Create your own diet plan which suits your body and makes you fit and healthy. Scroll down for some useful tips…
If you search the Internet, you will be surprised at the number of diet plans that you can find. Whether it is to lose weight, gain weight or to keep a disease in check, you will find a diet for each and everything! The only hitch is that these diet plans, such as south beach diet, zone diet, Mediterranean diet, glycemic index diet etc. are designed for everyone! They are not designed keeping particularly your body shape, weight and fitness goals in mind. So, the solution? Make your own diet plan.
Steps for Creating Your Own Diet Plan
Step 1
The first thing that you should do is to assess your health. Go to a doctor and get yourself medically checked. Take your weight, height, etc. and ask the doctor whether it is normal or you need to lose/gain weight. If you have a medical condition, consult a doctor on how you can deal with it. If there are some diet changes/inclusions which the doctor recommends, note them down. These you can incorporate when you set out to design a personal diet plan.
Step 2
Increase your knowledge on the nutrition and calorie count of various foods. You will easily find such information on the Internet. Ideally, fruits and vegetables should form a major part of your diet as these are healthy and very low in calories. Whole grains, lean meats, low-fat dairy products, foods with complex carbohydrates, these are any day healthier than other foods. So, incorporate these in your diet too.
Step 3
If you are used to taking three large meals a day, skip this practice and instead take five small meals. This will keep your metabolism high and aid in better digestion of food. So, when planning your diet, plan for three meals and two snacks every day. Remember to keep the portion size small though!
Step 4
There are certain foods that you should not include in your diet at all, as they are high in calories and unhealthy. Aerated drinks, fast foods like pizzas and burgers, high sugar foods like cakes and cookies, potato chips, processed foods, refined foods, alcohol, caffeine foods and beverages, all these should not be a part of your diet plan.
Step 5
Now that you know the foods that should form a part of your diet, search the Internet for some easy, healthy recipes which can be made from them. Look for recipes which you can make at home. For a healthy diet menu, as far as possible, avoid eating out and cook at home itself. So, plan for a diet for seven days, with three meals and two snacks everyday.
Step 6
Once you have the recipes with you, on the weekend, make a list of the foods, herbs, etc. that you would need to prepare them and set out shopping. If you are working full-time or studying at a college, cooking everyday might not be possible for you. In such a case, make the dishes for the coming week, according to the diet plan, on Sunday itself and deep freeze them. This way, you just have to heat them before eating on the weekdays.
Step 7
For the first few weeks, maintain a dairy of what you eat. See, how much you were able to stick to the diet menu. Note down the times when you ate unhealthy foods, which were not a part of your diet. Find out the reasons behind your “transgression” and try to eliminate them. For instance, if you gorged on a packet of chips cause you were depressed, undertake stress management techniques such as meditation on a regular basis. If you ate a pizza at a restaurant, cause your friends insisted, next time you go out with them, refuse politely and stick to soups and salads.
With these tips, I am sure you will not have any difficulty in designing one. Along with a healthy diet, do not forget to exercise everyday, as some sort of physical activity is a must to remain fit. One last tip before I sign off – Once your diet plan is made, keep on revising it from time to time and add some healthy, delicious dishes to it, every now and then. This will ensure that you don’t feel bored eating the same kind of food and are able to stick to your plan!
