How To Start On A Low Calorie Diet Plan

Looking for a quick and effortless way to drop a few pounds so that you can fit into that little black dress of your dreams or just to regain your pre-pregnancy figure? There are many diets out there that claim to provide miraculous weight loss results. As a certified dietitian, my professional instinct is to gun them down as non-scientific gibberish. What I personally would recommend if you are looking to lose weight the healthy way is a low calorie diet plan or as some would call it a calorie-controlled diet. This is one of the most well-studied and relatively easy diets that work.

Before I elaborate in depth about the low calorie diet, let’s get the basic terminology right. The term calorie(kcal) refers to a unit of measurement for energy, and more commonly applies to the measurement of energy in food. So what’s with all the hype about calories? Well, we all know that food gives us energy (calories). And our body uses these calories to carry out its daily activities or to fuel our workouts. The problem with most people is they are eating way more calories than they actually need.

Calorie in > Calorie out = Weight gain

Okay now that you understand what causes us to gain weight, follow me though a 3-step plan to help you embark on a low calorie diet plan effectively.

Step 1: Determine your daily calorie requirement

The amount of calories your body needs is a combination of your basic metabolic rate (BMR) and activity level.  So basically anyone can calculate their BMR following the equation below.

Women:
BMR = 655 + (9.6 X weight in kilos) + (1.8 X height in cm) – (4.7 X age in years)

Men:
BMR = 66 + (13.7 X weight in kilos) + (5 X height in cm) – (6.8 X age in years)

To estimate your daily calorie requirement, multiply your BMR using the following table:

Activity Level	Total Daily Calorie Requirement
Sedentary	(BMR x 20 percent) + BMR
Lightly active (You exercise 1-3 times a week)	(BMR x 30 percent) + BMR
Moderately active (You exercise  3-5 times a week)	(BMR x 40 percent) + BMR
Very active (You exercise intensely on a daily basis)	(BMR x 50 percent) + BMR
Extra active (You do hard labor or are in athletic training)	(BMR x 60 percent) + BMR

Now let’s be realistic. Most of us will fall into the category of sedentary of lightly active.  So let me give you an example on how it works.  The estimated calorie requirement for a 47 year old sedentary woman who is 68kg and 163cm tall will be:

BMR = 655 + (9.6 X 68) + (1.8 X 163) – (4.7 X 47) = 1380 kcal

Total daily calorie requirement = (1380 x 0.2) + 1380 = 1656 kcal

Just to give you an idea, a typical western diet provides 3000-3500 kcal a day which is twice the amount that an average woman needs. It is not hard to imagine why the percentage of obese and overweight individuals is steadily increasing every year.

Step 2: Decide on how much you need to cut out from your diet, create a calorie deficit

To lose weight, you need to eat less than what you body needs.  In general, if you are eating 500kcal calories less than what you need daily, you are creating a 3500 kcal deficit per week.

So to put it in simple terms, the lady who requires 1650 kcal will lose approximately 1 pound after a week if she consumes approximately 1150 kcal per day. This is in theory.  I personally do not recommend anyone to consume <1200 kcal per day as this will cause the body to go into ‘energy-saving’  mode and greatly slow down your metabolic rate.

3500kcal deficit = 1 pound of weight loss

If you need to lose 10 pounds, you will need to create a deficit of 35000 kcal. Remember, slow and steady wins the race. Don’t start jumping on the wagon and starve yourself for the entire week to create a 35000kcal deficit.

A healthy weight loss diet is one that helps you lose 1-3 pounds per week

There is no STATIC DIET. What it means is that if the same lady who consumes 3000 kcal per day makes a conscious effort to cut down her calorie intake to 2500kcal daily, she will lose weight. This is because even though she is still consuming more than her actual calorie requirement, her body is reacting favorably to her decreased food intake. Sounds easy in theory? Think again. The hardest part is in the execution.

Step 3: Keep a food diary and determine what needs to be cut out

Keeping a food diary can be very useful. You will find that you are actually consuming a lot more than you imagined (assuming you do not cheat). Okay I admit it is a chore but I guarantee you won’t regret it!

Write down all the food and drinks you consume and the estimated amount (in household measurements e.g. cups or tablespoons etc) over a period of 3 days. Try to be as detailed as possible.  Do include condiments you may consume e.g. salad dressing, sugar). Remember, keep your diet as normal as possible.

There are many internet tools that can then help you estimate the amount of calories you are having based on your food intake. Some calorie count tools which I find useful and pretty close to the real stuff:

http://www.thecaloriecounter.com/

http://www.calorieking.com/foods/

From this activity, you will be able to identify the ‘main culprits’ that are contributing to your weight gain. You will also be able to identify what you can easily eliminate from your diet to create the calorie deficit I was explaining about above.

As with all dietitians, I love to write meal plans. Here is a sample of a nutritionally balanced low-calorie meal plan.

Breakfast:

½ a wholegrain bagel with a thin spread of light cream cheese (300kcal)

1 glass of low fat milk (90kcal)

Mid-morning snack:

1 cup of Low-fat yoghurt (130kcal)

Lunch:

Wholegrain sandwich bread, with a spread of mustard, salad veggies and lean meat (chicken/beef) (350kcal)

1 serving Minestrone soup (150 kcal)

Afternoon snack:

1 serving of fresh fruit (70 kcal)

Dinner:

½ cup of pasta with tomato sauce + 1 palm size grilled meat/fish or chicken OR ½ cup of lean mince (400kcal)

Side salad with fat-free dressing (70 kcal)

1 serving of fresh fruit (70 kcal)

Total Calories: 1630 kcal

Do note that this is just a sample, by no means my prescribed meal plan. If you follow through with the food diary activity and get yourself familiarized with the general calorie content of foods, you would have already known by now what are the high calorie foods that you need to reduce your intake of.

Here are some tips to cut down calories from your diet easily and effortlessly

1)      Switch from a full strength soda to a no-sugar added drink

2)      Use fat-free salad dressing and low fat mayonnaise

3)      Have 2 servings of fresh fruit instead of 2 cups of processed fruit juice

4)      Cut the amount of fat you use in cooking by half

5)      Always choose lean cuts of meat

6)      Reducing your portion sizes by a quarter

7)      Sharing a dessert instead of having the whole thing by yourself

8)      Limiting fried foods to no more than once a week

9)      Switching to low fat dairy products

10)    Limit your alcohol intake

 

The key to a successful low calorie diet plan is consistency. Celebrate small successes in your weight loss by giving yourself a little treat to your favourite dessert. But bear in mind do not over indulge and lose track of your goals. Do not  feel discouraged should you have exceeded your calorie intake for the day. It isn’t what you consume in a day but the cumulative efforts over a period of time that really matters in the battle against the bulges.