My approach to meal planning for weight loss
Years ago, I tried calorie counting, and I was miserable. My method was loosely based on the Deal-A-Meal program promoted by Richard Simmons. The problem when I started was that I used up all my calories by 2 PM. Those days, I would swing from feeling overstuffed to ravenously hungry. That was before I understood that craving is in the mind and true hunger is in the body.
On my journey to reverse diabetes, I’ve been fixated mostly on carbohydrates. Now that I have reversed the disease (based on my most recent lab results), I want to consider a more balanced approach. I am also about 30 pounds (13.6 kg) above my goal weight. According to my dietician, I should focus on being in a calorie deficit — taking in fewer calories than I burn daily. This isn’t the “calories in, calories out” model, per se, because the type of calories matters. I am considering calorie intake and the proportion of calories coming from carbs, fat, protein, and fiber.
She helped me figure out my daily targets:
- Total calories: 2000
- Total carbohydrates: 85g
- Total fat: 110g
- Total protein: 160g
- Total fiber: 30–40g
I would have had to do a lot of research on my own to figure this out. Sometimes, it pays to get assistance from…
