I truly believe that the reason most people give up on losing weight is because they feel deprived. They link they will never get to eat lasagna or a cheeseburger ever again. That feeling of deprivation, not allowing yourself to do something, not knowing how to balance it all is exactly why diets fail. What are the first three letters in diet? D-I-E... and if you have been on a diet you feel like you are going to die! So, I am here to tell you that you don't have to give up lasagna forever. You can have your cheeseburger or that chocolate chip cookie, but you can't have those things every day if you want to be healthy.
So how do you balance it to achieve your weight loss goals? First you need to really look at what you are eating right now. Are you eating every 3-4 hours? Do you really know how much food you are putting in your body at each meal? Most people overeat, drastically overeat. Being healthy, eating well and losing weight involves learning. It doesn't have to be rocket science learning, but you have to take the time to learn about what you are putting in your mouth if you want to be successful. You have to learn about how much food YOUR body needs to lose weight versus maintaining your weight. So how do you do that?
The best approach is to food journal. It is very simple and you can learn so much about your habits and how to figure out what foods keep you feeling satisfied longer than others. Your food journal should include the time you eat, the amount of the food - preferably in weight as it is more accurate, the food description, and the calories. There are great websites out there to help you learn the calories of the food. Most people that think they are eating 400 calories at dinner are usually eating closer to 600 because they are not accurately weighing and measuring their food! Write it all down, keep a running total and see where you are at for the day. The best food journals also include how you felt. At the end of the day write down if you felt satisfied, if you had cravings, if you felt tired. These are great tools to look back and see what foods may be causing these feelings.
Your food journal is also important because it can become your menu plan! Scan through your journal and pick out the days that you kept your calories in check and felt satisfied, and use those days to create your own little menu plan! Yes this takes a little bit of work each day, but if you write it down as you eat it, it only takes a few seconds. Do not wait until the end of the day to think back on what you ate, that will never be accurate and it means you didn't measure your food! Do it as you go and you will be so thankful you did!
So how to do you get to eat lasagna and cheeseburgers? Well, after you get a handle on how to eat the right portion sizes and within the correct calorie range for your body, you can start to incorporate healthier versions of lasagna or your other favorite foods into your menu plan once in awhile. I don't have lasagna every day, actually probably only once or twice a year! But I use whole wheat noodles, ground turkey and low fat cheese. It is delicious, but I also know that a small portion is 400 calories so I have a very large salad with it to help me feel full. I don't put the pan on the table, I leave it at the stove, dish up the plates and don't go back for seconds. For cheeseburgers I use 1/2 and 1/2 ground beef and ground turkey. This cuts the calories and the fat in half! Either go without the bun or use the light whole wheat buns that are less than 100 calories. Skip the french fries or make your own by slicing up sweet potatoes, rinse them, toss them in a small amount of egg whites and seasoning and bake at 425. The light coating of egg whites gets them nice and crispy without frying them. So you can have some indulgences, just try to make them a little healthier than you would have before!
Want to know how many calories you need? Google it as there are many great resources to help you calculate it based on your body. Want help with all of this? I offer fitness assessments at my home studio in St. Michael, MN for only $40 for an hour. Email me for more information!
So here is to eating healthy and having your lasagna too!
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