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The Difference Between a Diet Plan and an Eating Plan
By: Scottsdale Weight Loss Center
Published: December 24, 2020
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When you look for ways to lose a few pounds, you’ll see terms like diet plan, eating plan, weight loss plan and meal plan. Some of these terms mean the same thing, while others don’t. Here, we explain the similarities and differences between common weight loss terms.
You can use one term for before or while you are losing the weight, and one for after you have reached your weight loss goal. For example, what you plan to eat while losing weight will be your eating plan, and when you are maintaining your weight use meal plan.
EATING VS MEAL PLAN
An eating plan is what you eat throughout the day. It includes your breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and drinks. A healthy eating plan can help you lose weight and to maintain your weight once the extra pounds are gone. The eating plan is used interchangeably with the meal plan.
A meal plan is self-explanatory: you plan meals for the day, the week, or even the month. It includes meals, snacks, and even beverages that meet your nutritional needs. If you focus your meal plan on fruits, vegetables, and proteins, it will help you maintain your eight. A meal plan is often used interchangeably with an eating plan.
With either a meal plan or eating plan, you should not just be focused on weight loss, but on a permanent lifestyle change. In either case, an eating plan or meal plan is not the same as a diet plan or a weight loss plan. It is, however, a part of a diet or weight loss plan.
DIET VS WEIGHT LOSS PLAN
A diet plan is synonymous with a weight loss plan. These two are not usually used as before and after weight loss. They simply just mean the same thing, and you can use whichever term suits you. But if a diet plan is not the same as an eating plan, what is it? It is your plan, guide, or blueprint for reaching your weight loss goals. It takes more than chasing what you eat to keep weight off.
Your weight loss plan should be used with an exercise plan as well. That exercise plan should contain plans for stretching exercises, aerobic exercises, strength training, and possibly even endurance training.
Your diet plan should include a plan for drinking six to ten glasses of water each day and taking any vitamin supplements your doctor may recommend.
Finally, you should have a weigh-in plan as a part of your diet or weight loss plan. Most diet experts will advise against daily weigh-ins but we find it helpful to keep track of tangible results.
MAINTENANCE VS WEIGHT LOSS MAINTENANCE PLAN
Once your goal is reached, the term used for keeping the weight off is a maintenance plan or weight loss maintenance plan, or even a weight-maintenance plan. When you think about your weight loss plan and your meal plan, understand that this is the planning stage you are shooting for: maintaining your weight after you’ve lost those extra pounds.
Read our FREE e-book Chasing Diets and learn about the weight loss program that works.
Nick
Nick's Story
"I wish I would have come here first. We spend all our time reacting to the next great weight loss tip or program. It might work for a while, but does not last and we end up yo-yoing from one fad to the next – as we gain more weight." Read More
Gina
Lost 44.5 lbs
"I had no trouble adhering to the meals and they really helped catapult my progress! The classes were so beneficial to me because they helped change my thinking about how I viewed health, nutrition, and fitness.
I will always have my relationship with Scottsdale Weight Loss Center. They truly helped me change my life forever." Read More
Lauren
Lost 60 lbs
"Dr. Ziltzer and everyone who I have come in contact with at the Scottsdale Weight Loss office have been so encouraging and I look forward to seeing them each week. It is now a year and 2 months later since I started. I am down 60 lbs., which is the average amount a 9-year-old weighs, it is crazy to think I lost a whole person! I feel amazing, I hit my goal weight in November 2021 just before Thanksgiving. Nothing on my body hurts anymore..." Read More
Chuck
Lost 66 lbs
"The best thing I did was call the Scottsdale Weight Loss Center. I have a lot more energy, I'm not hungry, and it feels great.
You can take it from me that this is a program that produces results. The staff is always positive, supportive, and never judgmental.
Your visits always result in positive reinforcement, no matter if you had a good week or a bad week." Read More
Emily
Lost 101 lbs
"Here I am at the lowest I have been since high school weighing in at 155lbs. I have lost 101 lbs, BMI of 39 when I started, to 21.6, and of course at body fat % of 47.1 to 26.5%. I told myself by my 30th birthday I wanted to be confident in the way I look and I owe it all to SWLC. The entire staff is so welcoming and they are rooting for you just as much as you are rooting for yourself...." Read More
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Meet Our Team
Robert Ziltzer, MD, FACP, FAAP, FOMA
Obesity Medicine Certified Physician
Diana Bone, FNP-C
Specializing in Obesity Medicine
Craig Primack, MD, FACP, FAAP, MFOMA
Obesity Medicine Certified Physician
Kristen Ash, FNP-C, FNP-BC
Nurse Practitioner
Alicia Earley, FNP-C
Family Nurse Practitioner
