How You Can Diet and Actually Eat More!!!

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Did you read that right? Yes, you can eat MORE!!! The idea that "dieting" means restriction is quite a misconception. First of all, I'm not a fan of the word "diet." Or rather, I think of "diet" as simply meaning what you eat. I don't like thinking about diets as something you do temporarily, a way you restrict calories for a set amount of time. That being said, dieting doesn't have to mean restriction. I like to think of it more as a playground: it's fun, it's healthy, it's energizing, and there is an abundance! Reframe your mind to think of diet as a means of exploration and quality rather than a restriction.

The thing is, when you eat "clean," you can pile your plate FULL and still lose weight. Remember my three breakfasts under 500 calories? On the other hand, you can't out-exercise a bad diet. You likely won't have good results if you're eating Easy-Mac, pizza, or Hamburger Helper every day. And your portions would be tinier calorie for calorie than fresh food. Further, you don't want to displace the calories for something nutrient-dense with something refined and non-beneficial. Two slices of white bread have little nutritional value and displace about 120 calories that you could've gotten from something much more satiating and vitamin-filled. And you won't have to ride out the insulin spikes and dips!

Take for example my meal plan for this week. I ate a LOT of food during the day, was very satisfied, and was genuinely surprised by how many calories I had left over for dinnertime.

  1. Shakeology smoothie (1c frozen berries, 1 scoop ShakeO, 1/4c milk): 238 calories
  2. Egg whites with 4Tbsp salsa, turkey sausage and grapefruit: 327 calories
  3. Chickpea salad: 145 calories
  4. Quinoa bowl and sweet potatoes with a sprinkle of brown sugar and pecans: 345 calories
  5. Greek yogurt with honey: 161 calories
    1. Total calories: 1216
Shakeology smoothie

Grapefruit, eggs and salsa, sausage

Quinoa bowl and sweet potatoes

Chickpea salad

Greek yogurt and honey


Wow, look at all that food! And that's not even including supper. I literally felt like I was eating all day! AND losing weight? Just, wow!

Want to learn how to eat MORE too? Here are some tips:

  • Keep ingredients simple: stick to whole, the-way-God-made-them foods and simple, recognizable ingredient lists.
  • Pile on the veggies: the main part of every meal should be veggies; meat should be a side dish. Fruit is great too!
  • Eat lean meats instead of fatty ones: you can eat a ton more grilled chicken (with more satiating protein) than ground beef, and save yourself sooo much fat. For example, one pound of boneless skinless chicken breast has 880 calories/20g fat/184g protein while typical 85/15 ground beef has 1,152 calories/65g fat/128g protein. 
  • Get your flavor from simple spices, vinegars, mustards, and the like. These add sooo much taste for negligible calories.
  • Remove liquid calories: drink mostly water. Liquid calories are a huge waste!

With clean eating, it's pretty safe to say that green vegetables are unlimited. That doesn't mean gnawing on raw salad greens all day--unless that's your jam! It could mean balsamic Brussels sprouts, it could mean grilled asparagus, it could mean a yummy cucumber tomato salad, it could mean a huge bowl of veggie soup. Just be careful with your toppings. Vinegar- and mustard-based dressings are great, but limit olive oils, heavy cheeses and the like. Grilling is a great way to add tons of flavor without adding "weight" to greens. See, you can really eat a LOT, if you do it right!

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