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When you are trying to lose weight, there are so many diets and weight loss plans to choose from. One of the tried and true methods that can be counted on again and again is the low calorie diet. A low calorie diet basically means that you lower the amount of calories you consume on a daily basis. For weight loss, you can simply lower the amount of calories you’re eating, and incorporate some exercise to burn additional calories. This follows this simplest diet rules: calories in equals calories out.
A low calorie diet doesn’t mean that you have to give in to bland and boring food. With the high rates of people trying to lose weight and get into shape, low fat and low calorie foods have come a long way. Many of your favorite recipes can be substituted with low calorie ingredients and still maintain their great flavor. Another key to a low calorie diet is controlling your portion sizes. Eating out has drastically distorted what many people view as a serving size of food.
Depending on how much weight you have to lose, it’s important that you monitor your caloric intake. Typically a low calorie diet consists of 1500-1800 calories per day. For many, it's as simple as shaving 500 calories off of what they're currently consuming.
There is such a thing as being on a low calorie diet that goes too low. Consuming too few calories can force your body into starvation mode, which will cause you to store fat rather than burn it. It takes a deficit of 3500 calories to lose one pound and most doctors recommend you only lose one to two pounds per week to be considered at a healthy weight loss. Through incorporating some lower fat foods into your diet and adding exercise, this goal is completely attainable.
Within the first week or so of trying a low calorie diet, you might find that you lose a little more weight as your body adjusts to the new routine. Another very important aspect of a low calorie diet is drinking plenty of water.
Do You Know the Best Diets of 2024?
- Lose weight safely and at a healthy pace
- Continue eating some of your favorite foods in a healthier way
- With the proper portion control, can be used on a long-term basis
- One of the safest ways to lose weight
- Countless variety with the ability to choose your own foods and exercise plan
- Low calorie diets can improve life spans
- Works with restaurant foods as long as you research the calories beforehand
- Will produce results if used properly
- If not properly implemented, can consume too few calories
- Some initial side effects can occur due to the change what your body is used to such as diarrhea, fatigue or constipation
- Some may fail to count calories and eat as much as they want because something is low calorie
A very important part of a low calorie diet is what types of food you eat. Eating on a low calorie diet can be very simple. You simply cut the amount of calories that you eat each down to between 1500 and 1800 each day, or reduce your current consumption by 500 calories.
In order to be successful with a low calorie diet, it is important to track the calories you’re eating and keep a food diary. One of the easiest ways to overshoot your calories is not being totally aware of exactly what you’ve eaten. Planning ahead for your meals can also help your success. If you know you are going out to eat, research the restaurant’s menu. Find the best low calorie options so that you are not caught off guard when you get ready to order. A typical day of eating on a low calorie diet might include the following menu:
- Breakfast: 1 slice whole wheat bread, 2 tsp. peanut butter, 2 tsp. low-calorie jelly, ½ cup fruit juice
- Snack: fresh fruit
- Lunch: Subway 6” turkey breast sandwich, 1 small low-fat yogurt
- Snack: 1 oz. ham wrapped around a handful of carrot sticks
- Dinner: Chicken wrap made with a wheat tortilla, 2 oz. shredded chicken, ½ oz. low-fat cheese, 1 slice tomato, ½ tsp. dried herbs, and 1 cup of mixed green salad with 1 tbsp. low-fat dressing
- Snack: 4 oz. fruit cup with juice, or 1 cup fat free milk
It is imperative to read food labels to assess accurate calorie counts for specific portion sizes. A food scale and/or a calorie counting book, Web site or other media will be incredibly handy. Keeping a food journal, especially in the earlier weeks, will help you assess your current consumption and track your daily food and beverage intake and help you make reductions.
You'll also find that the more calorie-dense a food is, the further it will go. For instance, having a low-fat yogurt with fresh fruits and nuts has significantly less calories, and more nutrition, than a vanilla ice cream topped with fruit syrup and candy pieces.
Getting proper exercise while you are on a low-calorie diet has many benefits. Exercise has been proven to be the most effective way to lose weight when you combine it with healthy eating habits. Research has also shown that regular exercise can help prevent obesity related diseases like heart disease, stroke, reduce blood pressure, prevent and control type 2 diabetes, prevent back pain and prevent many forms of osteoporosis.
An advantage to implementing exercise with a low calorie diet is that you are in control of the exercises you do, and you're burning off calories consumed. There are really no limitations or required exercises. You are in complete control as long as you are doing something active.
Keep in mind that everything you do including breathing and sleeping involves burning calories, no matter how few. By increasing your activity, you’ll be increasing the amount of calories that you burn. Some of the optional exercises you can do in conjunction with a low calorie diet are:
- 45 minutes of daily walking
- 45 minutes of daily bike riding
- 45 minutes of daily jogging
- 20-25 minutes of resistance training 3 days per week
- Golfing
- Playing basketball
- Swimming
- Yoga
- Gardening
Watching your health is important, and if you are overweight it’s important to get that under control. Losing weight can help you extend your health and help prevent some serious diseases down the road. A low calorie diet along with exercise cannot only help you lose that extra weight, but also help you keep it off and extend your life.
You don’t have to give up everything you ever loved about food, you just have to keep track of what you eat, cut back and get moving more. The low calorie diet with exercise is the method that many people have had the most success with. There are several other options out there to help you lose weight, but the low calorie diet is the oldest and safest method when used properly.
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User Feedback
(Page 1 of 1, 2 total comments)imran
very helpful article about
posted Jun 4th, 2017 5:23 pmCalories thanks
Brett Combs
+This has been a very successful and good way for me to lose weight. I have always been a big overeater and overindulger in what I would call the "finer things in life" ie., food! This diet is teaching me that I can feel full and satisfied on smaller portions and 'smarter' menu choices. This diet doesn't mean giving up all the 'good tasty' things, just understanding that there are other good tasty thing that will go further towards me looking more like a human instead of a human blob! I also added drinking at least 64 oz. of water a day, which really helps (believe it or not) with hunger cravings. However, like any diet if you do not really want to lose the weight and get in shape and don't actively take part in that plan IT WILL NOT HAPPEN!
posted Jan 11th, 2011 3:55 pm