Diet Plan Menus

When trying to lose weight or in efforts to live a healthier lifestyle, diet and exercise go hand in hand. Depending on the particular diet you choose to follow or your individual health needs, the types of diet plans can vary in food groups included, how the food is prepared and when certain types of food can be eaten. More sensible diets include all food groups and lead to a healthier body over a long period of time. Fad diets severely limit your caloric intake, causing quick weight loss.

The Cabbage Soup Diet

• The cabbage soup diet is a seven-day diet that is low-fat, high-fiber and helps you lose up to 10 pounds in just a week. This diet has been around for decades and, in fact, will help you lose weight if you are able to maintain the plan. But just like many fad diets, it doesn't allow for nutrients from all of the basic food groups. You are essentially eating bowls of cabbage soup and fruit, then vegetables and meat on alternating days of the week. Because of the limited foods allowed, this diet can be hard to follow.

  The soup is obviously the most important part of the diet plan. There are several recipes for cabbage soup, depending on which variation of the diet you are following, but cabbage soup typically contains diced cabbage, other vegetables, salt, pepper and whatever natural seasonings that suit your taste and some sort of base, such as vegetable broth. You are allowed to eat unlimited amounts of soup to prevent hunger.

  This diet has no secret to quick weight loss. In fact, the only reason it may help you lose weight is because of the extremely low caloric intake it provides. Because this diet does allow consumption of protein and sugars from the meat and fruit, it is possible for you to exercise while on this diet.

Five Factor Diet Plan

• The Five Factor Diet is one of the more sensible diets because it includes five small and healthy meals a day, as well as one cheat day every week and exercise five days out of the week. This diet offers more than 100 recipes for healthy breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks for you to chose from when you suscribe to the diet, which is available online. These recipes include protein shakes, broccoli and cheddar omelets, frittatas, french toast and healthier versions of mini-pizzas. The meals are easy to prepare and are low in calories and fat.

Menu for 1,200 Calorie Diet

• For some people, having a daily calorie budget makes it easier to manage food intake. There are diets that are geared toward eating a variety of healthy foods in reasonable serving portions within a calorie budget. A 1,200-calorie diet is an example of how this can be done. For breakfast, a serving of cereal that is low in calories and sugar can be combined with a cup of skim milk and a small banana. For a snack, a strawberry shake made of frozen strawberries blended with skim milk can keep you from feeling hungry, yet not throw off the diet. A sandwich of whole-grain wheat bread with lean meat and lettuce, tomatoes, onions and pickles with a small piece of fruit and a zero-calorie beverage would be ideal. An afternoon snack could be any 100-calorie snack. These snacks often come in pre-packaged 100-calorie servings and include chips, cookies and cheese. For dinner, a low-fat meal that is also low in protein is ideal. Avoid fried meats and starchy sides such as macaroni and cheese and french fries.