Principles of safe weight loss
Many people mistakenly believe that dieting to lose weight is simply fasting or eating less. However, to have a scientifically correct, safe and effective weight loss menu, we first need to understand the principles of dieting to lose weight.
Balanced nutrition: no matter what weight loss diet you are following, balanced nutrition is still the most important principle that must be followed. A scientific weight loss menu needs to ensure that it provides all the necessary nutrients, is balanced, and meets the body’s needs well. Do not skip breakfast: breakfast is a very important meal of the day, so even if you are trying to lose weight, you still need to have a full breakfast. Eating breakfast will help the body have enough energy to function during the day, while avoiding exhaustion and hunger leading to overeating. Get enough protein and carbs: protein is an important nutrient that helps build and develop muscles and reduce body fat. In addition, eating enough protein and the right type of carbs will also help keep blood sugar levels stable at low levels, making it easier for us to lose weight. Cut down on sugar and bad fats: eating a lot of sugar and bad fats is the leading cause of weight gain, obesity and diabetes. Therefore, it is best to reduce the use of sugar and bad fats in your weight loss menu. Instead, if you need to provide fat for your body, you can look for good fats from natural foods such as avocados, nuts, fish, coconut, eggs, etc. Lose weight slowly: ensure health safety by applying a weight loss diet slowly with a loss of 0.5 – 1kg per week is reasonable. Avoid losing weight quickly or losing too much weight in a short time because it can cause the body to lose muscle suddenly, adversely affecting health. Limit the use of processed foods: the best weight loss menu should be self-prepared to control the ingredients, quantity and quality of the dish. Limit eating processed foods, fast foods, and canned foods.
Foods that should be included in a weight loss menu
Depending on your taste and conditions, you can choose different ingredients in your weight loss menu. However, some of the foods below are considered very good food groups for weight loss that you can try for yourself.
Lean meat: lean pork, lean beef, chicken breast are meats that contain little fat, little skin, lots of protein and are rich in minerals. These are ingredients that should be included in healthy eating menus because they are less likely to cause weight gain and are better for your health than other meats.
Green vegetables: green vegetables are an indispensable food group for dieters. Green vegetables contain a lot of fiber, vitamins and minerals, so they can help control hunger as well as support better digestion, helping to lose weight more effectively.
Fruits: fruits contain a lot of nutrients, fiber, water and vitamins, so they are suitable for the menu of people who are losing weight. Eating fruit helps you feel full quickly, hydrates the body as well as supports and stimulates digestion to lose weight quickly. Citrus fruits, berries or fruits with natural acids are suitable choices for all diet menus.
Beans: Beans such as black beans, green beans, red beans, soybeans, etc. are nutritious beans, rich in healthy protein, resistant starch, good for health and very beneficial for the process of losing fat and gaining muscle. Whole grains: healthy weight loss menus often use dishes made from whole grains. Grains contain a lot of fiber and abundant protein, suitable for supplementing nutrients for the body, helping to feel full for a long time and reduce the need to eat.
Fish: Some types of fish such as salmon, tuna, herring, mackerel… contain a lot of protein, omega-3, healthy fats and many important micronutrients that help nourish the body, prevent obesity and increase weight loss effectiveness. Eggs: eggs are a very good food for weight loss because they are very nutritious while containing few calories. Eating eggs regularly helps the body increase protein, choline, vitamin D and many nutrients that are beneficial for health, helping to lose weight more effectively, safely and healthily. Brown rice: brown rice is the perfect choice to replace white rice when dieting because it has a lot of fiber, less starch and fewer calories. In addition, eating brown rice also helps you feel full quickly and stay full longer than eating dishes made from white rice.
7-day weight loss menu according to the General Motor Diet
The General Motor Diet (abbreviated as “GM”) is one of the most widely used diets today. The GM diet is based on the principle of reducing calorie intake and drinking lots of water to detoxify the body. Using this method, many people have successfully created a 2kg weight loss menu in 1 week, a 6kg weight loss menu in 1 week, or even a weight loss menu for women with a difficult body type.
A menu built according to the GM diet will revolve around the following food groups: Fruits, vegetables, meat, rice, brown rice, milk, bananas and tomatoes. Combined with that, drink about 8-12 glasses of water per day to increase metabolism to support weight loss.
If you have not yet created a suitable menu, S-Life would like to suggest the following for you:
Day 1 – Fruits
The first day’s menu should be built around fruits that are high in fiber and low in sugar, such as apples. Also, avoid bananas on the first day.
You can divide the first day into the following meals:
Breakfast: 1 apple and a bowl of strawberries
Snack 1: 1 bowl of papaya or 1 mango
Lunch: 1 bowl of strawberries or cantaloupe
Snack 2: 1 orange
Dinner: 1 bowl of kiwi or 1 pear
Snack 3: a bowl of strawberries
Day 2 – Vegetables
On the second day, you are only allowed to eat vegetables rich in fiber. In addition, it is important to note that you do not use oil for cooking (you can replace it by processing it like a comb or making a salad). In case you want to add potatoes to the menu, you should only use them for breakfast.
Here is a sample menu for the second day:
Breakfast: 1 sweet potato
Snack 1: Salad or boiled cabbage
Lunch: Salad of lettuce, tomatoes, carrots and cucumbers
Snack 2: 1 bowl of boiled or steamed broccoli
Dinner: 1 bowl of lettuce salad
Snack 3: 1 bowl of cucumber salad
Day 3 – Vegetables and Fruits
To diversify your meals, you can flexibly choose a menu that includes green vegetables or fruits (or both). However, it is important to note that you should not eat potatoes or bananas on this day.
Here is a sample menu for the third day:
Breakfast: 1 cucumber and ½ peach
Snack 1: 1 pear
Lunch: 1 bowl of salad made from lettuce, tomatoes, pineapple, mango and coriander
Snack 2: ½ sweet potato and ½ bowl of strawberries
Dinner: 1 bowl of strawberries and 1 bowl of salad made from kale, cucumber and carrots
Snack 3: 1 bowl of papaya
Day 4 – Bananas and Milk
To balance the first three days, the fourth day’s menu will be built around high-calorie foods. Bananas and milk are the two most commonly used foods. Of which, the milk should be skimmed and unsweetened.
Here is a sample menu for the fourth day:
Breakfast: 1 glass of milk and 2 bananas
Snack 1: 1 glass of banana milk smoothie
Lunch: 1 bowl of wonder soup
Snack 2: 1 glass of banana milk smoothie
Dinner: 1 bowl of wonder soup and 1 banana
Day 5 – Brown rice, tomatoes and protein
A full body fat loss menu needs to ensure a balance between substances. To add protein to your diet, you can use brown rice, meat and fish on the third day. Along with that, you also need to drink about 12 – 15 glasses of water on this day to speed up your body’s metabolism.
Here is a sample menu for the fifth day:
Breakfast: 2 tomatoes and about 140 – 170 g of meat
Lunch: 2 tomatoes and 190 – 220 g of meat
Snack: Tomato juice or wonder soup
Dinner: 2 tomatoes and 140 – 170 g of meat
Day 6 – Vegetables and Meat
On this day, you need to build a balanced menu between the two food groups: meat and vegetables. In case of vegetarianism, you can replace meat with other protein sources such as tofu.
Here is a sample menu for day six:
Breakfast: 1 bowl of vegetables and 140 – 170 g of meat
Lunch: 1 bowl of vegetables and 190 – 220 g of meat
Snack: 1 bowl of wonder soup
Dinner: 1 bowl of wonder soup and 140 – 170 g of meat
Day 7 – Rice, Vegetables and Meat
On the last day, create a menu with a variety of dishes. At this time, you can eat any kind of fruit and vegetable you like.
Here is a sample menu for day 7:
Breakfast: 1 orange, 1 bowl of watermelon and 140 – 170g of meat
Lunch: About 180 – 220g of meat and 1 glass of unsweetened fruit juice
Snack: Fruit or wonder soup
Dinner: 1 bowl of boiled vegetables and 140 – 170g of meat
7-day weight loss menu according to Eat Clean regime
Besides General Motor Diet, Eat Clean is a diet that many people have applied recently. This is a safe diet that revolves around unprocessed or minimally processed foods so that the body receives maximum nutrients. You need to prioritize fresh and clean foods and limit processed foods.
Depending on your needs and preferences, you can create a specialized 7-day Eat Clean weight loss menu. If you haven’t found a suitable menu, you can refer to the following suggestions:
Menu Day 1
Breakfast: 1 bowl of mixed fruit with unsweetened yogurt.
Snack 1: 1 orange (or a low-calorie citrus fruit).
Lunch: ½ bowl of brown rice with 150g of pan-fried chicken breast and 100g of boiled vegetables.
Snack 2: 1 banana
Dinner: 150g of folded fish and 100g of boiled vegetables.
Menu Day 2
Breakfast: Boiled chicken, boiled vegetables and potatoes.
Snack 1: 1 banana.
Lunch: ½ bowl of brown rice, 150g of pan-fried beef and 100g of boiled cabbage.
Snack 2: ½ grapefruit or 1 orange.
Dinner: 100g of grilled fish and 1 bowl of salad
Weight loss menu Day 3
Breakfast: 1 bowl of fruit and 1 bowl of oatmeal mixed with unsweetened yogurt.
Snack 1: 1 apple or pear.
Lunch: ½ corn, 1 potato, 100g of kohlrabi and 100g of boiled chicken.
Snack 2: Strawberries, blueberries or raspberries.
Dinner: 100g of steamed fish and 100g of boiled vegetables.
Day 4 Menu
Breakfast: 1 boiled egg, 1 sweet potato and 1 bowl of cabbage.
Snack 1: ½ almonds or walnuts.
Lunch: ½ bowl of brown rice and 100g chicken stir-fried with shiitake mushrooms.
Snack 2: ½ almonds or walnuts.
Dinner: 100g grilled fish and 1 bowl of salad.
Weight loss menu day 5
Breakfast: 100g boiled chicken breast and 1 glass of unsweetened skim milk.
Snack 1: 1 bowl of watermelon or 1 apple.
Lunch: 1 bowl of brown rice with 100g boiled pork tenderloin and 1 bowl of boiled spinach.
Snack 2: 1 bowl of blueberries or raspberries.
Dinner: 100g grilled fish and 1 bowl of salad
Menu Day 6
Breakfast: Boiled chicken, boiled vegetables and potatoes.
Snack 1: 1 banana.
Lunch: ½ bowl of brown rice, 150g of pan-fried beef and 100g of boiled cabbage.
Snack 2: ½ grapefruit or 1 orange.
Dinner: 100g of pan-fried salmon and 100g of steamed carrots.
Menu Day 7
Breakfast: 1 slice of whole wheat bread, 1 fried egg and 1 bowl of salad.
Snack 1: 1 orange.
Lunch: 100g of boiled meat and 1 bowl of cucumber and tomato salad.
Snack 2: 1 bowl of fruit salad
Dinner: 150g of pan-fried beef and 100g of boiled vegetables.
1-Week Weight Loss Menu According to the Keto Diet
Keto is a diet that many people are interested in recently. This diet revolves around the state of Ketosis. Cutting down on starch and increasing the amount of saturated fat in the menu will promote the body to burn excess fat faster. Thereby, the Keto diet not only brings weight loss results, but also ensures good cardiovascular health.
Here is a sample menu for those who want to follow the Keto diet:
Day 1 menu
Breakfast: Bacon and steamed eggs with tomatoes.
Lunch: 1 piece of goat cheese and salad mixed with olive oil and shredded chicken.
Dinner: Pan-fried salmon with orange sauce.
Weight loss menu day 2
Breakfast: Yogurt cheese and steamed eggs with tomatoes.
Lunch: Grilled salmon and boiled cauliflower.
Dinner: 1 bowl of green vegetables, 1 piece of cheese and meatballs.
Day 3 Menu
Breakfast: Cow’s milk or nut milk.
Lunch: 1 bowl of salad made from avocado, shrimp and olive oil.
Dinner: Pork tenderloin fried with cheese and boiled vegetables.
Weight loss menu day 4
Breakfast: 2 pieces of goat’s cheese and 1 boiled egg.
Lunch: Green salad, fried chicken with avocado and almond milk.
Dinner: Pork tenderloin fried with cheese and boiled vegetables.
Day 5 Menu
Breakfast: Yogurt with peanut butter and cocoa powder.
Lunch: Beef stir-fried with vegetables.
Dinner: Salmon with pan-fried asparagus.
Day 6 Menu
Breakfast: 1-2 pieces of goat cheese and 100g pan-fried salmon.
Lunch: 1 bowl of salad with avocado, shrimp and olive oil.
Dinner: 1 glass of nut milk and 2 fried eggs.
Day 7 Menu
Breakfast: Bacon, fried egg and mushroom.
Lunch: 1 bowl of beef tenderloin stew with pumpkin and lotus seeds.
Dinner: Fish with tomato sauce and boiled spinach.
