Dietary counseling

Cons of Meal Plans

So, let’s assume that we have a formed nutrition plan, a list of products and a meal schedule attached to them. In theory, it seems convenient - you know what to have for breakfast and what for dinner, you understand that you will get as much protein and nutrients as you planned.

But in practice there is a whole stack of disadvantages.

1. Diet plan promotes antisocial behavior

But any surprise easily invades and ruins your food plans - say, you were invited to a birthday party or you went with your friends (wife, child, colleagues, mother) to an Italian restaurant where there will be wood-fired pizza, lasagna and al dente pasta. This is where the first rough edges begin: you didn’t eat what you planned, you need to put somewhere what you planned, but didn’t eat. It is also not clear how to calculate the KBJU of a dish served outside the home. In general, many questions immediately arise.

In this example, anyone who has tried to eat according to the KBZHU can recognize themselves. As a result, if you live with a diet plan, you consciously (or even subconsciously) avoid any communication related to food.

Many adherents of strict meal plans are afraid of restaurants. There is no need to do this: one hike will not change your diet much. Moreover: experts allow (and even recommend) that up to 20% of your diet be made up of your favorite food, even if it is “junk” food.

It just so happens that feasts and eating together have always been part of our culture. Who doesn’t remember family dinners, New Year’s holidays at the wide parental table with often far from healthy food, but a healthy family atmosphere. The nutrition plan brings a certain resonance, because in pursuit of the schedule, we can literally turn into the heroes of the movie “Bubble Boy,” sometimes sacrificing family happiness.

2. A strict approach to your nutrition plan promotes self-flagellation and breakdowns.

The problem here is that we put ourselves into a routine where we divide our days into “good” and “bad”. Having allowed ourselves a little extra or something that is not included in the nutrition plan, we give up on everything, and at the same wide feast we give ourselves some slack so that we can start all over again.

By the way, this phenomenon can be called “What the hell!” or “Burn it all!” and is described in the scientific literature and our article. Avoid this style of thinking.

3. Lack of variety

The nutrition plan requires regularity. And it often happens that once people find foods and meals with the “ideal” ratio of nutrients, they begin to create a plan from the same foods week after week.

This is fraught with the fact that the body may not receive enough vitamins and microelements. For example, if you completely ignore dairy, you may have a calcium deficiency, if you do not eat meat, B vitamins, do not go out into sunlight, and there is no fish in your diet, you may lack vitamin D. The more varied your diet, the less such problems.

4. The problem is lack of knowledge

The average person who gets involved in experimenting with meal plans is like a passenger in a taxi, where the destination is his goal (for example, losing/gaining weight), and the meal plan is the transport that will get you there (or not). The plan was drawn up by specialists, the transport regularly performs its function, but having delivered you to your destination, it will not tell you what to do next. Often here a person gets lost, and everything returns to normal.

5. Time constraint problem

The more stringent your restrictions are within your meal plan (for example, you somehow set strict time limits - for example, lunch at 2:15 and that's it!) - the higher the chance that you will relapse. And scientific research proves that, according to statistics, after a breakdown, a person finds himself even further from the goal than when he started (again, “thanks to” the “what the hell!” effect).

This is why meal plans that are too rigid end up losing out to more flexible options. Make your diet plan as gentle as possible, one that you can live with for years.

Pros of Meal Plans

Still, you shouldn’t exaggerate. We have nothing against meal plans. In the end, everything has its advantages and disadvantages.

1. Plus: saving time

In a large metropolis, every minute is currency. When everything is coordinated and the list is verified, there is no need to wander absentmindedly around the store, feverishly thinking of what to eat. Don't bother studying labels, calorie information, and sugar content. You can prepare in reserve. A good meal plan is a great example of time management.

2. Plus: everything is clear

Well-thought-out meal plans make everything clear, and you can rest assured that nothing extra will grace your plate.

3. Plus: cost savings

This also means saving money from visiting dubious public catering establishments, so you can now spend money on a new shaker, for example.

4. Plus: less stress

This is a look at the psychological side of the issue from a different angle. With a simple and understandable meal plan for the week, you don’t need to engage in artistic writing on the topic “does this fit into my caloric intake” or “does this have enough healthy nutrients” and you don’t have to worry about it at all.

5. Plus: Improved Energy Levels

This is perhaps one of the significant advantages. This is especially noticeable for those who work hard. With regular healthy eating, energy is distributed evenly, thus avoiding spikes in sugar levels, overwork, ketosis and other unpleasant things. Also, we have repeatedly mentioned that nutrition accounts for up to 80% of the results in the gym.

6. Plus: stability and guarantee of results

When we eat the same foods regularly, it is clear that sudden weight changes are unlikely. Therefore, it is much easier to monitor your weight, and you can predict when, at the next weigh-in, the arrow will show the cherished figure.

Example meal plan. As you can see, you don’t even need to give up chocolates. The main thing: the total amount of KBJU per day and your peace of mind.

Selection of diets and nutrition systems

The longest duration of the German diet is 49 days.
The duration of the diet, indicated in the second step of selecting diets, is necessary to assess the rate of weight loss. It should be noted that the applied calculation methods in terms of the maximum permissible rate of safe weight loss (200 grams per day) cause a lot of controversy in scientific circles. Be that as it may, a consensus on this matter has not yet been developed.

Some practicing nutritionists believe that this value should not exceed 1% of the initial body weight (which is on average 600 grams for women and 700 grams for men) - it is clear that the higher the initial body weight, the higher the rate of weight loss. These values ​​take into account the total weight loss - water, blood (which is about 6-8 percent of the mass), intercellular fluid, fatty tissue, and other body tissues (some of which are also lost during the diet - for example, muscle mass). Some sources call this figure both 1 kilogram and 1.5 kilograms. An example here would be a regular visit to a sauna with a loss of more than 1.5 kg of weight due to fluid, while adipose tissue remains completely unchanged.

But almost no one disputes the fact that a daily calorie content of less than 1000 kcal poses a health threat during long-term diets (more than 2-3 weeks). This fact does not contradict the average caloric content of most fast diets - their duration does not exceed 2 weeks. As confirmation, we can give an example of medical diet No. 8b with an average calorie content of 735 Kcal, used in medical institutions.

In any case, before using the diet, you should consult

with a specialist.