|  | Diet Nutrition | Healthy Diets

Sculpting Diets

You can shape your physique by following a nutritious diet rich in complex carbohydrates, healthy fats and lean proteins. Eat small, frequent meals throughout the day to boost your metabolism and burn calories. Cut out sugary and fatty foods like carbonated beverages and doughnuts to reduce empty calories. Complement your diet plan with an exercise program to aid weight loss.

  1. Caloric Deficit

    • Medline Plus notes that one pound of fat contains approximately 3,500 calories, so to lose weight at the safe rate of one pound per week, ingest 500 fewer calories each day to sculpt your body. You can also make up this caloric deficit by combining diet with exercise. The lowest recommended intake per day is 1,500 calories for men and 1,200 for women.

    Food Pyramid

    • Burn more calories and shed fat to sculpt your body by following the food pyramid guidelines. The United States Department of Agriculture advises to get the majority of your calories from whole grains, vegetables and fruits. Make half of your grains whole, selecting foods like oatmeal, brown rice and whole-wheat pasta. Increase your vitamin and mineral intake by choosing vegetables like broccoli, carrots, beets and dark green leafy lettuce. Fruits like bananas, strawberries and prunes are high in heart-healthy fiber, creating a feeling of fullness that can help you eat fewer calories. Eat low-fat or fat-free dairy products like skim milk, low-fat yogurt or low-fat cheese for strong, healthy bones. Choose a moderate amount of lean protein sources like cashews, almonds, salmon, chicken and lean cuts of beef.

    Frequent Meals

    • Eat three to five small meals each day to provide your system with a steady flow of nutrients and to remain satiated. Maintaining the feeling of fullness helps prevent overeating, which can lead to weight gain, sabotaging your body-sculpting efforts. Include a lean protein source with meals to maintain lean muscle mass. Increasing your muscle-to-fat ratio can boost your metabolism as muscle burns more calories than fat. According to MayoClinic.com, the bodies of people who have more muscles burn more calories, even at rest. The clinic also notes that food processing accounts for about 10 percent of the calories used each day, which means eating small meals more frequently burns a significantly higher number of calories.

    Fad Diets

    • Stay away from fad diets that make unrealistic promises. Medline Plus notes fad diets are typically low in calories or carbohydrates, resulting primarily in water-weight loss. Upon rehydrating, the water weight returns. Avoid any diet that overemphasizes a particular food, food group, allows limited food choices and doesn't take into account the number of calories you consume each day.

Healthy Diets - Related Articles