfect Plate diet could be a good match for you if you prefer to choose and prepare your own food and want to incorporate exercise into your daily life. Before you start any weight loss or exercise program, you should get your doctor's advice and approval.
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