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It can be challenging for men who want to lose weight to find a suitable weight loss diet that really works and also gives them the high quality nutrition that their bodies need. Nutrition for men and women cannot be the same. If you are looking for a male weight loss diet plan, we will give you that in this article.
Here are some of the weight loss and health challenges that men need to think about:
In order to avoid these issues and improve health it is important to focus on not just weight loss, but fat loss. We do not want to lose muscle which is essential for men especially as we get older. This is the problem with most extreme diets. Yes, a lot of weight is lost but a good amount of that is muscle, which is very hard to build again. A balanced male weight loss diet plan will preserve the muscle and focus on losing fat alone.
Annamalai, before & afterDaily9.
If you’re looking for a scientific and sustainable way to lose weight, this article explains how to plan and follow a diet for weight loss. We’ve put together this diet plan for weight loss along with other helpful tips for different situations. We know that men who spend more time in an office have very different challenges when it comes to diet & exercise when compared to men who spend more time at home. We’ve provided helpful tips for both situations in this article.
Weight loss is a big concern for many men and is often the first priority in their fitness plan. Weight loss is not easy but certainly achievable with a structured plan, effort and patience.
The key is to focus on the 3 big areas that matter the most when it comes to a healthy lifestyle – a balanced diet, regular exercise and good sleep habits.
Many people are under the impression that a weight loss diet requires something drastic or extreme. For example, starvation diets, very low or no-carbs, keto, paleo or using pills and supplements. While some of these can show results, this only lasts for a very short time.
None of these approaches have been proven to work in the long run. In fact, following such diets in the long run can cause health problems and result in issues like losing muscle and disrupting your metabolism.
What has been shown to work is a balanced & nutritious diet with the right proportions of all food groups.
Here are the 3 main food groups that must be considered when designing a weight loss diet chart or plan:
Food group 1: Vegetables
This is important to give your body the important nutrients like vitamins, minerals & fiber. In addition, vegetables also include a lot of water and eating enough vegetables helps you feel full and satisfied after a meal. Eating enough vegetables must be at the heart of your diet plan for weight loss.
Food group 2: Protein
There is a misconception that protein is only required for building muscle or if you are working out. This is a myth. Protein is made up of amino acids and they are a basic requirement of the human body for many things, including for good digestion and immunity.
Including protein helps with reducing snack cravings as high-protein foods are very filling.
Therefore, any diet for weight loss for men must focus on including high-quality sources of protein. This is especially important for men because there is some loss of muscle with age and this also impacts bone health and strength. Adequate protein intake is important to deal with this.
Food group 3: Carbohydrates
The Indian diet tends to be high on carbs, which is mainly grains like rice & wheat. Foods like rice, roti, oats, poha, idli, dosa, biscuits are all made from grains and therefore major sources of carbs. It is important to control how much carbs you eat in a day. The idea is not to eat very low or no carbs.
The reality is that for many, these carb foods are more than 60% or even 70% of their daily diet.
That is too much, harmful to health in the long run and can lead to issues like fatty liver, diabetes and thyroid. The goal is to lower the amount of carbs while also increasing protein and vegetables. This helps make the diet balanced and ideal for weight loss. It has been shown in studies and we see this with Daily9 users also – rebalancing the diet in this way improves health by getting fatty liver and blood sugar under control while also achieving weight loss.
The exact balance of these 3 food groups – vegetables, protein and carbohydrates will vary per person. As a simple guideline, you can aim for an equal balance of these groups on your plate.
Balancing the food groups
It can be tempting to focus on the ideal breakfast for weight loss, lunch for weight loss or best dinner for weight loss.
What is more important is a balanced overall food intake in a day.
Below is an easy to follow Indian weight loss diet chart that can be followed for a week (7 days) by a man. The portions are based on a man in the weight range of 65-75 kgs and should be used as a guide.
Please note the following points:
While we have provided a weight loss diet plan below, please use this as a guide only. There is no single ideal diet chart as a one-size-fits-all answer approach will not work when it comes to a weight loss diet plan. One’s nutritional requirements will vary based on a number of factors, including gender, height, weight, meal preferences, any medical conditions, allergies etc.
We have prepared a diet plan ideal for weight loss focusing on mainly Indian foods. This diet plan is a sample, and we would recommend that you work with a Daily9 coach to customize it for your needs.
Day 1
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Snack:
Dinner:
Day 2
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Snack:
Dinner:
Day 3
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Snack:
Dinner:
Day 4
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Snack:
Dinner:
Day 5
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Snacks:
Dinner:
Rice & rajma
Day 6
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Snacks:
Dinner: Eating out
Day 7
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Snacks:
Dinner: Eating out:
Vegetable pizza
Day 1
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Snacks:
Dinner:
Day 2
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Snacks
Dinner:
Day 3
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Snacks:
Dinner:
Day 4
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Snacks:
Dinner:
Day 5
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Snacks:
Dinner:
Day 6
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Dinner:Eating out
Day 7
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Snacks:
Dinner: Eating out
Veggie-loaded omelette
Day 1
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Snacks:
Dinner:
Rice with chicken curry
Day 2
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Snacks:
Dinner:
Day 3
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Snacks:
Dinner:
Day 4
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Snacks:
Dinner:
Day 5
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Snacks:
Dinner:
Day 6
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Snacks:
Dinner: Eating out
Snacks:
Day 7
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Snacks:
Dinner:Eating out
We know that men who spend a lot of time in an office environment have some unique challenges. Therefore we have provided some diet related tips below to help you.
Diet tip 1: Do some meal preparation at home
This need not be anything elaborate. But packing simple snacks like fruits (apple, banana, orange), a raw cut salad (carrot, cucumber, tomato) or boiled eggs and taking it with you can help with eating better in an office. You will also be able to avoid unhealthy (sugary or oily) food options at the office canteen.
Having healthy food with you is very important in the evenings when you get very hungry but do not have any healthy options available.
Doing some advance preparation will help you in these situations and support your weight loss diet plan
Cut veggies in a snack box
Diet tip 2: Eating out smart
You may be required to eat in restaurants while traveling or during meetings as part of your job. While this can be a challenge, it is possible to still eat healthy.
The key is to focus on vegetables and proteins.
For example, at an Indian restaurant you can build a meal with dishes like soup, malai broccoli, paneer tikka, mixed veg raita, dry vegetable curries, a side salad and having smaller portions of steamed rice and roti. Skipping the desserts also helps. You can opt for healthier options like buttermilk or a lime juice to drink. This way you can handle such work lunches/dinners but not mess up your weight loss diet either.
Diet tip 3: Limit the treats at work
We know that friends and colleagues at work might tempt you often with cakes, donuts or other treats. While it is not always possible to avoid them, keep the portions small. This way you will avoid awkward social situations but also not hurt your weight loss diet plan.
Getting enough exercise can be difficult if you are spending most of your time at a desk. Here are some ideas:
Exercise tip 1: Take frequent breaks from sitting
Sitting for long periods of time has been shown to cause health problems. So it’s important to take frequent breaks from sitting. Take short breaks to stretch your body and avoid joint stiffness. You will add more exercise to your day which will help with your weight loss goal. We’ve provided some helpful guidance and stretches here.
Exercise tip 2: Try intermittent workouts
You may not always find time for 30-60 mins of exercise. But it does not have to always be that long. Even short sessions of movement – like 5-10 minutes help. These are intermittent workouts.
A short intermittent exercise session will help you destress and reduce snack cravings.
This will support your weight loss diet plan. See this infographic where we provide many examples of exercises you can do and how to add them to short breaks in your day.
Exercise tip 3: Walking & stairs are your friend
Add a little exercise into your work day. You can walk around your office building or take the stairs instead of the lift. You can even take calls while walking. All these little ideas will add up and help you get more out of your weight loss diet plan.
We know that men who spend a lot of time at home have some unique challenges. Therefore we have provided some tips below to help you.
Diet tip 1: Keep your diet simple, especially vegetables
If getting a lot of cooked vegetables is hard, you can use raw cut vegetables like tomato, carrot, cucumber & capsicum as a side salad. Add some lime, salt & pepper for taste. This will make it easy on others in the family who might be preparing the food and by keeping it simple they can also support you with your weight loss diet plan.
Diet tip 2: Snacking
Can be a challenge at home. You can try black coffee or teas like black, green or herbal teas which can help deal with cravings. Another option is fruit – 2 fruits a day are a great choice as a snack and can be included in your weight loss diet. If you have sugar cravings, sugar-free chewing gum can help.
Struggling with evening snack cravings from Daily9 Wellness on Vimeo.
Diet tip 3: Have a work zone and eating zone
It helps to have some basic rules when working from home. A simple one is to split your house into zones – a work zone (e.g. table), a family zone (e.g. TV room), a food zone (e.g. kitchen) etc.
The idea is to work in the work zone only, not anywhere else. Similarly, you only eat in the eating zone.
This helps you avoid snacking while working and also helps focus on work and food properly and without distractions.
Getting enough exercise can be difficult if you are spending most of your time at home. Here are some ideas:
Exercise tip 1: Walking
Walking within the house or even around your building is a great option. Walking at a brisk pace is proven to be effective for weight loss. See some ideas in this article that will help you get more out of your walks.
Exercise tip 2: Surya Namaskar
is a zero equipment exercise you can do at home. While it is usually done in the morning, you can do it whenever you find time during your day. Performing Surya Namaskar is known to energize the whole body and activate all the major muscles. This will help support your weight loss goal.
It’s also very effective in calming your mind and body.
We have provided some helpful tips and videos to do the Surya Namasker in this article.
If you have a regular exercise schedule, here are some tips to help you maximize your weight loss results.
Tip 1: Add some strength training to your exercise routine.
Strength training is proven to have many benefits for men’s health including weight loss. Try to get 1-2 strength training sessions in a week focusing on all the major muscle groups.
Tip 2: Don’t overeat due to exercise
It can be tempting to think that you need to eat extra before & after your workout. This often leads to eating too much. For light and intermediate level exercise of up to 1 hour, your usual eating should be adequate. Aim to eat a balanced meal within 2 hours after your workout.
Tip 3: Don’t miss out on sleep.
You may think that you need to get that daily workout in at any cost. Often this means you will have poor sleep and wake up early to exercise. While that is to be applauded, you may not know that sleep is a big factor in weight loss.
If you do not get enough sleep, you may get stuck with your weight loss even with a good diet & exercise.
Prioritize your sleep and aim for around 7 hours on a regular basis.
We’ve worked with hundreds of men and understand the unique challenges they face when trying to lose weight or find a weight loss diet plan. You can see some of our success stories here. The Daily9 system is proven to work as an effective weight loss diet plan. Male coaches at Daily9 have developed practical ideas and strategies that work in real life and improve the weight loss that men achieve with Daily9. This helps with weight loss and also many health conditions that Indian men face like digestive issues, fatty liver, diabetes, thyroid and joint problems from excess weight.
While there are many calorie counters out there, we believe that a focus on quality & nutrition (and not just calories) is critical for any weight loss diet plan. Instead of tracking calories, we believe in tracking healthy habits at Daily9.
Most importantly, the Daily9 weight loss diet plan is practical and suits an Indian family environment. This will set you up for success with weight loss and also weight maintenance in the long run.
If you’re looking for a scientific and practical approach to weight loss, take a look at the Daily9 coaching programme. It’s the only programme that helps with weight loss and weight maintenance.
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