Free Diet Plan for Weight Loss
10 Step Diet Plan

Article by Diet Bites

Diet Bites for Free Diet Plans for Quick, Safe, Permanent Weight Loss Results

Whether it's the dawning of a new year OR simply a place in time when an individual is struck with the desire to lose those unhealthy, unwanted pounds - starting anew brings hope and opportunity for weight loss success!

THE New Diet Plan Step #1 - Wiping the Diet Canvas Clean

Let's begin by wiping the Diet Canvas clean. Totally clean. Forget about your past Weight Loss & Diet Failures.

Stop punishing yourself both physically and emotionally for gaining weight. Look towards the future, even if you have a substantial amount of weight to lose.

If you have 100 pounds to lose, with perseverance and a healthy diet plan, you can be your recommended weight this time next year. If you have 50 pounds to lose, you can achieve such in six months. 25 pounds to lose - about 3 months.

And if you have more than 100 pounds to lose, you can certainly achieve that too! After all, most of we-humans started out within a few ounces or pounds of one another. With growth, our weight increased - and of course, what goes up, must come down.

When I lost more than 100 pounds so many years ago, I got to a point to where I didn't think it was humanly possible to ever weigh my recommended weight again. I gave up. Then one year as the new year dawned, I went on an aggressive weight loss adventure and when the holidays rolled around, I was at my recommended weight. So indeed - you can accomplish such, too! But more important than weight loss is losing weight safely so you'll be around to enjoy all the healthy rewards. Back to our empty canvas....

An empty canvas allows the imagination room to grow - room for new Weight Loss Ideas and Weight Loss Dreams to take form. And we can make our diet plan as difficult OR as easy as we wish.

With this said, let's begin adding some color to our Diet Canvas, keeping in mind that all of the following 10 Diet Elements can work together to achieve permanent weight loss while making the weight loss process easier.

THE New Diet Plan Step #2 - Setting Weight Loss Goals, Losing Weight Without Dieting

To achieve healthy, permanent weight loss Diet Bites promotes a daily diet based on the dieter's calorie needs for their recommended weight - forever going forward. Think about this.

Imagine that you follow a daily diet containing the number of calories necessary to support your ideal weight - a daily diet containing the foods recommended in the healthy food pyramid.

Once your healthy diet plan begins, your body immediately responds via weight loss while receiving healthy benefits. And as long as you consume the number of required calories, once you arrive at your recommended weight, you will NEVER gain weight again!

In addition, the weight will come off in the healthiest manner possible. There is no stumbling after the diet plan has ended. And yes - you can still enjoy food-favorites IF you keep the calories within your recommended calorie allotment.

As for calorie counting, sure - it takes a bit of pause to add up the calories in the foods within your daily diet. But if you could be trim forever, wouldn't it be worth that time and effort?

Yes, there are other methods for weight loss based on carbs, minimal fat grams and so forth, but when it's all said and done, our weight isn't governed by the amount of carbs we eat, or the amount of fat grams and so forth. Our weight is governed by energy (calories) consumed and energy expended.

Too many times, the new dieter accomplishes weight loss success only to rapidly regain the weight after the diet has ended.

By embracing a daily diet which contains the number of calories necessary for the individual's weight, the individual gradually slims-down to their recommended weight.

This method for safe, permanent weight loss not only eases stress placed on the body amid the weight loss phase, it also makes the issue of the future daily diet a no-brainer.

Diet Bites Calorie Index is located here and contains calorie content for hundreds of basic foods that can assist in permanent weight loss.

Recommended Daily Calorie Needs - How Many Daily Calories Do You Need?

How many calories does your body require per day? Note that 'Active' equals 10,000 - 12,499 steps per day. Here is a pattern for calorie consumption based on information from the USDA:

• Inactive women - 1,600 calories per day
• Active women - 2,800 calories per day
• Moderately active women - 2,200 calories per day
• Inactive men - 2,200 calories per day
• Active men - 2,800 calories per day
• Teenage Girls - 2,200 calories per day
• Teenage Boys - 2,800 calories per day
• Children - 1,600 calories per day
• Seniors - 1,600 calories per day
• Pregnant & lactating women - 2,200 to 2,800 calories per day

Recommended Daily Calorie Needs Based on Weight:

102-110 pounds | 111-120 pounds | 121-130 pounds | 131-140 pounds | 141-150 pounds | 151-160 pounds | 161-170 pounds | 171-180 pounds | 181-190 pounds | 191-200 pounds | 201-210 pounds | 211-220 pounds | 221-230 pounds | 231-240 pounds | 241-250 pounds

Recommended Goal Weight Based on Height & Body Frame Size:

Diet Bites Weight Loss Charts for Men & Women based on height and body frame size are located here and provide a pattern for recommended weight. Ideal Weight should also be established based on current health, stamina, gender, muscle mass, age, energy level, metabolism rate, ethnicity and climate. Your Ideal Weight should never be set in stone.

To determine your body's frame size, view here.

Step #3

Remember a time in your life that was totally new to you. Perhaps the situation involved a new school, or a new teacher.

Remember how you felt. If you're like most individuals, new situations can be a bit stressful and/or intimidating.

And right now - a new diet may feel intimidating. By adding something familiar to the Diet Canvas, the dieter can create a warm, fuzzy feeling. And whatever diet the dieter chooses, it should always allow for personalization.

To illustrate how a diet plan can be personalized, let's look into Dieter Willow's diet plan:

Dieter Willow has a list of favorite foods which include: chocolate candy, fried chicken, cheese enchiladas, orange juice, grape juice, cheeseburgers, butter, pizza from her local pizzeria, and chocolate milk. Let's see how she might personalize her diet plan for weight loss while keeping her favorite foods within her daily diet.

Chocolate - Dieter Willow is fond of all forms of chocolate. By opting for dark chocolate she could render some heart-healthy benefits. Dark chocolate also contains fewer calories than other chocolates. Opting for ½ a dark chocolate bar would go a long way in satisfying her Sweet Tooth for a skinny 110 calories.

Fried Chicken- Frankly, it's very difficult to mirror the flavor of chicken fried in oil. Sure, we can dress it in a coat of corn flakes and pitch it into the oven, or we can use a myriad of other breading options, but the results are almost-always incomparable with the flavor of deep-fried chicken.

And YES, fried chicken does indeed contain a lot of fat grams, and homemade fried chicken tends to contain a plethora of calories. It's the old Diet Calorie-Guessing Game in action.

So to take the guess-work off the Diet Canvas, Dieter Willow would do best in opting for fried chicken that has already had the calorie content calculated, and she would do well to enjoy fried chicken occasionally.

Here are a few examples from the Colonel's Kitchen - and Diet Bites would suggest that Dieter Willow strongly consider KFC's healthier option of grilled chicken, which is just as delicious as fried chicken without all that fat and high calorie content.

One grilled wing contains 80 calories, one grilled chicken breast contains 180 calories, one grilled drumstick contains 70 calories and one grilled thigh contains 140 calories.

Dieter Willow should also consider the extreme content of sodium and cholesterol content when making menu choices.

Cheese Enchiladas- Cheese isn't a dieter's best friend, but it isn't a dieter's worst enemy either. Dieter Willow can still enjoy her cheese enchiladas while losing weight and will save fat grams and calories by opting for low fat versions of cheese.

When preparing the corn tortillas for rolling, rather than frying them in oil - which is the traditional method, we recommend either steaming the corn tortillas OR 'frying' them using cooking spray in a non-stick pan.

If sour cream is part of the recipe, Diet Bites recommends the reduced fat version.

One of Diet Bites quick, reduced calorie recipes for cheese enchiladas is:

Use 8 ounces of reduced fat, shredded cheese of your choice (640 calories). Using cooking spray, cook both sides of 10 corn tortillas (400 calories) on the stove top in a non-stick pan. Next, add 1 cup of chopped onions to the pan and cook until clarified, using more cooking spray if necessary.

Fill each tortilla shell with a bit of cheese and onions, reserving some cheese and onions for the top.

Place into an 8 X 8 square non-stick pan. Pour 1 can of your favorite enchilada sauce over the 'naked' enchiladas. Top with cheese and the remaining onions.

Bake in a hot oven until cheese is bubbly. Each cheese enchilada contains about 125 calories. What a Diet Deal!

Orange Juice & Grape Juice- Dieter Willow can trim the calories by opting for fresh, unsweetened frozen or unsweetened canned fruit over juice.

One cup of orange juice contains about 105 - 130 calories, depending upon the brand used. One medium-sized orange contains about 69 calories.

One cup of grape juice contains about 160 or more calories, depending upon the brand used. One cup of grapes contains about 62 calories.

Cheeseburgers really get a bad wrap when it comes to diet and weight loss.

After all, a cheeseburger contains foods which reside in the healthy food pyramid.

Buns = the Healthy Grain Group;
Meat = the Healthy Protein Group;
Lettuce, Pickles, Tomatoes, Onions = the Healthy Vegetable Group;
Cheese = the Healthy Dairy Group and if we topped the cheeseburger with a cherry or two......BUT better yet, what about a slice or two of avocado from the Fruit Group.

Seriously, a cheeseburger can make an excellent choice for dieters seeking weight loss. Here are a few tips to trim fat and calories:

- Opt for the smaller buns which contain significantly lower calories. Skip buttering the buns for toasting purposes and enjoy plain, steamed or toasted with a bit of cooking spray OR simply toasted in a non-stick pan without additives.

- Opt for meat that is lean. Sure, it costs more, but so do doctor visits related to clogged arteries.

- Skip Mr. Mayo and kiss Miss Mustard, Mister Spicy Mustard and Miss Ketchup instead. Or if you can't go Mayo-less, opt for light versions.

- Add vegetables freely and experiment outside of the Tomato-Lettuce-Pickle-Onion Box. Try adding sauteed mushrooms or summer squash.

- Opt for cheese containing no more than 50 calories per slice to keep fat grams and calories under control.

Butter- Unfortunately, too much butter creates butter balls - and we're not talking about turkeys in this situation. Even so, Dieter Willow can invite a little butter into her diet plan but should work on keeping butter use minimal.

Switching to light margarine would go a long way towards assisting her weight loss goal. Adding spices to foods rather than butter or margarine is yet another way to add flavor without adding fat calories (literally).

Pizza - Ah, another victim of abuse when it comes to diet plans. Pizza contains foods which - like the cheeseburger, reside in the healthy food groups.

We have a nice crust that falls into the Healthy Grain Group; we have a good dose of tomatoes which have been linked to all sorts of healthy benefits.

We have cheese which resides in the Healthy Dairy Group, and we can even add meats which reside in the Healthy Protein Group - as well as fruits and vegetables such as pineapple, mushrooms and so forth with reside in the Healthy Vegetable and Fruit Groups.

Because Dieter Willow enjoys the pizza at her local favorite restaurant, she should ask for a nutrition guide which will list the calories contained in her favorite pizzas, then she should make her choices and serving sizes based on the nutritional information.

Some tips that can trim calories and fat grams from pizza OR add more nutritional value to the pizza include:

- Opting for whole grain crust, in addition to thin crusts.

- Adding vegetables or fruit (generally pineapple) to the pizza can add more nutritional values while filling the Tummy Tank with less calories than proteins such as Italian sausage, hamburger, pepperoni and bacon.

- Blotting away visible oil with a paper napkin can assist in blotting away calories.

Chocolate Milk - One cup of chocolate milk prepared with whole milk contains about 208 or more calories depending upon the brand used. One cup of reduced fat milk contains about 190 calories. One cup of low fat milk contains about 158 calories. Again, keep in mind that different varieties of milk contain different varieties of calories.

Weight Loss Solution for Favorite Foods #1 - Based on the above calorie data, Dieter Willow can save about ¼ the amount of calories contained in the whole chocolate milk by opting for low fat chocolate milk.

Weight Loss Solution for Favorite Foods #2 - Dieter Willow could simply reduce the serving size of her regular (whole) chocolate milk.

Weight Loss Solution for Favorite Foods #3 - Dieter Willow could opt for a lower calorie recipe for chocolate milk. Our Diet Bites recipe uses 80-calorie per cup skim milk and is as follows: ¾ cup of skim milk (60 calories)+ 1 Tablespoon of cocoa + sugar substitute whirled together in a blender.

Total calories equal about 100. Serve warm for a delicious cocoa.

Free Diet Plan Step #4 Food Pyramid Requirements

One of the first tasks on your list when starting your new diet plan is to grab your favorite cup and glass.

Using a measuring cup filled with water, determine how much each drinking vessel will hold.

More times than not, that favorite beverage container may hold two, three, or four times the amount of a recommended 1-cup serving.

And while you're measuring, grab your favorite cereal bowl and measure accordingly.

A quick weight loss tip - keep a 1-cup measuring cup inside the cereal box so serving size can be accurately measured.

There are also several charts that outline which types of food - and how much food an individual needs based on weight.   Food Group Servings | Serving Sizes Guide and simply following articles to view the recommended food group servings based on weight:

Example of 1,200 Calorie Diet | 1,400 Calorie Diet | 1,600 Calorie Diet | 1,800 Calorie Diet | 2,000 Calorie Diet

We have Free Calorie and Food Tracking Sheets located at this link. Our other Weight Loss Tools that can assist in establishing Food Pyramid Requirements as well as in weight loss:

Menu for a Hefty 3,590 Calories

The Dieter's Food Pyramid

The Pyramid Diet Index 

1,810 Calorie Food Pyramid

What is Considered a Serving Size?

Examples of Reduced Calorie Diet Meal Plans:

Breakfast - Example of Reduced Calorie Menu

Lunch - Example of Reduced Calorie Menu

Dinner - Example of Reduced Calorie Menu

THE New Diet Plan Step #5 - Diet Mind Games for Weight Loss

The moment that we-humans are told that we can't do something, that's generally THE THING that we want to do! We think about 'doing it' day and night and we keep finding ways to 'do it' until we succeed. As in the area of weight loss, the moment that we go on a diet plan, we know that we're going to have to reduce our food intake (or expend more energy in the form of activity) in order to succeed at weight loss. And the moment we can't have that certain 'Food Something' - that's the moment we 'want it'.

And we can't keep thinking about it until we finally get it.

Needless to say, when dieting, the dieter will do best in succeeding at weight loss when they place their focus on non-food situations, which is difficult at best because we must eat in order to survive.

During Diet Time, until your body adjusts to the healthier menus, work out your stress by embracing your favorite activity, which in turn will assist in achieving better weight loss results.

From walking to shopping to bowling to shooting hoops - all will take your concentration off of food.

And don't forget about relaxing activities such as playing musical instruments, listening to music, drawing, playing games. Mood swings amid the weight loss phase is totally normal.

THE New Diet Plan Step #6 - Avoiding 2 Big Weight Gain Generators

The Fat Vat and the Sugar Pit are the chief contributors to weight gain. Limiting these two Giant Fat Generators can equal a healthier, thinner body.

Granulated sugar - the type that lives inside your cute little sugar bowl which you use to doctor your coffee, tea and other favorites contains close to 800 calories per cup.

If you use 1/4 cup per day, that's injecting a large full-blown soda into your caloric totals. Brown sugar contains about 550 per 'unpacked' cup and when it's in the packed form, about 836 - more than the white stuff.

There are no dietary fiber grams in sugar; the bulk is comprised of carbohydrate grams which provide quick energy - along with the sugar grams.

The other area to watch is cooking oil, Mayo, salad dressing as well as full-blown food choices, particularly which live in the dairy section at your local market as well as in the ice cream section. All types and varieties of most oils related to food contain about 120 per Tablespoon.

THE New Diet Plan Step #7 - Establishing Daily Calorie Requirements

The following Diet Bites links can assist in establishing your daily calorie requirements. As in the area of Recommended Weight, Daily Caloric Requirements are not set in stone and are impacted by several key elements including but not limited to: activity level, current level of health, muscle mass, age, current weight, age, climate, gender, height.

MEN CALORIC NEEDS:

Small Body Frame | Medium Frame | Large Frame

WOMEN CALORIC NEEDS:

Small Body Frame | Medium Frame | Large Frame

THE New Diet Plan Step #8 - Deciphering Nutrition Labels

Get cozy with nutrition labels as they can assist greatly with weight loss. Be watchful for sodium content which is typically tied to water retention and can also raise blood pressure levels.

Also be watchful for foods high in fat grams, in addition to the percentage of fat in a particular food.

Cholesterol is another hot item to monitor, although foods listing '0 Cholesterol' doesn't mean that they do not contribute to unhealthy levels of cholesterol in the body.

THE New Diet Plan Step #9 - Balancing Activity & Relaxation to Accelerate Weight Loss & Good Health

Exercise can be a difficult word to think about for the inactive individual. And typically, a new dieter makes exercise a big part of their weight loss plan because activity generates a higher level of weight loss results when coupled with a lower calorie daily diet.

Where activity and exercise is concerned, we recommend that the dieter opts for an activity that they will stick with for life rather than a short-lived, excruciating routine. What is considered active? Here is a rule of thumb:

Lack of sleep has been connected with obesity and weight gain, so be sure to catch your forty winks.

Stress - whether good or bad can also contribute to weight issues. Take 10 - relax, then go forward. Be wise in deciding which battles in life are worth pursuing.

THE New Diet Plan Step #10 - Doctor, Doctor, Diet Vitamins, Diet Pills & Weight Loss Supplements

Be sure to get your doctor's approval before beginning any weight loss plan. A hidden health condition such as diabetes, a thyroid imbalance, pregnancy or even an allergy may be contributing or triggering weight gain. Ask your doctor about Diet Vitamins, Weight Loss Supplements and Diet Pills BEFORE taking.

Good luck on your Weight Loss Journey and we hope that you'll stay tuned to Diet Bites!

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