How to Create a Weight Loss Menu

Losing weight is one of the most difficult things a person can resolve to do. The advice from doctors, experts and acquaintances seems simple enough; be conscious of what you eat and increase your exercise level. But losing weight, like many of life's challenges, is easier said than done. To lose weight quickly, safely and effectively, a proper nutrition plan is required. Creating a weight loss menu that fits your lifestyle is the key to shedding those unwanted pounds and keeping them off for good.

Instructions

Examine Your Current Habits

• 1

  Write down every single thing you eat, for one entire week, in a notebook. Don't simply include meals -- include snacks, drinks, additives like salt and sugar, as well as bites or nibbles of different foods throughout the day. Don't worry about changing your habits yet. The goal here is to examine what you normally eat in a week, to determine your average calorie intake.

• 2

  Using a reputable source, such as Nutrition.gov's calorie look-up tool, calculate the calories for each thing you've entered into your notebook over the last week. Add the items together to reach the total number of calories you ate each day. Add each day's calories together and divide them by seven. This is your average daily calorie intake.

• 3

  Calculate the calorie deficit you need in order to reach your weight loss goal. This number will be the single most important factor in creating your weight loss menu, because it provides you with the calorie range you must stay within each day. Because 3,500 calories equal one pound, you need to create a deficit in calorie consumption, through diet, or through exercise -- each week. For example, if your average calorie intake is 3,000 calories a day, you'll plan a menu that will cut your calorie intake by 500 calories per day. You will have created a deficit that will allow you lose one pound a week.

Create Your Menu

• 4

  Using your calorie deficit number, begin to plan your menu by establishing the number of calories you'll consume each day. Caloric needs differ from person to person, depending on lifestyle differences such as job, activity level and age. In general, those who are more active will need to consume a greater number of calories than those who are relatively sedentary.

• 5

  Research the foods you'd like to include in your weight loss menu, taking into account your personal preferences, nutritional requirements and the daily calorie intake limit you've set for yourself. When reducing calories, it's imperative that the foods included in a weight loss menu contain adequate nutrition. Carbohydrates, fats and proteins need to be included in your menu each day, as well as a variety of vitamins and nutrients (most can be found naturally in foods.) While calorie count and nutrition are the most important facets of your weight loss menu, make sure you include foods you actually enjoy eating. If you don't, you won't stick to your menu.

• 6

  In your notebook, create a sample menu for two full weeks. Include breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as snacks and any drinks that contain calories. Research the food database to make sure you're including a variety of different foods into your menu. Be creative and try new recipes. Weight loss menus don't have to be boring. Variety is key.

• 7

  Weigh yourself after the first two weeks. You should expect to have lost at least 2 to 3 pounds if you adhered to the 500-calorie-a day-deficit plan. If the weight on your scale indicates success, you'll know that you're on the right track. Add another 200 calories to your deficit to keep your weight loss momentum going, and to begin shedding pounds more rapidly. Above all else, keep researching new foods and recipes to include in your menu, so that your progress is sure to continue.