wafflesatnoon.com

Can’t see the forest for the trees? Spent countless hours looking for a simple and free weight loss plan? Here is a brief summary of a sensible plan that will ensure weight loss if you follow it, and still provide enough nutrition and calories to keep you satisfied and energetic.

How much to eat
Find out how many calories you need in a day. Unfortunately this is different for everyone, so it will take some time for you to discover the actual number. Use my chart as a starting guide, but eventually you’ll have to tweak the numbers to fit you. It’s OK to take an educated guess and go with it for a week or two, then re-evaluate. After you’ve determined how many calories you need in a day to maintain your weight, you then need to keep that number higher than the amount of calories you consume minus the calories you burn every day. I suggest a moderate decrease in food and a moderate increase in exercise to make up the difference. Let’s say you need 2000 calories a day to maintain your weight. If you want to lose a pound a week (which is optimal and healthy), you need to burn off 500 calories a day. This 500 deficiency would be best achieved by exercising off 250 calories via exercise and also eating 250 calories less than you need.

You can certainly set loftier goals than that, but remember that the more you exercise, the more you will need to eat.

How often to eat
Once you have determined how many calories you will be taking in every day, you will then divide that number by how many meals you plan to eat per day, between 4 and 6 meals a day. The answer you get will be the amount of calories you will try to consume per meal. Eating more meals throughout the day keeps your body burning fuel on a regular basis. This helps increase your metabolism as well. I’ve known people to lose weight merely by making this change in habit.

What to eat
Try to eat a well-balanced meal when possible. No matter what you eat, be sure to eat lots of fruits and vegetables (especially raw, uncooked ones), and if possible try replacing or supplementing occasional meals with juice fresh from a juicer. Adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet will make you feel better, help you lose weight, have more energy, and even help you look better. Avoid “hidden” calories such as soft drinks, mayonnaise, breaded foods, etc. Stay away from greasy foods, breaded foods, and non-lean meats.

Exercise
Exercise as many days as you can, and as many ways as you can. Lift weights, walk, play sports, jump rope, go bowling, play with your kids or grandkids, take a stroll through the mall - do whatever it takes to keep yourself moving. A little bit every day can add up to huge gains over time. Fitness and weight loss aren’t sprints, they’re marathons. Just stick to it and over time you’ll see results. Don’t forget to eat a high-protein meal immediately after exercising.

Additional Tips

• Choose a larger quantity of low-calorie foods and you will never be hungry.
• Only cut carbs when it’s refined sugar (not the natural sugar in fruit!) and only cut fat when it’s saturated or transfat.
• Planning is the key. If you can plan out your meals for a week, you will probably succeed!
• Keep your mind focused on weight loss throughout the day.
• Tell others about your weight loss goals, and ask them for their support! You won’t feel alone in your quest.
• Rid your cabinets of almost all junk food, except for one or two small treats as a reward to yourself.
• Remember you are not eliminating anything. You are simply making smarter choices.

Below is a chart to show how many calories the average, low-activity person should need per day to maintain their weight. To reduce your weight, you will need to reduce your calories.

Everyone is different and these numbers should only be used as a guide. If you are a more active or muscular person, you will need to increase your calories.