Category: Cut Calories

How To Snack And Lose Weight

Like to have your mid morning or afternoon snack? Good! Having a snack or two during your day will help you lose weight and keep it off for good.

Eating small and mid sized meals throughout the day is a great way to stabilize your blood sugar, avoid over eating, and keep your mind alert. So here’s how to snack and lose weight.

Snacking Wisely

The number of calories you will want in your snacks is going to vary depending on your weight loss goals and the amount of calories consumed during your daily meals. Pairing a carbohydrate and a protein gives your body the short and long term fuel it needs to sustain you until your next meal.

Ten healthy snacks to help you lose weight!

1)  Fruit.  Fruit is low in calories and makes a great snack when paired with a slice of cheese or a tablespoon of peanut butter.

2)  Tortilla Chips and Salsa. Yes, this can be a low-cal snack if you check the bag to determine a serving.  Since Salsa is very low in calories, I like to have 1/4 cup of yoghurt with it.  This is a great snack in the afternoon.

3)  Cheese and crackers.  Sounds fattening?  Not really when you eat a single serving. Pre-sliced cheese is a great way to control the calories.  Break it into pieces and eat with whole wheat crackers.

4)  Yogurt.  Yoghurt with fruit or a small amount of honey makes a great low-cal snack.

5)  Whole wheat toast and a tablespoon of peanut butter or slice of cheese.

6)  Leftovers.  A 1/2 serving of a low cal meal makes a great snack.

7)  Frozen Yoghurt.  Make sure it’s small and go light on the sprinkles.

8)  Shakes.  I don’t endorse meal replacement shakes as I prefer to make my own low cal smoothies. But for people on the go, shakes can be a great option for a low-cal snack.

9)  Hummus.  Whole wheat pita chips and hummus is one of my favorites! Hummus is great for satisfying hunger, and a good whole wheat pita chip will give you the complex carbs you need for energy.

10)  Cottage Cheese.  Pair  1/2 cup cottage cheese with fruit or crackers for a great snack.

While cookies, candy, and potato chips are labeled as “snack foods”, they have a high calorie count and do not keep you filled up for very long.  It’s best to think of these foods as “treats.”

Have a low cal snack you’d like to share?  Please leave a comment below.  I’d love to hear from you!

Blessings to you and yours!

Jennifer

 

 

The Right Foods For Weight Loss

Have you been struggling to lose or maintain your weight? Don’t worry! You’re not alone. The good news is you can begin to make simple changes in the foods you eat and lose weight for good!

For the past 22 plus years, I’ve helped clients make easy changes in their daily/weekly food intake and lose weight. No deprivation diets or crazy workouts, I promise! Just simply swapping out some of the higher calorie foods with good tasting low-cal substitutes helped them lose weight. It can help you too.

Try food swap magic!

Here are some small yet powerful changes you can make to lose and maintain your weight:

1)  What’s for breakfast?  Do you know that one cup of granola can pack in 450 calories? Yikes! You can eat a serving of oatmeal (with blueberries and butter), and two eggs for only 360 calories. Granola is a healthy food, but if you are trying to lose or maintain your weight, avoid the high calorie cereals in the morning. They make better toppings than meals.

If you eat breakfast at your favorite coffee shop, you will want to find out how many calories are in that on the go meal. Keep it to 350 calories and have a plain cup of coffee with a small amount of creamer. This simple tweak alone helped one of my clients stop gaining weight and lose three pounds in five weeks!

2)  Snack wisely. A small serving of chips is about 150 calories on average. But, did you know you can eat four cups of popcorn for only 60 calories? Popcorn is way more filling, and will keep ,you satisfied longer. Not crazy about popcorn? Eat a piece of fruit.

3)  Entertain with lower calorie choices. Having company? Offer hummus and yoghurt based dips. Offer whole grain crackers as well as fruit and cut vegetables to go alongside the dips. Serve smaller portions of the higher calorie fare such as cheese and cured meats. You and your guests are likely to eat less when the portions are sized smaller.

4)  Limit the fast food!  I realize this may be obvious to some. However, with 25% of our nation eating fast food daily, I do not like to ignore this one. Most of us picture a drive through window when we think of fast food. However fast food can be healthy take out as well. When you let someone else cook the meal, you have zero control over the calories.

Just like with the breakfast meals, find out how many calories are in your favorite take out and decide if it meets your weight loss goals. Or, have some healthy frozen food on hand and combine it with a fresh salad for a last minute dinner option.

5)  Watch the sweets! There are 196 calories in a large chocolate chip cookie. Switch to a piece of dark chocolate (60 calories), a small cookie (49 calories), or a small serving of sorbet (110 calories).

These tips will help you cut calories and stay on track without feeling deprived! Please let me know if you have a food swap you’d like to share or a question about your daily food intake by leaving a comment below.  I really enjoy hearing from you!

Blessings to you and yours!

Jennifer