How To Create A Weight Loss Food Plan in 5 Easy Steps

Personal Trainer in St. Petersburg Reveals How To Create A  Healthy Weight Loss Plan in 5 Easy Steps

It’s Day 4 of your challenge and you’re almost through your detox.  Take a moment to give yourself a big high 5 and be proud of all you have accomplished so far.

Even if you weren’t perfect, you are leaps and bounds ahead of everyone who is still “wishing” they could lose weight or waiting for the next miracle diet and that is something to be incredibly proud of.  Our group training members lose 3 – 9 pounds of belly bloat and crud and set the foundation for 20, 30 plus pounds and bodies they didn’t ever think they would see again (or at all) . If you’ve stayed on track the past  3 days then you’ve gotten past the hard part and your momentum will carry you the rest of the way and beyond.

If you haven’t yet sent me an update email, do so right now.

Checking in will help to keep you accountable but more importantly, I can give you personalized strategies for your particular challenges.

Simply email me at dianne@mypersonalfitnesscoach.com  with the subject line re: day 4 check-in and I’ll help coach you along.

BE SURE TO BOOK MARK THIS PAGE FOR EASY ACCESS TO ALL OF YOUR MATERIALS~

Here we go!

Onto the next step.  How to actually achieve the results you deserve without starving, doing hours of cardio or excluding your favorite foods.

If you have read any of my other posts or know someone who has gone through one of our weight loss programs  you know  we do not count calories , restrict food groups or eliminate “bad foods” here at Fitness St Pete/Tierra Verde Fitness.

That said, if you want to learn how to eat smarter not less, you  should have a basic idea of what your body needs to reach your goals in order to be sure you are eating enough to fuel your body’s needs, avoid starvation and binge eating and, of course, be more easily able to identify when you are eating from habit not hunger.

The whole goal is to know what you need, eat the most nutrient dense foods available  80% of the time and use the other 20% for eating or drinking and enjoying a social life!

STEP 1:  Calculate your BMR (Base Metabolic Rate) 

This is an approximation of calories your body needs to survive each day with minimal activity. Our female clients generally use 1200 – 1500 to lose weight and males 1800 – 2500 . If you are on an exercise program or have an active job, these are safe guidelines to use without calculating your specific numbers.   Generic calculations do NOT take into account the science used behind our “eat smarter” philosophy and tend to under estimate caloric needs.

There are hundreds of online calculators to calculate BMR  and caloric needs.  We have a community on myfitness pal. You can go HERE  to calculate your BMR  and feel free to look us up (dianne@mypersonalfitnesscoach.com) and request to join us.

If you prefer to do it by hand, want to know how they are calculated  or just like to geek out with numbers we use the  Mifflin St. Jeor Equation

For men: BMR = 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (years) + 5

For women: BMR = 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (years) – 161

 STEP 2:  Apply an activity factor to determine your total daily energy (calorie) expenditure 

The only factor omitted is lean body mass. Leaner bodies need more calories than less lean ones. This equation will be fairly accurate for all but the very muscular (will under-estimate calorie needs).

If you are sedentary:(little or no exercise) : BMR x 1.2

If you are lightly active: (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : BMR x 1.375

If you are moderately active: (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : BMR x 1.55

If you are very active: (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : BMR x 1.725

If you are extra active: (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : BMR x 1.9

EX: If you are sedentary, multiply your BMR (1745) by 1.2 = 2094. This is the total number of calories you need in order to maintain your current weight.

 STEP 3: Determine Your Energy Needs Based on Your Goal

If you want to maintain your weight without making any changes or simply want to reshape your body:  skip straight to step 4

If you want to gain  weight or need extra calories for endurance sports:  add 500 – 1000 calories

If you want to lose weight and body fat: subtract 500 calories. (Don’t fool yourself into thinking cutting more will enable you to lose fat faster, You  can read  “Why Counting Calories Is Making You Fat“ to learn why this is a sure fire way to gain your weight back plus a few)

STEP 4:  Pick Your Calories & Find Your Corresponding Exchanges on this exchange sheet. 

This will teach you how much of what you need each day and how much actually equals a serving.

As mentioned, the list represents THE MOST nutrient dense foods (highest fiber, vitamins and/or protein) foods in each category. This is called eating smarter. The closest you can stick to the foods on this list, the faster you will lose belly fat and bloat.

NOTE: Calories   1200 (this should only be used for calorie staggering purposes and not as a continuous daily intake)

 Step 5:  Build Your Fat Blasting Menus 

Exchange List w/Corresponding Calories 

 Create Your Own Healthy Meals Additional Foods and Exchanges

Create Your Own Healthy Meals Weekly Meal Planner  (single page PDF you can print and write on)

Create Your Own Healthy Meals Weekly Planner (double page word doc you can cut and paste from other menus and shopping lists)

15 Member Favorite Flat Belly Recipes
Bonus Recipes

For a step by step guide on putting it all together check out How To Prepare 15 Healthy Meals In Under 60 Minutes  , Meal  Prep Guide Committed To Your Success & Awesomeness,

Dianne Villano, The Fitness & Transformation  Expert for your over 50 body

Fitness St. Pete 

P.S. Hearing from our readers is one of the best parts of my day. Drop a comment if you have any questions or come join us in our FREE Facebook Community St Pete & Tierra Verde’s Fit Over 50. Just click HERE to join.

P.P.S. Have You Met Mike ? This over 55  hard charger  took control of his food, body and health after years at a desk left him overweight and unhealthy! You can check out the inspiring story of his mind and body transformation HERE