Meal Plans, Ideas for Weight Loss

Obesity has become one of the biggest health problems, affective people all over the world. Millions of men, women and children in the United States alone suffer from moderate to morbid obesity problems. Studies indicate that obesity is responsible for more than 320,000 deaths in the US, either directly or indirectly. Some of the health conditions that people could be more prone to, because of being overweight include diabetes, heart diseases, high blood pressure and increased risks of strokes. Fortunately, the awareness of this health problem is growing amongst people, which is why those who are severely overweight are trying to reach their normal weight range as quickly as possible, with the help of a low fat diet, a weight loss exercise regime as well as few other lifestyle changes.

However, the fact remains that one of the first steps in talking a weight problem is making dietary changes, where a person needs to follow specific meal plans for weight loss. Since people usually look for quick and instant results when it comes to weight loss, there are several who decide to seek professional help for this purpose. Many commercial weight loss groups advertise their meal plans which can enable a person to lose weight by eating their favorite food. These commercial establishments generally send people pre decided or prepackaged meal plans for weight loss for women or men, depending upon the weight watcher.

However, these commercial meal planning for weight loss can be quite expensive, which is why a lot of people cannot afford them. Moreover, these plans usually eliminate several essential foods from a person’s diet, which is why they cannot be consumed exclusively on a long term basis. This means that when a person resumes the normal diet he or she has a high chance of regaining all the weight that was lost and perhaps some more too. This is why many weight watchers have decided to prepare their own low calories and low carb meal plans for weight loss at home. Fortunately, there are quite a few easy healthy meal plans for weight loss that can be helpful for people of all types, keeping in mind factors like their gender, eating preferences, daily required caloric intake as well as any medical conditions that they may be suffering from.

Diabetic Meal Plans for Weight Loss

Breakfast: ½ Cup oatmeal, ½ cup skim milk, ¼ cup cottage cheese, 1 toast, a teaspoon of margarine and half a small banana
Lunch: A turkey sandwich with low fat mayonnaise, a cup of clear vegetable soup and an apple (small)
Dinner: Broiled chicken breast with oregano and basil, half a cup of cooked brown rice, some tossed salad with low fast dressing, 4 unsweetened apricots
Snacks: 16 Pieces of fat free tortilla chips with salsa; 3 cups of light popcorn

The snacks should be eaten at different times, between meals and it is important to ensure that there is a time gap of at least 2 hours or so, between the snacks and the main meals.

1200 Calorie Diet Plans for Weight Loss

Breakfast: 1 Cup bran cereal, a cup of skim milk and a banana
Lunch: Tuna sandwich with low fat mayo and whole wheat bread, 2 cups of raw or steamed veggies, a small apple
Dinner: Grilled chicken breast, some fresh garden salad (without dressing), ½ cup steamed green beans and 1 peach
Snacks: A nectarine, a small pear

1500 Calorie Diet Plans for Weight Loss

Breakfast: Canadian bacon stackers, 1 bran muffin, a wedge of cantaloupe and ½ cup skim milk
Lunch: Spinach, goat cheese and chicken salad with raspberry dressing
Dinner: Fish fillets with a creamy sauce, Romaine and crouton salad, new potatoes with sugar snap peas
Snacks: Double stuffed devilled eggs, pita chips and hummus

Vegetarian Meal Plans for Weight Loss

Breakfast: Fruit salad with yogurt and oats, half a cup of skim milk
Lunch: 1 Jacket potato topped with cottage cheese and some fresh salad with fat free dressing
Dinner: Whole wheat pasta in a mushroom sauce, topped with low fat cheese.
Snacks: 2 Tablespoons of sunflower seeds or 15 unsalted almonds; a small packet of low fat crisps

A vegan diet is a bit different from a vegetarian diet, because vegetarians can only eliminate certain animal products, such as meat, poultry, seafood and eggs. However, those who are following a vegan diet generally eliminate all forms of animal products from their diets, which also include milk (except artificial milk like soy milk), rennet, gelatin and honey.

Breakfast: Scrambled tofu with spinach and soy cheese, with a slice of whole grain toast and herbal tea
Lunch: Garden salad with fresh vegetables and lemon juice dressing
Dinner: Vegetable soup with black beans, spiced with basil, oregano and thyme followed by fresh fruit
Snacks: Vegetable sticks, soy nuts, vegan bread or crackers, with peanut butter

Out of all the snacks that have been mentioned for each diet plan, no more than two snacks should be consumed in the course of one day. Also, the snacks should be eaten at different times, between meals and it is important to ensure that there is a time gap of at least 2 hours or so, between the snacks and the main meals. There are several other similar sample meal plans for weight loss that are easily available on the internet. However, it is strongly recommended that all people consult a doctor or a nutritionist, before adding any easy or healthy meal plans for weight loss to their daily diets. In addition that that the diet meal plans for weight loss mentioned above are safe, but only if they are followed correctly. Again, it is best for people to check with a health care expert before using any of them. This is all the more important for those people who are elderly or are suffering from any preexisting health condition, which could also include obesity, diabetes, heart diseases, hypertension, thyroid problems, and so on. Moreover, in case a person experiences any adverse effects after following any new daily meal plans for weight loss, it is important to stop using them immediately and speak to a doctor.

Submitted on January 16, 2014