Free weight loss meal plans

MIF provides a free weight loss meal plan. You will enter your weight and your height and the MIF software will give you your target weight, basal metabolic rate and a FREE meal plan. No eating for your blood type, Atkins or macrobiotic diets here, just a real meal plan any mom can follow! Don't forget that nutrition is 50% and exercise is the other 50% in your weight loss goals after pregnancy.

For those of you who feel restricted on a meal plan you will also find a Free Weight Loss Nutrition Program on Lindsay's Fitness Blog. In 30 days you will lose weight with simple rules like drinking a glass of water before and during every meal and eating your vegetables first. You can eat fast food and "normal" dinners with Lindsay's 30 Day Nutrition Revamp!

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), otherwise known as Metabolism

Metabolism is defined as the rate at which you burn calories. Calories are found in all foods. If you burn 3500 excess calories in 1 week you will lose a pound. You do this by eating less and exercising—your body knows when to start "eating its own fat storage" when it is not getting enough from foods and/or you are burning extra calories by exercising.

This Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) calculator is for women only.

Do you know someone who seems to eat whatever she wants, doesn't seem to exercise at all, and yet doesn't gain weight? You may have heard someone like that say, "I have a good metabolism." They're partially right.

What they should say is something like this, "I have a high BMR which allows me to burn calories while at rest with greater efficiency than many other people."

Simply put, your BMR is the amount of energy you need to fuel basic metabolic functions like respiration, digestion, and maintaining core body temperature—in other words what you need to sustain life. Another way to think of it is that it represents how many calories you burn without any form of exercise. Of course, none of us are likely to sleep twenty -four hours a day, so our BMR alone doesn't provide us with an accurate picture of our basic caloric needs. You can determine your total caloric need based on accepted formulas and how active you are. The number of calories required for those physical activities varies, but generally, physical activities require anywhere from 150 to 600 calories per hour. The variables to take into account are how long and how intensely you do the activity, your fitness level, and what activity you're doing.

*Note: You should not use the MIF BMR calculator if you are pregnant. If you are breastfeeding you must refer to meal plans while breastfeeding to use this meal plan for weight loss.

Your BMR tells you how many calories you need to consume to maintain basic body functions. This number is what you need to consume if you were completely sedentary—if you didn't move much at all during the course of a day.

For Example Lindsay's BMR is:

655 + (4.35 x 104 lbs.) + (4.7 x 62") – (4.7 x 30) = 1,257
655 + (452) + (291) – (141) = 1,257

So, if Lindsay eats 1,257 calories/day WITHOUT exercising she will MAINTAIN my weight.

To Maintain Weight = BMR

To Lose Weight < BMR

Remember you can plug your numbers into our BMR calculator with the link provided above so you don't have to do the math!

But Lindsay does like to eat more than 1,200 calories so she adds exercise! You're here at Moms Into Fitness because you want to start or continue exercising, right? So, after you have calculated your BMR you get to add calories from exercise.

Keep in mind, this science isn't an exact science! Very fit women will find this BMR calculation is underestimating how many calories they can consume (due to a higher metabolism from more lean tissue, otherwise known as muscle). And obese women will find this BMR calculation overestimating how many calories they can consume.