Lady Cat Lady

I know that may sound simple and logical to many, but there are little things that require extra effort that I don’t believe many people think about when they’re entering a weight loss journey. In this post, I want to explore a few things that I have changed in the way I eat, shop, prepare food, and yes, even “cheat on my diet”.

Let’s start with the shopping since that’s where your food relationship will typically begin. Now, I have a decent garden and live in Florida, produce shopping for me is limited. However, the majority of my diet does come from produce. I would say shopping wisely in the produce department, starting a garden, finding a farmer’s market, and checking out alternative shopping such as Asian and Latin stores for deals they may have you won’t find in your bigger stores will help your overall grocery budget. Keep fresh fruit and vegetables on hand for when you’re in a snacking mood.

Avoid regular Bread and Pasta, yes it’s yummy, but it’s not doing you any favors. If you must have bread, find one that is multigrain with seeds in it so you are at least getting some good fiber with it. If you need that pasta, Barilla makes a high protein kind that’s difficult to tell from the original, so at least you’re contributing to upping your protein intake. The same goes for tortillas, if you must, shoot for whole grain or high protein tortillas. Better yet, use corn.

Buy only what you know you’ll eat. At the very beginning of my weight loss journey, I thought I was slick trying new, healthy things. Most of those things ended up in the compost pile eventually. Shoot, I have a whole bin of protein bars I’m never going to eat because they’re chalky and disgusting.

Food prep. I never thought I’d be a proponent for food prep, but I gotta tell you, it makes a huge difference in whether I choose to cook or convince myself ordering take out is “easier and faster” on days when I have less time. I don’t make full meals, mind you. On one of my two days off, I chop and slice up fruits and vegetables and put them in deli containers in the fridge. I cook a bunch of brown rice, cool it safely by spreading it out on a sheet pan and letting it come to room temp then put it in the fridge to cool completely, then separate into serving size deli containers. I also roast slices of onions and whole heads of garlic, let them cool, and keep them in deli containers. (I love onions and garlic with a passion.) Having those ingredients prepped and ready to go make throwing a meal together easier.

Chicken is your friend, it’s one of the most nutritionally dense foods, and if you go breast, it’s super low in fat. The internet is filled to the brim with recipes, but I typically grill some up and keep it in the fridge to put on salads, rice, eat with veggies, or even make a wrap. Season as you like, you can always add more seasoning later to change the flavor.

Let’s be clear, I still eat red meat and pork, I just don’t eat it very often and always leaner cuts.

Roast Vegetables. Look, many Americans I know boil or steam their veggies. You all are missing out, I’m telling you. Vegetables I never enjoyed eating boiled or steamed, I love roasted. A little olive oil, some salt and pepper and throw them bad boys in the oven. You can even roast frozen veggies, you know those ones you buy in the bag from the frozen section? Let them get a little browned, don’t cook till they’re mush, allow them to have some crisp left in them. The internet is your friend, ask your search engine how to roast ____. Try it, you may be amazed.

Cook with Avocado oil and/or Olive oil. Both contain healthy fats and antioxidants.

Processed food is not your friend. I don’t care if it says it’s diet, it’s not good for you. I’m not going to jump up on a soap box; I’m just going to say this: I used to eat a lot of processed food. When I stopped, much of the inflammation in my joints went down and I gained a ton of mobility even before I lost weight. Enough said.

Eating, half your plate should be produce, one quarter a lean protein, and the other quarter…you do you boo. I typically eat a lot of brown rice because brown rice has more fiber and you need to up that fiber if you want to lose weight. Fiber helps carry those fat molecules out of your body. PS smaller plates can trick your brain into thinking you’re eating more food.

Eat your vegetables. We need five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, are you getting that?

Repeat after me:

Maple Syrup is Sugar

Honey is Sugar

Agave Nectar is Sugar

None of these have been proven to be healthier options for baking than actual sugar. In fact, Agave Nectar is more likely to make you retain fat due to it’s chemical makeup. There is no such thing as a healthy dessert, unless you’re talking fruit. If you want to argue with me, I’m just going to link you to a food scientist/dietitian talking about it on Youtube. She has all the research in the description box of that video for your reading pleasure.

Cheating. Look, sometimes you just want something you probably shouldn’t have. Do yourself a favor and only get one, then add to it. Do you want a cookie? Okay, get a bowl of nonfat Greek yogurt, add some nuts and seeds, now break the cookie over top of it or dip the cookie in the Greek yogurt and seeds. You’re getting a cookie, but you’re also getting protein, fiber, and a fuller stomach meaning you’ll want less cookies.

Do you want ice cream? Same thing applies. Get one scoop, throw some nonfat Greek yogurt in there, add nuts and seeds and/or fruit. Voila, fuller stomach, still scratching that craving.

Popcorn solves all my salty cravings. If you’re not a popcorn lover…I don’t have much to help you here. I will say tortilla chips made out of thin corn tortillas that you’ve lightly brushed with Avocado oil and sprinkled with salt, cut into chips/strips then baked in a single layer on a sheet pan in a 375 F (190C) oven for 10-20 mins depending on thickness of tortilla and desired browning is achieved with some salsa or pico de gallo is much better for you than potato chips.

Last thing, just eat the salad dressing. Salads aren’t supposed to be drenched, but for goodness sake…if you’re going to eat more salad because it has the dressing you like as opposed to one you don’t enjoy…it’s an overall win.

Thank you for attending my TED talk. Bwahahahahaha