A Daily Eating Plan for Weight Loss

Do you feel a bit of resistance about traditional diet plans? If so, you may be looking for a more relaxed approach to healthy weight loss. But without a diet, how do you know what to eat and when, while still being able to lose weight?

The following tips will provide a sample “snapshot” of a daily eating plan for weight loss. Keep in mind that this just an example and you may want to adjust it to better suit your own needs and goals:

1) Breakfast is important.

The first thing to keep in mind each day is that breakfast is a very important meal. It helps your body wake up and gets your metabolism going again after being at rest all night long. Good choices for breakfast foods are those that contain complex carbohydrates for immediate fuel, plus lean protein and a small amount of fat for energy and satisfaction. Half of a whole grain bagel with cream cheese or peanut butter is a good choice, as is yogurt with granola, or even one egg and some fruit.

See: Yummy Breakfast Alternative — High Protein Pancakes

2) Eat a mid-morning snack.

Two to three hours after your breakfast, you’ll probably start to feel hungry again, and it’s important to eat a little something to keep your energy up. Vegetables are a great choice because they are high in fiber, filling, and low in calories. Bring a small container of chopped raw veggies to work with you and snack on them when you feel hungry. You can even include a smaller container of low-fat salad dressing or salsa to dip them in.

See: 7 Healthy Snacks to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth

3) Lunch is also important.

Another two to three hours after that snack, you’ll probably start feeling hungry for lunch, so you’ll want to eat something that contains protein, healthy fat, and complex carbs. How about a sandwich with lean chicken or turkey meat, chopped raw vegetables, and mustard or hummus? You can even slice some avocado on there, or drizzle extra virgin olive oil and vinegar for added fat and flavor. Also add a serving or two of fruit.

See: Lighten Up at Lunchtime and Lose Weight

4) Mid-afternoon snack.

Since your lunch was probably satisfying you may not be as hungry for your afternoon snack, so you can have something small like one piece of fruit, or a small container of yogurt, or even some more vegetables. Just a little something to keep you from getting too hungry before dinner.

See: How Eating More Often Can Help You Eat Less

5) Dinner time.

For dinner you’ll want to include more lean protein like fish, chicken, turkey, or beef (beans or tofu if you are a vegetarian), as well as complex carbohydrates like brown rice or whole grain bread, and generous servings of vegetables (raw or cooked). If you want dessert, a baked apple with a few nuts and cinnamon sprinkled on top is delicious and satisfies that sweet tooth.

See: How to Put Together a Meal Plan

6) Evening snack.

If you want an evening snack, you probably still have room in your calorie count to eat another small piece of fruit, or perhaps some air-popped popcorn.

Who knew you could eat so much and still lose weight? It’s all about eating smaller portions, eating more frequently, and eating good quality foods.

Again, this is a very generic plan – you should alter it to better suit your own lifestyle and weight loss goals. This at least provides a good starting point for how a healthy eating weight loss plan might look each day. You’ll also want to change it up each day – don’t eat the same things day after day or you’ll get bored. Make a long list of healthy foods you love so you can easily substitute different fruits, vegetables, protein, dairy, carbohydrate and fat sources.

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