Most of the fad diets out there can make losing weight a challenge. But eating right doesn't have to be so tedious. Most of us are so busy that we rarely have time to prepare our food, let alone shop for new items that we intend to put in our new diet. So, the best way to revamp our diet is to do it gradually. Here's a diet plan that you can easily follow and prepare for each week.
Step 1
Week 1: Hydrate! You should make sure that you are drinking enough water everyday. "Enough water" means that you should drink around 236 mL (or eight 8-ounce glasses of water) to approximately two liters of water a day. And, if you are a bit overweight, you should drink an extra 29.5 mL (or one 8-ounce glass of water) for every 25 pounds of excess weight that you have.
Why? Since water plays an important role in all our metabolic processes, making sure that you have enough water in your body can boost your metabolism. It can also help you lose weight by flushing unwanted toxins in your body through your urine. Even better, because consuming enough water can help your kidney function efficiently, your liver doesn't have to do some of its work, allowing it to metabolize more fat.
Skipping the short lecture on physiology, water can help you suppress your appetite. Sometimes, we do tend to overeat because we confuse thirst with hunger. So, for the first week of your revamp, you should remember to hydrate. Always keep a bottle of water near you so that you can take a few sips when you feel "hungry." Chances are a few sips of water will satiate your "hunger." But, if you still feel like you need some food after taking a drink, then you are really hungry. And, if you feel that water is boring, you can always spice things up by adding lemon and mint to your water.
Step 2
Week 2: Eat a lot of soup! Putting some soup in your diet can help you lose weight by controlling your appetite. By eating some soup before your lunch and dinner, you will feel satiated faster, lessening the food that you take in. Also, eating some soup is better than snacking on a burger. Think of the calories that you can save! Of course, this doesn't mean that you should take in any type of soup. You should stay away from soups that are filled with cream, MSG or sodium. Stick to low-calorie and low-fat soups made from leeks, organic vegetable broth, pumpkin or asparagus.
For the second week, your goal is to make sure that you eat soup before eating your lunch or dinner. Taking it in as a snack can be helpful for your diet. Of course, you shouldn't forget to drink a lot of water.
Step 3
Week 3: Get some fiber into your diet. Fiber can help you curb your appetite by keeping you full longer. It can also help you cleanse toxins from your body, allowing it to function more efficiently. Lastly, it can even regulate your sugar levels because it has a low glycemic index, preventing sugar crashes that may cause you to crave more sugar to energize yourself.
For your third week, you can start your day with a bowl of high-fiber cereals (like muesli) and low-fat milk or a bowl of oatmeal. Make sure that you don't end up eating cereals with a high amount of sugar. You can also start an apple diet. Many people have claimed that eating an apple before every meal not only curbs your appetite but gives you the extra dose of fiber and Vitamin C that you need. By the way, do you know that Vitamin C is actually one of the items in an anti-cellulite diet?
Of course, included in your third week is drinking a lot of water and soup. By eating an apple and drinking some soup before your meal, you can definitely lessen your intake of your main course (which usually contains the bulk of your calories). Perhaps this is the reason why Europeans who have fruits and cheese as an appetizer and a bowl of soup before a meal never seem to gain weight. And, when you've grown tired of snacking on soup, you can always get some more apples.
Step 4
Week 4: Add some more vegetables in your diet. Not only do vegetables contain nutrients that can help fight disease or keep your complexion beautiful, they also contain fiber which can help you feel full without packing in a lot of calories. For this week, you can promise yourself to eat one serving of fresh vegetables and add some cooked veggies to your other meals. Perhaps you can try having some fresh vegetables with your soup and apple before you go to bed. You can even add some tuna to your salad. Adding some protein to your veggies can help you feel full longer. This would definitely help you lose a lot of weight since we are less active at nighttime. And, when you need to snack, you can have an apple, some carrot sticks, a bowl of soup or a salad.
So, for this week, you goal is to start your day with a high-fiber breakfast, a lunch that consists of an apple, a bowl of soup and a main course with vegetables and a light dinner that consists of an apple, a bowl of soup and a salad. If you think that's too light for your dinner, add some tuna to your salad or drink a glass of milk or have a serving of yogurt. By the end of the week, you should notice a change in your weight and complexion.
Step 5
Week 5: Fish or white meat instead of red meat. For this week, you can replace your red meat with fish or white meat. Of course, fish is better since it has some good fats that you need to keep your skin healthy. White meat, on the other hand, has less fat than red meat. So, for this week, you have to make sure that the meat you eat for lunch is less in fat. And, you also need to continue the routine that you've begun in the past weeks.
Of course, this doesn't mean that you will give up red meat forever. You just need to lessen your consumption of red meat. Perhaps this is something you can savor on special occasions or when you are in the mood to celebrate.
Step 6
Week 6: Fruit for your sweet tooth or learn to share. It's really difficult to get rid of your sweet tooth. Even I have this incurable craving for chocolates. What you can do this week is to train your body to appreciate other sweets like fruits. Maybe you can substitute a fruit cup for that brownie you usually have after your meal. But, if you really can't let go of your sweets because they taste good with your coffee, the best thing that you can do is split it with your friend or save it for later or tomorrow. Cutting down your intake of sweets can definitely take out a lot of your weight.
After you've finished the whole six weeks, all you have to do is maintain the diet that you've grown into. At some point, picking up the right food can become effortless and unconscious because you've already trained your body to crave or reach for the right stuff. Even better, by now, you have surrounded yourself with the right types of food. And, in order to keep your new diet, you should learn how to experiment. What I'm saying is that there are many types of soups, salads and fish dishes out there. So, don't get stuck with the same dish everyday. You'll be so bored you might end up losing your revamped diet.