You can undertake the weight loss journey if you are willing to put in the effort and have the patience to see results. You need to not only eat the right food but also need to exert your body by taking part in physical activity.
Instead of following drastic diets such as keto or intermittent fasting, all you need to do is eat right. Let us say your daily calorie requirement is 1500 calories. You can meet this requirement in two ways.
The first is by consuming unhealthy options like two slices of pizza, which have 500 calories, two pieces of gulab jamun, which have nearly 400 calories, and samosas, which have 600 calories. These all add up to less than 1500 calories. However, they aren’t healthy options and will lead to high cholesterol and blood sugar in the future.
If you want to lose weight the right way, you need to follow the second way of consuming the 1500 calories- by following a balanced diet. While doing so, there are a few food groups you need to cover in your diet.
4 Food Groups Essential to Lose Weight
Carbohydrates
The first food group is carbohydrates. They are the primary source of energy, which is why they should constitute half your daily calorie intake. There are healthy and unhealthy carbs. Unhealthy carbs, also known as simple carbohydrates, include biscuits, bread, wheat flour, and white rice while healthy carbs, also known as complex carbohydrates, are high in dietary fibre, slow to digest, and leave you feeling fuller for longer.
Proteins
The second essential food group is proteins, which help your body build and repair tissue, skin, cartilage, and muscles, along with pumping blood. Make sure that 30% of your diet has dals, leafy greens, paneer, milk, chana, sprouts, white meat, and eggs. Ensure you have at least one source of protein with every meal as it helps build muscle, and burn calories.
Fats
The third food group is fats. Fats provide energy, synthesize hormones, and store vitamins, which is why they should constitute 20% of your diet. You must, however, consume healthy fats, which are monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and have Omega-3 fatty acids. It includes rice bran oil, olive oil, mustard oil, groundnut oil, sesame, and soya bean. Make sure to restrict the amount of butter and ghee while staying far away from the trans fats found in fried snacks.
Vitamins, Iron and Calcium
The fourth group comprises Vitamin A, E, B12, D, iron, and calcium, etc., which support metabolism, bone maintenance, nerve and muscle function, and cell production. Make sure to include them in your diet by consuming fruits, green leafy vegetables, nuts, and oilseeds. I would recommend 100 grams of greens and fruits each per day.
Now that you know what food groups need to be included in your diet to lose weight, you should keep the following tips in mind to make more mindful and healthy choices.
Quick Tips to Keep in Mind for Healthy Weight Loss
Following are some of the tips that you should consider to make healthy choices and lose weight in a healthy way:
- Swap unhealthy food with healthier alternatives
- Prepare fresh meals
- Have a proper breakfast to avoid overeating. Eat after 30 mins of waking up
- Have a medium lunch, not too heavy or too light
- Have a light dinner at least two hours before bedtime
- Drink 2 to 3 liters of water every day
- Increase the amount of fiber in your diet by including sprouts, salads, fruits, and vegetables
- Replace buffalos milk with cow’s milk or skimmed milk
- Reduce maida products like Khari, toast, biscuits in your diet
- Reduce processed foods like pickles, ketchup, and papads in your diet
- Reduce the amount of dry and fresh coconut and groundnuts in your diet
- Avoid products that have sugar/honey/jaggery
- Your plate should have ½ fruits and vegetables, ¼th proteins, and ¼th cereal
- Be physically active for 45 minutes every day
- Sleep for 6 to 8 hours every day
- You can cheat on your diet once a week, without going overboard
Keeping these tips in mind, today in this blog, I am going to share one sample diet plan of 1600 kcal. This diet plan can act as a reference for you to follow a healthy and balanced diet. It contains 60g of protein (15% of total calories), 240g of carbohydrates (60% of total calories), and 44g of fats (25% of total calories).
Sample Diet Plan to Lose Weight
When you wake up, have one cup of tea or coffee without cream. Adding 1 tsp of sugar is optional.
Breakfast
For breakfast, you can choose from numerous healthy options. The first is 2 Besan Pancakes, which are 6” in diameter, with sprouts and mint chutney. You can add oats and veggies as per your preference.
The second option is 2 Mixed Flour Thepla, with veggies and unsalted, unsweetened curd. Make the thepla with three egg whites and two chapatis, which are 7” in diameter.
The final option is an egg roll with veggies, made using multigrain chapati. You can also have a meal replacer for convenience. Keep in mind that everything should be cooked in less oil while using a non-stick pan.
Afternoon Snack
Two to three hours after your breakfast, you should have a healthy snack, including one portion of fruits and three walnuts or almonds. You can choose from numerous fruits like apples, pears, pomegranate, guava, watermelon, oranges, sweet lime, papaya, pineapple, and peach.
Make sure to have your lunch between 1 and 2 pm. There are multiple healthy lunch options you can choose from, starting with one bowl of Rajmah Vegetable with two phulkas or one bowl of brown rice, along with Usal or pulse vegetable and unsalted or unsweetened curd or buttermilk.
The second option is one bowl of bean soup with 2 6” parathas. Have this along with one bowl of palak paneer.
The third option is quarter plate spring salad with 150g chicken or fish, grilled or made in onion-based gravy. Have it with two phulkas of 6” diameter or one bowl of brown rice. Do not forget to cook in less oil, using a non-stick pan.
Evening Snack
Your mid-evening snack has several healthy options. You can have one bowl of Roasted Channa/Roasted Soybean/Popcorn. Along with this, you can have one cup of Green Tea/ Lemon Tea/ Lemongrass Tea.
Dinner
The most important thing about dinner is that you should have it as early as 7.30 pm. Have a quarter plate of Moong Salad/Mixed Pulse Salad/ Chickpea Salad with 2 6” phulkas or one bowl of brown rice. Add one bowl of Green Vegetable along with one bowl of unsalted/unsweetened curd or one glass of buttermilk to finish off your meal.
The second option is to have one bowl of Curd Salad with one soup bowl of Dal Khichdi, to which you can add veggies. Another delicious and healthy option is one soup bowl of Celery Soup using 150 gm chicken and two chicken wraps made using 6” multigrain chapattis. Use less oil in a non-stick pan to cook all of the above.
Bedtime
At bedtime, have one cup of Low-fat Milk + Turmeric with no sugar and no cream.
Make sure to keep your oil consumption to 3-4 tsp per person per day or 500 ml/ person in a family/month. The preferred choices of oil are Canola oil, Groundnut oil, Rice bran oil, and Olive oil.
By following this healthy and nutritious diet, you will watch the kgs drop in a healthy way that is good for your body. Give yourself time to get acquainted with the new diet, don’t rush to see the results. Enjoy the entire process and observe the good change in your body and your lifestyle.
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