9 Ways to Maintain a Balanced Diet Chart – Reducing Weight

Reviewed by: | Author: Manoja Kalakanti

Losing weight in a healthy way is not at all an easy/simple process. Weight loss and maintenance of healthy weight are a never ending process where one must follow a proper diet plan along with regular physical activity like calisthenic exercises program in order to keep weight under control. Many of us assume that, starving for a long period of time can help them in losing weight. But it is high time to know that a sudden and drastic reduction in the amount of calories in your regular diet can make your body compensate by slowing down the metabolism and take the body to a fat storing mode. No doctor and dietician will suggest starving in order to reduce weight. The basic mantra to a healthy and fit body is following a balanced diet chart permanently.

Healthy Diet for Mature Women

Every individual has different calorie requirement based on their age, sex, lifestyle and level of physical activity. It is very much necessary to consume the required calories, as this is essential for your body growth. It is always better to make small changes in your lifestyle, to have an effective improvement in your physical fitness. If you like to have bread, then instead of having milk bread, go for brown or whole grain bread. These breads are really healthy. And instead of having a rich fatty dessert, you can make a fruit salad for your dessert. Also try replacing normal white sugar with brown sugar, and instead of soft drinks, try best kiwi fruit shake recipes and other fruit smoothies. These small changes in your weight loss diet chart will bring forth effective results in the long run.

A Balanced Diet Chart

A healthy diet plan for weight loss will help people to stay fit and promote weight loss in a gradual and healthy way. It is also the ultimate solution to the question of how to overcome obesity and overweight issues. In order to follow a balanced diet chart for weight loss, it is always better to prepare a diet chart and stick to it. Diet chart helps us to know how much quantity of food our body needs and what type of food we are supposed to eat.

How Many Calories You Consume in a Day?

It is always important to know how many calories you have consumed in a day which will further help you in losing those calories in a systematic way. You can easily burn the calories you just had today. Although, the calorie requirement of each and every person varies with their body weight, age, sex, type of day to day activity and various other factors. But a balanced diet for reducing weight like a simple 1200 calorie diet plan can help you keep a check on your calorie intake, whereas regular exercise can help your create the deficit that is required to lose weight in an effective manner.

Combination of 1200 calorie meal plan with Exercise

Calories deficit in a week which equals to the number of calories you need to burn in order to lose 1 pound of fat. Traditionally, it is recommended for individuals to create a deficit of 500 to 1000 calories from their daily total calorie requirement to lose 1 to 2 pounds each week, This is because a daily 500 calorie deficit for 7 days leads to a 3500 cal

What is Your Mealtime?

Almost all of us are used to having three heavy meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but the long gap in between these meals promotes us to eat more during the meals. It is best to divide your meal times into five or six small meals with breakfast as the main meal of the day, followed by a mid-morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack and dinner. A balanced diet plan will comprise of healthy breakfast ideas for losing weight along with low calorie lunch, dinner and snack ideas.

mealtime

There must be 5 small meals with a gap of 3 hours between each meal. This is because; a gap of more than 3 hours increases the levels of stress hormone cortisol in the body that signals the body to store fat in the abdominal region. Eating frequent small meals helps in keeping cortisol levels under control and helps in reducing belly fat in both men and women. Being hungry can also make you weak and lethargic. If you are maintaining a proper mealtime, it will help you in digesting the food in a better and faster way.

Activities Performed during the Day

Always make a note of what activities you are performing throughout the day so that you can work out in a much more effective manner to lose weight. It will also help you in consuming the calories according to the activities you are performing. In general our body requires 1,400 to 1,800 calories per day. If you are not involved in proper physical activities, then you must not consume more than 1200 calories for woman and 1800 for men.

Aerobic Exercises

People with an active lifestyle who are involved in vigorous physical activities in the day to day life do not require much exercise to maintain their weight. But people with a sedentary lifestyle or those who are suffering from obesity and overweight issues should get at least total of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every week in order to improve their health and it should be increased to 200 to 300 minutes per week in order to achieve long-term weight loss. 250 minutes of exercise per week is good enough for significant weight loss and keeping it off in the long run. Moderate-intensity physical activities include indoor aerobic exercises, brisk walking, dancing, moving moderate loads, gardening, etc. Vigorous-intensity physical activities include running, jogging, hiking, fast cycling, aerobics, swimming, etc.

List of Healthy Foods

When you are preparing a diet chart to reduce weight, it’s better to include healthy and nutritious foods into it so that you can get all the essential nutrients for proper functioning of the body. Gather complete information about what exactly is a low-calorie food, which food is more protein rich, which kind of food has more fiber in it, etc. You should always conduct your own research in order to know which food contains a high concentration of vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients. The most important foods to include in your healthy balanced diet are fresh fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables should form the basis of your meals that are loaded with vitamins, fibers, essential minerals for the body and other nutrients.

a balanced diet chart

You can enjoy the fruits raw or in the form of juices and smoothies, but vegetables should be cooked or steamed rather than boiling. The next important food group is proteins that are essential for growth and repair. It helps in repairing and recovering the damaged muscles and tissues post strenuous workout sessions. It is also important for repair of nerve cells. The third important food group to be included in a healthy diet is dairy products that are loaded with calcium which promotes strong bones and teeth and is also essential for muscle contraction including heartbeat. Last but not the least comes carbohydrates, or more precisely complex carbohydrates that should be part of each and every meal because it is the best source of energy for the body.

Eat Fruits and Vegetables

The benefits of fruits and vegetables to lose weight are well known, but sadly the modern diet is mostly dependent on ready to eat and processed foods. Fruits and vegetables are not only loaded with essential nutrients, but they are high in water and low in fat content that makes them a good choice for a diet plan to reduce weight.

fruits and vegetables for hypothyroidism

Lack of fruits and vegetables in the daily diet can lead to various chronic diseases like heart diseases and cancer along with slowed down immunity. It is generally recommended to consume at least 5 portions of fruits and vegetables every day that can be consumed in the form of salads, juices, soups and steamed vegetables.

Don’t Skip the Proteins

Proteins are the building blocks of the body that helps in muscle growth and repair and it is important to include more proteins into your diet if you want to lose weight because proteins take more time and energy to be broken down and digested. A lack of protein in the daily diet can lead to muscle deterioration, organ failure, heart problems and arthritis along with muscles soreness and cramps.

protein foodsThe best high-quality natural protein sources include animal produce like meat, poultry, eggs, seafood, etc. But vegetarians and vegans can have their share of protein from lentils, beans, nuts, seeds and tofu. The daily recommended amount of protein for women id 45g and for men is 55 g. Proteins must make one portion of the main meal.

Have Dairy

Include dairy products like skimmed milk, low-fat yogurt and cottage cheese in your daily diet id you are not lactose intolerant or allergic to milk. Dairy products are the best source of calcium that is essential for healthy bones and is also vital for regulating muscle contraction. Inadequate calcium intake through food can lead to various bone diseases like osteoporosis and brittle bone disease. These diseases are more common in women compared to men.

Dairy Products

Get enough vitamin D along with calcium by exposing yourself to sunlight for some time every day. It is recommended for adults to consume 3 portions of dairy every day. Vegans can have their daily dose of calcium from soya milk and yogurt, nuts and dark leafy vegetables like spinach and broccoli.

Eat Your Carbs

Carbohydrates are one of the most important food groups that are the main source of energy for the body and, therefore, it should be part of every meal. But it is important to choose the carbs judiciously in order to keep your weight under control. It is essential to know that there are two types of carbs – simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates.

low Carbs diet

Simple carbohydrates are found in sugar, white rice and white flour products like cakes, pastries and pizzas and these foods promote weight gain. Complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, brown rice, oats, wholemeal cereal, wholemeal pasta, lentils and beans, vegetables and fruits are rich in fiber that keeps you satiated for a longer period of time and prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart diseases. There is a close link between oatmeal and weight loss and it holds an important place in a balanced weight loss diet. A third of each meal should be some sort of complex carbohydrates.

Stay away from Sugar, Salt and Fats

It is important include little bits of sugar, salt and fats in your diet but overdoing it can lead to serious health problems and promote weight gain. When it comes to fats, it is good in small amounts because they supply the body with the essential fatty acids that protect the heart and improve the functions of the immune system. But excessive fat accumulation in the body can lead to obesity and other chronic diseases. Therefore, it is important to consume fats in moderation to maintain healthy weight.

Sugar

Sugar has actually no benefit of our health unless it is the sugar from natural fruits, so it is best to cut down sugar and stay away from sugary soft drinks, chocolate bars, sweets, desserts and sugary breakfast cereals. Fats should make up no more than 35% of the energy in your diet, and saturated fats should comprise less that 11% of the total energy intake. Unhealthy saturated fats are found in full-fat milk, full-fat yogurt, meat, butter and cheese whereas healthy unsaturated fats are found in oily fish, nuts, seeds, olive oil and sunflower oil.

Now-a-days it’s always advised to follow a proper diet chart, which will help you to lose weight easily. A proper diet chart can enhance and improve our metabolism, and can also tackle with digestion problems. If you stick to this diet plan, you are not allowing any fat to get accumulated in your body. Always keep track of your weight, and when you reach your ideal weight, you should always follow the same balanced diet chart in order to maintain it. You should also spend some time in your daily workouts to lose fat, which can be anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour. If you follow these above-given steps, you can always stay fit and healthy.

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