CARB & CALORIE CONCIOUS

This low carbohydrate and calorie-controlled meal plan can assist those wanting to slim down while still enjoying their food.

When it comes to weight loss, there is so much information out there that it is difficult to know which diet to follow. And if you’ve tried a few and haven’t managed to achieve your goals and maintain them, it is likely that you weren’t able to consistently eat that way for a long period of time.

A key aspect of losing weight and keeping the weight off, is to follow a meal plan that you enjoy and that keeps you feeling full enough to sustain this way of eating. Firstly, you need to know how many calories you need to maintain your current weight and then how many less you need to get to your goal weight over a certain period of time. By creating a gap or deficit between these two numbers, weight loss is achieved. Registered dietitians are nutrition experts that can help you determine your individual calorie and nutrient requirements, as these differ from person to person.

It is important to remember that slimming down takes time and lasting results don’t happen overnight. In fact, if they do, it is likely that they will be undone just as quickly. It is for this reason that you need to have a strategy that you are able to follow consistently without it being too difficult.

The quality of the foods you eat play a role in how full you feel, as well as your overall health and wellbeing. Ensuring that you include the right amount of veggies and fruit, which provide fibre and key nutrients and help provide volume to your meals, as well including sufficient lean protein, are good ways to help and leave you satisfied after your meals. The right amount of healthy fats can also contribute to satiety (that feeling of fullness). The type and amount of carbs you include are just as important, with high fibre, whole grains being the best to include.

Each meal in this meal plan has been made with this in mind, using whole foods and crafted for taste. The meals are higher in protein and made with healthy fats, in order to promote satiety. Calorie-controlled portions are designed to assist with weight management.

FITNESS OPTIMISER

If you’re training hard and have set out to increase your muscle mass, you are going to need extra calories and protein to support this.

Finding out how many extra calories and protein is required is important, as overdoing this can lead to unwanted weight gain instead of increasing your lean muscle mass. Registered dietitians are nutrition experts that can help you determine your individual calorie and nutrient requirements in the context of how much training you are doing, as these differ from person to person. Consulting with someone who works with athletes would be beneficial.

The two key nutrients in supporting your goal to gain lean muscle mass are protein (which becomes muscle) and carbs to support your muscle building workouts. Increasing your fat intake is a way to increase your energy intake without having to eat as much, however too much of this can result in more fat storage as excess is easily stored this way. Finding the right balance of these three macronutrients will be important for your training success.

This meal plan provides protein to support the promotion of muscle mass and recovery while training, with carbohydrates and calories spread throughout the day to help maintain energy levels. Healthy fat sources have been selected to help meet higher energy requirements as a result of training.

PLANT POWERED

Following a plant-based diet has benefits for both your health and the planet. In line with most dietary guidelines around the world, animal-based foods in comparatively smaller amounts can form part of this. Ensuring that this way of eating is based on minimally processed foods from nature and foods made up of these is important to achieve health benefits. These meal plans have been designed to be free from animal foods to suit those choosing to follow a vegan diet.

Getting the right amount of each of the three macronutrients can be a challenge, with many struggling to get sufficient protein and in doing so overdo carbs and fat. Registered dietitians are nutrition experts that can help you determine your individual calorie and nutrient requirements, as these differ from person to person.

According to research, there are optimal ranges for carbs, protein and fat in the diets of healthy adults. Each meal in this plan has been developed to provide protein, carbs and fat within these ranges in a satisfying green-only way. These expertly crafted dishes are downright delicious!