Today I want to talk about diet plans that will help you lose weight while also being healthy and great for your fitness. so stay tuned to learn more. Even though there are so many discussions on the internet about the right diets and meal plans, just losing weight is actually pretty easy.

 

All you would have to do is cut your daily calories in half and I promise you you will lose weight. But of course, such an approach is neither fun nor sustainable. Not only would you have cravings all the time, your energy levels would plummet and your health would suffer.

 

So how then do you create a HEALTHY diet plan for weight loss?

 

What’s the secret to long term dieting success and how can you take advantage of it. Well, the first step is something you are already doing which is coming up with a game plan.

 

It sounds trivial but sooo many people say they wanna lose weight and then they never really specify how. just eating a low-fat yogurt and drinking a diet coke here and there isn’t gonna cut it so you need to create and then follow a well-designed meal plan.

 

That’s what we are about to do.

 

First – and this will come to no surprise if you read my other posts – find you optimal calorie intake. To lose weight you have to consume fewer calories than your body expends on a daily basis. This can be done by calculating your Total Daily Energy Expenditure also known as TDEE. I have a post on how to do this correctly so be sure to check that one out.

 

Now to lose weight the next step is to create a calorie deficit, which means you need to subtract around 20-25% from your TDEE. this is what is known as a moderate calorie deficit which will help you lose weight faster than a smaller one but not lead to craving and fatigue like a larger one.

 

With your ideal calories in place the next step to creating a healthy diet plan is converting them into macronutrients – so the right amount of protein, carbs and dietary fat.

 

Let’s start with protein because it’s the most important macro in any fitness diet. if you exercise a lot and want to build muscle then having your daily protein around 0.8 to 1 gram per pound of bodyweight is pretty much the optimal range. this provides your muscle cells with enough protein and makes sure you are losing fat and not muscle.

 

Now if you don’t or only rarely exercise – which is something I don’t recommend by the way – you won’t need this much protein and can go with a value of around 0.7 grams per pound of bodyweight. Also, keep in mind that muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue even while resting so your goal should always be to maximize muscle growth for which low protein diets arent helpful.

 

Next on the list is dietary fat. 15 – 20% of your total calories should come from quality and mostly unsaturated fats like olive oil avocado and nuts. some saturated fats like lean meat and coconut oil are also fine but try to limit them. Fats you should completely avoid are trans fats, which are created when oil goes through a process called hydrogenation.

 

This happens when foods are highly processed or when they are fried. Now, of course, you won’t die when you eat a hamburger or some junk food here and there but make sure that in the overall picture foods containing trans fats make up only a very small portion of your diet.

 

Last on the macro lists are carbs.

 

Carbs are often misunderstood and there are countless fitness gurus out there preaching that a diet high in carbs will make you fat or that you shouldn’t eat carbs after 6 o’clock. The truth is that these claims are usually complete nonsense or taken out of context. What is true is that many processed foods such as candy or fast food are high in sugar and other types of simple carbs.

 

These foods often lead to cravings and can make it easier to over eat even when you already filled up your daily calories but are still hungry. That is why many people who follow a diet that is based around these foods will see weight gain over time. However, if you opt for quality complex carbs like rice potatoes and whole grains your body breaks them down more slowly, therefore, leaving you satisfied for longer while also helping you build more muscle.

 

Why?

 

Becuase of the three macronutrients, carbs are most readily available as an energy source which will help you with your workouts and make you stronger over time.

 

What this means is that after you have filled your daily calories with 0.8 to 1 gram per pound of bodyweight of protein and 15 – 20 % of fat the rest can come from carbs. This creates a high protein high carb diet wich is perfect for weight loss and muscle gain purposes. The only time I’d recommend cutting down those carbs is if you don’t exercise, because then your body doesn’t really need the extra energy. but again, I don’t advise trying to lose weight without any exercise at all.

 

After all, this is done the next step is setting up your meal plan. Basically, what you want to do is start putting together meals that over one day will total the macro amounts I outlined before. one way to do this is to use calorie calculator apps and build one meal at a time. another more simple option is to get my truth about dieting program where I included ready made meal plans for you to get started today.

 

Now, there is one more step I shouldn’t forget and that is sticking to your meal plan. In theory, you should eat exactly whats on your meal plan to make sure you don’t overeat and mess up your diet. if you know what you are doing though there are ways you can include cheat meals into your diet without breaking it completely. I also have a video on that so make sure you watch it too.

 

And that’s it. Creating a healthy diet plan that will make you lose weight is actually pretty easy to set up. As long as you stick to the steps I outlined you will be fine.