You do not need packaged meals and processed foods to lose weight quickly. Instead, make your own meals filled with foods that are nutritious yet low in calories. Diet meal plans should have enough flexibility and variety to motivate you to stick with them. The most effective diet meal plans promote weight loss of around 5 to 10 lbs. per month. Speak with a nutritionist or doctor about your dietary concerns before embarking on a low-calorie meal plan.
Breakfast Meal Plan
Eat a breakfast high in fiber but low in added sugar and saturated fat. Some options include unsweetened steel-cut oats made with water or nonfat milk and topped with blueberries, banana or a sprinkling of toasted nuts. Start your day with grapefruit or unsweetened grapefruit juice, both of which are fat-burning foods. Make your own smoothies at home, blending carrots, spinach and apples, or a homemade vegetable drink of tomato, onion, balsamic vinegar, cucumber and a splash of olive oil. For a creamier smoothie, blend frozen slices of banana and a small amount of unsweetened nut milk with slices of chilled mango or a teaspoon of natural peanut butter.
Lunch Meal Plan
Make your lunch lower in calories by filling half your plate with a leafy green salad dressed with olive oil and lemon juice or balsamic vinegar. Eat a light but filling sources of protein, such as lentil vegetable soup, hummus, or a 3.5-ounce serving of grilled fish. Add a 1-ounce serving of a fiber-filled whole grain like couscous, quinoa, wild rice or brown rice. Avoid junk food, snack food and fast food containing trans fat and saturated fat. Instead, drizzle olive oil on your vegetables or add avocado slices to your salad.
Dinner Meal Plan
After a day of healthful eating, you may feel more challenged to eat a low-calorie dinner. Fill up fast with a fiber-filled appetizer of fresh berries and a dollop of nonfat Greek yogurt. Roast or marinate some vegetables to add some variety to your side dishes. Try a vegetable broth-based soup, like roasted butternut squash blended with roasted garlic and broth. Eat a 1-ounce portion of a whole grain like whole wheat pasta, amaranth, millet, barley or polenta. Add some protein to your dinner with grilled skinless poultry, legumes or nuts. Replace dessert with fresh fruit.
Beverages
One of the ways calories sneak into a healthy diet is through beverages. Sweetened juices, flavored waters, soft drinks and syrupy coffee beverages add up to 500 calories to your meal. Plain water is the simplest no-calorie choice for your diet, but may feel boring. Try unsweetened mint iced tea or green tea for a change of flavor. Spike black coffee with cinnamon, vanilla and nonfat milk to give you caffeine without the calories.
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