Natasha's Nutrition Plan

Hello All,
In order to lose one pound, you need to subtract about 3500 calories per week. That's 500 calories per day. This may mean changing up your lifestyle a bit. I have devised Natasha's Nutrition Plan to help me shed some pounds.

1. Eat 5-6 SMALL meals per day.

2. Make most of the food on your plate fruit or vegetables. Visualize your plate. Cut it in half. The bottom half should be your veggies. Then cut the top half in half again. One part protein, one part starch.

3. Avoid refined sugars such as white bread, white rice and white potatoes. Avoid sweetened beverages such as soda, energy drinks and juices that are not 100% fruit juice. Avoid fried foods and junk foods.
4. Increase colorful starches such as brown rice, whole wheat/multi-grain bread and pasta, sweet potatoes.

5. Drink mostly water. A cup of 100% fruit juice and low fat milk is OK.

6. Keep a food journal and count your calories. I use calorieking.com to look up the amount of calories in foods. Most people reduce their calories to about 1200-1800 calories per day. A licensed professional (like myself) can give you the exact amount.

7. Cut your portion sizes and don't over eat.

8. Do cardio 3-5 days per week for at least 30 minutes a day, and resistance training 2-3 days per week.

*** Notice I said AVOID certain foods. This means EVERYTHING IN MODERATION. If I want some french fries, I may get some. But it won't be large fries, and I won't eat it everyday. Proper weight loss is about 1-2 pounds per week. Some may lose more, some may lose less. The most accurate way to gauge weight loss is by measuring inches lost, not necessarily pounds lost. REMINDER: special considerations are needed for those with health problems.***