Tag Archives: diet meal plans

Three Tips to Help Stick to a Daily Meal Plan

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Sticking to a daily meal plan can be a major adjustment since many people are used to eating whatever they want, whenever they want. Having the specifics of breakfast, lunch, and dinner planned out forces us to pay close attention to what we are eating. This means no eating out or excessive snacking throughout the day. A healthy meal plan or even a 17 day diet meal plan can definitely be hard to follow at first. However, there are a few things we can do to help stay with it.

Daily Meal Plan Strategies

  1. Make a meal plan that is specifically designed and tailored to your weight loss goals. Consult a nutritionist or your trainer to make sure that you’re not taking in too much or too few calories. Then, write down everything you eat in your meal plan to make sure that you’re counting calories honestly and accurately. Don’t to forget to include drinks that are not zero calories when you’re adding up your calorie count for the day. Then, analyze the times when you go over your limit and ask yourself how you can change your behavior to prevent it from happening again.
  2. Prepare breakfast and lunch the night before. Healthy meal plans are sometimes hard to follow because of time constraints. If you have a busy schedule, cooking in the morning and in the middle of the day can be a huge hassle. That’s why so many of us end up grabbing a pastry at a coffee shop on the way to work and eating out for lunch. It’s better to prepare these meals when you have a little extra time in the evening. You can just put them in a Tupperware container and reheat the next day. This can be done every weeknight to help you stay on track with your weekly meal plan.
  3. Find a meal planning buddy. It’s easier to succeed if you aren’t doing it alone. Find a friend who will follow weekly meal plans with you. If you’re married, a spouse can be the perfect person to fill this role, since you probably always eat dinner together anyway. Spouses and friends can start diet meal plans together if they have a shared goal of losing weight. Researchers that study group diet meal plans, like Weight Watchers, have found that people who have moral support from peers with weight loss goals lose three times the amount that the loners lose in the first year and they keep it off, too. Get your friends and family involved and you’ll have more motivation to get and stay fit.
  4. Reward yourself if you’ve consistently followed your meal plan for a couple of weeks. You should give yourself incentives to successfully give up some of your favorite foods and stick to the plan. For instance, you could go to the movies, get a massage, or go shopping at your favorite retail store. Healthy meal planning generally saves you money in the long run because you are not buying unnecessary items at the grocery store. So, you’ll probably have a little bit of money saved up to treat yourself. Don’t, however, reward yourself by eating more! “People generally overestimate the calories they are burning with exercise, and they may reward themselves by eating more,” says lead researcher Tim Church, director of preventive-medicine research at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge. Instead, stick to your meal plan, save up some money, and do something special for yourself.

Following a meal plan isn’t always a breeze. If you prepare your breakfast and lunch the night before you eat them, you won’t become stressed about making them when you are pressed for time. Rewarding yourself for not straying from your healthy meal plan can help keep you motivated and convincing a friend or spouse to follow meal plans with you can be a huge help. Next time you’re embarking on a new diet meal plan, keep these tips in mind for ultimate success.

17 Day Diet Meal Plan

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The 17 Day Diet was created by Dr. Mike Moreno, a family practice physician in California and his book about this plan is available online. It has three cycles, lasting 17 days, plus a fourth long-term maintenance cycle. If followed, this plan can help you to lose weight quickly and learn how to keep it off. It was originally created to help people lose those unwanted pounds gained during the holidays, but it can be used any time during the year to lose weight. The 17 Day Diet Meal plan is a diet for clean eating with reduced sugar, and contains no fried foods, processed foods, and other unhealthy foods.

Steps in the 17 Day Diet

  • Cycle 1 – The “Accelerate” phase of the plan contains 1200 calories per day. You will most likely have a weight loss of 10 – 15 pounds, most of which is water weight. Consumption of an unlimited amount of vegetables that aren’t starchy, for example, romaine lettuce, carrots, and potatoes, and lean protein, along with limited amounts of fruits, probiotics and a little healthy fat, such as olive oil, are the guide here for 17 Day Diet foods.
  • Cycle 2 – The “Activate” phase is the same as cycle 1 except that it reduces the fat to one serving and adds two servings of healthy carbohydrates for the diet meal plan. It plans for 1,500 calories per day, alternating lower-calorie days with slightly higher calorie days. This is for a 17 day diet menu. You will most likely have a 5 – 6 pound weight loss.
  • Cycle 3 – The “Achieve” phase is a period from the 52nd day and onward that allows for healthy foods with a slower rate of weight loss of about 2 – 3 pounds. It is basically the same meal plan as cycle 2, except protein is restricted to portions equal to the size of a sponge and there is an extra option for one serving of alcohol and 100-calorie snacks. The low carbohydrate diets are eliminated and it becomes a more balanced low calorie diet.
  • Cycle 4 – The “Arrive” phase means that hopefully you have reached your goal weight. You will follow diet meal plans from one of the earlier cycles during the week with controlled splurges on weekends (like having a favorite meal) to maintain your new weight. Hopefully, you know what healthy meal plans are all about by now.

Exercise at least 17 minutes a day during the first two cycles – primarily walking because of the limited amount of calories you consume. In the later cycles, exercise 150 – 300 minutes per week. In addition, if you gain 5 pounds after completing the 17 Day Diet plan, go back to cycle 2 until you lose those unwanted pounds.

Benefits of the 17 Day Diet Meal Plan

The variety of foods and cycles can keep you motivated. Also, the free diet meal plans are simple to understand and follow. Dr. Moreno’s book includes tips for avoiding holiday weight gain and for eating out. In addition, it contains 17 Day Diet recipes. If you don’t have time to do the cooking, there are home delivery meals available for a price. In all, it is up to you to maintain your weight and continue to exercise after going through the diet meal program. Make a lifetime commitment to have a healthier lifestyle starting with the 17 Day Diet meal plan!

Get more tools for planning healthy meals here. 

The Paleo Diet Meal Plan for Athletes

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Loren Cordain’s first book, The Paleo Diet, shattered many people’s predispositions about meat and eating with one simple idea: we should look to the past for a healthier future. Of course, Cordain’s anti-carb stance is nothing new. We’ve been feeling guilty about that extra scoopful of pasta, buttered croissant, or piece of garlic bread since the days of Adkins’ and the South Beach Diet.

However, for runners, cyclers, and athletes, in general, carbs have always been the way to go. As Cordain states, “Nearly every successful endurance athlete . . .ate with a heavy emphasis on cereals, bagels, bread, rice, pasta, pancakes, and potatoes.” Now, on the contrary, world-class athletes like Ryan Bolton and Gordo Bryn have taken up the Paleo Diet especially tailored for athletes and outlined in Cordain’s second book, The Paleo Diet for Athletes. If you’re an athlete that gravitates towards the carbs, you may want to change up your diet to see if you can increase your performance, speed, and endurance.

The Method of the Madness: Why Paleo Diet Meal Plan for Athletes Works

According to Cordain, there is significant scientific basis for the Paleo Diet hypothesis:

  • Branched-chain amino acids found in animal protein build and repair muscle. When athletes eat meals with higher amounts of protein, they “reverse the natural breakdown of muscle that occurs following a workout and thereby reduce recovery time and train at a greater intensity at the next session.”
  • Metabolic alkalosis reverses metabolic acidosis, preventing muscle loss. Um, excuse me? For those of us who aren’t exactly well acquainted with physiology, all foods are either broken down through the kidney as an acid or alkali. Athletes are more prone to acidosis, an increased acidity in the blood, due to the byproducts of exercise. The body neutralizes these acids by breaking down muscle tissue, something we definitely want to avoid. The Paleo Diet’s emphasis on fruits and vegetables, as opposed to grains and starches, reverses metabolic acidosis, and prevents muscle loss. Happy muscles, happy athlete.
  • Antioxidant vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals found in fruits and vegetables provide nutrients to athletes, ward off illness, and improve general health. No arguing with that.
  • While the Paleo Diet generally discourages starchy carbs and grains, Cordain contends that glycogen, a body fuel essential for high-level performance found in starches and sugars, can and should be consumed in the narrow time frame following exercise.

Following the Paleo Diet Meal Plan as an Athlete

While most of the methodology of the Paleo Diet for Athletes is identical to the Paleo Diet for anyone, as an athlete you should pay close attention to the post-workout window. Following exercise, feed your body with both a high protein food, like fish, and a starch, like bananas, potatoes, sweet potatoes, or yams. Other than in the post workout period, stay away from grains, dairy products, high-sodium meals, and fatty meats. Gravitate instead towards fresh fruit, vegetables, lean meats, and seafood. If employed correctly, the Paleo Diet meal plan for athletes could improve your skill, speed, and performance, on the court, track, or field.

Better meals begin with better planning. We can help.

A Meal Planning Chart and Other Organizational Tips for Your Kitchen

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If you do the majority of the cooking in your family, you know how difficult it can be to cook in a disorganized kitchen.  However, you don’t necessarily need a top-of-the-line professional kitchen to make delicious meals.  Before you invest in space saving appliances and have your cabinetry overhauled to accommodate your kitchen needs, simply un-clutter your counters, organize your pantry, and make a meal planning chart – you’ll feel like you’re cooking in a professional-style kitchen in no time.  Here are some meal prep organizational tips for any major cooking event:

  • The first thing to do when preparing a complex meal is to make a meal planning chart. So, what is a meal planning chart, exactly? This kitchen helper is simply a list or chart that you can make by hand (or computer) that lists the steps to your meal. These steps can be divided up into time and put in chronological order. The chart doesn’t have to be fancy, just something to help you stay focused as you cook and prepare everything in a timely, efficient, and orderly fashion. This will greatly assist your ability to make sure all the dishes are staged correctly and come out of the kitchen at the right time.  Tape your chart up on the pantry or cupboard where you’ll be cooking and check off each task as you go.
  • Before you even boil your water or preheat your oven make sure that you start with a completely cleared dishwasher. The last thing you want is to start cleanup only to realize that you never ran the dirty dishes through the wash cycle. This will result in a major dish pileup in the sink and a stressful after-cooking mess.
  • Put your trashcan directly under the ledge on which you’re cutting. This will help you cut and clean, simultaneously. Just chop, then throw the remnants into the garbage in one swoop.

  • Designate a “chop time” in your meal planning chart and do all your cutting at once. While you cut, put a dishtowel under your cutting board to prevent it from shifting under you. Doing all off your cutting at one time will save you time in the long haul. After chopping up all of your ingredients, put them in separate bowls, throw a piece of saran wrap over each bowl, and pop them in the fridge until you’re ready to use each ingredient. This will keep all of your items fresh until their use.
  • Make sure that you’re cleaning up as you go. This includes keeping surfaces sanitized and disinfected (especially if you’re cooking with raw meats!), throwing pits, ends, stubs, bones, and fats in the trash as you go, or even quickly cleaning knives and soaking pots and pans while the main dish is cooking. Since you have (hopefully) completely cleared your dishwasher before cooking, you can easily throw any bowls, utensils, or pans in the dishwasher while you cook. Find a gap in your meal planning chart in which you can designate a “clean-up time.” This designated clean-up time will allow you to clear counters and cut out some after-cooking cleaning.
  • After your dish is finally completed, it’s time to store your leftovers. Make sure to label and date all food: a sharpie is a Chef’s best friend! If you have any extra chopped items, store them in individual baggies or in aluminum foil for your next cooking venture.

Overall, a meal planning chart, staging cooking and clean up, and strategic cooking will help you keep your kitchen area clean and tidy. After having a clean, professional-style kitchen, you’ll never be able to go back!

Tips to Compare Free Meal Planning Software

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Celebrities, models, and athletes are now having their entire diet planned out for them, prepackaged, and sent directly to their doorstep as a way to keep in shape, look fit, and take all thought out of meal planning. These gourmet meal planning services may make meal planning a no-brainer, but they also cost their celebrity clientele anywhere from $25 to $50 a day. Meanwhile, we’re angrily writing out a grocery list, storming to the grocery store, sulking in the checkout line, swiping our cards, and slaving over the stove only to find that we’ve forgotten about five items we need for dinner. The truth is: we don’t need celeb food services to plan great meals with ease. There are plenty of free meal planning services out in cyberspace, ripe for the picking. Our meal planning regiment just got a whole lot more glamorous.

What Are My Meal Planning Options?

Meal planning services usually come in the form of apps, websites, or software that you download to your computer. Their perks or objectives differ depending on each service. Dictate ahead of time what you need from a service (Do you want to lose weight, save money, or simply plan meals ahead?) and research from there.

  • Apps: If you are constantly on your Blackberry, iPhone, or Android, you should definitely look into a meal planning app for your free meal planning. Apps usually have the ability to connect to a local supermarket so that you can tune into savings at your nearest store. These apps may or may not also have access to an archive of recipes. Try to find an app whose recipes are developed by chefs.
  • Websites: There are plenty of websites that are dedicated to efficient and/or healthy meal planning. The great thing about websites is that you can get updates on your meals straight to your inbox. Usually, websites contain a huge database of fellow users, so if you’re looking into connecting with a community of meal planners, a website could be beneficial to your meal planning goals. Personalize a profile with your meals and recipes when planning out your week. For those of us plugged into cyberspace, a website meal planner could be just the thing to make our grocery shopping a lot more organized.
  • Software: Meal planning software is rarely free, but you can get some softwares for as inexpensive as $30.00, while they generally run around $50.00. Softwares usually include video, nutritional facts, monthly planners, ingredient databases, printable formatting, cost calculations, kitchen inventory management, and aisle organization. Before buying softwares, see if you can download a free trial online, or consult the company directly and ask for a free trial.

Whether you’re examining an app, website, or software for free meal planning services, make sure you analyze an array of factors, including approachability, ease of use, and cohesiveness. You also want a service that’s reliable, which can be a problem with some websites and apps. While researching and trying out free meal planning services may seem time-consuming, whichever service you choose will save you tons of time in the future and take the thought out of planning for the week. For us busy moms, there’s nothing better than that.

The Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan and You

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The Mediterranean diet originated from the idea that Mediterranean populations eat healthier than many Western civilizations. As it turns out, Mediterranean populations have consistently lower levels of heart disease compared to the rest of the Western world, according to an overview of the diet published by the European Society of Cardiology. The Mediterranean healthy hearts could be attributed to a diet rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, which lower risks associated with cardiac disease. Lots of omega-3s from fish and olive oil keep blood pressure, triglyceride, cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol levels stable, according to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services. If you want to change up your diet plan and integrate some omega-3s into your diet, try the Mediterranean diet meal plan.

Fats in the Mediterranean Diet

A key element of this plan is healthy fats. The Mediterranean diet meal plan prioritizes healthy fats, which minimize inflammation and increase energy. Healthy guidelines usually advocate 35% or less of daily calories from fat. However, with the Mediterranean diet meal plan, you can eat 35% to 40% if you limit your diet to healthy, monounsaturated fats, such as those found in olives, nuts, and avocados, instead of saturated fats and trans fats. Saturated and trans fats could contribute to heart disease and should be avoided. Swap butter for olive oil and canola oil to better follow the Mediterranean diet. For example, you can dip bread in olive oil with a bit of garlic and spices, rather than eating bread and butter. Trust us, bread and olive oil is equally delicious. Select low-fat dairy for healthy diet meal plans, like the Mediterranean diet.  For example, swap higher fat dairy products for skim milk, fat-free yogurt, and low-fat cheese.

Mediterranean Friendly Starches

The Mediterranean diet also prioritizes plant-based foods, like fruits and vegetables. The farmer’s market in your area is a great source for garden-fresh produce. Most of your meals will be vegetarian in this diet meal plan, so expect to be cutting meat to a minimum. Also swap white starches for whole grains, legumes, and nuts. Nuts, in particular, are a great source of protein, but should be kept to a minimum since they are calorie dense and fatty. Replace peanut butter that contains hydrogenated fat or increased sodium with natural peanut butter. You could also try almond butter or tahini paste (ground sesame seeds) on bread as peanut butter substitutes.

Meats and Fish on the Mediterranean Diet

Limit red meat to no more than a few times a month in the Mediterranean diet meal plan. Instead, eat fish and poultry at least twice a week. Use fatty fish, rich with omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, and albacore tuna.  Grill it, don’t fry it! Grilled meat is much healthier and less caloric than fried meat. Minimize your sodium intake by cutting your table salt use and, instead, flavor your food with spices and herbs.

If you like the philosophy of the Mediterranean diet meal plan you may want to give it a go. Whether you want to drop the pounds or you’re simply trying to live a healthier lifestyle, the Mediterranean diet could be your best bet.

 

Learning about Free Diet Meal Plans

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Studies by the University of Texas Division of Nutritional Sciences show that knowledge is power when it comes to weight loss. When surveying overweight mothers, researchers found that participants with greater knowledge of weight loss lost more weight than those that were less cognizant of diet, weight loss and health information. So how does your health knowledge weigh in? If you’re trying to lose weight, get informed. Thankfully there are free diet meal plans that can help you.

Informative Resources for the Dieter

The first step to getting a free diet meal plan? Get informed. Here are some ways that you can learn about diet meal plans:

  • Informational websites: Websites like WebMD, SparkPeople.com, and even governmental websites, like the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases website are loaded with articles and information.
  • Research studies: Studies published by doctors and universities are readily available via the web. For example, Cornell University’s Food and Brand Lab lays out their studies in entertaining graphics, videos, and easy-to-read summaries. You can also find studies published in health books at your local library, if you’re looking to get information on a specific topic.
  • Medical or nutritional professional: If you’re really trying to lose weight, you might want to get in touch with your doctor, nutritionist, or trainer (or even all three) to get informed. All three of these medical professionals, and even different professionals within the health field, will give you unique data, feedback, and advice that reflects their expertise. When you are deciding on a trainer or nutritionist in particular, don’t settle. Find a professional that’s knowledgeable in their field so that you can be more informed when making your diet meal plan.
  • Books published by doctors, nutritionists or trainers: Books like “The Volumetrics Eating Plan” by Barbara Rolls or “Eat, Drink, and Weigh Less” by Molly Katzen and Walter Willett have revolutionized weight loss and informed thousands of dieters. Books are a great resource when you’re trying to plan your diet meal plan, so make sure to hit your local book store and find a weight loss book that reflects your personal dietary beliefs.
  • Health magazines: Magazines are a great way to stay motivated and get informed, without doing some heavy reading. Self and Shape magazines are great for women and Cooking Light could give any dieter great recipes for healthier eating habits.

After you’ve determined your own weight loss philosophy, either selecting a free diet meal plan or even making your own will be simple. If you do choose a program, select one that continues to educate you through the process. As long as you stay informed, you can rest assured that you’re making both smart and healthy decisions.

Budget Meal Planning Tips: Using Coupons

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Eighty-nine percent of Americans regularly use coupons when shopping for groceries according to the Nielsen Company and they are saving big, about $3 billion a year! Coupons are great assets to any family trying to meal plan on a budget. However, it can be tricky to get the most bang for your buck when using coupons. There are plenty of couponing strategies that can help you cut your grocery bills in half.

Tips for Using Coupons When Budget Meal Planning

You may have been using coupons for years, but do know all the tips n’ tricks to getting great deals? Here are some couponing secrets that may help you out in the long haul:

  • When cutting coupons out of the coupon insert in your newspaper, you will find a tiny date printed on the inside edge (or the side that has the binding on it, usually on the lefthand side of a book or magazine) of the coupon insert (the coupon pages that are inserted into your local newspaper). Instead of squinting and examining this date every time you go back into your coupon archives, write the date on the outside of the coupon with a sharpie to make it more visible.
  • Clip each group of coupons from the newspaper together to help you keep them compact. Then, store them based on your written date. You can often use these coupons for up to 6 months.
  • Compile your coupons as you get them by brand or type of food to save time when you need to grab them before shopping. Staple your coupon inserts or internet printouts together and cut when you’re ready to take them to grocery store.
  • As a general rule, buy the smallest or smaller size. When you’re looking at a bulk deal at the grocery store, do the math. Carry a calculator in your purse or simply do the calculations on your phone’s calculator function to dictate the price per ounce. While the bulk buy may be a better deal without your coupons, with the coupons you are getting more bang for your buck when purchasing the smaller item.
  • Buy items on rotation, based on your coupons. You’ll never be able to go and get all of your products at the same time if you’re really trying to save. Instead, buy in bulk when you’re purchasing non-perishables if you’re getting the lowest price per ounce.
  • Know the rules for each supermarket. Some Grocers triple coupons that are less than 50 cents, others accept competitors’ coupons. Get the facts so that you can be informed when you shop and look for coupons.

Once you master these tips, you’ll be a coupon queen in no time. With a little practice and some studying, you’ll be shocked at how much you can save when you’re using a budget grocery list and some sensible meal planning.

Are You Interested in a Diet Meal Plan?

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As Tom Venuto discusses in his book, “The Body Fat Solution,” there is one major reason why people are confused about the body fat or weight loss “problem”:  we constantly hear conflicting views, data, and opinions! A registered dietitian could say that the answer to lowering your weight is to eat low fat, a low carb enthusiast may say low carb is the answer, while a research scientist may say that optimizing your thyroid gland is the answer. What are we supposed to believe?

Maybe its time to develop your own beliefs about food and diet meal plans and you. If you have religiously followed one philosophy of weight loss but continually been disappointed with the results, perhaps you should make your own diet meal plan. Here are some tips to crafting your very own, unique plan, specifically tailored to your needs.

Identify Goals for Your Diet Meal Plan

In order to create healthy diet meal plans, most professional health associates will tell you to come up with a few long and short-term goals. These goals will act as benchmarks for your success. Typically, diet plan goals pertain to weight loss, healthier eating, and building muscle mass, but your goals could be as simple as lowering your body fat percentage or increasing energy levels. Think outside of the box, and try to identify what “problem” has resulted in your current health situation. Are you an emotional eater? Have you let family holidays get you off track? Are you a midnight snacker? Have you been drinking more than usual? Or have you simply given up on weight loss? Whatever the case, reframe your attitude and perception by giving yourself goals that will change your short term behavior and long term perspective and help you keep the weight off.

Nutrition and Food

The most important facet of any meal plan is nutrition. Nutrition needs to be your focus when you’re creating your diet meal plan too. Motivate yourself to stay focused by looking at food as the fuel that powers your body. Just like a car, the lower the quality of fuel we put into our bodies, the worse our bodies’ performance will be. With a lower physiological output, it may be difficult to stay on track with your diet meal planning. You may want to think about how much sodium, cholesterol, and saturated fat is in all the food that you currently eat. Do your research and decide what you really believe about nutrition. Do you want to go dairy-free? Gluten-free? Low carb? Why do you want to make these particular health choices? Justify your dietary selections through clinical evidence and try out different nutritional methods to see what methodology best suits your body and mind.

Off The Couch and Onto The Treadmill

Whether you love it or hate it, exercise in an essential part to any meal plan. You may have to determine what exactly you believe when it comes to exercise, as you did with diet. Do you believe that gaining muscle mass is the key? Does cardio work well with your body? Do you prefer Pilates or sports? Or do you like combining cardio, weight lifting, yoga, and different exercises to stay motivated? Whichever route you choose, note your weight and body changes and pick an exercise plan that works for your lifestyle. You may also change simple habits to burn extra calories. Try taking the stairs instead of the elevator, getting a desk treadmill, lifting light weights while you’re on the phone, biking to the nearby corner store, stretching before bed, or spending Sundays playing outside with the kids. Implement exercise into your daily routine and you’ll be surprised at the results.

If you’re interested in a diet meal plan, the best way to lose may be to craft your own plan that is specifically made for you. Who knows? You could be feeling healthier in no time.

7 Day Diet Plan

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The statistics aren’t exactly in our favor: around two-thirds of dieters regained more weight within four or five years than they initially lost. If you’ve regained all the weight you lost, you may feel as though you’ll never sustain your goal weight. However, there are ways to get back on the bandwagon and back on track after you’ve gained weight. Try starting with a simple 7 day diet plan. These plans are achievable, no fad, no starvation diet needed. If you want to get back on track, try checking out some our article on healthy family recipes for some 7 day diet meal plans, and continue with them if they work for you.

BIGGEST LOSER DIET MEAL PLAN
Nutritionist from the television show, “Biggest Loser,” Chery Forberg, RD was asked to come up with a 7 day diet plan. This plan has 3 meals and 2 snacks a day: 45% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 25% healthy fats. Also, Forberg suggests that you drink zero calorie and low calorie drinks, such as coffee, tea, and water. Designed by a nutritionist, this is an extremely healthy daily meal plan. The biggest lower diet meal plan also highly encourages 60-90 minutes of moderate exercise four times a week, so get on your bike and start spinning!

THE FULL PLATE DIET
This 7 day diet plan was developed by Lisa MacDonald, nutrition manager at Miraval Life in Balance, a spa in Tucson, Arizona. She did some healthy meal planning to help her customers lose weight and leave her facility feeling their best. The full plate diet is a nutrient-rich 7 day diet plan with a balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fat in every meal. The great thing about the plan is that it is flexible. You can mix and match parts or if you like a certain meal, then you can have it as often as you wish during the 7 day period.

CARB LOVERS DIET MEAL PLAN
If you love carbs, you may want to try a simple carb-lovers diet plan that allows you to indulge in your favorite food group. During the first week, avoid alcohol, salt, and soda as much as you can and drink plenty of water. A carb-lovers diet meal plan also recommends that you drink a specially formulated hot tea, which can help you burn off an extra 80 calories a day. Additionally, add plenty of vitamin C to your diet within the first 7 days, which can help you absorb essential nutrients. You can add some vitamin C to your diet by squeezing lemon juice in your drink or simply taking the recommended amount of vitamin C tablets. Overall, add beans and fiber to your diet to help you suppress appetite and, more importantly, _never_ skip meals.

Following a 7 day diet plan is great if you only have a few pounds to lose or if you want to trim down before a vacation or event. If you want to lose more than two or three pounds, then you will find yourself choosing a diet meal plan, such as, the Atkins Diet, the South Beach Diet, Mediterranean Diet or a low calorie diet. If you stick to your diet, you should have no problem shedding the pounds to ultimately look and feel spectacular.