Do it Yourself
These are plans that you totally design yourself. You decide what you will have for breakfast, lunch, and if you will eat a late night snack. There is a great meal planner at
Centrum Vitamins. You simply input what you plan to eat during a given day. There are literally thousands of food choices to choose from, so chances are your choices will be there too. Then, the application will tell you the specifics about your menu (fat, calories, sodium, vitamins, etc.), so you can decide whether it meets your current diet needs.
Pros:
Flexibility-You can choose from virtually any food and portion size to develop a meal plan that works for you.
Variety-You don’t have to worry about eating the same thing every day. It would also be a great tool to develop weekly menus.
Informative results-If you are looking to cut calories or add certain vitamins to your diet, this is a good choice. You can quickly see how much of each nutrient you are consuming.
Cons:
Time consuming-Inputting every single food could take time, and making a weekly menu would require major effort.
Suitability-If you are following a specific weight loss plan, this may not be the choice for you, because some foods may be strictly off limits.
Difficulty-Unless you’re a nutritionist, it’s hard to create meals that have the right proportion of fats, carbs, and proteins.
Pre-Made
These are plans that have already been finalized. You are told exactly what to eat in a given day at certain times. Most programs do provide menu plans that they expect individuals to follow. Depending on the specific goal of the plan (cutting calories, reducing fat), the weekly menu will be designed to meet those needs. You can find sample low calorie meal plans at
Diet And Nutrition Meal Plans. They offer options for those looking to consume between 1200 to 2800 calories per day.
Pros:
Easy to follow-Everything is laid out for you, so there’s no guess work involved. Your grocery list will be very easy to make.
Effective-If you are restricting your calories by following one of these menu planners, you will lose weight.
Cons:
Boring!-Not only does the 1200 calorie plan allow you to have an apple for your morning and afternoon snack, but they tell you to eat this every single day of the week. And you get to have white meat, salad, and Thousand Island dressing for lunch and supper every day of the week. Where’s the variety?
Unsatisfying-If you follow this type of plan, you likely won’t be satisfied. A little bit of choice can go a long way.
Fill in the Blanks
When my mother first decided to lose weight, the nutritionist gave her a slip of paper that outlined a basic structure for each meal, but she was free to decide the rest. For example, supper could consist of two carbs, a protein, and a fat, but the rest was up to her. A carb could be an apple, bread, pasta, or anything else that was included on the list. She was free to mix and match.
Pros:
Variety-As long as you stick to the carb/fat/protein ratio and the serving sizes, you can eat virtually whatever you want.
Personal Choice-This type of meal planning lets you include the foods you like.
Satisfying-When you can eat what you like, you’re more likely to stick to a plan.
Easy-Just choose from a huge list of carbs, fats, and proteins to make nutritious meals.
Effective-These types of menu planners are designed by nutritionists who really know their stuff, so they will likely allow you to lose weight.
Cons:
I can’t really think of any major disadvantages to using this type of meal planner…except maybe that cheesecake is nowhere to be found in any of the categories. Check out
weight loss tips if you want to learn more about eating to lose weight.
