Healthy Calorie Intake

When you are trying to lose weight, no matter which diet plan you follow, you will need to avoid the consumption of excess calories, if you want to be successful. The recommended healthy calorie intake is in the range of 1,200 to 1,400 calories per day for an average woman and 1,600 to 1,800 calories each day for an average man. In order to lose weight, you need to gradually cut down the calories you consume each day, so that the total is less than the calories that you burn each day. You could use a calorie counting chart to calculate the calories present in different foods and determine how much of each food you can consume, based on your recommended daily calorie intake.

A low calorie healthy diet plan

One of the best ways of avoiding excess calories is by eliminating fattening and unhealthy foods from your diet.

Make sure your breakfast is low in calories, but high in proteins, which boosts your energy levels and curbs your hunger. You can do that by eating 2 scrambled egg-whites along with either a bowl of cereal (not sweetened) with skim milk or a whole-wheat toast, with peanut butter. After breakfast, keep low-cal snacks like popcorn (without butter) or an orange ready, in case you are attacked by hunger pangs. Lunch should consist of fruits and vegetables to pack on some vitamins. A garden salad, with shredded chicken, some low fat dressing and cheese could make a perfect lunch menu item. Dinner can include poultry, fish and vegetables, which should be either steamed or baked, along with some brown rice. Following such a diet along with an exercise plan should help you lose weight at a good pace.

A high protein low calorie diet plan

This diet plan combines two very effective weight loss methods, which is why it should be more effective than a one-diet method. A high protein diet should contain a lot of lean meats, fish, eggs, legumes, dairy products, soy beans, along with fresh fruits and vegetables. You can start your day, with 2 eggs, preferably the whites, along with 2 slices of lean bacon. For lunch, eat a turkey sandwich, with some low-fat cheese, a few slices of tomatoes and lettuce. This makes for a high protein lunch that is low in calories. For dinner, you could have 1 oz. of lean top sirloin with a side of shrimp or chicken salad with light dressing.

Weight loss should be a gradual process, so do not make any drastic diet and lifestyle changes all of a sudden. Slow and steady changes can help you change not just your weight, but also your lifestyle.

Submitted on January 16, 2014