The Apple Diet Plan

Including apples in your daily diet can lead to weight loss. The trick is to eat an apple before meals -- eat an apple before lunch, or an apple before all three main meals of the day. Some research indicates the method is effective, and apples also provide other health benefits.

Pre-lunch Apple

Eating an apple each day before lunch helps reduce calorie intake, according to research presented at a 2007 meeting of the Obesity Society and reported by USA Today in its Oct. 24, 2007, issue. Scientists at Pennsylvania State University enrolled 59 men and women of normal weight in the five-week study. About 15 minutes before lunch, participants either ate 1-1/2 peeled apples at about 125 calories, a similar calorie intake of applesauce or juice, or nothing. Individuals who ate the apple ingested 187 fewer calories during lunch than those eating the other pre-lunch options.

Three a Day

Registered dietitian Tammi Flynn found that when her clients began eating an apple before each meal, they lost an average of 17 lbs. in 12 weeks. They did not need to change anything else about their diets. Flynn details this diet plan in her 2005 book "The 3-Apple-a-Day Plan: Your Foundation for Permanent Fat Loss."

How It Works

Eating an apple before meals may help in weight loss because the fiber makes you feel full, decreasing the chance you'll overeat afterward, says the Every Diet website. In addition, the apple's sweetness satisfies cravings. Pennsylvania State University professor of nutritional sciences Barbara Rolls, according to USA Today, describes the apple before a meal as a low-calorie extra course.

Additional Recommendations

Flynn's three-a-day apple diet program includes meal plans to further help with weight loss. She advocates a diet relatively low in carbohydrates and saturated fats, with no refined sugars. On this diet, you eat four to five small meals per day based on healthy low-fat foods, including some lean protein in each meal to reduce appetite. Along with the three apples per day, have six servings of other fruits and vegetables.

Other Features

Apples have additional benefits, says by Every Diet. They contain soluble fiber, which may decrease cholesterol levels. They also contain beneficial flavonoids, which are chemical compounds that help prevent cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. Apples are available in many different types. If you become tired of eating apples every day, however, Rolls says that eating low-calorie foods such as salad or other kinds of fruit ahead of meals can also help reduce total calorie intake.