Creating a healthy, all inclusive weekly meal plan can be a tremendous ally in the battle to lose weight consistently. One pound of fat contains approximately 3,500 calories. The United States Department of Agriculture recommends the average sedentary male adult eat between 2,200 and 2,400 calories each day, and the average sedentary female adult eat between 1,800 and 2,000 calories. Therefore, to lose one pound of fat in one week, either sex would have to burn through approximately 500 calories less than they eat each day.
Metabolism
The first point in organizing a meal plan isn't choosing the food but deciding when to eat. The number of calories you burn in a day is largely dependent on how often you eat. The old adage, "skip breakfast to save some calories," actually works against you. Every time you eat, your body uses energy to digest the food. To do this, it burns calories as a form of fuel. The longer you go without eating, the more your metabolism drops. Eating three medium-sized meals and three small snack-sized meals per day can assist in keeping your metabolic rate going at a steady pace.
Exercise and Eating
Just sitting on your butt will do little to help burn calories. If your goal is to burn through at least 500 more calories than you eat each day, you will most likely have to get in some form of exercise. To avoid feeling run-down immediately after you begin exercising, MayoClinic.com recommends eating a small to medium-sized meal two to three hours beforehand. This allows the body to absorb the nutrients in the food and convert it to energy during the exercise.
Similar but Different
Deciding on what to eat, or rather, what not to eat, can be a daunting task. But you don't have to stop eating what you like; you just have to alter the kind that you buy. For example, grain-fed beef is heavily stocked in most grocery stores. One quarter-pound patty of grain-fed beef contains almost 300 calories, 25 g of fat and 8 g of saturated fat. A couple burgers could easily take nearly a third of your caloric intake and half of your fat allowance. Instead of giving up beef altogether, you could switch to grass-fed beef. One equal sized grass-fed beef patty contains just 200 calories, 8 g of fat and 4 g of saturated fat.
Fruits and Vegetables
The American Heart Association recommends everyone eat at least eight servings of fruit and vegetables each day. They are high in many of the essential vitamins and nutrients that the body requires to survive on a daily basis. They also make a low-calorie, high-energy, heart-healthy snack. Eating a wide variety of "colored" foods like fruits and vegetables can help lower your blood pressure and control your weight.
Good Fat, Bad Fat
Eating foods high in saturated or trans fat can be detrimental to your weight and your health. French fries, potato chips and candy bars will all add unwanted inches to your waistline. There are fats that help keep your weight under control and your heart beating healthily. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, omega-3 fatty acids found in fish like salmon and tuna have been found to lower triglycerides, cholesterol and blood pressure. They can also lower your chances of suffering a stroke, or heart attack and can even extend your life expectancy. The AHA recommends eating two servings of fish high in omega-3 fatty acids per week.
References
- National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute: Estimated Calorie Requirements
- My Fitness Pal: Calories in Wegmans Grass Fed Ground Beef 93/7
- My Fitness Pal: Calories in Beef - Ground, 80% Lean Meat / 20% Fat
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; When to Eat and How Often?; Elizabeth J. Parks and Megan A. McCrory; January 2005
- American Heart Association: Fruits and Vegetables
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Omega-3 Fatty Acids
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