1. Plan & Schedule
It is impossible to carry out a healthy 7 day diet plan if you are not focused on being well-organized. If you have decided to make a commitment to yourself to shred pounds for your wellbeing, you need to get your thoughts, goals and steps in order so you can reach your objective. Keep a journal dedicated solely to your diet, plan out every meal (complete with recipe) for all seven days and schedule your meals on a daily basis. You can take the healthiest recipes and incorporate them into your 7 day diet plan and establish your day to day menu for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. The hours you choose to eat are just as critical as the amount of calories you consume, so make sure that you are not eating during any inappropriate hours (like at night).
2. Count Calories
The key to a successful 7 day diet plan is to constantly keep track of your carb and, as a result, calorie consumption. Another reason why you should get organized with a diet journal is that you can jot down the number of calories each meal contains and add them all up at the end of the day. Usually a 7 day diet plan involves consuming 1200 to 1500 calories per day. We highly advise that you do not go under 1200 to 1000 or 500 calories or less because you can put your health in danger. Your objective should not be to starve yourself, but to lose weight in a safe, fast, natural and productive way. If you find difficulties in tracking your calories, you can look for calorie counting apps to use on your smartphone or invest in a fitness watch.
3. Burn Calories
Number three on our list should be a fact well-known by any individual. In addition to counting calories, it is natural that you have to burn them. Information provided by the Mayo Clinic explains that “Because 3,500 calories equals about 1 pound (0.45 kilogram) of fat, you need to burn 3,500 calories more than you take in to lose 1 pound. So if you cut 500 calories from your diet each day, you’d lose about 1 pound a week (500 calories x 7 days = 3,500 calories)." If you generally have issues with finding free time for yourself, you can make up for a lack of constant workout time by walking as much as possible. This means that you should walk to work, take the stairs and avoid shortcuts so your body can get the work it needs to burn calories.
4. Key Foods
If you are an old friend of ours at Home Remedy Shop, you already know that we are huge fans of super foods. For those who are not familiar with the term, the concept of super foods refers to ultra-healthy foods that can keep you fit and safe and that will greatly aid you in your 7 day diet plan. Here are a few examples of key foods you should keep in mind:
- broccoli: calcium, fiber, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin B-6, potassium, protein, magnesium
- pistachio nuts: healthy fats, fiber, protein, vitamin B-6, magnesium, iron, potassium
- cabbage (can be used in soup) – vitamin C, fiber, vitamin B-6, potassium, calcium
- mushrooms (instead of meat): vitamin D, vitamin C, fiber, potassium
- grapefruit: vitamin C, vitamin A fiber, vitamin B-6
- paleo: no preservatives or additives, anti-inflammatory properties, iron, appetite suppression
Don’t forget: your two best friends for losing weight are fruit and vegetable.
5. Smaller Plates
You would be almost shocked to find out how big of a psychological impact plates can have when going through any type of diet. One of the golden rules of losing weight is to downsize portions, but if we consume smaller portions in the same plates we used for our larger ones, our brains won’t be satisfied. We will have the impression that we need to eat more so we can be full. Sometimes making the weight loss process considerably easier is simply to use a medium-sized or small plate to fill up with food. Your brain will perceive the portion as being hearty and you will be able to suppress your appetite with a lot more ease.
6. Booming Breakfast
Remember that saying… “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day"? Whoever first stated this was a genius, of course. We want to focus on breakfast for number six on our list because this meal is indeed critical and, unfortunately, an alarming number of individuals tend to skip it. We place the blame on lack of time, getting to work early in the morning and so on, but is your health really worth those five extra minutes? You can prepare the ingredients for your breakfast the previous night and, in the morning, all you have to do is pop them out of your refrigerator and quickly whip up your breakfast. It is recommended that your breakfast is the most generous out of all your meals when you are on a 7 day diet plan, so divide your calories wisely.
7. Don’t Skip Meals
Like we said before, breakfast should never, ever be skipped when planning to lose weight in a healthy way. The same goes for other meals, such as lunch or dinner. Even though you should not eat late at night, this does not mean that you should skip dinner altogether. Plan your meals according to the number of calories for each dish and do your best to stick to that schedule we were telling you about at #1. If you outline a well-thought out 7 day diet plan, you should be able to fit in snacks between meals, as well.
8. Autosuggestion
When we work on losing weight, detox or exercise, people tend to neglect the power of autosuggestion. Being in the proper state of mind can make all the difference in the world if you want to change your body for the better. Autosuggestion starts with eliminating negative thoughts, such as “I’ll never be able to pull it off", “it’s impossible to stay away from junk food", “I really don’t have the time to lose weight" etc., and replacing them with inspiring, motivational and self-encouraging thoughts like “I know I can do this", “by the end of the week I will have lost a considerable amount of weight", “I’m doing this for my mind, body, and soul and I love every minute of it". These are just a few examples, but the list really can go on forever. Believe in your power to reach your goals and you will say that losing weight won’t be a burden, but a beautiful journey.
9. Leafy Greens
When we said that vegetables were your best friend, we meant it. Leafy greens are supreme tools for a 7 day diet plan that can help you out more than you ever thought possible. These delicious foods aid your body by suppressing your appetite naturally so you feel fuller. A few examples of exceptional leafy greens to incorporate into your diet plan are: kale, Swiss chard, spinach, collard greens, romaine lettuce, and so on. You can enjoy these leafy greens raw, in a salad or natural juice, or oh-so-slightly sautéed the Mediterranean way (in a bit of olive oil). Get more vitamins, fiber and minerals from these astounding ingredients by juicing or cooking them, according to your preferences.
10. Reduce Sodium
Last but not least, number ten on our list of tips for a healthy 7 day diet plan is the reduction of sodium. If you are like me, you love salty food and adding salt to cooked dishes. This is a big no-no for losing weight, possibly one of the greatest of them all. If you really want to stick to a great 7 day diet plan, try to cleanse your body of sodium. Does that mean simply not adding more salt to our meals? The United States Food and Drug Administration report that “despite what many people think, use of the salt shaker is not the main cause of too much sodium in your diet. In fact, over 75% of dietary sodium comes from eating packaged and restaurant foods." That is a huge percentage that, thankfully, can be avoided with one simple step: checking the label. Every product in your local super market has a label with nutrition facts and they are obligated, by law, to present the amounts of the ingredients included. Stop the crazy sodium cycle by paying attention to your daily intake.
