Meal Plan For Weight loss: Step-by-Step guide

Have you ever wanted to meet with a nutritionist and figure out a customized meal plan for weight loss? If so, here are 8 steps you can take to start building your customized meal plan for weight loss on your own.  By incorporating your weight loss goal, BMR, activity level, and macronutrient breakdown you will have the foundation of creating your meal plan in no time. Take out your calculator and lets get started.



1. Set a weight loss goal, and figure out how many weeks it will take you to lose that weight: Realize, that you can safely lose only 1% body fat per week in order to preserve muscle mass.

• Current weight  x 0.01 = How much weight you can safely lose per week. 
• (How many pounds you want to lose / How much weight you can safely lose per week) = How many weeks it will take you to lose weight

2. Measure your basal metabolic rate (BMR): Which is the minimum amount of calories your body needs to function at rest based on your age, height, weight and gender.

• http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/  

3. Determine how much calories you need in a day based on your activity level: This will help you find out how much your body needs to keep up with your exercise routine.

• Consider the following activity factors based on your activity level.
  

  Sedentary	Exercise  1-3x/wk	Exercise  3-5x/wk	Exercise  6-7x/wk	Athlete/Physically demanding job
  1.2	1.375	1.55	1.725	1.9

• BMR x Activity Factor = Total Calories per Day 

4. Determine your caloric deficit: It is estimated that 1lb of fat is 3500 calories. If we divide that by seven days, that will mean there needs to be at least a 500 calorie deficit per day to evoke the body to use stored fat as an energy source.

• Total Calories per Day - 500cal = Total calories per day to evoke a caloric deficit. 

5. Determine your macronutrient breakdown: Macronutrients are energy providing consumed substances like protein, fat, and carbohydrates.

• Consider the following minimum requirement of grams of protein per lb of body weight a day
  

  Sedentary	Average Healthy Adult	Females: Drop fat, and get toned.	Males: Drop fat and maintain muscle.
  0.50-0.70	0.8-1.0	1.0-1.2	1.0-1.5

• (Your current weight x Grams of protein per lb of body weight ) = Total grams of protein needed per day

• Consider the following minimum requirement of grams of fat per lb of body weight a day

  Minimum Requirement	More Reasonable	More Sustainable
  0.25-0.30	0.30-0.40	0.40-0.45

  
  
• (Your current weight x Grams of fat per lb of body weight ) = Total grams of fat needed per day

• Total grams of protein needed per day x 4 = Total calories of protein a day
• Total grams of fat needed per day x 9 = Total calories of fat a day
• Total calories per day to evoke a caloric deficit - (Total calories of protein a day + Total calories of fat a day) = Total calories of carbs a day
• Total calories of carbs a day / 4 = Total grams of carb needed per day

6. Decide how many times a day you want to eat, and find out how many grams of each macro you should eat per meal: It is recommended to eat at least 5 times a day

• Total grams of protein needed per day / 5 Meals = How many grams of protein per meal
• Total grams of fat needed per day / 5 Meals = How many grams of fat per meal 
• Total grams of carb needed per day / 5 Meals = How many grams of carbs per meal 

7.  Translate grams into mainstream metrics (oz, tsp, cups):

• Consider the following general rule of thumb in Part A in mind, figure out Part B.

  Part A:
  Protein	Fat	Carbs
  4 oz of lean chicken breast = 25g of protein	1tsp of olive oil = 4 g of fat	1/2cup of cooked white rice = 25gm of carbs
  Part B:
  (Grams of Protein per meal a day/ 25g ) x 4 = How many oz of protein per meal	(Grams of Fat per meal a day/ 4g) = How many tsp of fat per meal	(Grams of Carbs per meal a day/ 25g ) x 0.5 = How many cups of carb per meal

8.  Plan your meals: For each meal write what you will have for each macronutrient (Protein, Fat, Carbs), and the amount (oz, tsp, cups), according to what you determined on step 7 of Part B.

• 	7- Breakfast	10- Snack	1- Lunch	4- Snack	7- Dinner
  	Meal #1	Meal #2	Meal #3	Meal #4	Meal #5
  Monday
  Tuesday
  Wednesday
  Thursday
  Friday
  Saturday
  Sunday

What are some of your go to meal plans for weight loss?

Photo source: VeryWellFit

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How to Host a Gyro Party!

Have you ever wanted to make a pizza party, but wanted to do something a little more classier? How about hosting a gyro party? Here is a quick way to meal prep so that you can host a gyro party. And, if a party is not your cup of tea right now, you can still prep things in advance to have things ready in the fridge to put together a gyro on those days you just don't want to cook.

Ingredients: 

• Pita flat bread (whole circle, not cut in half)
• Chicken

• Cucumbers
• Tomatoes
• Onions

• Tzaziki sauce
• Red sauce
• Feta cheese

• Other: precut square aluminum foil to have what to wrap your gyro in. 

Meal Prep a day in advance: 

1. Pre cut your cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and place them in separate containers. 
2. Buy or make the Tzaziki sauce.
3. Buy or make the Red sauce.
4. Cook and season the chicken. 

Assembling Gyro:

1. Warm up your pita bread on a griddle, in the microwave, or stove top, and place it on top of a precut square of aluminum foil.
2. Spread the Tzaziki sauce on the pita bread (add enough so its not dry), add the chicken, then vegetables (cucumbers, tomatoes, onions).
• Tip: to make homemade Tzaziki sauce, mix ---> 16 oz of plain yogurt, 2 cucumbers peeled/seeded and diced, 2 Tbs olive oil, 1/2 lemon squeezed, 1 Tbs fresh dill, 3 garlic cloves pressed, and salt/pepper to taste.  
3. Add toppings like feta cheese, or red sauce. 
4. Wrap into a cone shape and take a bite. Yumm!!

What toppings do you like to add?

Photo source: HSB

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Organize your Refrigerator

Have you ever opened your refrigerator door that is packed with food, yet end up closing it and wind up ordering take out? How about frequently finding things that have gone bad, and ending up throwing away a lot of wasted unconsumed foods?  This may be a sign you need to organize your refrigerator. Here are five easy steps to get your refrigerator back into a functional state: 

1)  Assess your refrigerator:Take a picture of your refrigerator, and take note of the type of foods you have, and the places you tend to put them.  

·     Make a tentative plan of where/how you want to place things based on your lifestyle and family eating patterns. 

2)  Remove all items: Take everything out and wipe things down.

·     Adjust the shelves to a height appropriate to fit a gallon of milk on each shelf, or whatever fits your specific plan. 

3)  Organize your items: Throw away any old/expired products that you will not use, and group similar items together. 

·     Group examples– Snacks, leftovers, Dairy (eggs, cheeses, milk, butter), Juices, Meats, Produce (veggies/fruit), Bread, Salad dressings/ Condiments.

4)  Place items back into your refrigerator by group
·     Top shelves - Place yogurt and dairy where it is more warmer. 
·     At eye level - place leftovers, and food you can quickly snack on, or use most frequently.   
·     Lower shelves- Place cooked meats and milk where it is colder.
·     Drawers/crispers- Place leafy green vegetables where it will last longer due to the humidity from the low airflow.
    ·     Doors- Place condiments/salad dressings, and juices where the temperature fluctuates. 

5)  Other tips:

·     Have a dry-erase/permanent marker nearby to date your leftover food and opened containers.

·     Create labels--Take clear shipping labels and trace over with paint pen.

·     Use clear bins to keep things organized and help slide things out easier. 

·     Store fruit away from other produce since they emit ethylene gases that can spoil your produce faster. 

·     Store on the counter: Tomatoes, cucumbers, bananas.

·     Wash and prep your vegetables as soon as you bring them home, so they can be easily used during the week. 

·     Place paper towel on bottom of crisper/drawers to absorb moisture and make cleaning easier. 

·     Place an open box of baking soda in the back to help absorb odors. (replace ~3months)

 What tips do you use to help keep your refrigerator organized?

Photo source: Dogslovewoof.com

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How to Measure and Dress For Your Body Type

Knowing your body type will help you choose clothes that will flatter your body shape. Not every trend or style compliments your specific body type.  Every body shape is slightly different, yet can be categorized in four general types. Here is a quick way to determine your body type and general guidelines to compliment your features in just 3 EASY STEPS.

1) Take out a soft measuring tape, and measure the following body parts

______: Shoulders (highest part)

______: Bust (fullest part of breast)

______: Waist (narrowest part of torso)

______: Hips (widest part of bottom)

2) Consider the following characteristics, and perform calculations  using your measurments to confirm your body type. 

                         3) Consider the following guidelines for your body type.                 

How do you dress your body type? 

Photo source: Taste.company.com

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FOOD = YOU

Food. It is present during many important occasions in our lives. With it, we create memories, and build nostalgia for ourselves and loved ones. It is needed to provide daily nutrients to nourish every cell of our body. As well as, provide us with energy to help fuel our daily activities. 

Food for thought: What type of food culture are you cultivating for yourself and loved ones? What foods are you nourishing your body with and creating memories?

There is a saying that goes, “you are what you eat,” and this is very true. Foods we eat influence the structure and function of our cells. You see, foods contain macronutrients: carbohydrates, proteins and fat, as well as micronutrients: vitamins, and minerals that are used to make up almost every cell of our body. These cells then combine to make tissue layers and organs that ultimately make YOU. 

Therefore, it's important to choose quality foods that provide nutrients that keep your cells healthy, and thus YOU healthy.  Pay attention to the foods you eat. Tune in to what your body is telling you, and how it makes you look, feel, and perform. 

Quality Foods = Good Nutrition = A Step Closer To A Healthier YOU. 

What food nourishes your body?

Photo Source: Fitfoundry.com

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Health check: Body Composition

To evaluate our overall health and the success of our exercising regimen many turn to their scale to look at their body weight. Today,  I want you to take it a step further and look at your body as a whole and consider body composition. Body composition, looks at your body weight, and considers the percent of fat mass and lean mass (which include your muscles, bones, and connective tissue) your body is made of. 

It's important to note that 1lb of fat and 1lb of muscle weights the same on a scale, but they look different.

As you exercise and gain muscle mass (which is much smaller and denser/heavier, than fat) the number on the scale might not change, in fact, it might be going up at first. Yet, do not get discouraged if the number on the scale doesn't go down right away. Keep exercising anyway. With time, you will look different in your waist, and hips etc.. 

Action: Take out a measuring tape and enter your values in the link below to find out your body fat percentage, lean mass, and body fat category. Track this every month to see if your diet/exercise routine is working for you. 

http://fitness.bizcalcs.com/Calculator.asp?Calc=Body-Fat-Navy

Reference table of approximate values for optimal health: 

	Females	Males
Body Fat % for optimal health	18-30%	10-25%
Body Fat % for fitness	16-25%	12-18%
Essential Fat %	12%	5%
Waist	< 35 in	< 40 in
Waist to Hip ratio	< 0.86	< 0.95

What are your body composition goals?

Photo Source: drzembroski.com

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