The popular saying “you are what you eat” holds true because the food you consume can significantly impact your weight. The overconsumption of processed junk food can lead to unwanted weight gain.
However, there’s good news if you’re committed to losing weight but reluctant to give up processed foods. Here are some effective tips that can help you get on track and shed those extra pounds.
By incorporating mindful eating and drinking habits into your daily routine, you can set yourself on the path to a healthier you.
Following these tips can help you make progress towards your weight loss goals while still enjoying the foods you love.
1. Eat Eggs For Breakfast
Eating a high-protein breakfast has been found to decrease cravings, increase satiety, and assist in weight loss.
Eggs are an easy and fast breakfast option. If you’re allergic to eggs, you can also try a breakfast sausage, a whey or vegan protein shake, or dinner leftovers.
2. Choose Lean Proteins
Chicken, fish, and turkey are excellent high-protein, lower-fat options. These options also have fewer calories, so you can eat bigger portions while still keeping your calories low.
Lean protein keeps you feeling fuller longer and helps control your blood sugar, which means fewer cravings for sugary, high-fat foods.
This doesn’t mean you have to avoid red meat – just be sure to order leaner cuts.
3. Avoid Trail Mix
Yes, nuts contain a lot of heart-healthy fats and nutrients. But trail mix, which usually contains raisins, chocolate, and nuts are calorically dense foods that are easy to overdo. A small 6-ounce bag of trail mix can easily be over 1,000 calories – and that’s just supposed to be a snack.
Opt instead for plain, roasted, or mixed nuts and make sure to measure your portions.
4. Eat Salad For Lunch (Or Dinner)
Salads are an excellent fat loss food because they are nutrient-dense, which means they’re high in fiber, water, vitamins, and nutrients.
Salads fill you up without providing a ton of calories (as long as you’re not loading your salad with high-calorie dressings).
Fill your plate with lettuce and veggies, top it with lean protein, and add a healthy dressing like olive oil and lemon juice. Voila, a delicious, satisfying, meal that can satisfy a man-sized appetite while helping you get lean fast.
5. Choose Low-Calorie, High-Flavor Condiments
Mustard and hot sauce are packed with flavor without excess sugar and calories. Other great flavor-enhancing, low-calorie seasonings include herbs, spices, salsa, lemon, and vinegar.
Limit sauces, like bbq sauce and teriyaki sauce, with are made with a lot of sugar.
6. Eat Fermented Foods
Foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, and yogurt can help to curb sweet cravings while also improving gut health. Believe it or not, eating fermented foods has also been found to improve blood pressure and body composition.
Fermented vegetables aren’t your only option either. You can also include fermented drinks like kombucha, coconut water kefir, and kvass.
7. Make Your Comfort Foods Healthier
There are so many creative ways to make your favorite comfort foods healthier. Do a little research to find healthy and delicious substitutes for your favorite comfort foods and desserts.
Everyone has non-negotiables, or things they are unwilling to give up no matter what. See if you can find a healthy alternative.
8. Eliminate Sugary Drinks
Americans are drinking more sugary drinks than ever, and we’re also facing higher obesity rates. Probably not a coincidence.
Soda is filled with unnecessary sugar and calories. Ditch the soda for water, unsweetened tea, sparkling water, coffee, and other drinks that are not loaded with sugar.
This is one of the easiest changes you can make to decrease your calories and lose weight fast.
9. Drink A Cup Of Water Before Every Meal
Drink a glass of water before every meal and snack to help increase satiety and weight loss.
Staying hydrated can help you control your hunger so that you eat less calories.
Now, you don’t need to go crazy and drink a gallon a day like a bodybuilder.
Aim to drink 8-12 cups of water per day, approximately 8 cups for women and 12 cups for men.
10. Drink Your Coffee Black
Coffee can offer some benefits to weight loss, including an increased metabolic rate and fat oxidation.
It can also enhance your strength, power, and athletic performance. This is not an excuse to drink coffee all day every day.
Nor does this mean you’re doing yourself a favor by drinking sugar-filled coffee beverages that contain a lot of calories.
If you drink coffee, drink it black or add just a splash of cream, milk, or nondairy milk.
11. Eliminate Coffee After 3pm
Drinking coffee later in the afternoon (within 6 hours of your usual bedtime50) could interfere with your sleep cycle, and adequate sleep is crucial for fat loss.
Ideally, stick to 1-2 cups of coffee, and drink it before 12pm.
This should give your body plenty of time to process the caffeine and enable you to fall soundly asleep when that time rolls around.
12. Eliminate Alcohol
If you’re serious about losing weight, it’s important to eliminate or significantly decrease your alcohol consumption.
Not only can alcoholic drinks be calorie bombs, but the alcohol disrupts fat metabolism which could prevent you from losing weight.