Losing even 5 to 10 percent of your body weight can help improve your health by bringing down your cholesterol and blood pressure levels. A low-calorie, low-fat diet plan can help you lose weight. When devising a diet plan, use nutritious foods as the foundation regardless of your dietary restrictions. A low-calorie diet can vary between 1,200 to 1,800 calories per day, while a low-fat diet requires keeping fat intake to between 20 and 30 percent of daily calories.
Considerations
Reducing calories does help with weight loss, but eating too few can actually stall your results as the body's metabolism lowers. Women should consume at least 1,200 calories daily and men 1,500 calories daily to provide proper energy and nutrition.
While fat is the most calorie-dense nutrient with 9 calories per gram compared to the 4 calories in carbohydrates and protein, you do need at least 20 percent of your daily calories to come from fat to support basic body functions. Fat helps with the absorption of vitamins A,D, E and K. It also pads the internal organs and assists with hormone production and regulation. Fat improves the flavor of some foods, making them taste more satisfying so you are less likely to overeat. Fat also digests slowly, so it helps you stay full longer. Choose heart healthy fats such as olive and canola oils as substitutes for artery-clogging fats such as butter and shortening.
Vegetarian
For a meatless diet plan with 1,480 calories and 28 percent fat, start with a whole-wheat English muffin spread with 1 tbsp. peanut butter and 1 cup calcium-enriched orange juice. At lunch, make a large salad with baby spinach, 1/2 cup chickpeas, 1 oz. feta cheese and 1 1/2 tsp. olive oil with lemon juice. Have five woven wheat crackers and eight strawberries on the side. For dinner, stir fry 3.5 oz. of tofu with 1 cup snow peas, 1 cup raw cauliflower and one sliced carrot. Have with 1 cup of quinoa. At snack times, have a cup of "O"-shaped oat cereal with 1 cup of calcium-enriched, unsweetened soy milk and a large banana.
USDA Recommended
A U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Guide Pyramid diet plan with 1,500 calories and 21 percent fat might begin with a toasted English muffin with 8 oz. of orange juice and one egg. For lunch, sauté together 1 cup cooked, whole-grain pasta with 1/2 cup diced, roasted chicken breast, minced garlic, 1 cup broccoli and 1/2 tbsp. of olive oil. Have a small apple on the side. For dinner, form 4 oz. of lean ground turkey into a patty and broil. Have on a whole-wheat sandwich roll with 1 oz. Swiss cheese and sliced tomato. Enjoy 12 baby carrots on the side. For a mid-morning snack, drink 8 oz. of skim milk and later in the day have a container of blended low-fat yogurt.
Gluten-free
If you have to follow a gluten-free plan for medical reasons, you can still keep your calories and fat under control. For a 1,500-calories gluten-free diet plan with just 22 percent fat, start with 1 cup of crisped rice cereal -- make sure it has no gluten-containing ingredients -- with 1 cup skim milk and 1 cup blueberries. At lunch, have 1/2 cup brown rice with 4 oz. of broiled tilapia and 10 steamed asparagus spears. An orange makes a nutritious, low-calorie dessert. At dinner, have 4 oz. of grilled sirloin steak with a baked sweet potato and a romaine salad with about 15 grape tomatoes and 1/2 cup of cucumber. Make your own dressing for the salad with 1 tbsp. olive oil, 1 1/2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar and 1 tsp. Dijon mustard. For snacks, have 1 tbsp. almond butter spread on a banana slices from a medium-size fruit and a cup of plain, non-fat yogurt with 1/2 cup sliced strawberries.
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