Starting The 1000 Calorie Diet: Tips |
1. Pay Great Attention to Nutrition
There are a lot of types of this diet and the most common types are the 1000 calorie low carbohydrate meals, the 1000 calorie low fat meals and the 1000 calorie high protein diet. Forget about all of these! The 1000 calorie carbohydrate meals diet lacks the carbs that will energize you, the 1000 calorie low fat meals eliminates all fats, including the healthy omega-3 and omega-6, and the 1000 calorie high protein diet is high in protein and lacks other nutrients.
Eating only 1000 calories a day will surely make you lose pounds but you may harm your health. Therefore, eat all the nutrients and pay great attention to nutrition. There is simply no room for sneaky calories such as added sugars, sugary drinks, processed foods and alcohol. Count your carbs wisely and stay healthy.
2. Don't Cheat
In all weight loss programs, the recommended number of meals per day is five which means that apart from breakfast, lunch and dinner, you can eat two snacks. The snacks should be consumed in mid-morning and mid-afternoon and they usually include nuts and fruits.
Each snack shouldn't have more than 50 calories. When you do the math your three main meals will have 900 calories, 300 calories per meal.
Although you need to count the daily calories, you can rearrange them as you like. However, it is very important that you don't cheat. Don't make excuses and don't eat anything that was not planned. After all, this diet should last for only two weeks and you are the one who wants to lose those pounds fast. It may not be easy but do your best to stay disciplined and focused and all the effort will pay out.
Even though you desperately want to lose a couple of pounds, don't ever do anything that will jeopardize your health. Some people opt for the fat 1000 calorie a day diet plan, temporarily lose a few pounds and end up with a bunch of health problems.
It is crucial that you stay away from fad 1000 diet programs and stick to a healthy program. The fad 1000 calorie a day diet consists of only one or two foods from the food pyramid.
That means that your body would lack the required nutrients from the other three or four food groups. The probable side effects of a low nutrient diet are not something you would want to deal with. All the nutrients from the pyramid need to be consumed on a daily basis, even if you are on a very low-calorie diet.
4. Sample 1000 Calorie A Day Diet Meals
Although this diet is pretty drastic, it is possible to eat healthy and tasty foods. Since every single calorie's nutritional value counts, make sure to make the most of your meals.
Sample meals might include a 1/2 cup serving of oatmeal with almond milk for breakfast, a green salad with 3 oz of chicken breast for lunch and a 1-cup serving of whole grain pasta with marinara sauce for dinner, according to Livestrong website. Snacks can include fresh fruits and vegetables or a 1/2 oz serving of nuts, Drinks include water, black tea and coffee without sugar.
Another sample meal from Weightlossresources website might Include 2 small slices of wholemeal bread and a small banana, 200ml glass of orange juice for breakfast, 1 wholemeal roll (45g) filled with 70g tuna and 10g reduced calorie mayonnaise, mixed salad of 50g lettuce, 50g red or yellow sweet peppers and 10g spring onions for lunch and 70g roast chicken breast without skin, 80g mashed potatoes with 30ml semi-skimmed milk, 60g steamed or bolled broccoli, 50g boiled carrots and 100ml gravy made from granules for dinner. As far as snacks go, they recommend 100g pot of low fat fruit yogurt in the morning, and 28g of lower fat crisps in the afternoon.
Starting The 1000 Calorie Diet: Tips |
5. What Should I Eat For Breakfast?
Some experts say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and we agree that it should be healthy and nutritious enough to give you the much-needed morning boost. Even though you are paying extra attention to the calorie intake, that doesn't mean that you can't prepare a delicious meal that contains a little more than 200 calories.
A good breakfast menu might include 1 whole wheat English muffin (120 kcal), 1 pat butter (36) and 1 cup of fruit (74). Opt for tea or coffee without sugar. If you crave sweets, a banana smoothie might just save the day. The ingredients are (blend together) 1/2 cup (8 oz.) plain, low-fat yogurt (77), 1 tsp honey (16), 1/2 banana (50), 1 cup fresh/frozen berries (97), 1 tbsp. flaxseeds (55), and 1/2 cup water.
6. What Should I Eat For Lunch?
Research has shown that almost one half of working Americans skip lunch on a regular basis and use their lunch time to do everything else instead of actually eating. This is something that cannot happen to you when you are on a very low-calorie diet. Firstly, your body is already running on low.
Additionally, skipping lunch may result in overeating at some point during the evening. The meals we recommend are easy to make and don't require a lot of skill or time.
For instance, you might eat one toasted wheat bread, scrambled egg, 1/2 ounce shredded low-fat cheese 2 slices wheat bread, 2 ounces lean meat, sliced tomatoes, onions, and olives.
Another option is to make a scrambled egg on toast. The ingredients include 1 large egg (72), 1 tbsp. fat-free milk (11), 1 slice whole wheat bread (70) and 1/2 oz. low-fat shredded cheddar cheese (25). You could also eat 1 large tossed salad with 2 tbsp. dressing (100), 1/2 cup of tunaw/.5 oz. lite mayo (135), 1 cup of low-fat wheat thin crackers (130) and 12 ounces of diet soft drink (0).
7. What Should I Eat For Dinner?
People who want to lose weight usually tend to skip dinner without realizing its Importance.
Since you aren't going to eat anything for another 8 to 10 hours, your body needs the essential nutrients in order to continue functioning properly. And when you're on the 1000 calorie a day diet, your body needs all the nutrients it can get. One of your dinners might include 2 ounces shredded chicken breast, 6 cherry tomatoes, a cup of shredded lettuce, a slice of onion and one tablespoon low fat dressing.
You can also eat one flour tortilla, a cup lettuce, 75 calories rice, and half cup beans.
If you miss your old food and feel like you don't have enough energy to continue, try making a hamburger.
The required ingredients are 4 oz. very lean ground beef (149), 1 tbsp. ketchup (15), 1 small grated carrot (21), 1/2 finely chopped onion (24), 1 egg white, beaten (72), 2 cups lettuce, shredded (10), 1/2 cup cucumber, sliced (8) and 1 tomato, sliced (16). Mix the ground beef, grated carrot, onion and ketchup together and form into patty. Dry-fry or barbecue, and serve with salad.