A common misconception is that a diet plan is for those who have made it their goal to lose weight. However, a diet plan is used for more than just weight loss. You may be required to go on a specific diet plan as part of a treatment for a particular medical disorder. It is also an option if you need to gain weight. No matter the reason, a diet plan allows you the means of reaching a certain goal by planning your meals.
What a Diet Plan Is
A diet plan is a food plan or eating guide that is implemented to achieve a particular goal. The most common diet plan use is to lose weight. However, for someone with heart issues, diabetes or certain diseases, a diet plan may be used to help ease symptoms and lower the risk of medical emergencies.
Types of Diet Plans
The variety of diet plans available is massive, just like the numbers of people seeking these plans. If you have made it a goal to lose weight, you will find that there are low-calorie, low-fat, low-carbohydrate diet plans as well as brand name diet plans, such as Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers. However, if you are looking to gain weight, you may opt to follow a high-calorie diet.
Diseases and illnesses could be prompting you to follow a particular diet plan as well. When you are preparing for heart surgery or have been diagnosed with heart disease or high blood pressure, physicians often order a heart-healthy or sodium-reduced diet. One diet plan that is often prescribed is the DASH diet plan. This diet plan is used to lower blood pressure and to increase your heart health.
Diabetics must watch their intake of high-glycemic foods. It is not uncommon for a physician to prescribe a diet plan that will help someone with high blood sugar. The diet usually limits carbohydrates. One diet plan for diabetics that is often referred to is the Exchange Diet.
Another example of a diet plan is for someone with PKU, or phenylketonuria. PKU is a condition that prevents the body from being able to process and break down the amino acid phenylalanine. Phenylalanine is in high-protein foods, such as chicken, eggs, milk, beef and pork.
Basics of a Weight-Loss Diet Plan
A weight-loss diet plan is not as difficult as some companies make it out to be. The fundamentals of weight loss are simple. You just need to burn more calories than you take in. The body naturally burns a certain number of calories per day. This calorie burn comes from the body functions that allow us to live. The amount that your body burns daily to survive is your basal metabolic rate. This rate increases or decreases as your weight and age change. To maintain your current weight, you must consume the same amount of calories as your BMR number. To lose weight, you would need to consume less than what your BMR is daily. Since there are approximately 3,500 calories in a single pound of fat, you would need to reduce your calorie intake by 500 calories a day to lose 1 lb. per week.
Considerations
Always consult your physician before starting any type of diet plan. Talk with him about your goals and what plan you are considering; he can help you evaluate the benefits and risks, plus monitor your progress.
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