Every expensive diet program is based on a concept. Some limit the number of carbohydrates in your diet while others simply reduce your caloric intake. The fact is, most programs are designed to get results while limiting the amount of effort you put in. They've done the hard work for you, planning meals and counting calories, but you can match or beat the results you get from expensive plans by taking free advice from a number of sources to build your own successful dieting meal plan.
The Basics
Your diet success is determined by your ability to generate a calorie deficit. Your body needs a given number of calories per day to run its systems and provide you with the energy you need to work and play. When you take in fewer calories through your diet than your body needs to run efficiently, it turns to built up energy stores to fill the gap. In other words, a reduced-calorie dieting meal plan causes your body to burn fat for energy.
Exchange Diets
The American Diabetes Association developed exchange diets in the 1950s to help patients monitor their carb intake and manage the body's insulin production. The system assigns an exchange value to foods in each food group. Dieters can exchange one item on the list for any other item in that food group that carries the same exchange value. Meal plans on the exchange system are customized for different caloric intake levels including 1,200, the lowest recommended level for women, all the way up to 2,500 for big and tall men who have increased energy needs. Non-diabetics can use the exchange system to reduce calories with a balanced approach that contains a 40/30/30 mix of carbs, protein and fat.
Food Pyramid
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA, released its first food guide pyramid in 1994, a graphical representation of the food groups and proportions that make up the recommended diet. As of the 2005 update to the guidelines, the USDA has offered interactive tools to build custom menu plans based on the proportions of their average recommendations. Dieters can enter their height, weight and age into the online tool and generate sample menus at different calorie levels and get suggestions about snacks, supplements, schedules and more.
University Research
University medical departments are a good source of free diet information, including analysis of current diet trends and menu planning for those wanting to lose weight. Medical departments, agriculture sciences departments and extension programs featuring dietitian or nutritionist accreditation publish meal planning summaries, related studies and helpful tips in addition to extensive set menus matching a host of different dieting criteria.
Medical Organizations
If you decide to try an exchange system, one place to turn is the online presence of various medical institutions and departments. For example, Medline Plus, a service of the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, publishes complete exchange lists while the Mayo Clinic features menu planning and exchange information. The clinic also features an extensive pyramid tool based on the USDA recommendations that scales portion recommendations and builds menus based on your height, weight and weight-loss goals.
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