Okay.. need more tips to lose weight but satisfy your satiety? One of my personal problems is limiting my calories throughout the day, because even though I eat healthy, it's hard to be eating every 2 hours without stacking up in the calorie category. I need to incorporate more of the following foods into my diet to keep the calorie count down.
So for week 10... here are 10 great foods for fat loss. These are healthy foods that will fill you up, most are low in calories but high in protein and provide other benefits. These all make great 2 hour snacks and additions to any meal!
1. Egg Whites
I personally prefer the whole egg (the yolk is my favorite part) but to limit your calories, you could essentially eat 10 egg whites for 40 grams of protein and 160 calories. Each egg white has only 16 calories but 4 grams of protein. These are essentially 100% protein and great for breakfast, baking, snacks, lunch, etc. Hard boiled eggwhites are easy to carry around as a snack and also easy to separate from the yolk.
2. Low fat yogurt
Yogurt is high in protein, and low in fat if you get the low-fat kind. Try to opt for plain yogurt which will be lower in sugars and won't have added chemicals that many of the flavored kinds do. The best way to flavor it is to add fresh fruit.. this way you know you're only eating natural sugars and also getting antioxidants, not many additional calories and extra fiber into your diet.
3. Apples
At only 80 calories, a medium sized apple is tasty and also has plenty of fiber to fill you up. Easy and convenient to carry around to snack on throughout the day, an apple is a great pick me up snack that tastes good and won't do any harm.
4. Lettuce
Lettuce is known as a negative calorie food because it takes more calories for your body to digest it than it actually contains itself. Some other green foods including celery work the same way. Although you may need to eat a lot of lettuce to actually fill you up, it's a great addition on sandwiches, a great filler in salads, and takes a long time to eat which will keep you from munching on other more unhealthy options when you're craving something to eat. The darker the lettuce, the higher in antioxidants and nutrients.
5. Low sodium chicken or vegetable soup
As a vegetarian I try to promote good veggie alternatives to those that don't eat meat. So if you prefer the chicken, go for it, but for veggie lovers I would stick to the veggie soup. Soup is extremely filling and low in calories (as long as there's no added oils or cream). As long as it's just broth, it's very filling when you add in extra low-calories veggies which will quickly fill you up.
6. Almonds
¼ cup of almonds provides 6 grams of protein. Although fattening, and high in calories, almonds offer a healthy fat and since some studies show our bodies don't effectively absorb calories from nuts that well, we may not actually be getting all of the 140 calories in that ¼ cup. Try to keep your serving size to just that, to benefit from the healthy fat and protein but without packing on extra fat you don't want! Add sliced almonds to a salad, add a few to your smoothie, use almond butter on a sandwich or munch on a few as your 2 hour snack.
7. Oatmeal
My favorite.. I have this one every morning for breakfast. But when I say oatmeal.. I mean plain oats. You can try different varieties and cuts, that provide different textures (steel cut, rolled, etc.) but getting them flavored or sweetened just means extra processed sugars that are bad for you and also extra calories. Alone, oats are filling, but low in calories. A serving provides about 6 grams of protein, but to gain more you can add some whey or soy protein powder, or even egg whites. To sweeten, try honey, agave nectar, cinnamon or fresh or frozen fruit. If oats aren't your thing, just give them a try with different additions and I'm sure you'll find your own natural "flavor" you'll love.
8. Tuna
Another favorite of mine.. low sodium tuna is low in calories but high in protein. Tuna salad does not count.. because you're getting more mayo in there than actual tuna (and mayo is a bunch of added wasted calories!). Try canned tuna plain, or add a little olive oil or italian dressing (if you can find a dressing that's low in sugars). Add some onions and veggies for a healthy tuna salad or eat on a slice of sprouted whole grain bread topped with mozzarella cheese for a tasty tuna melt! Tuna steaks are great too.. higher in fat but the fat is the healthy kind so in moderation they are also a great meal.
9. Broccoli
Broccoli is low in calories, full of fiber, and even has a bit of protein if you eat enough of it. Avoid adding sodium filled sauces to it... try to eat it steamed and plain as a side dish, or add raw broccoli into your salads and smoothies (you can't even taste it in the smoothie, promise!)
10. Berries
Blueberries, strawberries and other fruits are very rich in antioxidants but lower in calories. Great additives to many of the above foods such as oatmeal, yogurt, or even great as a 2 hour snack on their own! If you bake, add some berries into your breads and cakes for an extra kick. Keeping fresh berries frozen will lock in their nutrients and keep them from molding or going bad quicker than you can eat them. If you buy berries that are not organic, douse them in vinegar and rinse well to remove any pesticide residues.
Information taken from Top Ten Fat Loss Foods.
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