Creating a Nutrition Plan

• 1). Set your nutrition goals. A plan to lose weight will be different from one that aims for reduced salt intake or a gluten-free diet. Pick one or two goals to focus on before creating the actual plan. For example, you could try to reduce saturated fat by 10 percent in your overall diet and increase healthy protein intake. Too many goals, and your nutrition plan might be unrealistic or excessively restrictive.
  
  
• 2). Calculate caloric needs. You must know how many calories your body needs for essential functions and activities before completing a nutrition plan. Daily calories consumed is based on gender, age, height, activities you regularly perform, and more. For a general guideline, Family Doctor's website recommends that a 31-year old woman who is moderately active needs about 2,000 calories per day. A man of the same age and activity level would need about 2,600 calories per day. For a more specific calculation based on your body, determine your basal metabolic rate. For women the formula is:
  
  655 + (9.6 times your weight in kilograms) + (1.8 times your height in centimeters) -- (4.7 times your age in years).
  
  For men the formula is:
  
  66 + (13.7 times your weight in kilograms) + (5 times your height in centimeters) -- (6.8 times your age in years).
  
  
• 3). Incorporate healthy eating into your plan. In general, most people need to cut back on sugar and sweets. They also need to reduce the amount of saturated fat and sodium they eat. Salads and raw vegetables should be eaten more often than baked goods or fried foods. Lean meats like turkey contain less fat calories than beef or pork. Whole grains are better for you than white flour, but if you have wheat or gluten sensitivity, you may need to eliminate these from your diet, too.
  
  
• 4). Create a nutrition plan for a specific time frame. Perhaps you want to have a weekly plan, or one that is set for a month or even three months. Use an actual calendar or electronic calendar template. Write how many calories you need to consume daily, weekly or even for the entire month. You may choose to record what you eat on the same calendar, so allow enough room for all the information to be added.
  
  
• 5). Fill in the details of your nutrition plan. Perhaps you want a detailed nutritional plan that includes meals or recipes so you know that on a Monday you will eat a cup of cooked steel-cut Irish oatmeal, one glass of orange juice, a banana and a cup of coffee for breakfast. You can write the calorie count for each meal on your plan. Paperclip recipes for the week to the nutritional plan. Decide on the amount of detail necessary to match your lifestyle and personality, and how much is needed to motivate you to stick to the plan.