Meal Plans For Losing Weight Rapidly

Quick weight loss is a common goal that's difficult to achieve and even more difficult to sustain. Although there are dozens of potential weight loss methods, the National Institutes of Health notes that the only proven way to slim down and keep weight off is through burning more calories than you consume each day, ideally with a combination of regular exercise and a low-calorie, balanced meal plan. To get the most notable results, you must follow a diet that will significantly reduce your daily calorie intake.

Benefits

According to MayoClinic.com preventive medicine specialist Donald Hensrud, M.D., following a reduced-calorie meal plan is actually more effective for weight loss than regularly exercise because it allows you to control your pacing. Meal plans that are designed with weight loss in mind also tend to feature low-calorie foods such as fruits and vegetables. In addition to helping regulate weight, MyPyramid.gov notes that such foods can help reduce your risk of cancer, bone loss, stroke, heart disease, diabetes, kidney stones and other conditions.

Foundation

A healthy meal plan for weight loss needs to feature a balance of foods from all major food groups, including lean proteins, nonfat dairy, whole grains, vegetables and fruits. Foods with naturally low energy densities may get star treatment. A low energy-dense food, according to MayoClinic.com, has a high water content and high fiber or protein content but low fat and calorie values. Examples include watermelon, broccoli, fish, beans, brown rice and oatmeal.

Vegan Diet

A vegan diet eschews all meat and animal products, including eggs, honey, cheese and other dairy. Because the foundation of the diet is made up of healthy, low-calorie foods such as beans, legumes, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, you may consume far fewer net calories while following it and lose weight much faster than you would with a traditional reduced-calorie diet. If your vegan meals clock in at 500 fewer calories per day than you normally eat, for example, you'll drop a pound per week. A vegan diet can be difficult to stick to, though, and it's not a sustainable choice for everyone.

Medically Supervised Plan

A medically supervised, very low-calorie diet offers prepared meals that are calorie-controlled. According to the Weight Control Information Network, people following VLCDs typically eat 800 or fewer calories per day and may lose up to 5 lb. per week. One downside to a medically supervised meal plan is that you're unlikely to keep up the same rate of weight loss after the diet ends, since you'll then need to prepare meals by yourself.

Considerations

The best way to lose weight both quickly and healthfully is through combining a meal plan with exercise. If that's not an option, choose a diet that will help you lose no more than 2 lbs. per week. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people who lose weight more quickly than that are less likely to keep it off through time. Finally, get your doctor's approval before going ahead with any new weight loss or diet plan.