Earlier this week I had good friend of mine reach out and wanted me to confirm that she’s not crazy.
Not crazy as in ‘she doesn’t like Chipotle’ crazy. Rather, she wanted to make sure that she wasn’t crazy for not liking the answer she received, by two different people, when she complimented them on their “cut, in-shape look”.
Both of their responses: “Honestly, I’ve just been eating less and that’s really it.”
After hearing two people tell her that they saw progress by “eating less”, she immediately reached out and wanted to know my thoughts.
First, before getting into some specifics, I agree with my friend. I’m not a fan of the “I’m just eating less” response. At all.
These individuals aren’t necessary wrong though. In order to lose body fat, you need to be consuming less calories OR you need to be exercising a significant amount more.
Most people, especially adults, have more control over what they eat rather than the amount they work out. Being conscious of what you’re eating is significantly more efficient for your life than working out three hours per day.
However, eating less calories doesn’t mean you have to eat less food.
Most items that people eat on a regular basis are extremely calorie dense. There’s physically not that much food to eat but the food contains a significant number of calories. To give some examples, here are some of the most popular food or beverages in the United States and how many calories they have:
Pizza (Two slices of pepperoni): 600 Calories
Soda (One can): 150 Calories
Potato chips (One serving – 17 chips): 160 Calories
Dessert coffee (16oz Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Frapppuccino): 320 Calories
Muffins (Blueberry Muffin from Panera): 460 Calories
Fried Chicken Sandwich (From McDonald’s): 510 Calories
Fries (Medium order from McDonald’s): 340 Calories
Oreo Cookies (One serving of 3 Cookies): 160 Calories
One could argue that you can simply limit your portion sizes for these different items. And I agree….to a point.
But for each of those items, I already listed a smaller serving size and they still contain quite a bit of calories.
Also, I’ll be the first to admit that once I start eating pizza, chips, or Oreos, it’s pretty challenging to stop at one serving.
You can limit your portion sizes for these calorie dense foods, and lose weight, but you’re likely going to be insanely hungry and not satisfied if that’s all you’re eating.
In theory, “eating less” to lose body fat is simple and works.
But in your real day-to-day life…..Yeah...Not that easy. You need foods that are satisfying, allow you to eat less total calories so that you accomplish your goals, and actually fill you up.
The solution: Eating more lean sources of protein and nutrient dense foods.
By doing this, you can eat a substantial amount more food, while still taking in significantly less calories.
Examples of lean protein sources include:
(“Lean” meaning they are high in protein and low in fat, and therefore lower in calories):
Chicken Breast
Shrimp
Tilapia
Ground Turkey/Beef ( at least 93% Lean)
Egg Whites
Protein Powder
Greek Yogurt
*Side note and fun fact: peanut butter isn’t a very good source of protein but we’ll talk about that another day.*
Additionally, examples of nutrient dense foods that are lower calorie include:
Cucumbers
Raspberries
Asparagus
Strawberries
Broccoli
Blackberries:
Bell Peppers
That’s the greatness of lean proteins, along with fruits and veggies. You can eat a lot of them while keep calories in a good place.
Now, let’s put it into practical use.
Below are four popular meals/snacks and a substitute showing how much more food you can eat, while still taking in lower calories:
Popular Meal #1:
Muffin with a seasonal latte: 770 Calories
Lower Calorie Substitute #1:
Two egg white breakfast sandwiches, one banana, and a black coffee: 520 Calories
Popular Meal #2:
Fried chicken sandwich with a side of fries: 850 Calories
Lower Calorie Substitute #2:
Two grilled chicken sandwiches with a side salad: 780 Calories
Popular Snack #1:
3 Oreo Cookies: 160 Calories
Lower Calorie Snack Substitute #1:
Strawberries (Entire 1 pound container): 145 calories
Popular Snack #2:
Potato chips (1 serving - 17 chips): 160 calories
Lower Calorie Snack Substitute #2:
Raw Veggies: 2 cucumbers (60 calories) & 2 bell peppers (70 calories): 130 calories
If you’re more of a visual person, I have you covered as well:
Calories are the name of the game when it comes to losing weight. The more low-calorie, nutrient dense foods that you eat, the better your fat loss progress will be. Additionally, because they are so low calorie, you’re able to eat a lot more of them.
For people that enjoy eating and snacking (ME!), it would be next to impossible to stay consistent with just “eating less food”. That’s where prioritizing protein and vegetables comes strongly into play.
Not only does simply “eating less” sound miserable, but in practice you can and should be eating more volume of food to lose body fat.