Why should I use a meal plan company?
Why should I use a meal plan company?
According to science, the 80/20* rule implies that most people’s fitness results will be based on 80% diet and 20% exercise. This means if you goal is to lose 10 pounds, most likely 8 pounds will come down to your diet (and the calorie deficit you achieved).
What is a calorie deficit?
When it comes to weight loss, one of the most important concepts to understand is calorie deficit. Simply put, calorie deficit means that you are consuming fewer calories than you are burning through physical activity and bodily processes. This leads to weight loss as your body turns to burning stored fat for energy.
How does calorie deficit work in real life?
For instance, lets assume Anna is a working mom and manager for a leading Hong Kong law firm. She is looking to lose 4 pounds this month as she is maid of honour for her best friend’s wedding. To achieve this, she breaks down her goal of losing1 pound of fat per week, this will equate to a calorie deficit of 3500 calories or approximately 6hours of running at 7-8km/hr.
How do Meal Plans help me achieve calorie deficit?
When a client begins a FITTERY meal plan, each meal is designed to be nutrient-dense and delicious, with an emphasis on ingredients being weighed, portion controlled and macros optimized to suit your daily health goals. All meals are premade, clearly labelled with nutrition macros and delivered to your doorstep daily, which means you won't have to worry about calorie counting, grocery shopping, or cooking.
Meal plans are more efficient than exercise
As one can see, even if Anna can find the time to run that many hours per week, it will still be much easier for her to achieve calorie deficit through dietary changes rather than exercise alone. One reason for this is that exercise is simply not a very efficient way to burn calories. For instance, to burn off one bubble milk tea would take 1hour on the treadmill (or 500 calories). However if Anna simply chose to drink water instead (0 calories), she could of saved herself the hassle in the first place.
Meal plans provide you accountability
Another reason meal plans can be helpful in achieving your goal is the way our bodies are designed to conserve energy. When we exercise, our bodies try to compensate for the extra energy we spent by increasing our hunger levels afterwards to replenish our calorie deficit ( which is also why after swimming, one feels extra hungry). This is when you are at your weakest and tend to over eat. By following a Nutritionist based meal plan company with all food already precooked, Anna can rest assured that her weight loss results are on track.
Proper Meal Plans offer more than just calorie count:
If you have your own nutritionist and time to create a meal plan for yourself – that’s great. However if you need a helping hand, at FITTERY, we carefully craft our meals with our nutritionist and chefs to ensure each meal is different and calorie controlled. With each meal, you receive plenty of protein to keep you feeling full, healthy fats to support brain function, and low GI carbohydrates that provide slow releasing energy for you throughout the day.
Conclusion:
If you have the time and energy to cook your own meal plan that’s great, however, if you would like some professional guidance, FITTERY offers daily changing menus for a wide range of meal plan types (Starch Zero, Light N Easy, Healthy Zen, Bulk Up, Semi Keto and Green N Lean). We also offer daily delivery across all of Hong Kong to help our clients achieve their health goals in the easiest way possible.
*Source: Thomas DM, Bouchard C, Church T, et al. Why do individuals not lose more weight from an exercise intervention at a defined dose? An energy balance analysis. Obes Rev. 2012;13(10):835-847. doi:10.1111/j.1467-789X.2012.01012.x
*Source: Kravitz, L. (2016). 'The 80/20 Rule for Weight Loss'. IDEA Fitness Journal, 13(1), 24-25.