Daily Eating Plan for Weight Loss

Successfully lose weight by cutting calories, shrinking portion sizes and making healthy dietary choices. Reduce your daily caloric intake by 500 calories to lose a pound per week. Increase weight loss by pairing calorie reduction with exercise. You can also boost your metabolism with caloric cycling, which is eating a different number of calories every week. Eat 1,500 calories a day one week, then consume only 1,200 a day the next week. Calorie cycling creates metabolic confusion that makes your body burn calories more efficiently.

What to Eat

• The best way to lose weight is to track your calories and eat only healthy foods. The average woman needs approximately 1,500 to 1,800 calories and the average man needs 2,000 to 2,500 calories per day to maintain weight. Drop 200 to 500 calories per day to see weight loss.

  In addition to cutting calories, you'll need to eliminate junk food. Keep fresh fruit, vegetables, lean meats, nuts, low-fat dairy, legumes and eggs on hand at all times. Aim to eat at least five servings of vegetables and two to three servings of fruit per day. Have two or three 3-ounce servings of lean meat, which means 3 ounces per meal, or proteins such as tofu, every day. Incorporate three to four servings of low-fat dairy or legumes, such as beans and peas.

  Eat raw or steamed vegetables, low-fat dairy and legumes freely throughout the day. Raw or steamed vegetables are low in calories and add fiber and bulk, which gives you a full feeling. Low-fat dairy helps your body burn fat, and legumes are a plant-based source of protein, which provides fuel for your metabolism. Vegetables, dairy and legumes are also packed with nutritional power and contain nearly ever vitamin your body needs.

  Consume lean meat and fruit in moderation. Vitamin C rich fruit is a healthy alternative to foods that contain processed sugar, but many fruits are full of natural sugars, which should be eaten in small amounts while you are losing weight. Lean meat, which contains zinc and selenium, is a great source of protein, but try to obtain as much protein as you can from plant-based sources to remain heart healthy.

  Foods to completely avoid are the processed sugar- and white-flour-based items such as cookies, cake, candy, ice cream, chips, white bread, white pasta and any fried foods. Kick those items to the curb and never let them back in your house.

When to Eat

• When you eat is nearly as important as what you eat. Eat six small daily meals of 200 to 400 calories each, depending upon your activity level and weight-loss goal, instead of three large meals. An active woman who wants to lose 10 pounds would aim to consume 1,500 calories per day; an active man who wants to lose 10 pounds would shoot for 2,000 calories per day.

  Eat every two to three hours throughout the day and be aware of portion sizes. Your goal is to eat a certain number of calories in one sitting and not all calories and portions are created equal. For example, if your goal is to eat 200 calories every few hours, you could eat 2 tablespoons of peanut butter (190 calories) or one South Beach, Atkins or Zone meal replacement bar (250 to 275 calories).

  To get more bang for your caloric buck, however, you could have a large spinach salad with two cups of fresh spinach (14 calories), one medium sliced tomato (22 calories), two strips of shredded turkey bacon (70 calories) and one hard-boiled egg (70 calories). Drizzle a teaspoon of olive oil (35 calories) over the top with a few squirts of lemon and have a more filling, 211-calorie meal.

  When you begin your diet, keep a journal of when and how much you eat to get a handle on how to track your daily caloric intake.

  Avoid eating before bed. Your last meal should be approximately two to three hours before you go to sleep.

  Be sure you eat first thing in the morning to jump-start your metabolism. Drink lots of water to flush your system of added sodium and fat.

Daily Diet Example

• Plan your meals. Eat breakfast within one hour of waking up. Have one cup of whole grain breakfast cereal and ½ cup of skim milk. Two hours later, grab a small apple for a snack. For lunch, have a large salad of 3 cups of fresh spinach, 3 ounces of grilled chicken and 1 tablespoon of low-fat, low-sugar salad dressing.

  Your afternoon snack should follow lunch by two or three hours. Have a low- sugar, low-fat energy bar such as a Zone or South Beach bar. Choose a snack bar and not a meal replacement bar. Snack bars typically have 100 to 150 calories, whereas meal replacement bars can have up to 400 calories.

  For dinner, have a sandwich made from a can of tuna packed in water with one tablespoon mayonnaise on two pieces of low-calorie whole wheat bread. Have two cups of steamed or grilled vegetables on the side and a piece of fruit. Three hours before bed have a small cup of low-fat yogurt.