Create Your Weight Loss Diet Plan
(If you somehow got here without reading Phase 1 first, you're going to be a little lost. It's ok, just go back and read it here: Phase 1: How To Lose Weight)

In Phase 1 of The Lose Weight Diet, you learned how to lose weight. The key to weight loss is being in a calorie deficit, which means you are burning more calories than you are consuming. You learned that to do this, you just need be about 500 calories below your calorie maintenance level. You also learned that while this was the most important part of weight loss, making sure these calories are coming from right food sources is also pretty important.

Now, in Phase 2, you're going to learn how to put this information to use and create your own weight loss diet plan. Figure out what your calorie maintenance level is the very first thing you're going to need to do is ... Calculate your daily calorie maintenance level.

key number in creating your weight loss diet plan is your daily calorie maintenance level is . It is based on many factors and is specific to each person. For example, you and your friend might be same height and weight, but you might have maintenance levels that are hundreds of calories apart. Since effectiveness of your weight loss diet plan depends a lot on this number, Figuring it out as accurately as possible is important.

For the most part there are really only 2 methods of figuring out this "magic" number. The first is pretty close to accurate, and the second is as accurate as can be.

!. . And, since this is the number that will be at heart of your weight loss diet plan, I'm going to mention second method. It's not so much a "method" as it is a "test."

Basically, you would start eating a certain number of calories each day and then closely monitor what your weight does when consuming this many calories. For example, if you maintained weight eating this certain number calories per day, you have found your maintenance level. If you gained weight, lower your calorie intake a little and see what happens then. If you lose weight, then you know you're already below your calorie maintenance level.

If you want to give method #2 a try, I'd suggest using your current calorie intake as number of calories to start "test" on. To figure this number out, pick a day and eat like you normally would. The only difference is you will be keeping track of number of calories in everything you consume. At end of day add it all up. Do this for a few days and then take an average of all days. This average is average amount of calories you are currently taking in each day and would make a perfect starting point for method #2.

Which method you decide to use is up to you. Feel free to use both, by the way. Create your weight loss diet plan.

Once you know 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.

spread those calories out evenly among them by trying to eat 5-6 smaller meals per day (once every 2-3 hours) . 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 your metabolism will be speeded up. 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 your body should be supplied with nutrients it needs consistently throughout the day.

All that's left to do now as far as your weight loss diet plan goes is to make sure that calories you are consuming each day are coming from right food sources... Protein

The Lose Weight diet does not include protein as an important part. it's an important part of every diet. As far as food sources go, 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

As far as how much protein you should include in your weight loss diet plan per day, that depends on person. For example, average person who doesn't exercise at all needs less protein than someone who does. Something in range of 0.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight would be alright in this case. For example, if 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 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 ones who stay closer to 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

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 usual junk foods that you already know you shouldn't eat. Good fat on other hand can be found in following foods:

• fish
• nuts
• olive oil
• flax seed oil

As to how much fat should be included in your weight loss diet plan... From fat.about 30% of your total calorie intake should come Most (if not all) of this fat should come in form of "good" food sources listed below. Very little (if any) should come from "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, 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 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

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 contain bad form of carbs. While you should try to limit these "bad" carbs as much as possible. Remember...

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. The end of Phase 2 of The Lose Weight Diet

You have reached end of Phase 2. 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?

All that's left now is some final information to not only make sure you continue losing weight, but to make sure you keep weight off once it's gone. Also, any questions that may have popped into your head during Phase 1 and 2 (for example, how do you know how many calories/protein/carbs/fat are in certain foods?) will be answered in Phase 3. So... let's go...