Create Your Weight Loss Diet Plan

Your daily calorie maintenance level is the key number in creating your weight loss diet plan. It is based on many factors and is specific to each person. For example, you and your friend might be the same height and weight, but you might have maintenance levels that are hundreds of calories apart. Since the effectiveness of your weight loss diet plan depends a lot on this number, it is important that you figure it out as accurately as possible.

For the most part there are really only 2 methods of figuring out this "magic" number. The first is pretty close to accurate, and the second is as accurate as can be.

1. Here's the method for getting the "pretty close estimate" of your calorie maintenance level. It requires putting your gender, weight, height, age and activity level through a 6th grade level math formula. However, I have assumed that no one actually wants to sit around doing 6th grade math. I was right, wasn't I? So, I've included a calculator for it instead. All you need to do now is just fill out the quick form below and hit "Calculate!" and you will instantly get your estimated calorie maintenance level. Go ahead and try it...

Your gender: Male Female

Your height: 12345678 feet 01234567891011 inches

Your weight: pounds

Your age: years old

Your activity level: SedentaryLightly ActiveModerately ActiveVery ActiveExtremely Active



Your estimated daily calorie maintenance level is:



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2. While the above method is probably accurate enough for most people (it was actually very close for me), I can't say for sure if it will be as accurate for everyone. And, since this is the number that will be at the heart of your weight loss diet plan, I'm going to mention the second method. It's not so much a "method" as it is a "test."

Basically, you would start eating a certain number of calories each day and then closely monitor what your weight does when consuming this many calories. For example, if you maintained weight eating this certain number calories per day, you have found your maintenance level. If you gained weight, lower your calorie intake a little and see what happens then. If you lose weight, then you know you're already below your calorie maintenance level.

If you want to give method #2 a try, I'd suggest using your current calorie intake as the number of calories to start the "test" on. To figure this number out, pick a day and eat like you normally would. The only difference is you will be keeping track of the number of calories in everything you consume. At the end of the day add it all up. Do this for a few days and then take an average of all the days. This average is the average amount of calories you are currently taking in each day and would make a perfect starting point for method #2.

Which method you decide to use is up to you. Feel free to use both, by the way.

Create your weight loss diet plan.
Now that you know what your daily calorie maintenance level is, it's time to officially create your weight loss diet plan.

To do this, just subtract 500 from your calorie maintenance level.

For example, if you figured your maintenance level to be 3000 calories per day, you would now start eating 2500 calories per day instead. It's really as easy as it sounds. Just subtract 500 from your daily maintenance level and then start eating this new amount of calories each day. By doing so, you would officially be in a calorie deficit. And, as you know, a calorie deficit is what makes weight loss happen.

You're also going to want to try to eat 5-6 smaller meals per day (once every 2-3 hours) and spread those calories out evenly among them. There are three reasons for eating 5-6 smaller meals instead of 1-3 big meals or just randomly throughout the day. The first is that it will help speed up your metabolism. The second is that eating so frequently will help keep you satisfied and less likely to eat something you shouldn't. The third is that you will be supplying your body with the nutrients it needs consistently throughout the day.

All that's left to do now as far as your weight loss diet plan goes is make sure that the calories you are consuming each day are coming from the right food sources...

Protein
Protein isn't just an important part of The Lose Weight diet, it's an important part of every diet. As far as food sources go, the best sources of protein tend to come from anything that used to be alive, or anything that came from something that used to be alive. Some high protein foods include:

chicken
fish
lean cuts of meat
turkey
eggs and egg whites
milk

Protein can also be found in all types of nuts, seeds and beans. And of course, there are always protein supplements in the form of powder, shakes and bars.

As far as how much protein you should include in your weight loss diet plan per day, that depends on the person. For example, the average person who doesn't exercise at all needs less protein than someone who does. Something in the range of 0.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight would be alright in this case. For example, if the person weighed 180lbs, you would do 180 x 0.5 = 90 grams of protein per day.

However, someone who does exercise should eat somewhere in the range of .6 - 1.0 grams of protein per pound of body weight. In this example a person weighing 180lbs would look to eat between 108 - 180 grams of protein per day. People really into weight training (and other athletes) are typically the ones who stay closer to the higher end of that equation.

The only other thing you need to know about protein is that 1 gram contains 4 calories. So, for example, if you were to eat 100 grams of protein per day, that would account for 400 calories. (100 x 4 = 400)

Fat
Despite any crazy ideas that have been put into your head, there are 2 different types of fat. Good fat (polyunsaturated and monounsaturated) and bad fat (saturated and trans). Bad fat can be found in all of the usual junk foods that you already know you shouldn't eat. Good fat on the other hand can be found in the following foods:

fish
nuts
olive oil
flax seed oil supplement
fish oil supplement (I personally use and recommend this brand.)

As for how much fat should be included in your weight loss diet plan... about 30% of your total calorie intake should come from fat. Most (if not all) of this fat should come in the form of the "good" food sources listed above. Very little (if any) should come from the "bad" sources.

Also keep in mind that 1 gram of fat contains 9 calories. So, for example, if you needed to eat 80 grams of fat per day, that would account for 720 calories.
(80 x 9 = 720)

Carbs
Now that you know how much protein and fat your weight loss diet should include, it will be pretty easy to figure out how many carbs you should eat. Quite simply, the rest of your diet should be carbs. Once you factor protein and fat into your total calorie intake, whatever calories are left over to reach the number of calories you figured you need to eat per day... those calories should come from carbs.

One carb contains 4 calories. So, for example, after factoring protein and fat into what you calculated your total calorie intake should be (500 below maintenance level, remember?), let's say you are 1200 calories below that number. In this example you would need to eat 300 carbs per day. (1200 ÷ 4 = 300)

And, just like fat, there is a good type of carbs you should eat (complex carbs), and a bad type of carbs you should try to limit as much as possible (simple carbs). Some sources of "good" carbs are:

beans
brown rice
100% whole wheat bread
whole wheat pasta
sweet potatoes
oatmeal
fruits and vegetables

The bad type of carbs are found in typical snack/junk foods like crackers, pretzels, chips, cookies, etc. as well as white bread, white rice, white potatoes, pasta and any candy, drink or food containing sugar. While you should try to limit these "bad" carbs as much as possible and get most of your carb intake from foods on the "good" list, eating a baked potato or some pasta once in a while won't kill you.

Remember...
Remember, the most important part of The Lose Weight Diet is making sure you are 500 calories below your calorie maintenance level. Everything you just read about protein, fat and carbs was to give you an idea of how to divide those calories up so that your weight loss diet plan is as balanced as possible. The guidelines mentioned aren't just ideal for weight loss, they're also ideal for good health in general.

The end of Phase 2 of The Lose Weight Diet
You have reached the end of Phase 2. Right now you should not only know how to lose weight, but you should also know exactly what your specific weight loss diet plan should be so YOU can lose weight. You know how many calories you need to eat, and you know where those calories should come from. For the most part, you're done. Take a breath. It's a good feeling, isn't it?

All that's left now is some final information to not only make sure you continue losing weight, but to make sure you keep the weight off once it's gone. That's what Phase 3 will explain. Also, any questions that may have popped into your head during Phase 1 and 2 (for example, how do you know how many calories/protein/carbs/fat are in certain foods?) will be answered in Phase 3. So... let's go...

(If you somehow got here without reading Phase 1 and Phase 2 first, you're going to be a little lost. It's ok, just go back and read them here: Phase 1: How To Lose Weight and Phase 2: Create Your Weight Loss Diet Plan)

In Phase 1 and Phase 2 of The Lose Weight Diet, you learned basically everything you need to know in order to lose weight safely, effectively, and oh yeah, for free. At this point, you also know what your own personal weight loss diet plan should be. You're pretty much set and ready to go. However, before you do, there's a few other things you're going to want to know.

In Phase 3 you will learn how to make sure you continue losing weight and, even more importantly, keep the weight off for good. I'm also going to give some additional pieces of weight loss information that didn't fit in anywhere in Phase 1 and 2 as well as answer a couple of questions you may have thought of throughout the course of The Lose Weight Diet.

Continue Losing Weight
What I'm about to say may scare you a little. However, it shouldn't. It is completely normal and is supposed to happen. At some point, you MAY stop losing weight. I can't tell you when exactly, but unless you have a really small amount of weight to lose, there is a chance that at some point your weight loss might come to a stop. Hang on, calm down. It's no big deal. Seriously... if it does happen, it was supposed to happen. The reason for this is because as you gradually begin to lose weight, you're body will start to change. Yeah, you'll look better, you'll be healthier, you'll feel better, but one other change will come to your calorie maintenance level.

For example, let's say you started at 200lbs and you calculated your maintenance level to be 3500 calories (these are just made up numbers). You then figured that in order to start losing weight, you'd need to eat 3000 calories per day (500 below maintenance). Since then, you've consistently lost weight and are currently down to 185lbs. But... your weight loss has stopped. It's been 3 weeks and you haven't lost even half a pound.

What this means is that your calorie maintenance level, which was 3500 calories when you were 200lbs, has changed now that you're at 185lbs. Your maintenance level has become lower. It is now 3000 calories. So, what do you do? Simple, reduce your calorie intake by an additional 250 calories. In this example, you'd start eating 2750 calories per day for now on. (3000 - 250 = 2750) OR, you could continue to eat the same number of calories (3000 in this example) per day, but just burn off the 250 calories through exercise.

Keep in mind though that this may not even happen to you. If it doesn't, cool. If it does, just make the simple 250 calorie adjustment (through diet and/or workout) to make sure you continue to lose weight.

I would recommend giving it 2-4 weeks of seeing no weight loss whatsoever before you make this adjustment just to be sure that you are indeed no longer losing weight. Sometimes your diet could have been off a little that week, or maybe you missed a workout or two. Something like this could make it appear as though you are no longer losing when in fact you just weren't as consistent as you should have been.

Weighing Yourself
Many times throughout The Lose Weight Diet I've made a reference to your weight. What I didn't do however was mention HOW you should weigh yourself. First and foremost, you should weigh yourself once a week. No more, no less. You should also keep some kind of written/typed log of your weight each week so you can properly track your progress.

The other important weighing tip is to ALWAYS weigh yourself first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. Weighing yourself any time later in the day is useless as there could be a 5-10 pound difference at different times during the day. Also, if possible, try to do it on the same day each week. I do it every Wednesday morning right after I wake up.

Tracking Your Progress
One of the keys to successful weight loss is accurately tracking your progress. While weighing yourself every week is one of the best ways to do so, there are 3 other ways.

One way is to have your body fat percentage tested on a somewhat regular basis. Some gyms do this, and some doctors, nutritionists, and personal trainers can do this for you as well. You can also buy body fat calipers and perform the test on yourself. A scale can only tell you if you are gaining or losing weight. Your body fat percentage can tell you if that weight is fat, muscle or water.

A second way to track your progress is with a tape measure. Measure your waist, arms, legs, chest, neck and really wherever else you want. I do this every other week and keep a written log of it. Like weighing yourself, you should also try to do this first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.

A third way is with pictures. Thanks to digital cameras, this is quick and easy. Once a month I take a few pictures of myself in the same few poses every time. Since you see yourself many times every single day, it's a little harder for you to notice any changes. But, with pictures, you can literally look back and compare and see every bit of progress you've made.

Keeping The Weight Off
Here's a pretty nice problem to have... what to do when you are finished losing weight. Sounds great, doesn't it? Don't worry, you'll be there soon enough.

Once you've lost all of the weight you were looking to lose... nothing changes. Your diet stays the same. Your workout stays the same. You shouldn't be surprised to hear that. Remember when I mentioned how weight is gained? By going OVER your maintenance level, right? So, once you lose weight and you've decided you're happy at your current weight... you can't go back to your old eating habits. Going back to what you used to do will only turn you into what you used to be. What you used to be is gone and needs to stay gone permanently. So, what do you do?

Well, you no longer want to lose weight, and you certainly don't want to gain weight. This means it's time to maintain your current weight for good by being equal with your new calorie maintenance level.

If you are still losing weight at the time you decide you've lost as much as you wanted to lose, it means you're still below maintenance level. You need to be even with it. So, add 100-250 calories to your daily diet and monitor your weight for 2 or 3 weeks. Are you maintaining yet? If so, you know how much you need to eat for now on. If you still lost, add another 100-250 calories and give it another 2-3 weeks. If you gained, slightly lower your calorie intake and see what happens.

You're goal at this point will be to find the right number of calories you need to eat each day in order for your body to maintain its new lighter weight. Once you find it, you'll be able to keep your weight from changing... permanently.

3 Questions You Should Have
Question: You have talked a lot about food and what we should and should not eat. What about drinks?

Answer: As far as (WATER) drinks go, there is (WATER) really only one drink that (WATER) you should be (WATER) drinking. Can you guess what it is? Something tells me you can. Yup, it's water.

Soda, sports drinks and most fruit juices contains lots of calories and lots of sugar (the bad carb). Doesn't sound too ideal for weight loss, does it? On the other hand, water contains zero calories and zero sugar... and your body needs it. If you want the good stuff that's in fruit juice, eat the actual fruit. For drinks, drink water. Milk wouldn't be too terrible (especially skim) and if you HAVE to drink soda (which you shouldn't) obviously diet would be better than regular. But honestly, water is all you should ever drink. It's all I ever drink.

Most people know about the "8 cups of water a day" rule (half a gallon), and I guess that would be an okay starting point for the average person. However, someone losing weight and working out should be drinking more than that. I'd recommend getting closer to 1 full gallon a day if you can.


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Question: The Lose Weight Diet has a lot to do with calories. It also has a lot to do with protein, carbs and fat. How do I know how many calories and how many grams of protein, carbs and fat are in the foods I eat?

Answer: The first obvious answer here is to check the package your food came in. If you're eating something that came out of a box, bag, jar, can, bottle or container of any kind, it very likely has all of that information right there on it.

However, I am fully aware that a lot of the things we eat don't have this information on them, and that doesn't even include when we go out to eat. In this case there are 2 solutions. The first is to buy a "food counter" or "calorie counter" book (try Amazon.com) that will contain a huge index of different foods along with it's calorie, protein, carb and fat content. You could probably find a cheap pocket-sized one for around $5.00.

On the other hand, The Lose Weight Diet is all about "free." Even $5.00 is more than you need to spend on something weight loss related besides good food or a gym membership. So, here's solution #2 and the one that I myself use...

Search for all of your foods on a Calorie Counter (aCalorieCounter.com). a Calorie Counter is a completely FREE web site that allows you to type in the name of the food you want to look up (apple, chicken, corn flakes, french fries, etc.), hit search, and then see its complete nutritional content instantly. Calories, protein, carbs, fat and a whole lot more, all for free.

I should know, I made the site. After years of using other people's "calorie counter" type sites, I decided to make my own better version. It's the perfect side-kick to The Lose Weight Diet. Be sure to check it out.


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Question: I realize that this is The Lose Weight Diet, but what about working out?

Answer: As you've already learned, it is indeed possible for weight loss to happen through your diet plan alone. I hate to even mention that, because every single person reading this SHOULD workout. Your weight loss will happen faster and easier if you did it through a combination of diet AND workout rather than just one of the two.

Still not good enough for ya? How about this... besides being great for losing weight, exercise (of any kind) is fantastic for your health!

Still aren't sold on working out? Ok, how about this... it will make you look really, really good. Seriously. You'll get "sexy washboard abs" and "lean muscular arms" and a "defined chest and legs and shoulders and blah blah blah." Are you sold now? Good. You should be.

There are 2 forms of exercise you can do, and you should do both. The first is cardio/aerobic stuff. This would include jogging, riding a bike, swimming, jumping rope, walking, playing sports, aerobics classes, elliptical machines and so on. The second is weight training. This would include dumbbell and barbell exercises (and certain machines) for each muscle group.

Both will help your weight loss. Both will help your health. Both will make you look really, really good. What more could you ask for?

The End Of The Lose Weight Diet
That's it. You're done. You've reached the end of The Lose Weight Diet. While there is still a ton of additional free information on this site (plus a blog), right now you already know everything you need to know in order to lose weight. You know how to lose weight, you know what your specific weight loss diet plan should be, and you know how to make sure you continue losing weight and never let it come back. You feel that? It's relief. Weight loss is ready and waiting. All that's left for you to do is go and get it.

If something confused you a little, or if you forget something along the way, or if you just need to read something again... don't worry. This site isn't going anywhere and it's always going to be free. The Lose Weight Diet is here for you to read over and over again until you've finally got it.

Now that you've reached the end, the people who were skeptical at the beginning about whether this really was a free weight loss diet are probably thinking, "Ok, here comes the catch. Here comes the part where he's going to try to sell me something or ask me for money." You're wrong... but you're close.

I hate to sound greedy, but I actually am going to ask for something in return. Two things, actually. First, once you lose all the weight, send me an email and tell me. Something as quick and simple as "I'm done" or "I now weigh 50 pounds less than I used to" would be fine.

Second, tell your friends. The goal of The Lose Weight Diet isn't to make money. It's only goal is to help as many people as possible lose weight. The more people it helps, the more successful it is. So, whenever you are in a situation where you can do so, help spread the word about The Lose Weight Diet. Thanks.

That's it. Stay dedicated, be consistent, and never stop.

http://www.theloseweightdiet.com/lose-weight3.html

Good write up on relationship on rediff

Why love often lessens after marriage

If you're planning to make your relationship eternal by getting married, then you should sit down for a moment and give the idea a second thought, suggests a new study.

Northwestern University study is based on the question: Will the partner who supports your hopes and aspirations while you are dating also help you fulfill important responsibilities and obligations that come with marriage?

The answer to that question could make a difference in how satisfied you are after tying the knot.

Believing a partner is there to help you grow into the person you aspire to be predicted higher relationship satisfaction for both dating and married couples, the study showed. But the belief that your partner helps you live up to your responsibilities and uphold your commitments only predicted higher relationship satisfaction after marriage.

For dating couples, the relationship itself tends to revolve around whether things are moving forward. Happiness with a partner depends on whether the relationship will grow into something more, whether a partner will support the dreams the other eventually hopes to achieve.

For married couples, the feeling that their partners are helping them to advance their relationships and realise their ideal achievements is still important. But the relationships of married couples, now more interconnected both practically and psychologically, tend to revolve around upholding the commitment made to their partners. Unlike dating couples, married couples also put a high premium on their partners' support of whatever they determine to be necessary obligations.

"In other words, the feelings of being loved and supported that people use to judge who makes a good girlfriend or boyfriend may not be completely trustworthy in deciding who makes a good husband or wife," said Daniel Molden, assistant professor of psychology at Northwestern and lead author of the study.

"Those feelings may only partially capture the emotions that will determine your satisfaction with the person you marry," the expert added.

The findings, Molden said, could be important in explaining why so many marriages fall apart.

The study, which will be published in the July issue of Psychological Science, included 92 heterosexual dating couples and 77 married couples.

They completed a battery of questionnaires that included an assessment of how much they thought their partner understood and supported both the hopes and responsibilities they had set for themselves. To measure how different types of perceived support were related to happiness with the relationship, couples also completed well-validated measures of satisfaction, intimacy and trust.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh