Diet Plans For Women: What Females Need To Know About Weight Loss

What Is A Diet Plan?

The word "diet" is pretty ambiguous — many people associate the word with having to cut foods out and restrict the foods you might enjoy. But the word diet simply refers to the foods you consume on a daily basis, and because the word is so closely linked with "short term fixes" women tend to shy away from eating healthily and resorting to the short fixes. 

Although these types of diets appear to be easy options they are actually training the body to work under starvation or extreme conditions that you cant sustain. Therefore it is much more effective to try and simply eat healthily and try to exercise more if you are trying to lose weight. There are a few common mistakes that a lot of women make when trying to promote weight loss.

Counting Calories

The most obvious method of trying to lose weight is to try and count the amount of calories that you consume on a daily basis. This is a great way to get a more visual indication of how much you eat but how do you know what is the right amount. The biggest mistake people make is to use a general number plucked from an article or website that is considered the "average" but this can be dangerous and lead to under nutrition or even causing weight gain.

You have to calculate the appropriate number of calories your body consumes and using a calorie equation online will actually give you an estimate based on your current weight, age and activity status. The more active you are the more calories you need to sustain normal day to day life and cutting down too much can be more dangerous than over eating.

READ Easy Ways to Reduce Your Portions: Cut Calorie Intake and Lose Weight

Check Your Portion Size

Knowing what foods to eat and how many calories you require to lose weight is the first step towards weight loss but if you are not aware of the correct portion size then this can put all of your hard work at risk. On a diet plan or healthy eating program you should be shown or indicated how much of each part of your dinner you should be serving up.

The carbohydrate section should be the smallest portion of about 20 percent and the protein about 30 percent. Again this can vary depending on the meal but as long as protein is high and you eat plenty of vegetables it is a good meal. Usually carbohydrate portions should be about the size of your fist as a guide.

Weight Loss Dining Out Options

The biggest challenge that women face when on a diet plan is eating out. Many think they cant go out with friends and indulge in a meal being cooked by someone else when they are trying to lose weight but this isn't the case. There is absolutely nothing wrong with eating out occasionally as long as you make good choices. Being on a diet or healthy eating plan doesn't restrict you from anything but it should make you think about what you order.

For example a simple swap is from regular fries to sweet potato fries, which are a bit healthier for you. But you should also try and avoid foods that are deep fried or battered because this is what houses a high fat content. Ask for a side salad or side of vegetables instead of a carb-rich side like mash. The reason mashed potato can be a risky choice is because you cannot see how much butter/milk is being used which increases the fat content.

One other thing to be aware of when ordering out is the temptation to order salad thinking this will be the healthiest option. This is often a red herring because some salads have a lot of sauce and dressings, which are very high in fat content. A good thing to ask is to have the sauce on the side so you can add a smaller amount then they may serve it with. Also make sure your salad has a protein element like fish, meat or similar to keep you feeling fuller for longer.

Don't Eliminate Anything Completely

The biggest mistake I come across from women who want to diet and lose weight is the fact they have to cut certain foods out. when you look at your diet you should highlight things you can cut down on but I never advise to completely cut out any particular food. As soon as you tell yourself you cannot have something the body will naturally crave it.

Enjoying a piece of cake once a week or having a takeaway every couple of weeks will not stop you losing weight. When you restrict yourself its natural to crave it more and that leads to you probably eating it more than you would normally or attaching an element of guilt towards certain foods which isn't healthy. Allow yourself to eat the foods you like but just remember you cant enjoy them every day if you want to lose weight!

READ Can You Eat More And Still Lose Weight? Portion Size, Energy Density And Weight Loss

Choose Better Snacks

Snacks are a killer for most people, myself included. The afternoon slump after lunch about 3-4pm when your mid afternoon and starting to feel tired and ready to finish work is one of the most common times that people turn to unhealthy snacks. It is important to try and control what snacks you have by replacing unhealthy chocolate bars with fruit or even protein bars.

Planning your day's food in advance is a good way to stop yourself heading to the vending machine and making the wrong choices so take plenty of healthy snacks with you to the office. But remember that sometimes that walk out of the office to the machine is beneficial so get up and take a walk around while enjoying your afternoon snack because this will also boost the metabolism and stop you turning to those unhealthy snacks!