Diet for weight loss (with an example of a 1600 kcal menu)

Diet is extremely important for losing weight. It helps you become disciplined and selective in your food choices. The main condition for this mode to be comfortable for you. Why do you think they break loose from rigid diets? Because they are inconvenient. An adequate calorie deficit and a comfortable diet of your favorite healthy foods are the most successful weight loss strategies.

How often should you eat?

Distribution of food throughout the day should be comfortable for you, but a calorie deficit should be observed. The optimal time interval between meals is 3-4 hours.

If you have a lot of excess weight and the calorie deficit of the diet exceeds 1500 kcal, then the best option would be a fractional 5-6 meals a day. If you are a little overweight and have a calorie deficit below 1500 calories, then consider 3-4 meals a day.

People who are overweight often have increased insulin secretion and difficulty controlling appetite, so they will benefit more from a fractional meal. It will allow you to divide your daily calorie intake into a large number of meals, thereby maintaining satiety, normal sugar levels and avoiding overeating. But breaking 1300-1400 calories into 5-6 meals and gorging on tiny portions will not be easy.

What should be breakfast?

Breakfast sets the tone for the day. After a long period of night hunger, the body needs nutrients. The correct composition of breakfast helps to control appetite throughout the day. At night, the body reduces insulin secretion, but now imagine what would happen if you eat a large portion of carbohydrates in the morning – a high glycemic load, a rapid rise in blood sugar, a surge in insulin. The slower carbohydrates are absorbed, the smaller the sugar spike will be. Protein, fats and fiber help slow down the absorption of carbohydrates.

Therefore, breakfast must necessarily contain protein – at least 20 g. This is also due to the fact that the last intake of protein foods was yesterday. When the body does not receive “building material” for a long time, it begins to use internal reserves – to destroy its own muscles.

A full breakfast can be protein-carbohydrate or protein-fat. A protein-carbohydrate breakfast is suitable for people who are most active in the first half of the day. Work on mobile work or exercise. A protein-fat breakfast is suitable for people who are not used to eating in the morning, follow a low-carb diet, or are sedentary in the morning.

Examples of a Successful Breakfast

Protein-carbohydrate breakfast:

• Oatmeal in water with raisins, an omelet made from one whole egg and two proteins;
• Buckwheat porridge on water with chicken breast and vegetables.

Protein-fat breakfast:

• Fried eggs from two eggs and vegetable salad with butter;
• Cottage cheese with berries and nuts.

Take vitamins and a fish oil supplement 10 minutes after breakfast.

What can you eat for a snack?

The purpose of the snack is to maintain a moderate blood sugar level, avoid overeating and discomfort. It should contain proteins and fiber-rich carbohydrates.

Examples of a successful snack:

• Whole grain crispbread with curd cheese;
• Vegetable salad with chicken breast and low-fat cheese;
• Cottage cheese with berries or fruit;
• Vegetable sticks and Greek yogurt sauce.

What should lunch be like?

Lunch is the largest meal of the day. By lunchtime, you have already worked up an appetite, so the main task is not to overeat and ensure long-term satiety. Choose complex carbohydrates, proteins and vegetables for it. If you eat first courses, then consider the amount of carbohydrates in them. For example, mashed pea soup has a lot more carbs than a light vegetable soup without potatoes. You shouldn’t add an extra carbohydrate serving to it. Aim for 20-30 grams of protein, 10-15 grams of fat, and 30-40 grams of carbohydrates. Remember, you have to fit within the framework of your balanced CBJU.

Examples of a Successful Lunch

With the first course:

• Pea puree soup, skinless chicken drumstick, fresh vegetable salad with butter;
• Borscht with potatoes, bran or whole grain toast, vegetable stew with lean meat.

Without first course:

• Brown rice with chicken and vegetables;
• Buckwheat porridge with baked lean fish and vegetable salad;
• Durum wheat pasta with lean meat and fresh vegetables.

Nutrition before and after training

Most people exercise after work, but not everyone has time to eat before exercise and make the big mistake of going to the gym hungry. Fatigue accumulated during the day and low blood sugar levels due to a long interval without food will prevent you from doing an intense exercise. If you are doing strength training in the gym or with a barbell and dumbbells at home, then you need to eat 1,5 hours or have a light snack 30 minutes before the start. If you’re doing cardio or video at home, you don’t need to take a pre-workout snack.

Examples of pre-workout meals

If it is possible to eat normally in 1,5 hours:

• Baked potatoes and baked lean fish with vegetables;
• Whole grain or bran bread sandwich with chicken fillet and herbs.

If you can have a snack in 30-40 minutes:

• Sweet and sour fruit (apple, orange, pineapple, pear, or berries) and Greek yogurt
• Sweet and sour fruit and protein serving.

If you’re hungry before cardio, you can grab some fast-digesting proteins in 30 minutes:

• A serving of whey protein;
• Egg whites.

After training, you need to eat within an hour. If you go home right away, then it is enough just to have dinner, but if after training you have some appointments and the next meal will not take place soon, then you should drink a portion of protein. You will satisfy physiological hunger and create favorable conditions for muscle recovery.

What should be dinner like?

The ideal dinner is light, since most people are inactive in the evenings and spend it at home. An exception may be people who are forced to wake up at night by a light dinner and sweep all the contents of the refrigerator. Nutritionists recommend such people to make a light breakfast, but a hearty dinner within the framework of the daily calorie content. The composition of a standard dinner is protein and carbohydrates from vegetables.

Examples of a Successful Dinner

• Moderate-fat baked fish and blanched vegetables;
• Braised liver and stewed vegetables with butter;
• Omelet and vegetable salad.

What can you eat before bed?

The last meal should take place no later than two hours before bedtime. Choose light protein-rich foods. For a late snack, fermented milk products are ideal, which during a night of hunger will take care of your muscles and intestinal microflora.

Examples of Successful Late Bites

• A glass of kefir 1%;
• A glass of natural unsweetened yogurt 1-2%;
• A portion of low-fat cottage cheese.

You can add stevia-based sweetener, vanilla, cocoa, bran or fiber to kefir, cottage cheese or yogurt, but it is better to refrain from fruits, honey and sugar.

Example of a 1500-1600 Calorie Diet

Let’s take a look at what a 1500 calorie diet might look like. You can adjust it according to your calorie and BJU needs.

• Breakfast: 50 g of oatmeal, 15 g of raisins, an omelet made from 1 whole egg and 2 proteins, 50 g of skim milk.
• Snack: apple, 100 g of cottage cheese 5%.
• Lunch: 150 g of buckwheat porridge, one chicken drumstick without skin, 120 g of fresh vegetable salad with oil.
• Pre-workout: 40g whole grain bread, 85g chicken breast, non-starchy vegetables and greens.
• Dinner: 120 g of lean fish, 150 g of stewed cabbage with butter.
• Late snack: a glass of kefir 1%.

Total: 1568 calories, 131 g protein, 56 g fat, 142 g carbs.

Note that a small serving of protein is present in every meal. Protein has a high thermal effect – during digestion, you spend up to 20% of its calories. It slows down the absorption of carbohydrates, prevents spikes in blood sugar, and helps control feelings of fullness.

You can adjust the examples of meals and the final menu to suit your needs in your Personal Account. All you need to do is choose your favorite healthy foods and the right serving size.

For those who have read the article to the end – a bonus – examples of food rations for KBZhU.