A simple search on Google for diet plans will yield a massive amount of results, with everything from the Atkins diet (only eating meat/protein) through to more modern ones such as paleo and the 5:2 diet. It can be a bit of a minefield when starting your weight loss journey but the thing to remember is that all of these diets have various products and books to sell, it is simply a money-making exercise whilst giving the dieter a plan to follow. For most people, it is very difficult to stick to a very specific diet plan so whilst you may be able to do it for a few weeks, as soon as you get invited out for a meal or go on holiday and your choice of options is more limited it will start to fall apart. The important part of any diet is consistency and being able to stick to it long term, eventually it will just become your normal everyday diet which is exactly what you want.
Calorie Deficit Is All That Matters
Calories are energy, your body needs a certain amount of energy to sustain itself in its current condition. There is a base level for calories that is banded around regularly, 2000 calories per day for women and 2,500 calories for men, this is just based off an average and will actually be very different for everyone. Your height, your healthy weight, your level of exertion on a daily basis (job) all contribute towards this you could have a 6ft5 man who works in construction, they might have a base level of calories of 3,500 per day to maintain a healthy weight, a 5ft woman who works an office job might only need 1,800 calories – it is really important to use an online calculator and find out what your base level of calories is.
After you know your base level you can then start to work out how many calories you are currently consuming and what you need to do to lose that weight. The one thing that people always forget to include (as it’s easy to do so) are drinks and snacks. When you think back to what you have eaten, it is only your main meals that stick out and you often forget all of the extras but these are what really add the weight on. For example, you might have a pretty healthy diet and consume on average 2,000 calories a day from your 3 meals but then if you have a few spoons of sugar in your coffee and drink 3 or 4 of those a day and a bag of crisps in the evening, maybe some cheese, maybe a couple of glasses of wine you can quickly add on an extra 1,500 calories.
The level to work to is that a 500 calorie deficit per day will enable you to lose 1lb a week. So in the above example if you are taking an extra 1,500 calories per day in and you can eliminate them, you would be on track to lose 3lb’s a week. Over the course of only one month you could have lost 12lb’s. Don’t try to focus on eating ultra-healthy food like salads, you will just be hungry all the time, eat plenty of protein which makes you feel full and you can still eat carbs (just not too many of them), for example, a sandwich for lunch is absolutely fine, just make sure you aren’t having 2 or 3 sandwiches. Often one of the hardest things about eating well is finding recipes you like and making them on a daily basis, there are now meal prep companies who offer low calorie prepared meal delivery so all you have to do is stick your meal in the microwave.
Work Out Your Weight Loss Plan Yourself
By following the above advice you can lose weight and maintain it. You don’t need to do special shops, buy special food, starve yourself or eat like a rabbit, you just need to pay attention to what you eat. You can still have days where you go out for a three course meal, you just need to be aware that the next day you need to eat much better to balance it out. Work out your baseline calorie allowance, work out how many calories you are currently consuming and then just make sure you align the two of them.