Complete Food Chart, to Eat Healthy for Weight Management
Chitrangada understands the importance of being fit and healthy. She shares tips on how to enjoy yummy food and yet maintain body weight.

A planned and healthy lifestyle, is essential to lose weight and keep fitness
Via Pixaby free images
Are You Always Hungry? Are You Always Trying to lose Weight?
Did your attempts to lose weight, failed yet again?
The Reasons
- May be, because you lost patience and started eating your normal and faulty diet again.
- It is quite common, with most of the diets, that you are back to your old habits, within a few weeks.
- What needs to be done, is to follow a weight control plan, that you can live for the whole life. In this article, I am trying to draw your attention to, restructuring your eating habits.
- Even if you are always fighting the battle of the bulge, you can't live on a minimum calorie diet forever--can you?
No, it’s not a healthy habit at all
- Women have a greater tendency to gain weight, for various reasons.
- This diet plan has worked for many women, after their repeated attempts of dieting or crash dieting.
- Let us explore some meal ideas, which emphasises you to have a limited intake of fat and rely more on proteins and carbohydrates, to provide all the necessary nutrients.
- This diet plan is very effective and completely in accordance, with the advice given by a renouned dietician.
Diet Plan Suggested by a reputed Dietitian:The Continuous Countdown Plan--The First Phase
The beauty of this plan, which can be called a 'weight control plan', is that you can pick and choose, what you eat and still lose weight.
You may probably take off, about half to one kilogram a week, without starving or suffering.
Each menu is based on the daily portions, similar amounts of food, with similar nutrient content.
Choose, from the portion chart and eat what you please.
Once you hit the ideal weight, ease into next phase.
The continuous countdown portion chart
Food group | Daily portions | Meal breakdown |
---|---|---|
Protein | 8 | 1 at breakfast, 3 at lunch, 4 at dinner |
Bread | 3 | 1 portion at each meal |
Fat | 1 | Divide throughout the day, as desired |
Fruit | 3 | 1 portion at each meal |
Vegetable | 2 to 3 | As per your choice |
Skim milk | 2 | Divide throughout the day |
How many calories a person needs everyday? source: You tube
The Keep It Forever or The Preservation Plan
After losing quite a few pounds or kilos, as per the above diet chart plan, you can add small amounts of other foods to your daily menu and increase your portions. Another small piece of fish or chicken, another piece of toast, an extra vegetable as you please.
One thing, which you cannot add is Fat
Stick to the same limited fat portion, mentioned above in the previous diet plan.
If you see a weight gain of more than a kilo, revert to 'The continuous countdown plan', until you lose, the gained weight again.
Portion listings for different food groups: Protein Group!
Fish or shell fish | 30gm | *Beef 30gm |
---|---|---|
Tuna | 1/4th cup | *Lamb 30gm |
Chicken, no skin | 30gm | *Pork 30gm |
Turkey, no skin | 30gm | *Ham 30gm |
Chicken sausages | 30gm | *Liver 30gm |
Low fat cottage cheese | 1/4th cup | *Any hard cheese 30gm |
Eggs | 1 |
|
Legumes | 1/3rd cup cooked |
|
Bread group:
White, Wholegrain, Rye, Multigrain, Raisin bread | 1 slice |
---|---|
Muffin | 1/2 slice |
Roll plain | 1/2 |
Hamburger bun | 1/2 |
Dry bread crumbs | 3 tbsp. |
Cereals |
|
Whole wheat breakfast biscuits | 1-1/2 |
Muesli, unsweetened | 2 tbsp |
Breakfast cereals, with natural sweeteners like honey | 3/4th cup |
Bran cereal | 1/2 cup |
Puffed wheat | 1 cup |
Rolled oats, cooked | 1/2 cup |
Rice, barley or broken wheat(Dalia) | 1/2 cup |
Pasta, noodles cooked | 1/2 cup |
Cornmeal | 2 tbsp |
Flour | tbsp2 1/2 |
Potato, as bread option | 1 small or 1/2 cup mashed |
Corn, as bread option | 1/3rd cup |
Peas or Lentils as bread option | 1/3rd cup |
Fat Group:
Oil: Olive, Corn, Peanut, Soy, Sunflower others | 1 tbsp |
---|---|
Butter or Margarine or Mayonnaise or Peanut butter | 1 tbsp |
Cream cheese | 40gm |
Sour cream or cream | 2 tbsp |
Avocado | 100gm |
Olives | 10 |
Nuts | 15 small |
Restructuring your diet plan
Restructuring your diet plan, covers controlling your appetite and to deal with sabotage. In the long run, these very factors will make you slimmer and a healthier person.
-
Controlling your appetite
When the urge to binge hits, try to wait it out. Divert your mind, do some walking, exercise or housework. Chances are, that the urge will pass.
Try to observe the time, when you usually crave for a snack and fill that time with a pleasure activity.
Plan your meal in advance. This will help to eliminate the choice of wrong foods.
Don't feel guilty, if you binged yesterday, concentrate on today.
-
Restructuring your kitchen
Prepare your food quickly and leave the kitchen.
Do not sample test your cooked food and do not eat food left by your baby. They all add up to the calorie count.
Always eat your food with the portion in mind. Taking extra portions is the main reason for gaining that extra weight.
-
Make your family understand and cooperate
Make your family and friends understand that the weight loss will make you a healthier and happier person.
If someone constantly tempts you, make it certain to them that you are firm in your goal of eating healthy and becoming fit and happy.
-
Basic rules of nutrition
Include more fibre in your diet. Fibre helps to speed up the digestive process, that is metabolism and aids in the elimination of waste.
Eat more complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains, breads, brown rice, legumes, fruits, vegetables. They provide bulk, make you feel fuller and are good sources of energy.
-
Learn to read labels
Read food labels and avoid products, loaded with sodium, fats and sugars. These are especially found in breakfast cereals, fruit juices, tomato sauces etc.
-
Cut down on animal fats
Cut down on animal fats. Instead use vegetable oil or similar oils. For example olive oil, almond oil, mustard oil etc.
-
Substitute or Replace
Use skimmed milk, low fat milk, low fat yogurt, instead of mayonnaise or sour cream, low fat cottage cheese or mozzarella.
Grill, steam or bake your chicken or meat. Avoid the skin.
Use a non stick pan, to cut down or completely avoid fat or oil when cooking.
Replace high calorie salad dressings with lemon juice, vinegar or low fat yogurt.
Before adding butter or margarine or other fats for cooking, ask yourself, can't I do without it!
Vegetable Group: minimum 2 to 3 servings per day, more if you desire.
Asparagus | Lettuce, Leeks, Mushrooms, |
---|---|
Beans, Beetroot, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts | Onion, Okra(lady finger/ bhindi) |
Cabbage, Carrots, Capsicum, Cauliflower, Cucumbers, Celery | Peppers, green or red, Pumpkin, Radishes |
Eggplant or Brinjal | Spinach, Tomatoes, Turnips(shaljam), Zucchini |
Fruit group:
Apple | 1 small |
---|---|
Apple juice | 1/3rd cup |
Apricots fresh | 2 medium |
Apricots dried | 4 halves |
Banana | 1 small or 1/2 large |
Berries: blackberries, raspberries, strawberries | 1 cup |
blueberries | 2/3rd cup |
Cherries | 10 large |
Dates | 2 |
Figs: fresh or dried | 1 |
Grapes | 100 gm |
Mango | 1/2 small |
Melons: water melon, rck melon, musk melon | 200 gm |
Orange | 1 small |
Peach | 1 medium |
Pear | 1 small |
Pineapple | 1/2 cup |
Plums | 2 medium |
Prunes | 1/4 th cup |
Raisins | 2 tbsp |
Free Foods: These may be used freely, whenever you like.
Lemon juice |
|
|
Mustard | Salads | Black coffee |
Onion flakes | Garlic | Gelatine |
Green tea | Clear broth, no fat | Low calorie jellies and jams |
Spices | Pickles, sour, unsweetened | Tea with no sugar or milk |
Herbs | Vinegar | Clear Vegetable stock |
How to eat well and lose weight, source: YouTube
To conclude:
- This article is not really a diet at all, but a weight control program, with which you can live healthy, for your whole life.
- The suggested meal options are quite healthy, stressing upon, a limited intake of fat and to rely more on proteins and carbohydrates, which provide all the required nutrition for your body.
- What you eat, how you eat and why you eat is important, to understand and this is called 'restructuring techniques.'
- Eating your food in this sensible way and not starving yourself, will eventually help to keep you slim and happy forever.
- In order to lose weight forever, do not forget your daily exercises or Yoga.
Suggested Readings:
This diet plan is in accordance and advice of a practising dietician and nutritionist at a reputed hospital.
Some other suggested references via Google:
1. Diet plan, via Web md
https://www.webmd.com/diet/default.htm
2. Weight loss for women, via Healthline
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/weight-loss-for-women
3. Diet plan, best way for weight management, via Midlife
https://www.medlife.com/blog/diet-plan-best-way-for-weight-management-festive-season/amp/
This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.
© 2014 Chitrangada Sharan
Comments
Chitrangada Sharan (author) from New Delhi, India on May 19, 2018:
Thank You Peggy, for reading and appreciating the article!
Sensible eating, along with regular exercise is the key to good health.
Thanks and good day to you!
Peggy Woods from Houston, Texas on May 19, 2018:
This sounds like a very sensible way to eat and would surely be a healthy way to live. Thanks for writing this.
Chitrangada Sharan (author) from New Delhi, India on July 24, 2015:
Thank you Thelms Alberts, for reading and commenting on this hub!
I also do not believe in dieting, especially crash dieting. But I am quite conscious of what I am eating. I avoid unhealthy food and always eat fresh, home cooked food.
This diet plan is for those who eat anything, any time and end up gaining lot of unwanted weight.
Thank you and glad that you found this information useful.
Thelma Alberts from Germany on July 22, 2015:
I have not diet in my life. I just eat what is not so fat and mostly enjoyed vegetables. Looking at the plan makes me having diet already as I don´t like counting what I eat and how many calories I have to eat or not. This is though a helpful informations to those who want to lose weight. Take care;-)
Chitrangada Sharan (author) from New Delhi, India on July 23, 2014:
Thank you aviannovice, for your kind visit and comments!
Glad you liked it and thanks for adding inputs to the hub!
Deb Hirt from Stillwater, OK on July 22, 2014:
The problem is definitely the sugar, which really s everywhere. Processed meats are not healthy, as are gluten based foods. You did a fine job, and don't forget your water soluble vitamins.
Chitrangada Sharan (author) from New Delhi, India on July 16, 2014:
Thank you ARUN KANTIji, for your visit and positive comments!
Glad you liked it. Crash dieting is not good for health. The idea is to have everything but control the portions, by restructuring our food habits and in general our lifestyle.
Thanks again!
ARUN KANTI CHATTERJEE from KOLKATA on July 15, 2014:
Your weight control plan is very sensible and scientific. Thank you for your gastronomic suggestions.
Chitrangada Sharan (author) from New Delhi, India on July 15, 2014:
Thank you teaches12345, for your kind visit and comments!
Anything taken in moderation will not harm. It took me some time to research on this topic. One of my cousin is a nutritionist and she helped me bring up this chart.
Thank you for your positive feedback!
Dianna Mendez on July 14, 2014:
I love avocados and see by your chart the fat content is quite high, still they are beneficial to the body. I am going to have to cut back on them. Thanks for the valuable information.
Chitrangada Sharan (author) from New Delhi, India on July 10, 2014:
Thank you Devika, for your visit and your comments are much appreciated!
Devika Primić from Dubrovnik, Croatia on July 10, 2014:
I have never tired any diet just eat correctly and try to maintain my weight with daily exercise. Your way sounds useful and interesting combinations.
Chitrangada Sharan (author) from New Delhi, India on July 10, 2014:
Thank you midget38, for your kind visit and comments!
Michelle Liew from Singapore on July 09, 2014:
We're always watching! Thanks for sharing, Chitranganda!
Chitrangada Sharan (author) from New Delhi, India on July 08, 2014:
Thank you Imogen French, for your kind visit and positive comments!
Chitrangada Sharan (author) from New Delhi, India on July 08, 2014:
Thank you billybuc, for your encouraging words!
Chitrangada Sharan (author) from New Delhi, India on July 08, 2014:
Thank you Jodah, for your kind visit and appreciation!
Imogen French from Southwest England on July 08, 2014:
Very sensible advice with lots of useful information about portion size and quantities
Bill Holland from Olympia, WA on July 08, 2014:
Very good information, Chitrangada.
John Hansen from Gondwana Land on July 08, 2014:
Very good hub Chitrangada. I am sure that if followed this weight control plan would be very effective. A well designed and set out hub.