How To Create Your Own Meal/Diet Plan
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Creating Your Diet Meal Plan
Step 1. Learn what foods to eat at each meal and snack
To keep things simple, I like to break down each meal or snack into simple units: protein, fruit, vegetables, leafy greens, starch/grain, protein snacks, and ‘taste enhancers.’ Each personalized diet plan has its own basic structure based on these simple units. That way it’s easy to remember what you should eat at each meal. Here are the basic structures for the different calorie levels:
1200 Calorie Diet Plan
Breakfast: 1 Protein + 1 Fruit (+ Vegetables if desired)
Lunch: 1 Protein + 1 Vegetable + Leafy Greens + 1 Taste Enhancer
Snack: 1 Protein Snack + 1 Fruit or Vegetable
Dinner: 1 Protein + 1 Starch/Grain + 2 Vegetables + Leafy Greens + 1 Taste Enhancer
Snack: 1 Fruit
1500 Calorie Diet Plan
Breakfast: 1 Protein + 1 Fruit (+ Vegetables if desired)
Lunch: 1 Protein + 1 Vegetable + Leafy Greens + 1 Starch + 1 Taste Enhancer + 1 Fruit
Snack: 1 Protein Snack + 1 Vegetable
Dinner: 2 Protein + 1 Starch/Grain + 2 Vegetables + Leafy Greens + 1 Taste Enhancer
Snack: 1 Fruit
1800 Calorie Diet Plan
Breakfast: 1 Protein +1 Fruit (+ Vegetables if desired)
Snack: 1 Protein Snack
Lunch: 2 Protein + 2 Vegetables + Leafy Greens + 1 Starch/Grain + 1 Taste Enhancer + 1 Fruit
Snack: 1 Protein Snack + 1 Fruit or Vegetable
Dinner: 2 Protein + 1 Starch/Grain + 2 Vegetables + Leafy Greens + 1 Taste Enhancer
Snack: 1 Fruit
Step 2. Learn your portion sizes
Once you know the basic breakdown of your meal plan, the next step is to get familiar with the portion sizes within each of the food groups. This is one of the most important factors in keeping your calories in check. Each of the following items in each group counts as one portion.
PROTEIN – The proteins listed below are low in fat, and are the protein foods you should choosemost often. Higher fat meats and dairy products, for instance, will have more calories.
Protein units:
• 1 cup (250g) plain or vanilla nonfat yogurt or nonfat cottage cheese
• 3 ounces (85g) cooked poultry or lean meat
• 4 ounces (100g) cooked fish or shellfish
• 2 scoops Herbalife Formula 1 + 1 cup (250 ml) nonfat or low-fat milk*
• 1 whole egg + 4 egg whites OR 7 egg whites
• 5 ounces (125g) tofu
FRUIT – Fresh or frozen fruits are generally better choices than dried fruits or fruit juices, since you will be getting the largest portion size for the calories you are eating. But I’ve listed fruit portions in various forms, so you can choose for yourself.
Fruit units:
• 1 cup (80g) of cut fruit or berries
• 1 average piece of fruit (apple, orange, banana, etc.)
• 1 small handful of dried fruit
• ½ cup (125 ml) 100% fruit juice
VEGETABLE – With the exception of starchy vegetables (such as corn and peas, which are listed with the starches), vegetables have the fewest calories per bite of any foods. In fact, the calories in leafy greens such as lettuce are so low that they can be eaten in any amount.
Vegetable units:
• 1 cup (80g) any vegetable
• Leafy greens – any amount.
STARCH/GRAIN – The foods listed in this group are whole grain. They provide more vitamins, minerals and fiber than refined “white” starches, like white rice or white bread. Try to choose whole grains whenever possible.
Starch/Grain units:
• ½ cup (150g) cooked grain (rice, pasta, quinoa, etc), beans, lentils, corn kernels or peas
• 1 slice whole grain bread
• ½ large potato, white or sweet
• 1 cup (250g) cooked rolled oats
• 2 corn tortillas
PROTEIN SNACKS – Protein snacks contain fewer calories and less protein than a full portion of protein. These smaller protein provide “boosts” during the day help to keep hunger at bay.
TASTE ENHANCERS – Small amounts of fats or sweets can be used to add flavor to your foods. Each of the following items contains 60-75 calories, which is why I limit them in the diet plans. Although avocado is technically a fruit, most of its calories come from fat so it’s counted as a taste enhancer. Similarly, while nuts do contain modest amounts of protein, most of the calories in nuts also come from fat so they are placed here.
