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Diet Plan - Creating Your Diet |
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Constructing a healthy diet and exercise
plan is the
key to losing weight. The main problem is that we
are not familiar enough with the calorie and fat
content of most of the food that we eat.
If we were to calculate the amount of calories that
an average person consumed in a day, we would
be shocked to realise that it can be more than two
or three times what it should be. For example, a
McDonald's Big Mac burger contains 492 calories
alone. This is nearly half the recommended daily
calorie intake. When considering that, it is
understandable why so many people do gain weight.
The first step to creating your diet is to calculate the
amount of calories that you normally consume. It
would be a good idea to keep a food diary for about
a week before starting your diet. This will help you
to identify where the calories are coming from, and
give you an idea of the calorie content of some of
the foods.
The second step is to identify the amount of calories
that your body needs. For an approximate amount
you can perform the calculation shown below:
Men:
kg (body weight) x 24 = kcal per day
Women:
kg (body weight) x 23 = kcal per day
To convert pounds (lbs) into kg, you can do the
following calculation:
Amount of pounds divided by 2.2 = kg
e.g. 180 lbs / 2.2 = 81.8 kg
This calculation does not take into consideration
your basal metabolic rate (BMR), physical activity
or thermic effect of food.
If you would like to calculate a more accurate amount,
you can do so at the following site:
http://home.howstuffworks.com/calorie3.htm
The third step is to realise the difference between the
two figures that you have just calculated. You will then
have to work out how you can bring your current
amount of calories down to the actual amount needed. This will be in the
form of a healthy diet.
Finally, you can introduce some exercise. By doing so, you will be able to
increase your basic calorie allowance.
Other important steps to take into account when forming your diet are:
Eliminate all the extra calories that you are consuming through drinking. A
can of coke will use up 120 calories of your allowance, and 300ml of fruit
juice contains 140 calories. Instead, drink water, or if you do not like
plain water, try low calorie flavoured water, or a low calorie squash.
Try to replace the high-density foods that you eat with
low-density foods. High-density foods are high in calories compared to their
mass. For example, a jam doughnut contains 225 calories and has been eaten
within a couple of minutes. This is a high-density food. A banana only
contains about 100 calories, and takes more bites to eat than a doughnut,
this is an example of a low-density food.
Nutritionists state that we should eat 5 portions of fruit
and vegetables a day. It is sometimes difficult to
determine what a portion of fruit or vegetables is, or
which fruit and vegetables count.
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Food Tips 2 |
1. Healthy Breakfast Idea 2 – A bowl of cereal -
do not choose sugary cereals! Select something
that is wholegrain and use skimmed milk. If cereal alone is a bit bland, why
not chop up some
fruit, e.g. banana, strawberries, etc. and scatter it through your cereal. |
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2. Ensure that your daily calorie intake is
regular. Do not overeat on one day and then starve yourself the next day. Do
not get relaxed about your food quantities. |
3. Healthy Lunch Idea 2 – Jacket potatoes are filling options and can be
varied. If you normally
take butter in your potato, substitute this for a low fat spread. There are
plenty of filings to choose from; low fat cheese, cottage cheese, prawns (if
you want mayonnaise, make sure you use the low fat version!). Accompany your
potato with a side salad. |
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4. If you are still drinking soft drinks, make
sure you switch to diet versions. On average, a 12 oz can of soft drink
contains 120 calories, whereas a diet soft drink contains only 1 or 0
calories. For example, if you drink three/four cans a day, this will save
you 360-480 calories a day! This is practically a meal! |
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5. Healthy Dinner Idea 2 – If you fancy a pizza,
have a ham and pineapple thin crust pizza. Serve with a mixed salad and some
low calorie coleslaw. |
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Fruit that does count:
- 1 apple
- 2 tablespoons of dried fruit (e.g. raisins)
- 1 banana
- 1 cup of grapes
- 1 slice of melon
- 7 strawberries
- 1 orange
- 2 kiwi fruit
- 1 glass of fruit juice
- Half an avocado
- 3 tablespoons of fruit salad
- Half a grapefruit |
Vegetables that count:
- 8 brussel sprouts
- 5 small button mushrooms
- 1 medium carrot
- Half a sweet pepper
- 2 tablespoons of onions
- 2 tablespoons of tinned beans or pulses
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable stir fry
- Half a cucumber
- 2 tablespoons of garden peas
- 2 broccoli spears
- 1 tablespoon of mixed salad
- 1 bowl of vegetable soup
- 3 sticks of celery
- Medium portion of tomato pasta sauce
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Fruit and Vegetables that don't count:
- Fruit yoghurts
- Packet soups
- Potatoes
- Tomato Ketchup
- Jam
- Nuts |
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