Planning your meals in advance can help you stick to a weight-loss plan. A set menu for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks helps you resist temptation and meal skipping, both of which will quickly undermine a diet plan. While preplanning your menu might take some effort, the results are worth it.
Step 1
Determine your calorie needs, and plan to eat 500 to 1,000 fewer daily. Go to a website such as MyPyramid.gov to determine your daily calorie burn. Subtract 500 calories from this daily burn rate for a 1 lb. per week weight loss or 1,000 calories for a 2 lb. per week loss.
Step 2
Divide your target weight loss calories up over three meals and two snacks. Plan for 300 to 600 calories per meal, depending on your needs, and 100 to 250 calories per snack.
Step 3
Make watery, fibrous vegetables or fruit the centerpiece of each meal. Options include leafy greens, orange peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, berries, citrus and summer squash. Research healthy, low-fat cooking techniques, such as grilling, roasting and steaming.
Step 4
Plan a ½ cup serving of a starchy vegetable or healthy whole grain for each meal. Target foods such as brown rice, sweet potatoes, peas, quinoa or 100-percent whole wheat bread.
Step 5
Leave room in your menu for a 3 to 4 oz. serving of a lean protein. Choose foods, such as fish, chicken breast, tofu or beans, most of the time. Eat higher-calorie red meat less often.
Step 6
Allocate about 60 to 100 of each meal's calories for a small amount of heart-healthy, unsaturated fat. Plan to add a ½-oz. serving of nuts to cereal, for example, or 1 tbsp. of olive oil to salad.
Step 7
Allow for a 1-cup serving of milk, or dairy, at least three times per day. Plan for low-fat or non-fat options, which contain the fewest calories and saturated fat. Include dairy in snacks or primary meals.
Step 8
Write down your menu plan or input it into a calorie-counting website, such as LIVESTRONG.COM's MyPlate. Tweak the serving sizes and food choices to meet your calorie needs.
Tips and Warnings
- Use your menu to create one master grocery list and stick to it when you are at the store. Prior to your shopping trip, rid your cupboards, fridge and freezer of all tempting junk foods so your only option is to adhere to your menu. Consult cooking magazines or websites for recipe ideas. Look for recipes that give you calorie counts.
- Do not plan to eat fewer than 1,200 calories per day if you are a woman, or 1,500 calories per day if you are a man. Too few calories can lead to nutritional deficiencies and the loss of lean muscle mass.
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