If you need to lose weight, you'll need to focus on what types of diet meals you'll be eating during the process. It's probably tempting to ignore diet meal planning, but you risk eating larger portions and foods that could harm your diet unless you think ahead. Fortunately, plenty of tools can help you determine the proper caloric and nutrient content of your diet meals. It's also possible to join a weight-loss program that will provide all your diet meals for you.
Basics
You might think of diet meals simply as smaller versions of what you're eating now. If you're already eating a very healthy diet packed with whole grains, fruit and vegetables, that might be true. But most people need to make other changes in their meals to lose weight and eat healthy, according to the American Heart Association (ref#1). You should eat smaller portions, but reducing the amount of fat in your meals and substituting healthier whole foods for highly processed foods also will help you lose weight.
Do-It-Yourself Diet Meals
If you decide to make your diet meals yourself as part of your weight loss effort, you should aim to plan your meals ahead, with particular attention to nutritional content and your daily caloric goals, according to the University of Michigan Health Service. Remember, you need to reduce your caloric intake by 3,500 calories to lose each pound. It's reasonable to shoot for one to two pounds a week of weight loss. Consider keeping a food diary to track your meals and make sure you're meeting your goals.
Pre-Packaged Diet Meals
If planning all your own diet meals seems too complicated, you can join a program that provides you with pre-packaged diet meals. According to Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center, which runs such a program, weight loss plans that offer this service can help some people lose weight more effectively. However, the meals in these programs can cost more than diet meals you plan and cook yourself.
Considerations
Ultimately, your success at weight loss will come down to how well you control what you eat over the course of your diet. If you think you'll have trouble controlling your portion sizes with food you cook yourself, you may want to consider a weight loss program that provides all or most of the diet meals in a pre-packaged form. Otherwise, you'll need to track the contents of your diet meals carefully to make sure you're hitting your goals and continuing to lose weight. Just make sure to talk with your doctor before starting any diet, since she may have some thoughts on the best approach.
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