How To Make Diet Chart In 5 Easy Steps

Have you been trying out different cookie-cutter diet plans without much success? Diet plans like the Atkins Diet, the Zone Diet, Ketogenic Diet, Weight Watchers, GM diet, and so on are the most famous ones. However, they are not very practical for everyone.

The main reason for this is that cookie-cutter plans do not contextualize your personal needs like sex, weight, height, medical condition, and so on.

There is less chance that the diet will be effective since it does not satisfy our unique needs. This is why you need to create a personalized eating plan that helps you manage or lose excess weight.

This article helps you create a personalized diet chart to help your weight under control.

 

How to make a diet chart that fits your requirements?

Not two people are the same, which means that a diet chart that your friend designs might not be perfect for you because you are not identical to your friend.

This is why you need to create a diet chart that is specially designed to fit your sex, age, weight, height, and even your lifestyle. Given below are the steps you can follow to create your own personalized diet chart.

 

Step 1 – Calorie counting diet plans are a strict no!

Most diet plans ask you to take a fixed amount of calories each diet, but this method has a few drawbacks.

Not all the food you eat has the same calorie content, which means that if you want to attain a fixed amount of calories, you need to consume the same food every day.

This can be monotonous and boring, and you will eventually give up the diet plan. Sometimes, while sticking onto this calorie count, some people tend to undereat or not get the necessary nutrient content.

So instead of fixing a calorie count, you can make a diet chart based on the nutrients you need. It should pack the primary nutrients that any person needs, irrespective of their age, sex, height, weight, etc., including proteins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, and vitamins.

This provides you with the freedom to have a wide variety of food and still receive the required amount of nutrients.

 

Step 2 – Work on your required macronutrients count

As mentioned above, instead of opting for a calorie-based diet plan, opt for a nutrient-based diet plan. This ensures that you have all the required amount of nutrients while giving you the liberty to mix and match your food items.

While working on your macronutrient count, ensure that the meal you take has at least 40% of proteins, 35% of fatty acids, and 25% of carbohydrates.

Proteins are essential when it comes to tissue and muscle growth and repair. Like carbohydrates and fats, proteins are also needed for providing energy.

While carbohydrates break down to provide fuel for muscle, fatty acids are mandatory for the proper functioning of the body and mind.

You can get about 200 to 700 calories of proteins (40% of proteins) from products like beans, fish, soy, meat, egg, milk, nuts, and so on. If you think you do not get sufficient proteins from your diet, then you can have it via whey protein powder.

Opt for whole-grain products like brown bread, atta, and so on, instead of Maida products, white rice, etc. Unlike whole grains, which provide the necessary carbohydrates, products like Maida and white rice induces excess sugar into your bloodstream.

Another thing that provides you will an ample amount of vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, and proteins are fruits and veggies. Have two to three cups each day to add to the well-balanced diet and reduce the risk of diseases.

You might have heard a lot of people saying that fatty food is bad for you. Still, our body does need a certain amount of omega fatty acids for proper functioning and maintaining body temperature.

To receive that, we need to consume low-fat fish items like salmon, tuna, bluefin, and dairy products like milk, buttermilk, cheese, etc.

 

Step 3 – Fix on the meals according to the macronutrient diet chart

So far, you must have understood the ratio of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats needed by your body. The next step involves finding food items that provide you with a sufficient amount of nutrients.

List down the items that provide you with the necessary nutrients, and then find recipes that can combine them. Find more than one recipe since, as human beings, we tend to get bored with a dish when we consume it multiple times.

Given below are certain weight loss diet plans (meal plans) that, as Indians, we can follow. However, it is not an ideal diet plan as it does not apply to all since no two people are the same. It is better to visit a doctor or a nutritionist before you start a diet plan, especially if you are suffering from some prior diseases.

Sl. no	Diet Time	Diet Plan
1.	Early Morning	One fruit and three to four different seeds such as watermelon, flax, sesame, sunflower 10 ml wheatgrass juice and five to six almonds and walnuts 10 Spirulina or green leafy veggie juice and one whole fruit 10 ml Amla juice and three to four walnuts or almonds (mix and consume)
2.	Breakfast	Paneer sandwich with mint chutney Two idlis (at least) with sambhar or tomato chutney A bowl of vegetable dalia upma with chutney Akki roti with dill leaves and sambhar A bowl of oats porridge with fruit and flaxseed Two egg omelette and two whole-grain bread slices Two multigrain mixed vegetable parathas and a glass of vegetable juice
3.	Mid-Morning	4 walnuts and 2 dates Fruit salad or one whole fruit Tender coconut water with malai Assorted nuts
4.	Pre-Lunch	Salad of your choice with vinegar dressing One bowl sprout salad One bowl grilled chicken or fish salad
5.	Lunch	Two multigrain roti and a bowl of vegetable curry Non-veg curry with a bowl of boiled pulse chaat (rajma, chana, black chana, green moong, etc.) Two vegetable millet uttapams with a bowl of sambhar One medium-sized bowl of red or brown rice with one bowl mixed vegetable curry or one vegetable egg omelette (or both)
6.	Snack	Two multigrain flour khakhras A cup of spiced boiled corn or a corn on the cob Til or peanut chikki with one cup spirulina and mixed veggie juice A cup of green tea and one whole fruit
7.	Dinner	A bowl of vegetable brown rice basmati chicken biryani Vegetable pulao with a bowl of vegetable raita, vegetables, or chicken salad of choice A bowl of steamed red rice with a bowl mixed vegetable sambhar on non-veg curry Vegetable curry and a bowl of salad (your choice) Two multigrain roti with a bowl mixed spiced dal A bowl of red rice with fish curry and curd
8.	Post-Dinner (Optional)	One glass of warm milk One glass of whey protein shake

Everyone can keep in mind that superfoods are the fast-tag for quicker and healthier weight loss. Do not confuse superfoods with fast foods or junk food– they are the complete opposite.

Fast food consists of the food items that are home delivered from a restaurant, while junk food consists of food items that have no nutritional value. On the other hand, superfoods are those that are concentrated with nutrient content such as millets, seeds, certain fibre-rich food, and so on.

Some of the most common Indian foods that we can avoid while following a diet plan include – Vada Pav, Parathas, Toast butter, Puri Bhaji, and so on. Instead, you can opt for healthy snacks like baked soya chips, masala corn, sprouts, tilgud, etc.

When you focus on creating a macronutrient diet plan, do not forget about drinking enough water (at least six to eight glasses of water per day). Drinking water also helps with your diet plan of weight loss as it fills up your tummy, thus making you feel full. As a result, we eat less than usual, but we feel full, so no more hunger pangs.

 

Step 4 – Fix an eating schedule

By now, you must have come up with a few recipes to last you for at least a week. The next thing you need to focus on is the timing you have your food.

So, remember that the food you have and the exercise are the only determining factors for weight loss; when you have your food also plays a huge role.

Our body has a natural cyclic rhythm that gets disturbed when we have meals after different intervals. Remember to have your breakfast since your body is at its highest metabolism rate during this time.

If you skip this important meal, your body will not have sufficient energy to sustain throughout the day as the metabolism rate decreases as the day pass by.

Also, have your food before 8 o’clock as it helps boost metabolism rate (metabolism drastically slows after 10 o’clock) and provides an easy means for detoxification and digestion.

While fixing the meal schedule, ensure that there is at least a three to four hours gap between two meals. This is because our body roughly takes three to four hours to digest food.

If you follow this pattern, you can have at least one or two snack meals between your breakfast and lunch, as well as lunch and dinner. This also evenly distributes the nutrient content throughout the day and provides a continual energy source to work efficiently throughout the day.

 

Step 5 – Follow up is important

You should constantly monitor if your diet plan is effectively working. If not, check if you are committing any of the following mistakes

• Skipping meals
• Irregularity of food consumption
• Depending on fast food or junk food
• Being surrounded by toxins like pollutants, smoke, smog, plastic waste, food additives, etc. (toxins reduce the metabolism rate, thereby it becomes difficult to lose weight)
• Eating high sugar or salt content food.
• Irregular sleep pattern or being sleep deprived
• Stressing too much (results in the release of fat-storing hormones)
• Following conventional diet plans

If you find yourself committing any of these mistakes, or even if you think that there is no significant change in your weight after months of following a certain fixed diet plan, then it is high time you change it.

Another thing that you should avoid during your follow-up session is to avoid comparing yourself to anyone else who is following the same diet plan as you.

This is because you might not find a significant weight change. If you are wondering why, it is because your diet and physical exercise only come up to 40% (roughly the maximum) of energy expenditure, i.e., it only contributes to 10%-40% of the weight loss.

Now, you must be wondering what happened to the remaining 60% to 80%? This remaining 60% to 80% is part of BMR or basal metabolic rate, which varies from person to person depending on their age, sex, weight, height, genetics, and so on.

This is why comparing two people who follow the same diet is useless.

So, the only thing you can do is continue with your workout session and diet plan, as it will benefit you in the long run.

Working out reduces the risk of type-2 diabetics, cardiovascular diseases, blood pressure, and so on, while a well-balanced diet provides you with sufficient energy to work out.

 

You May Like to Read:

Diet or Exercise! Which one is More Important?

Why Is Fiber Good for You

Top 10 Fat Burning Capsules

10 Cheap Protein Sources in India

 

To Sum It Up

Most people make common mistakes before starting a diet plan, that is, opting for the conventional diet charts. These charts layout a set of meals (that you may or may not like) and provide you with a fixed amount of calorie intake.

However, do keep in mind that when you decide to follow a diet chart, create a personalized one as it should be customized for personal needs.

The diet plan should suit your age, sex, weight, height, medical history, and so on. This is the first step towards making a diet chart, i.e., avoid calorie count diet charts.

After this, work on your required macronutrients count, and then you can move on to selecting recipes that you like. But make sure that while selecting the recipes, it should provide you with the necessary healthy nutrients.

After creating a working plan (that is not boring or monotonous) diet chart, you can set your eating schedule, and please stick to it. Do regular follow-ups to know if your diet chart is effective; if not, realize your mistakes and make necessary corrections.

I hope you found this article helpful. Have you ever made a diet chart before? If so, please let us know in the comment section below.