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 foods like:

fish
nuts
olive oil
fish oil supplements (see below)

(*Important Note* Every single person reading this should be taking a fish oil supplement. It’s the most scientifically proven supplement there is, with a seemingly endless number of benefits. Put it this way, it will improve your body’s ability to do damn near everything (including lose fat). I personally use and fully recommend Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega. Don’t ignore this. It’s the only supplement I’ll ever recommend.)

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, 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.

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?

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