So you’ve finally decided to go on that calorie-controlled diet in your quest to permanently lose that weight, now what to eat? A key concept to remember, as Steve Terrano from BodyPerformance will continuously remind you, “It’s not what you eat, it’s how much you eat.” Though this is not to suggest that it is acceptable to eat cheesecake or snickers bars all day, it does emphasize how much you choose to eat over what you choose to eat. This is because weight loss comes down to a science of the number of calories you consume vs. the number of calories you burn daily. Technically, as long as you are staying within your daily calorie limit, you could eat practically anything you desire and lose or maintain your weight. Nutritionally, however, this is not very wise; it is important to have a good balance of fruits, vegetables, lean meats, as well as the occasional cheesecake.
Most nutritionists will suggest a daily macronutrient ratio consisting of 50% carbohydrates, 25% fat, and 25% protein. These ratios are appropriate in order to maintain ones health, though the preciseness of the percentages is not quite as important as the net calories you have consumed at the end of the day. With this in mind, one may ask, what should I eat? It is best to start searching your supermarket shelves for low-calorie foods and make sure you check the nutrition labels on everything you purchase. The following is a list of wonderful low-calorie options which are both great-tasting and healthy-now isn’t that new?
1. Nutri-Grain Cereal Bars – These bars come in a variety of flavors, including Strawberry, Blueberry, Raspberry, and Apple Cinnamon. With only 140 calories, this bar is healthy, tasty, and great as a snack on the go.
2. Fiber One Oats & Chocolate Bars – These bars are fairly new and taste so great that they fly off the shelves; you may have a hard time finding these bars in stock! Not only are they a measly 140 calories, chewy, chocolaty, and satisfying, but these bars are loaded with fiber- 9 grams in fact! Despite its seemingly mediocre size, the bar will satisfy you for some time, making sure you don’t overeat later.
3. Quaker Oats Rice Cakes – These rice cakes come in many different flavors, ranging from a ranch flavor to a personal favorite, chocolate crunch. Each cake is only 60 calories and extremely delicious. You may also like to try Quaker’s 90 calorie rice snack packs, which are equally scrumptious.
4. Sara Lee Light Wheat Bread – Each slice of Sara Lee’s Light Wheat Bread contains 40 calories and only 9 grams of carbohydrates. Now compare that to the average slice of bread, containing no less than about 80 calories and even as high 200 calories! Check those labels! Every calorie counts!
5. Peanut Butter – Yes, believe it or not, peanut butter is great for anyone trying to lose weight. Yes, peanut butter is known to be a tad high on grams of fat; however, these are good fats and should not be shunned. So why should you eat peanut butter? Just one tablespoon of peanut butter spread on a slice of bread will, in fact, satisfy your hunger. Peanut butter will also keep you full for a notable length of time, again discouraging you from overeating later.
6. Sugar Free Jell-O – These sweet and tasty treats are not only delicious, but they contain only 10 calories! Feel free to indulge in this as a snack or a desert after your meal.
7. Whipped Butter/ Cream Cheese – If you’re going to buy it, buy it whipped! One tablespoon of Land O’ Lakes Whipped Butter contains 50 calories, as opposed to 100 calories for regular butter of the same brand, not to mention that the whipped butter also contains 5 grams less fat. The same goes for cream cheese. An ounce of regular Philadelphia Cream Cheese contains 100 calories. However, the whipped version has only 60. Save yourself some calories!
8. Beans – Personally, I enjoy pinto beans and love to eat a few spoonfuls every now and then. Half a cup of pinto beans contains about 120 calories and is loaded with fiber. Though you should watch the sodium levels with canned beans, this option is both healthy and filling due to the high level of fiber.
9. Egg Beaters – Instead of cholesterol-loaded regular eggs, why not try egg beaters? They taste absolutely wonderful (just like regular eggs) and have no fat or cholesterol. At only 30 calories for ¼ of a cup, you can make yourself a nice omelette with some low-calorie ham, turkey bacon, or whichever breakfast meat you prefer!
There are endless numbers of different ideas for what you should eat on a calorie controlled diet. As I learn and experiment more with different foods, I will continue to write articles to help you make the right food choices. Remember, it is important to be conscious of what you eat, but how much you eat is imperative to weight loss as it is directly related to the number of calories you consume each day and ultimately, how much weight you will lose. Remember to supplement your low-calorie diet with regular exercise, as a combination of both diet and exercise is the best way to permanently lose weight. Always remember that weight loss is not just a fad diet, it is a lifestyle change. With that in mind, bon appétit!
