Hey everyone, just thought I’d throw a few thoughts your way about what dieting means for your stomach! One of the things that Dr. Huizenga, of Biggest Loser fame, used to drill into us over and over is that counting calories and being on a diet does not mean that we have to walk around feeling hungry! It just means that we need to be intentional about how we use our calories for the day.
You definitely want to plan them out ahead of time. For me, that means I know how many calories I’m allowed per meal, and then how many I’ve portioned out for snacks. I’m a night owl, so when I’m in diet mode I always save 100-200 calories for snacking while I relax in front of the tv. That’s plenty for some sugar free jello or a 100 calorie count bag of popcorn!
More importantly, it means I’m a little more careful at meals. I have the appropriate servings of my higher calorie options – meats, breads/grains, etc. As opposed to back in the day, however, when I would fill up on a pound or two of steak, I’ll have the 6-8 ounce piece … and then stuff myself with salad. Do you see what I’ve done? I’ve gotten my important nutritional foods in; those necessary servings of dairy, carbs, protein, etc., and then I fill up on healthy but low calorie food like steamed vegetables or salad. You can have a mountain of vegetables for a hundred calories (depending on the veg – we’re not talking about peas or corn here, those guys are healthy but high octane on the calorie meter). You definitely need to be making use of your calorie counter book or websites (www.SparkPeople.com) and be aware of what you’re popping into your mouth.
So, to sum up, get the appropriate portions of the healthy food you need for a balanced diet, and then fill up on the low calorie stuff that might not do a whole lot for you, but will keep you full and better able to manage your appetite.
Thanks Matt. I stuggle with keeping track. I know what I think something is, is totally different to what it actually is.
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Agreed. It's always about WHAT you eat too. Fruit is a great snack and you can eat a lot of fruit without gaining weight.
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Totally agree you don't have to be hungry. Although today I will admit I am starving!! But I am sticking this my veggies and fruit when I get too hungry.
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That is so true. I lost a 130 lbs and I never starved. It is possible to be satisfied while losing weight. Of course, I had to stop eating deep fried burritos but that is fine. I will however, splurge on such things after I finish a marathon. http://run4change.wordpress.com
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Great info. Matt how do you count the popcorn? Is it 1 grain/carb or 100 xtra calories on the BL plan?
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The only danger with fruit – and I'm not saying to not eat fruit, I try to have a couple servings every day – is that it is higher calorie than vegetables, so you have to make sure you're counting 'em.
Lisa – I use the 100 calorie instant popcorn bags. They're a little smaller, but they're already measured out to 100 calories so I can just have the whole bag. I go by the calories, not the grains/carbs, and I factor it into my calories for the day. In other words, if I'm trying to have 2000 calories a day, I'll only eat 1900 so I still have room to have 100 calories at night while I'm watching tv. : )
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Matt,
I listened to your audio on your kickoff for Biggest Loser in Boothbay, and you mentioned quite a few low cal options for foods such as cereals and breads, but as i was not there to see the things you were holding up and could not uderstand the brand names, is there a chance you have a list of these foods you could include here as suggestions to us who are just starting to find low-cal options?
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Loren … I don't remember off hand; I know I really love the Kashi brand and the Fiber One granola bars. When it comes to break and wraps, I would look for low calorie or high fiber, but you'd have to check the labels to find what brands you have in your area. I know since moving to Delaware, everything is different in the bread aisle from Maine. Argh!
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I have not seen the Kashi brand here is that something you can only purchase online? I did see that Amazon sells it, but more money than I normally like to pay for food… 🙂
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