Change your healthy food plan

Change general nutrition and lifestyle habits. Adopting a number of simple but significant dietary and behavioral changes can be enough to jump-start weight loss for many people. Combining the suggestions below with your short-term diet plan will enhance your chances of reaching your weight-loss goals faster and maintaining those results in the long-term.

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   Develop a healthy and personalized meal plan. Figure out how much you should be eating by scheduling a consultation with a dietitian or a physician to discuss your weight loss goals, special dietary needs, current eating habits, and potential areas for improvement.
   • Choose meals that have a healthy balance of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and lean proteins. A typical dinner plate should be filled with half vegetables or fruits, half whole grains and lean protein.
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   Plan your meals in advance. This can help you incorporate more nutritious foods into your diet and limit your calorie intake.
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   Determine your daily calorie needs. Your individual calorie needs will vary based on age, gender, height, and activity level. Knowing exactly how much your target daily intake is will help you stick to your diet.
   • Monitor the number of calories and grams of fat you consume each day and try not to exceed USDA guidelines.^[12]
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   Keep a food diary. Write down every meal, snack, and drink you consume as well as the approximate quantities for an entire week.
   • When possible, write down the number of calories in each food you eat as you eat it.
   • Keep in mind that the recommended serving size is often considerably smaller than the serving you actually eat.
   • Don’t forget to include coffee mix-ins, condiments, and other additions to your daily diet.
   • Once you have done this, you should be able to estimate your typical daily calorie intake and compare it to your goal with an online calorie calculator.
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   Identify your food triggers and plan accordingly. Careful planning can help you avoid trigger foods and empty calorie traps you may have identified in your food journal. If you don’t purchase these foods or if you plan meals in advance, you will be less likely to sabotage your diet when pressed for time.
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   Watch your portion sizes. Look for healthy, delicious meal and snack ideas online or in cookbooks, and create a menu for the week. Make a list of what you'll need for these meals, and don't stray from your list when you get to the grocery store. Looking at market circulars can also give you ideas and even cut costs by buying weekly sale items and seasonal produce.
   • Incorporate appropriate portion sizes into your meal plan. For instance, a healthy snack of almonds and dried cranberries can turn into a huge calorie source if you don’t pay attention to quantities. Also, preparing pre-apportioned healthy snacks can help you avoid mindless overeating and can make it convenient to grab a healthy snack.