Calorie shifting is altering the foods daily in order to absorb different types of calories. This concept works on the theory that by changing the amount of calorie consumed daily, the body will respond by increasing its resting metabolic rate, thereby burning more calories. The following article provides a day-wise menu for the dieters.
Losing weight has become one of the quintessential goals of many people. While trying to achieve this goal, they either end up following crash diets or fad diets. In the process, they become oblivious of the fact that losing weight doesn’t mean curtailing the healthy foods required by our body. In fact, the goal can be achieved by balancing the calories that we consume everyday. One such healthy diet that is based on this logic is the calorie shifting diet plan. It’s similar to the rotational diet that involves shuffling your daily calorie consumption.
Diet Menu Ideas
This diet plan should be started when consumption of same kinds of foods everyday has resulted in a weight loss plateau, and your diet has failed to burn down the extra pounds gained by you. Nutritionists and health experts say that you should alter the total calorie count by reducing it and increasing it every alternate day.
This diet plan is extremely easy to follow and you will get the desired results within a month’s time. The digestive system gets accustomed to similar foods, if you do not alter your menu. If you chalk out a graphical representation of a monotonous diet, you will find a flat line on it. Consuming different types of food creates a metabolic confusion that further helps you to utilize energy more effectively. This ultimately results in weight loss. This way you are ‘shifting’ your calories to achieve the weight loss goals.
In order to plan a diet for yourself, you need to check the calorie content of each food, calorie requirement of your body, and how much calorie do you burn each day (metabolism rate). If you are unsure of the shifting diet plan, here is an example of the menu, which will help you decide:
Day 1
Day 1 starts with setting up a calorie baseline for yourself. The maximum amount of calorie permitted is 2000. So, on the first day you have the liberty to consume food that will sum up to 2000 calories, which is required by your body. You can include the following list of items on day 1.
- Boiled eggs
- Milk
- Cereals
- Brown rice
- Assorted vegetables
- Strawberries
- Nuts
- Dried fruits
- Bananas
Day 2
On this day, you will follow the plan where you can add extra 300 calories to the standard value. So your gross calorie intake is up-shifted to 2300. You can achieve the extra value by adding protein rich foods to your diet along with complex carbohydrates. Stay away from junk food. Rather opt for the healthy food to increase your calorie requirements.
- Scrambled eggs
- Tuna salad
- Protein shakes
- Fruit juices
- Roasted beef
- Low fat cheese
- Whole wheat pasta
Day 3
On day three, you need to subtract 500 calories from the standard value. This way you direct your body to consume less food, thereby altering your metabolic rate. Now your calorie intake goes down to 1500. This phase is extremely important and you have to rely on natural sources of proteins to fulfill the requirement.
- Egg white
- Boiled chicken
- Citrus fruits
- Vegetable soups
- Fish fillet
- Tofu
- Skim milk
- Soy beans
Day 4
On day four, you once again go back to the basic calorie line, i.e., 2000 calories. Day 4 completes one cycle of the plan. The extra calorie will come from saturated fatty acids and proteins. So the following items should be consumed during the last day of this diet plan.
- Oatmeal
- Legumes
- Turkey
- Milk shakes
- Nuts
- Sea fish
- Banana
- Raspberries
Follow this plan for a month to get the desired results. Also, it is good practice to note down the foods and the number of calories you are consuming, so that it’s easier for you to remember and calculate.
Disclaimer: This article is for informative purposes only and does not in any way attempt to replace the advice offered by an expert on the subject.