SO here’s the deal.
If the scale number isn’t going down, you are eating too much. End of story.
It’s the harsh conversation that many of us don’t want to have or don’t want to believe, but it’s the truth.
I will cut to the good stuff now, and show you some of my favorite swaps that you can make to optimize your diet, and decrease your overall calorie consumption – without feeling like you are depriving yourself of a life of freedom and happiness.
Maybe you don’t need to reduce your caloric intake by 500, maybe you just need to try two of these and reduce it by 200. Great. Do that. Take a good look at these options and decide on which ones you can make right now, and give them a try.
1) Breakfast – 2 eggs, 1 slice of cheese, Coffee with Creamer, 2 pieces of PB toast (2 tbsp. PB) and 1 banana – 700 calories (32 grams protein)
Try This: 1 egg, 3/4 cup egg whites, 1 slice of 2% cheese, skim milk (1 oz) in coffee, 2 pieces of toast (1 TBSP PB) and a cup of strawberries. – 520 calories (43 grams protein)
By reducing the whole egg to one, cutting your peanut butter in half, replacing your cheese and creamer with lower fat options, and swapping berries for a banana, you instantly cut out 180 calories, but ADD 11 grams of protein. A total win!
2) Snack – 1 clementine, and 1 medium blueberry muffin (Starbucks) – 360 calories (7 grams protein)
Try This: 1 clementine, and one string cheese + 10 almonds – 200 calories (11 grams protein)
Again, we swap out the processed blueberry muffin for a string cheese and some almonds and instantly cut out 160 calories, and add 4 grams of protein – not to mention reduce the sugar by 30 grams)
3) Lunch – Turkey Sandwich (2 slices whole wheat bread + 2 oz. turkey + 1 cheese slice and veggies), 1 Tbsp. Mayo, 1 – strawberry yogurt, 1 bag of Lays chips, 2 Tbsp. nuts or seeds – 790 calories (34 grams protein)
Try This: Turkey Sandwich (2 slices whole wheat bread + 4 oz. turkey) + 1 2% cheese slice, 1 Tbsp. lite Mayo, 1 – low fat plain yogurt + a few berries, handful of carrots/veggies, 12 almonds – 590 calories (40 grams protein)
Cut the flavored yogurt cuts out extra sugar, ditch the chips for some crunchy veggies, and add in some healthy fats via almonds (or a few other nuts) and you instantly cut out 200 calories, and up your protein by 6 grams!
4) Snack – Chobani Flip Greek Yogurt + 1 apple – 310 calories (12 grams protein)
Try This: 1 Oikos Triple Zero Vanilla Greek Yogurt, 1/4 cup blueberries, and 1 Tbsp crushed walnuts – 240 calories (16 grams protein)
Yes, you are only cutting out 70 calories here, but every little bit counts. You do sacrifice some convienience, but at an added plus to reaching your goals – this shouldn’t be that big of a challenge.
5) Dinner – 90/10 Beef Tacos (3 small soft shell tacos, 4 oz. beef) + 1 Tbsp cheese on each, 1 Tbsp. Sour Cream on Each, and veggies. – 690 calories (42 grams protein)
Try This: 5 oz. 99% lean ground chicken + 3 small soft taco shells + 1 Tbsp 2% cheese on each, 1 Tbsp. plain Greek Yogurt on each, and veggies – 530 calories (48 grams protein)
My favorite swap is Greek Yogurt for sour cream. They taste the same, but you are switching out fat for protein. With the meat, once you add the taco seasonings, you can’t tell the difference between beef and chicken – and you even get to add a little bit more meat!
After making these swaps you can see the totals are as follows:
Before: 2850 calories – 127 grams of protein
After: 2080 calories (770 less!) – 158 grams of protein (31 more!)
This is a huge swing in calories, without reducing the food volume at all, and even increasing the amounts of protein you are getting – meaning you will feel fuller longer and faster.
These numbers are just for a hypothetical person, but could end up meaning a huge swing for someone – by just making a few tweaks here and there. Give them a try – and let me know what you think!
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Stay healthy my friends,