Most people associate diet plans with weight loss. But that’s not quite the case. A well-defined diet plan is important for many health goals. Yes, it can aid your weight loss. But it can also help you in gaining or regulating your weight. Different people have different body types and hence different health goals. So, today we will go through a professional guide to write a diet plan for anyone.
It might not seem easy, but you can consciously regulate, reduce or increase your weight at will. A well-designed diet plan and the unshaken willpower to stick to it are needed for this. There are no gimmicks, miracles, or magic, only the harsh laws of nature. Just so that you are mentally prepped, let me tell you that it won’t be easy. It will take a lot of time and effort. But by following simple guidelines, you will achieve your goal.
Usually, the nutrition plans are written by a nutritionist or a trainer. But what if we try to write it ourselves? It may seem a bit difficult, but it is actually possible. I will help you write a diet plan that will be effective and understandable for anyone. I’ll tell you the diet plans for losing and gaining weight, whatever your health goal. Let me tell you one more thing. Your health goals are directly related to your BMI (body mass index). Let’s talk about that first.
What Is BMI and How To Calculate It?
BMI is short for ‘Body Mass Index.’ Body mass index takes the proportions of your body to tell you if you have a healthy weight or if you are overweight or underweight. So, it helps you decide what kind of diet you should follow.
It is actually pretty easy to calculate your BMI. You need to divide your weight by your height, and the number you get is your BMI.
BMI = Your current body weight/ Your height (in meter squares)
If your BMI falls between 18.4 – 24.9, then you fall in the healthy weight range. You just need to regulate your weight. If your calculated BMI is less than 18.4, you are underweight and need to gain a few pounds. If your BMI is 24.9, you are overweight and need to shed some pounds.
Steps To Write A Diet Plan For Weight Loss
The diet plans for weight loss and weight gain will be different for obvious reasons. First, let’s see the steps to build a diet plan for weight loss. If you are overweight but want to shed a few pounds, this diet plan strategy may be useful.
Step 1
The normal route most people take for weight loss is counting calories. People just keep track and reduce their calorie number. This approach might work for some people but isn’t actually great. Instead of counting calories, you should count macros. Here’s how you can calculate macros using a macro calculator.
I’ll tell you why. If you are just counting calories, you might not consume the required nutrients or just end up consuming a lot of one. This can make you deficient, and that’s something we need to avoid. If you count macros and consume all the nutrients in the healthy ranges, you’ll lose weight without being nutrient deficient.
Step 2
After you have decided how much to eat, your next step should be what to eat. Wait, let me explain. See, a diet plan is as good as a piece of blank paper if you don’t follow the contents written on it. So, it becomes vital for you to select foods that you like and are willing to eat. No, that doesn’t include fast or junk food. I mean, the food falls under the nutritious and healthy spectrum of any food.
Once you have cherry-picked your likable foods, search for some healthy recipes for your meals. It’d be great if those recipes were also healthy and under your macro calculations. Once you have nailed down all this, you can even have desserts if they are made with healthy ingredients and won’t disturb your macro intake. Isn’t that great!
Step 3
After you have decided how and what to eat, let’s move on to when to eat. You need to plan an eating schedule. Generally, it is a staple to eat your 3 meals every day. But this might not be effective when following a diet plan for weight loss. Instead, you should have small meals or snacks every three to four hours. This will help you feel full even when you are consuming smaller portions. I might have some tips for you regarding that as well.
For breakfast, it is better to consume high-protein foods that’ll keep you fueled through the day. Then, spread your small meals throughout the day. For dinner, try to eat something that fills your tummy. Try eating fiber-rich foods as fibers take longer to break down. This will keep you full for longer so to keep you from the dreaded midnight munchies.
Step 4
After this is done, all you have to do is keep track of what you eat. If you have a fuller meal at one time, adjust your intake accordingly. Also, don’t forget the daily dose of exercise that you need. If you feel like your diet plan doesn’t work, you can always go to a professional nutritionist. But if you follow these diligently, I think these would suffice.
Steps To Write A Diet Plan For Weight Gain
Now that we’ve talked about a weight-loss diet plan, it’s time to move to a weight-gain one. If your BMI is less than 18.4, then you are underweight and need to gain a few pounds. Being underweight is as harmful to your body as being overweight. So, let’s see the steps we need to follow to write a diet plan for weight gain.
Step 1
Your first step towards healthy weight gain is to increase your intake of calories. Yes, pretty much the opposite of a weight loss plan. Start with eating high-calorie foods so, even if you don’t have a big appetite, you meet your required calorie amount.
I may overstep a little and tell you that you should drink milk, the full-fat kind. It would help if you also ate bananas, avocados, mangoes, and other calorie-rich foods.
Step 2
If you are trying to gain weight, remember, carbs are not your enemy. Th catch here is you have to eat healthy carbs. No, you cannot eat junk and fast food. They are the bad guys. Well, you can eat them if your idea of weight gain is a pot-belly (sense the sarcasm).
The good carbs include healthy starchy foods like brown rice, grains, fruits like bananas, and vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, and yams. So, stock on all the good carbs!
Step 3
Another thing you need to add to your diet plan is a lot of protein. I am going to be very textbook and say “Proteins are the building blocks of your body”. So, increasing the protein in your diet might be helpful if you want to gain some muscle. It’d be great if you amp your protein intake to 2 g per kg of your body weight daily.
Step 4
This step is less about food and more about lifestyle. You might not realize it but many factors contribute to your weight. Stress can be an active factor in your weight loss. So, try actively to reduce stress by meditation, breathing exercises, or anything that helps.
You should also try increasing your activity level so that it actively increases your appetite. Squats, lunges, and pushups are great exercises for strength training. Also, I encourage you to complete your sleep needs. By that I mean, get a good night’s sleep.
These are some things that you need to follow to weight gain. I feel like my work here is done. I’ll leave the rest to you.
Final Takeaway
There are many factors to consider when writing a diet plan since nutrition is directly related to health. To draw up a diet of proper nutrition, you need to take into account all your characteristics. There is no one-size-fits-all menu, and no people are alike.
For example, a standard menu is not suitable for a person with gluten intolerance, as it contains it. First, you need to establish what restrictions individual diseases can impose, and, observing them, adjust the menu for yourself. But if you have taken into account all possible restrictions, then our recommendations will also come in handy.
So, this was how you can write a diet plan for anyone. Do tell us in the comments how well you liked this article. I’ll see you next time. Until then, take care!
