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Free Diet Meal Plan to Lose Weight
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When planning your meal plates throughout the day, it may be much easier than you think. Losing weight is all about putting your daily diet in balance. This means that you should balance each meal using the American Food Pyramid.
When dieting, your servings from each food group should go no lower than the minimum recommendation. This equates to the following; a minimal of 6 grain group servings (pasta, cereal, bread, rice), 3 fruit group servings, 3 servings of vegetables, 2 servings of dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt) and 2 servings from the protein group (eggs, meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, nuts, nut butters and seeds).
Be sure to balance your healthy diet with activity and relaxation; in addition, be sure you get adequate water throughout the day.
On that note, let's look at our Free Meal Plan that is built upon the official food groups and which contains selections that are as close to nature as possible in order to keep caloric and dietary fat values minimal. This free planner contains about 1,350.
Breakfast Meal Plan (about 350 calories): 1 whole grain waffle topped with 1/2 cup of sliced strawberries and a serving of reduced fat whipped cream, 1 serving of reduced fat milk, 1 cup of reduced sugar orange juice (50 calories).
Mid Morning Snack: 1 serving of whole grain crackers (60 calories) and a stick of reduced fat string cheese (50 calories).
Lunch Meal Plan (about 410 calories): 1 large salad containing 3 cups of mixed leafy green vegetables (lettuce of any variety, spinach, dandelions greens, etc.), 1 small chopped tomato, shredded carrot, 1/2 cup of drained black beans, 1 Tablespoon of shredded reduced fat cheese, a serving of low calorie salad dressing. Also add a chunk of whole grain bread, reduced fat margarine and unsweetened ice tea.
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Mid Afternoon Snack: 1 cup of any type of melon (watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew) - 50 calories
Dinner Meal Plate (about 430 calories): Three corn tortilla shells (hard variety) filled with seasoned extra lean ground beef (or beans for vegetarians). Season the beef with a packet of taco seasoning. Also add chopped lettuce, tomato, cilantro and onion to the top of the beef.
To prepare three tacos, start with four ounces of the leanest beef available; it will cook down to three ounces as it browns.
Enjoy with salsa, hot sauce or picante sauce. Also add a Tablespoon of shredded low fat cheese to each taco if desired OR light sour cream. Enjoy a calorie free drink with the meal.
Now we've reached the time of day when temptation to food and drink tends to be the strongest among most dieters.
It's very difficult to resist eating because you probably ate your dinner about six o'clock if you left the workplace by five.
If you retire by eight in the evening, then you'll be much less likely to eat before the bedtime hour.
However, most individuals retire much later - generally after the evening news. That means that there are four to five hours after dinner to get through without eating.
If you find the evening hours too difficult to get through while dieting, consider moving one of your snacks to this time period.
A piece of fruit such as a banana or a grain group selection such as a piece of whole grain toast or a waffle spread with reduced fat margarine can assist in getting your through the remainder of the evening while staying on track with your weight loss plan.
The total servings from the food groups for this planner are as follows: Dairy: 2.5; Vegetable: 5.5, Grain: 6, Fruit: 3, Protein: 2.
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