This is a question I get all of the time so I am going to lay it out for you all! Now, as I learn more about nutrition and dive deeper into this field, I am finding that what works for me, may not work for you! We all have different body types, and metabolisms. However, for the most part, a healthy, balanced diet, is always key to weight loss (As well as a stress free, rested mind)
So, here are examples of what I ate for a year to get the weight off…the right way.
Breakfast:
•Every morning I still get excited to eat my egg whites with sautéed vegetables (sautéed with water or some pam spray)- I usually put mushrooms, onions, peppers, and broccoli in them. Some days, I would smear a little bit of avocado on top, and throw on some fresh diced tomatoes. If your a cheese lover, such as myself, all grocery stores have non fat cheese singles that taste exactly like full fat kraft singles when melted in an omelet, on toast etc. Brands such as Borden, Weight Watchers, and Kraft carry them. They even have different flavors such as, Swiss, PepperJack, Sharp Cheddar, and Mozzarella.
•Back when I was losing weight I kept things simple, so, when I had yogurt I didn’t do the fancy schmancy overnight oats-it honestly adds more carbs than neccesary. I just had about one cup of Plain Non-Fat greek yogurt (less carbs and sugar) and I sweetened it myself with Splenda, or Agave Nectar (which has a low glycemic index). I added fruits or berries, chia seeds, cinnamon and a tiny bit of peanut butter. It is very filling, high in protein, low in fat, and relatively low in carbs. This breakfast keeps you feeling full for a longer period of time than a piece of toast or cereal would.
* Fun fact- Naked carbs (such as dry toasts) have the highest glycemic index out of any food. This means they are digested into sugar and absorbed into your blood stream faster than your body knows how to deal with them. So, give it an hour.. you’ll be hungry again, which is certainly not ideal for weight loss.
Lunch:
•Usually I would have a vibrant veggie packed salad with grilled chicken. For my dressings I would use, no fat low calorie Italian, or different types of vinegars (Balsamic vinegar-costco has the best! Rice vinegar with onion salt tastes great, and seasoned rice vinegar is a delicious sweeter vinegar) In order to not get bored of salads, switch it up a bit. Change your dressings, toppings, lettuce and experiment with new flavors so it doesn’t get repetitive.
»People don’t realize in one serving of a typical Italian sub it contains- calories: 960, fat: 48g, carbs: 92g, protein: 46g
»Typical Turkey Sub- 6″ Roll, Lite Mayo, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Sweet Peppers (1 serving)
calories: 540, fat: 26g, carbs: 54g, protein: 31g
The fat, as well as the carbs, are overwhelmingly high. These numbers are practically, if not more, than a days worth of carbs and even fat for many people. In addition, the majority of these fats are not healthy monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, Omega 3 fats. They are saturated.
Dinner:
• For the most part, I usually had grilled chicken some sort of green vegetable. I know it gets boring, but I enjoyed it. I switched up the vegetables, or the way I grilled my chicken (I will be posting different chicken recipes to try!) Baking chicken with different mustards, marinates, soy sauces/teriyaki sauces add flavor and won’t make dinner so repetitive each night. you just got to get creative, and like I said…try new things!!
»La Choy Stir Fry Teriyaki became one of my favorite marinades/ dipping sauce for chicken/ vegetables sauce. It is low in calories, carbs, fat AND sodium which is hard to find in these types of sauces.
»Now, I know you may be wondering where I get my carbs in? They come in small bits from my vegetables, yogurt, peanut butter, dressings etc. I have always followed a very low carb diet. Just because you may not be eating bread, grains, rice oatmeal etc, does not mean you aren’t consuming carbs.
Two prime examples I always tell people-
•Strawberries have 12.75g of carbs per 1 cup sliced. Shocker… I know.
•A more obvious example-one whole banana has about 30 Carbs
So, do you see what I’m saying?
What do I eat when I have a sweet tooth? (which is all the time)
• For the most part, I drink tea a few times a day actually! I add Splenda or agave, cinnamon, and powedered creamer
•If that doesn’t work, I used to spray a little bit of light whipped cream into a bowl and add some dark chocolate chips and some fruit too it. I know kind of weird, however, it worked for me and it felt as though I had just eaten ice cream with less carbs, sugar, and fat.
Hope this helps guide you guys a bit! I’ll be creating more helpful diet tricks, and food guides in the upcoming future so stay tuned!
xo Keri
