Menu Planning for Weight Loss

Proper nutrition is an important component of any weight-loss plan, and sticking to it through the cravings and occasional lapses is a way to make lasting changes to your physique. Keeping a close eye on what and when you eat helps you reach your physical fitness goals. Planning out your meals a day, or even a week, ahead of time can give you the power to choose foods that will accelerate your weight loss.

Nutrition Principles

Eat frequent, small meals spread evenly throughout the day. Five or six smaller meals keeps your body's metabolism working the whole day and helps you avoid feeling pangs of hunger that can lead to overeating.

Stick to your meal plan as closely as possible but expect accidental lapses that may set you back. Do not let them discourage you, and understand that these are a normal and common. Do not beat yourself up over it or punish yourself with a stricter diet. Just follow your plan as if nothing had changed and work hard to make the menu a habit. Do not cut calories drastically just for the sake of starving yourself to thinness. This is a reason people experience large swings in metabolism and weight.

Diet and exercise go hand in hand when you are trying to lose weight, so adding cardiovascular exercise like running or a light free-weight workout will help you see results faster. You do not need to train for a marathon to see results; simply do three or four sessions of about 30 minutes each.

Weight-Loss Menu

Your major sources of calories when trying to lose weight should be whole-grain bread and pasta, fresh fruits and vegetables, lean cuts of meat and lots of water. Milk, too, can help you lose weight.

Figure out what your daily caloric intake should be for the weight that you are aiming for. For a 170-pound male who exercises at a moderate pace three days per week, about 2,400 calories are needed to maintain weight. Dropping this number to 2,100, while maintaining the same activity level, should start making a difference within weeks.

Foods that are high in protein help you feel more full for longer and help you build lean muscle mass. Yogurt, peanut butter, nuts and cottage cheese all fit into this category. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are a staple of weight-loss diets because they are low in fat, high in protein and can easily be spiced up with fresh vegetables. The same goes for tuna, but try not to indulge in canned tuna for every meal, as the relatively low mercury levels in each can of albacore can add up quickly in your body.