Food swaps that helped enormously
Embarking on your weightloss journey often means making significant changes to your lifestyle, especially when it comes to your diet.
But they are in fact very crucial if you want to shed those pounds and lead a healthier lifestyle.
There are a couple impactful steps that you can make to make this process a LOT easier.
Transform your diet
Embarking on a journey towards a healthier,
more balanced life often begins with a crucial step: an honest review of your current eating habits.
If you’re like me, you’ve probably been through weeks (or even months) of indulgence and perhaps not-so-healthy food choices.
But that’s okay because today marks the beginning of a transformation.
First I took a step back
The first step in any transformation is understanding where you currently stand.
I took a moment to review my eating habits over the past few weeks.
It was an eye-opening experience that revealed patterns of mindless snacking, excessive sugar intake, and larger portion sizes than necessary.
This self-assessment was not about guilt or self-criticism; instead it served as a foundation for positive change.
Here’s what I discovered:
- Mindless Snacking: I found myself reaching for snacks even when I wasn’t hungry, often due to stress or boredom.
- Sugary Drinks: My daily intake of sugary beverages (for many it’s sodas and sweetened coffee) it was contributing to a significant calorie load.
- Oversized Portions: Portion control had become a distant memory, leading to overeating and unnecessary calorie consumption.
- Wrong food options: I would constantly choose foods that were low in calorie but not filling at all, which led me to snacking for more food at nighttime.
Now comes the hard part:
Eliminating the little things that had a huge negative impact on my weight loss journey.
Here are some of the changes that should be made:
- Swap Sugary Beverages for Water: Instead of reaching for sugary sodas start drinking ONLY water.
Staying hydrated not only helps cravings but also saves you from empty calories. - Choose Whole Grains: Swap out refined grains like pasta for whole grains like quinoa and sweet potatoes.
These choices added more fiber to my diet and helped me feel fuller for longer. - Snack Mindfully: Instead of mindlessly munching on chips or cookies, I stocked up on healthy snacks like almonds, Greek yogurt, and fresh fruit.
This made a huge difference in my overall calorie intake.
I also drank a load of green tea or would simply drink hot lime water to fix my sweet tooth. - Portion Control: I started paying more attention to portion sizes and made them consist of all elements.
Carbs, veggies and protein are a must!
This helped me avoid overeating and kept me full for longer. - Cook at Home: Preparing meals at home allowed me to have more control over ingredients and portion sizes.
It also encouraged me to experiment with healthier recipes.
That’s why I loved doing mealprepping, makes it easier to grape a healthy meal.
Want to know how to do this?
Check out my blog here
-Switching whole milk to skimmed/almond milk
-A chocolade bar to a protein bar
–Regular yoghurt to low fat greek yoghurt
-A part of your carbs to more veggies fruits and protein
And so it goes on
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I cut carbs out completely?
NO! You can eat less of them and consider more protein and veggies on your plate but carbs is still an important part to keep you full troughout the day.
Is weightlifting an effective way to lose weight?
YES! Combining weightlifting and cardio is a charm to losing body fat. If you consume enough protein you will be building muscle and losing fast at the same time. A perfect combo!
Will too much fruit make me fat?
NO! Ofcourse your diet shouldn't contain of only fruits but it's very important to implement at least one fist of fruits a day.
You could easily replace your breakfastsandwish with a greekyoghurt fruit bowl or a healthy smoothie.
Is it a must to count your calorie intake?
YES AND NO! For some people it has helped a lot and for others like me for example it just didn't work out. It is a thing that could turn bad very fast, but if you eat mindfully and know approximately how much calories everything has then you could do without.
Should I exercise everyday?
NO! Weightloss is mostly about your calorie intake but moving alot will help you much more. I would stay active and prioritize your steps but also have some restdays to charge up.
Does fasting help?
YES! Only if you do it in the correct way. I mean by that not fasting for a whole day but only at night. I would my dinner pretty early and not eat before bedtime. So you will have around 15H of a fast and can the next morning again.
Should you fully eliminate all your guilty pleasures?
NO!
Here is why, If you cut out EVERYTHING and end up only drinking water and black coffee only because sugary drinks are calorie bombs you’ll feel unsatisfied.
There are so many ways to transform those unhealthy drinks to an healthy alternative.
For example: If you enjoy sweet latte’s a lot, try one with almond milk and honey.
Same thing goes if you desire fries, if you bake them at home in the oven there will be a HUGE difference calorie wise.
So you still get to enjoy the good things, just in a healthier way!
