If you want to lose weight in a healthy way, a nutrition plan is a good idea. Unlike most diets, an eating plan should not contain any prohibitions, but should bring you closer to your goal step by step in a balanced way. There are a few things you need to keep in mind in order to actually lose weight. You can find out what these are and what your diet plan for losing weight might look like here.
What is a meal plan?
A nutrition plan is a set of rules for your diet that has a specific goal behind it. The most common goals include building muscle, losing weight or health goals such as lowering blood cholesterol. The nutrition plan will help you get there. How detailed the plan looks depends on your goal and experience. While some plans only set the calorie amounts as well as the nutrient distribution, others include predetermined meals for each day.
Unlike traditional diets, diet plans can be adapted to your individual needs and taste preferences, making them less strict and thus able to be followed in the long term.
How do I create a weight loss eating plan?
In order for a weight loss plan to work in the long term and help you achieve your goal, you need to answer some important questions:
What are my calorie requirements?
Use a calorie calculator to find out how much energy your body needs daily to maintain your weight. The calculation takes into account age, weight, height, gender and your activity level.
What is my goal?
Once you know your daily calorie requirements, you can calculate how many calories you can consume to reach your target weight in the desired period.
For this you need to know that you have to save about 7,000 calories to lose 1 kg of weight. Let's say you want to lose 1.5 kg in a month. To achieve this goal, you need to save 10,500 kcal this month. That's about 350 kcal per day.
You can only talk about healthy weight loss using the calorie calculator if your body remains efficient despite calorie savings. For this reason, the daily calorie deficit should not exceed 500 kcal per day. In this way, you also prevent the dreaded yo-yo effect.
What should I eat to lose weight?
In order to lose weight and maintain the new feel-good weight in the long term, the nutrient composition of your diet plays an essential role. Be sure to consider the following nutrients:
- Proteins: Each of your meals should contain at least one source of protein. The macronutrient not only keeps you full longer, but also ensures that you don't lose too much muscle mass despite a calorie deficit. You can take proteins in the form of legumes, soy, dairy products, meat, fish or eggs, for example.
- Complex Carbohydrates: Long-chain carbohydrates are known as satiators. They affect your blood sugar levels less than simple sugars and should therefore be the carbohydrates of your choice. So that you can lose weight in the long term without cravings , you should choose oatmeal, whole grains, potatoes or legumes, among other things.
- Fiber: In addition to its positive impact on your weight loss success, fiber is considered particularly healthy. They contribute to a balanced intestinal flora and are important for the prevention of common diseases such as diabetes or cardiovascular diseases.
What dishes will be on my meal plan?
When everyone is answered, you finally create your eating plan, preferably in the form of a table in which you record breakfast, lunch and dinner for each day. Depending on whether you prefer large or small portions, you can also plan 1-2 snacks.
Make sure that the total calories do not exceed your goal and make sure that each meal contains proteins, complex carbohydrates and fiber. In order for you to see what such a weight loss eating plan might look like, we have an example for you below.
Top 10 foods that shouldn't be missing from your weight loss plan
The best foods to lose weight should be either high in protein, complex carbohydrates, or high in fiber. Our top 10 foods include foods that meet two or more of these criteria:
| Food | Protein Source | complex carbohydrates | Fiber |
| Oatmeal | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Legumes (e.g. chickpeas, beans, lentils) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Vegetables (e.g. broccoli, kale, chard) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Whole grains | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pseudocereals (e.g. quinoa, amaranth) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Seeds (e.g. flaxseed, chia seeds) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Nuts (e.g. hazelnuts, walnuts) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Milk and dairy products | ✓ | ✓ | ✘ |
| Fruit (e.g. apples, bananas, berries) | ✘ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Rice and potatoes | ✘ | ✓ | ✓ |
In general, you should include a lot of vegetables and fruits in your diet. Not only do they contain a lot of fiber, but they're usually low in calories. That's why they're great for adding volume to your meals.
This is the best breakfast for weight loss
Your breakfast should also be high in protein and contain complex carbohydrates and fiber. All dishes with oatmeal are therefore well suited.
An absolute classic among healthy breakfast dishes for weight loss is porridge . Thanks to its nutrient composition, it keeps you full for a long time and gives you enough strength despite a calorie deficit to start the day full of energy. Refined with fruit, nuts, seeds and an additional protein source such as milk or soy drink, a full breakfast with all the important nutrients is ready in no time.
Example: Diet plan to lose weight
Suppose your daily calorie requirement is 2,100 kcal and you want to save 300 kcal daily to lose 2.5 kg in two months. So you should consume a maximum of 1,800 kcal per day. For example, a day could look like this:
Breakfast: Low-calorie porridge for weight loss
Breakfast Recipe: Low Calorie Weight Loss Porridge (Sugar Free)
Ingredients
- 50 g oatmeal
- 1 pinch of salt
- 130 ml water
- To taste: Healthy toppings e.g. berries (such as blueberries), chia seeds, flax seeds, healthy oils, fresh fruits or dried fruits (such as apricots or plums) Attention: dried fruits contain many calories
Preparation
-
Heat the water (for example in a kettle)
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Put the oatmeal in a bowl with the pinch of salt
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Pour the boiling water into the bowl
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Stir the porridge well until it reaches a creamy consistency
-
Decorate it with your toppings
Nutritional values
| Ingredients | Calories (average) |
| 50 grams of oatmeal | 190 kcal |
| 130 ml water | 0 kcal |
| 60 grams of berries | 30 kcal |
| 25 grams of walnuts | 180 kcal |
| 1 small apple | 50 kcal |
| Total | 450 kcal |
Snack: Sport Shake Strawberry-Bromberry
| Ingredients | Calories (average) |
| 35 grams Verival Sportshake strawberry-blackberry | 140 kcal |
| 200 ml soy drink | 80 kcal |
| Total | 220 kcal |
Lunch: Quinoa salad with fried tofu and vegetables
| Ingredients | Calories (average) |
| 30 grams of quinoa | 100 kcal |
| half zucchini | 30 kcal |
| 50 grams of leaf lettuce | 10 kcal |
| half bell pepper | 30 kcal |
| 100 grams of tofu | 110 kcal |
| 50ml salad dressing | 110 kcal |
| 15 ml frying oil | 120 kcal |
| Total | 510 kcal |
Snack: A piece of fruit approx. 60 kcal
| Ingredients | Calories (average) |
| Apple | 60 kcal |
| 150 grams of strawberries | 60 kcal |
Dinner: Chickpea curry with rice and vegetables
| Ingredients | Calories (average) |
| 60 grams of chickpeas | 70 kcal |
| 1 carrot | 40 kcal |
| 100 grams of broccoli | 30 kcal |
| half zucchini | 30 kcal |
| 200 grams of coconut milk | 320 kcal |
| 50 grams of rice | 70 kcal |
| Total | 560 kcal |
For the whole day, this results in a calorie amount of 450 kcal + 220 kcal + 510 kcal + + 60 kcal + 560 kcal = 1,800 kcal.
The meal plan consists of three main meals and two snacks, which can be varied as desired. Please note that the amounts of calories indicated are approximate guide values.
How many calories certain foods have, you can either read in a calorie table or research on the Internet.
5 top tips to lose weight fast
Finally, we have collected 5 top tips for you to lose weight quickly.
Tip 1: Eat a varied diet
A one-sided diet is doomed to failure. If you ban individual products or even entire food groups from your diet, you often get cravings for them. With a varied diet, your body gets all the nutrients it needs.
Tip 2: Refrain from Prohibitions
Prohibitions have a psychological effect. If it is not possible to stick to it, the diet is perceived as a failure and the whole plan is thrown overboard.
Tip 3: Eat slowly and mindfully
Consciously eat your meals and avoid doing other things at the same time. Anyone who devours their food and is also distracted has a much harder time recognizing satiety.
Tip 4: Eat regularly
This tip goes hand in hand with tip 3. Don't wait until your hunger becomes unbearable, eat regularly. Extreme hunger is followed by extreme satiety, because those who are excessively hungry tend to go overboard and eat more than necessary.
Tip 5: Integrate exercise into your everyday life
Those who are more active burn more energy. By doing extra exercise, you can increase your daily calorie requirements.
