Yes. Technically, your calorie needs vary from day to day. If there is a day where you know that you are going to be more physically active than normal (or
sedentary, for that matter), you can adjust your intake in order to accommodate your needs.
There is nothing wrong with sticking to just one plan, either, and that will work just as well as long as you make sure that on average you create the deficit
associated with your specific weight goals.
Aren't these calorie allotments too high? Won't I gain weight if I eat 2000 calories?
In short; no, not at all. People tend to underestimate the number of calories that
they need to consume, but also underestimate the number of calories they actually consume. Just for example, a person may be likely to think that they need to eat just 1300 calories a day to lose weight, but they actually miscalculate the calories they consume, and end up taking in 1900 calories a – which is still not very many calories. However, if you think that you are taking in 1300 calories but you're actually taking in 600 more than that, that's where the issue comes in, and where you are likely to struggle with losing weight.
The absolute minimum number of calories that you should eat each day is 1200.
Any less than that and you are risking your health, and making it likely that you slow your metabolism down, creating a situation where it's very difficult to stay lean. If you are doing any kind of physical activity at all, even just bare minimum activity, your calorie needs go up from there. It is completely possible to lose weight on 2000 calories a day, and in fact those seemingly high calorie
allotments are probably still fewer than you're used to taking in (due to the fact that the vast majority of the population significantly underestimates their
consumption). Depending, of course, on your actual daily expenditure, you may see better results by choosing what seems to be a higher calorie allotment,
because you wont feel like you're starving, which will make it more likely that you adhere to this plan and stick with these habits long term. Remember, you don't want fast results, you want lasting results.
What if I am between calorie allotments, or my desired intake is not listed as an option?
There are two different options if your needs fall somewhere in between two of our plans.
The first option is to alternate between two plans in order to create the average deficit or surplus that leads to you reaching your goals. For example, if you have found that you need 1600 calories to reach your goals, you can alternate back and forth between the 1400 and 1800 calorie plans (every other day would be ideal) in order to create the deficit or surplus you're after. This is the easiest option if you find that you want a different calorie plan outside of the 1400, 1800, 2200, 2600, and 3000 calorie plans.
The next option is to choose the calorie plan that's closest to meeting your needs, and altering the ingredients slightly in order to create lower or higher calorie meals and snacks. This one leaves more room for error, so we
recommend the first option.
Isn't it bad to snack so much? Isn't it bad to snack after dinner?
Snacking all through the day keeps your metabolism high and your blood sugar
levels even. Snacking often prevents extreme hunger, which can lead to binges and/or poor nutrition choices. Done properly, as demonstrated in this meal plan, snacking can go a long ways in helping you lose weight.
A large part of the reason why after-dinner or late-night snacking gets a bad reputation is because it tends to be on unhealthy foods. People tend to be less likely to reach for clean foods late at night. There is no magic time in the evening where calories are worth more, and late night snacking will not thwart your
progress, especially if you are eating the allotted foods and portions listed in this program.
What should I do if I am not just cooking for myself, but for an entire family?
In terms of making sure that you are consuming approximately the calories per meal that your calorie plan calls for, there may be some guesswork for some of these dishes – for example, a vegetable stir fry where you have prepared a large batch together. We don't expect you to measure out .5 cups onion, .5 cup
mushroom, and so on, separate from your family's stir fry.
When it comes to tracking your own calorie intake despite having altered the serving size of the foods in order to feed a family, we recommend not obsessing, but instead to aim to serve yourself roughly the recommended serving size of each ingredient or item, in roughly the same ratios. Regard the amount of food that the plan called for in a single serving, and dish up your plate to reflect the approximate amount of consumption, for each item.
Remember, this plan is not intended to help you micromanage and scrutinize every single calorie that you eat for the rest of your life – part of the idea of this plan is that you start to learn what a healthy, well balanced meal looks like visually, so that you can apply that information to maintain weight and benefit from your healthy eating in your every day life.
Though portions will vary, all of the meals and snacks in this program are
appropriate for a group, by just increasing the serving size of each ingredient or food item. There is no reason why your family should be eating unhealthily while you go on a “diet” – remember, that's exactly what this plan isn't. You aren't on a diet, you are changing the way you eat for the rest of your life (excluding the occasional cheat or treat day). Do the best that you can in order to get your loved ones on board, because you want them to live long, healthy lives as well.
There is a lot of helpful information about cooking and following this meal plan with a family in the chapters of this book.
How can I measure .66 cups, .75 cups, .5 tablespoons, .75 tsp, etc?
All of the allotments that we have used in this plan are ones that you will find with typical inexpensive kitchen measuring sets. In order to follow this plan easily you will want one for cups; .25 cup (¼ cup), .33 cup (1/3 cup), .5 cup (½ cup), .66 cup (2/3 cup), .75 cup (¾ cup), and 1 cup, and the same, for both teaspoons and tablespoons. If you don't already have them, each of these sets are usually easily found for as little as a couple of dollars a piece in any grocery. It should be noted that with spices, you can always change the measurements to meet your tastes, and with fruits and vegetables, you don't have to obsess over exact
measurements, just try to get close to what your plan calls for.
What if I don't have time to prepare the meals as instructed?
Meal prep becomes essential when you have a busy schedule or limited access to a kitchen during the day. We recommend always looking ahead in the plan by at least a few days in order to spot meals or snacks that may require some
preparation. When you see instances where you know the meal prep will conflict with your schedule, plan on cooking and packing that food ahead of time so that you will have your meal on hand and ready when you need it. Many of the
snacks and meals are easy to prepare and pack, but when they aren't, you can always do the work a day or two ahead, and the food will keep if properly stored and refrigerated.
How often can I have cheat or treat meals or days and what things can I eat?
We recommend that you limit your cheat meals to once every ten days if you are using this plan to try and lose weight, and once every seven days if you are trying to maintain or gain weight.
Engaging in any kind of cheat meal during this plan is completely optional, but if you time them right it can be a very easy way to attend special events, evenings out, and the like, without having to worry about sticking to this meal plan or your daily calorie allotment.
Indulging in a cheat meal typically means that you can eat whatever you wish for that small period of time, however, it's a good idea to try and clean up your cheat meals. Healthy food can be delicious, and there are plenty of meals that feel like a cheat, but are not overly “dirty” in terms of ingredients. As often as possible, try to make your cheats relatively clean.
There is an entire chapter dedicated to cheat meals in this book where you can find out how often you can cheat and still meet your goals, as well as what to do
right after a cheat meal. Be sure and read that chapter for more information.
Can I rearrange these snacks throughout the day to work with my