Diet
The Ultimate Diet Plan For Beginners
Has losing weight become your seasonal hobby? You go on a diet, lose weight, and fall out of your restrictive /fad diet and gain back again, with full force. Here are some tips for you that will help you to lose weight, and keep it away for good, without losing health.
Summary: 60 Second Read
Maintaining a healthy body weight is good for your body's overall health system. However, trying out different diets that may or may not work or work only temporarily is neither good for your health or your mood. Try out the tips mentioned in this article to lose weight healthily and effectively.
As you lose weight, you don't want to lose the glow of your skin and the strength of your hair/nails.
These tips are based on the sound principles of nutrition science that have stood the test of time, unlike Fad Diets (Any diet that has a name, and asks you to omit 1-2 food groups completely).
So here is the list:
- Never skip meals. Stay away from starvation diets and fad diets.
- Eat your first meal within 20-30 minutes of waking up.
- Eat every 2-2.5 hours, plan for 3 main meals and 3-4 mid meals.
- All meals should be balanced and wholesome, include all food groups.
- Cut out on refined cereals; eat complex carbohydrates which are nutrient dense and fiber rich.
- Cut out on refined sugar, look for hidden sugars on food labels (like high fructose corn syrup, invert syrup, maltose, dextrose, cane solids etc). Cut out on excess salt; no salt on the table please.
- Avoid processed and packaged foods, they are a concoction of refined grains, vegetable oils, trans-fat, salt, sugar, hidden sugars, and chemicals like preservatives, artificial sweeteners, colors, flavor enhancers et al.
- Hydrate yourself well; avoid colas, juices, canned drinks.
- Include plenty of seasonal and local fruits and vegetables.
- The more colorful your platter, the healthier it is.
- No need to burn your pocket on expensive imported fruits just go for the local seasonal ones.
- Learn to differentiate between thirst and hunger.
- Learn to identify fullness signals and never cross overeating thresholds.
- Portion control is your biggest tool in your weight loss journey.
- Exercise and rest is non-negotiable. A minimum of 150 minutes a week is recommended. Plan a well-balanced workout schedule with the help of a professional.
- Stress management is a life-saving skill we all need to learn. Stress and sleep deprivation negate all your weight-loss efforts.
Summary- A healthy diet plan is a combination of overall healthy lifestyle including good eating habits, physical activities and sufficient amount of rest.
Here is a sample adult Indian diet plan to guide you to plan your meals:
- Early morning: A glass of warm water (with or without lemon and honey)
- 1st meal: A fruit of your choice (preferably banana), 5 almonds, 5-6 raisins, 1-2 walnuts, 1 tsp seeds (flax/ pumpkin/ chia etc)
- Breakfast: Egg with chapatti OR Stuffed roti with curd OR Poha/upma/daliya with curd OR Idli-chutney
- Mid-morning: Namkeen lassi OR chaas OR coconut water
- Lunch: Salad, 2 chapattis/ rice, seasonal vegetable, dal/ curd/ raita
- Early evening: Seasonal fruits
- Late evening: A glass of milk OR tea with chana/peanuts OR Sprouts chaat OR Cheese slice
- Dinner: 2 pieces chicken/egg curry with 1 chapati/ rice OR Dal-chawal OR Dal, green vegetable, chapatti OR Veg pulao with dal/ curd OR Sambar with idli/dosa/uttapam
- Post dinner (if you are up late and hungry): A cup of warm haldi milk (toned) or 5-6 pieces nuts
- Bedtime: Warm water
Note: The portions will vary from person to person, depending upon gender, body weight, age, activity level. If you are doing weight-training, your protein requirement is high and you would require protein supplements.
Reference:
- https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/eat/calories.htm
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/mayo-clinic-diet/art-20045460
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/17185-weight-loss-the-lowdown-on-losing-weight
