Diet: where to start, how to make a meal plan, food choices and a sample menu

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Every woman dreams of losing weight. For this, diets, special nutritional supplements and exercises in the gym are used. However, many people make mistakes and do not achieve the desired result. Most often, miscalculations are associated with insufficient preparation for the upcoming change in diet. Therefore, it is extremely important to learn simple rules that will tell you where to start the diet and how to finish it correctly.

Diet principles

Any diet for weight loss is based primarily on the correct distribution of portions. If throughout the entire period a woman will work out in the gym, then some adjustments should be made to her diet, as she will need more carbohydrates than the diet suggests. Another important point is the correct mode of drinking water.

As a rule, meals during weight loss should be fractional, that is, at least six times a day. Foods used for cooking are usually low in calories and have fat-burning and laxative properties. They should not linger in the stomach for a long time, it can be difficultdigestible or too heavy for the digestive tract.

Psychological preparation

Any dietary restriction is to some extent stressful not only for internal organs, but also for the human psyche. A lot of people find it difficult to stick to a diet, and they tend to stop it in the first three days. Where to start a diet? Psychologists advise to outline a goal that should be achieved at any cost. For example, buy yourself a beautiful fashionable dress one or two sizes smaller and hang it in a conspicuous place. It is recommended to try on an outfit every five days to know how much more weight to lose.

You can also use specific numbers and dates. For example, give yourself the task of losing ten kilograms for a beach vacation. In such cases, ten is subtracted from its own weight, the desired number is written down on a piece of paper, attached to the scales. The dieter weighs himself daily and sees how much more weight he needs to lose.

How to calculate your weight

For this, there is a formula in which weight is divided by height squared, thus determining the body mass index. The optimal indicator usually ranges from 18.5 to 24.9. In the event that the figure is above 30, this means that the person is obese.

For example, a woman with a height of 175 centimeters weighs sixty kilograms. The body mass index will be calculated as follows: 60:(1.751.75). The result is the number 19.59. Thus, this person can be called slender, since his weight fits perfectly in the range from 18.5 to24, 9. An increase in the body mass index above the norm threatens the appearance of various diseases. As a rule, excess weight puts pressure on the joints, hinders movement, complicates the work of blood vessels, and so on.

Preparing at home

How to start a diet right? In order to avoid temptation, the environment should be rearranged. It is desirable that others participate in the process of losing weight of one family member. If this is not possible, then in any case they should contribute in every possible way and help their relative. You can ask for some time not to buy cakes, pastries or sweets. Do the same with sweet drinks.

Even diet meals can be made delicious and unusual with effort. Surely household members will like some of the products from the diet menu. Such dishes can be prepared in large quantities for all family members. After a while, perhaps the whole family will adhere to a he althy and low-calorie diet. It's not only useful. Dieting is often a great way to save money on the family budget.

Kitchen Items

To prepare diet meals, you will need a double boiler. It is also recommended to purchase a non-stick pan so that you can cook food without adding oil. Very often in diets it is advised to use natural juices, liquid mixtures or puree soups. Therefore, you cannot do without a juicer or a blender.

In addition, a person who is losing weight should have several small pots and bowls for himdishes. As a rule, food is prepared in small quantities and eaten in one day. Given the small portion sizes, you should choose small and medium-sized plates in advance. If a small portion is on a huge plate, then a person who is losing weight may experience a feeling of insufficient satiety.

Diet food rules

Sometimes, in order to lose weight, you can not go on a strict diet, but only reconsider the principles of nutrition. For example, it is not recommended to eat too large a portion for breakfast. First of all, it harms the brain activity, since the blood rushes for a while to the stomach, where the process of digestion takes place, while the head suffers from lack of nutrition. Doctors advise the first breakfast to start no earlier than three hours after sleep. It should be nutritious and at the same time low in calories. It should contain proteins and a sufficient amount of vitamins and minerals.

How to start dieting? Many women have lost weight very well by drinking plenty of fluids. No wonder there are soup and water diets, the principle of which is based on filling the stomach with water, as a result of which the feeling of hunger disappears for a long time. The liquid interferes with the digestion process, which is why food is digested for a long time, which means that a person does not leave the feeling of fullness all this time.

There is a food that contributes to the process of losing weight. Sometimes it is enough for a person to add fiber-rich foods without reducing the portion weight.

Productsslimming

How to go on a diet and where to start? Nutritionists advise to exclude meat, sweet, smoked and pickles from the menu in advance. Thanks to some products, you can cleanse the stomach and rectum. Thus, the body prepares for a change in nutrition. First of all, these products include fresh fruits and vegetables.

1. Commonly available apples are great for weight loss because they contain a lot of fiber. They have few kilocalories and therefore can be eaten in unlimited quantities.
2. Cucumbers have even less calories than apples. They are perhaps the most dietary product that promotes weight loss. It contains a lot of potassium and water. Doctors do not advise peeling cucumbers, since it is the peel that contains many vitamins. You can eat them whole or prepare a fresh salad with cabbage. In addition, sometimes a sudden change in diet provokes constipation. Cucumbers have a laxative effect, thanks to which the body is cleansed and prepared for the main diet.
3. Cabbage has a similar effect. It can be consumed both fresh and s alted.
4. Pineapple and grapefruit have excellent fat-burning properties. To avoid allergies, citrus fruits should be consumed in doses, in an amount not exceeding two hundred grams per day.
5. Approximately two weeks before the start of the diet, it is advisable to switch to green tea instead of coffee. Scientists have found the properties of this product to break down subcutaneous fat. In addition, greentea also has a laxative effect and does not allow food residues to linger in the stomach.

Besides this, it is very useful, before you start a diet for weight loss, to gradually give up sweets. It is advisable to replace chocolate and caramel with marshmallow and marmalade, and in the future, completely switch to dried fruits and honey.

Time to diet

Nutritionists advise starting a change in diet during a vacation or a forced break from work or study. Auspicious days to start a diet are considered to be any weekend. The fact is that a losing weight person will need free time to prepare juices, mixtures and some dishes. In addition, pressure may decrease during this period, fatigue, drowsiness and some other symptoms that often accompany a low-calorie diet may appear. As a rule, they pass with time, but in the early days they can cause a lot of inconvenience. It is very difficult to work in such a state. In addition, it is not always possible to take freshly squeezed vegetable juice or a prepared mixture with you to study or work.

People who choose the soup diet are faced with insurmountable difficulties. They are forced to carry soups with them in thermoses. Moreover, one thermos will most likely not be enough for them for the whole day.

Diet and hormones

Every woman knows that during the menstrual cycle she sometimes has very strange gastronomic desires, and therefore these are not very favorable days to start a diet. For example, she can eat chocolate all day, ignoringthe rest of the food. Doctors explain addiction to chocolate quite simply. They contain a substance that increases the level of a hormone that improves mood. Very often, the menstrual cycle is accompanied by a headache, decreased performance, depressed mood, or, conversely, increased excitability. This is not the best time to change your diet.

Women need an additional intake of certain foods that contain protein, iron, Omega 3 and 6 polyunsaturated acids. As you know, meat is a source of animal protein, and legumes are a source of vegetable protein. These products are quite high-calorie and, as a rule, are included in the diet in a very dosed manner. Polyunsaturated acids are found in vegetable and animal oils. During the menstrual cycle, high-calorie vegetable oils containing vitamin E and Omega 3, 6 and 9 acids are of particular importance. Therefore, you should start a diet only after the end of menstruation.

After holiday diet

The need to change your diet after the holidays is due to digestive problems caused by fatty foods and alcohol. Where to start a cleansing diet after long feasts? Nutritionists highly recommend eating as many apples, beets, cabbage and cucumbers as possible for at least three days. They will help normalize digestion and rid the body of accumulated toxins. In the future, such fasting days can be an excellent start to the diet. Weight loss will be more effective, as a prepared body will already be better able to perceive a change in diet.

Sample menu

Nutritionists suggest using a diet that guarantees getting rid of ten kilograms within one month. However, a person can lose weight much faster if, in addition to diet, they play sports. Nevertheless, even thirty days is a fairly short period for such weight loss. Sample menu:

1. How to start the first day of the diet? Nutritionists recommend eating a portion of porridge for breakfast on the first day, a salad of fresh vegetables in the afternoon, and another salad two hours later, but only from other vegetables. For dinner, vegetable or fruit juice is prepared, as well as cottage cheese with grated apple. Green tea with ginger is drunk throughout the day.
2. On the second day, in addition to porridge, fresh vegetables are also consumed. For lunch, baked potatoes and fresh vegetable salad are prepared. In the afternoon, you can eat several fruits. During dinner, fruits are also eaten. Drink green or herbal tea throughout the day.
3. On the third day, you can cook not one, but two servings of porridge, one of which will be eaten for breakfast, and the second for lunch. And also during the day, a mixture of fruits is prepared in a blender.
4. On the fourth day, vegetable soup with rice or buckwheat and fruit salads with nuts are prepared. You can also eat dried fruits with green tea during the day.
5. On the fifth day, boiled beans and vegetable stew can be added to the menu. Be sure to drink ginger or green tea throughout the day. In addition, it is advisable to prepare a salad of fresh fruits or vegetables.

The sixth day will berepeat the first, and the seventh will be similar to the second.

How to get off the diet

Having de alt with the question: where to start a diet, you should learn how to get out of it correctly. Nutritionists advise to eat vegetables in the first seven days and only then include meat in the menu. A cleansed body should not receive toxins with food, since even a small amount of them can lead to severe poisoning. Therefore, it is recommended not to drink alcohol, instant coffee, cakes and pastries. It is also extremely dangerous to eat in the early days. The calorie content of meals should increase gradually, by about 100 or 150 kilocalories per day.