Losing Weight without starving yourself – Part 5
COUNTING CALORIES
Many people think that when they decide it’s time to lose weight, they have to count every single calorie that touches their lips. This really isn’t necessary. In fact, it could become quite tedious and cause you to give up.
So how do you know how many calories you’ve taken in during a 24 hour period? Estimate! Count portions instead of each individual calorie. This is where effective meal planning comes in!
When you know approximately how many calories are in that piece of bread and 2 ounces of tuna, you can have a general idea of how many calories you’re consuming when you eat a tuna sandwich.
If you insist on tracking all of your calories, you’ll have to be diligent about reading labels and eating only the portions that the label gives calories for. You’ll also have to carry around a small notebook to jot down what you’ve eaten so you can assign a calorie value for reference.
A much easier way might be to utilize a spreadsheet that lists your planned meals along with their caloric content. Be sure to include other particulars such as protein content, carbs, and fat grams as well. Then print it out and post it on your refrigerator to give yourself something to aspire to.
Almost all packaged foods will contain information about the caloric content of those foods, but what about those fruits and vegetables you consume. Maybe we should give you some ideas!
Food
Portion
Calories
Apples
1 medium
125
Asparagus
4 spears
15
Avocado
1
305
Banana
1
105
Beef Roast, Lean
3 oz.
205
Beef Sirloin Steak
3 oz.
240
Blackberries
1 cup
75
Broccoli
1 cup
45
Cabbage
1 cup
30
Cantaloupe
½ melon
95
Carrots
1
30
Celery
1 stalk
5
Cherries
10
50
Chicken, Roasted Breast
3 oz.
140
Chicken, Fried Breast
4.6 oz.
369
Yellow Corn
1 ear
85
Crab Meat
1 cup
135
Cucumber
6 slices
5
Egg, Fried
1 egg
90
Egg, Hard Boiled
1 egg
75
Egg, Scrambled
1 egg
100
Flounder, Baked
3 oz.
120
Pink Grapefruit
½ fruit
40
Ground Beef, Broiled
3 oz.
230
Halibut, Broiled
3 oz.
140
Lamb Chop, Broiled
2.8 oz.
235
Lamb Leg, Roasted
3 oz.
205
Lettuce
1 cup
5
Mushrooms
1 cup
20
Nectarine
1
65
Okra, Cooked
8 pods
25
Orange
1
60
Peaches
1
35
Pear
1
100
Peanuts, Salted
1 cup
71
Pepper, Green/Red
1
15
Pineapple
1 cup
75
Pistachios
1 oz.
165
Pork Chop, Broiled
2.5 oz.
165
Pork Chop, Fried
3.1 oz.
335
Pork – Ham – Roasted
3 oz.
250
Pork Rib – Roasted
3 oz.
270
Pork Bacon
3 slices
110
Pork Sausage Link
1 link
50
Potato – Baked
1
220
Raisins
1 cup
435
Salmon – Smoked
3 oz.
150
Spinach
1 cup
10
Strawberries
1 cup
45
Sweet Potato – Baked
1
115
Tangerine
1
35
Tomato
1
25
Turkey – Roasted
1 cup
240
Walnuts
1 cup
770
Watermelon
1 cup
50
Obviously, this is just a partial list, but it’s a start for you to reference when choosing foods. As you can see, fruits and vegetables are almost all relatively low-calorie and can help you feel full without consuming a lot of calories.
You will want to consume fewer calories than what you burn off in order to effectively lose weight. Keep that in mind when planning your meals.
And we can’t stress this enough – read labels and take note of portion sizes! That way you can get a better idea of what you’re eating.
We promised you some great low-cal recipes, so let’s get to it!
YUMMY RECIPES
As the topic of this book says – you CAN lose weight without starving yourself. We’ve given you all kinds of tips and tricks toward achieving this on your own. Now we’re going to offer up some great recipes for you to create on your own that will be diet-friendly and delicious too!
Breakfast
When you eat breakfast, you can always let yourself pig out on all the fresh fruit you desire, but sometimes you find yourself craving something more substantial. You CAN eat a hearty breakfast while trying to lose weight. Consider some of these great recipes!
Egg-White Omelet With Vegetable-Cheddar Filling
3 large egg whites
1 teaspoon water
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill (optional)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup loosely packed thinly sliced fresh spinach
1 plum tomato, chopped
2 tablespoons shredded nonfat cheddar cheese
Vegetable cooking spray
1. Whisk egg whites, water, dill (if using), salt, and pepper together in a medium bowl until soft peaks form. Toss spinach, tomato, and cheddar together in a small bowl.
2. Lightly coat an omelet pan or small skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat 1 minute. Pour egg mixture into pan and cook until eggs begin to set on bottom.
3. Spread filling over half of omelet, leaving a 1/2-inch border and reserving 1 tablespoon mixture for garnish. Lift up omelet at edge nearest handle and fold in half, slightly off-center, so filling peeks out. Cook 2 minutes. Slide omelet onto a serving plate and garnish with reserved filling.
Serves: 1
Zesty Cheddar-Asparagus Quiche
1 tablespoon plain dry breadcrumbs
8 ounces small all-purpose potatoes, peeled and very thinly sliced
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound asparagus, trimmed
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
3 scallions, sliced
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated fat-free milk
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
2 teaspoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1. Heat oven to 400°F. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with vegetable cooking spray and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Beginning in center, arrange potato slices in slightly overlapping circles up to rim. Lightly brush with olive oil and press down gently. Bake 10 minutes.
2. Set 8 to 12 asparagus spears aside. Cut remaining spears into 1-inch pieces.
3. Sprinkle crust with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup cheddar. Cover with asparagus pieces, then sprinkle with scallions and another 1/4 cup cheese. Arrange whole asparagus spears on top.
4. Beat evaporated milk, eggs, egg whites, butter, mustard, pepper, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Pour into pie plate and sprinkle with remaining cheddar. Bake until a knife inserted in center comes out clean, about 35 minutes.
5. Divide into 6 slices. One serving equals 1 slice.
Quick French Toast
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 packet artificial sweetener
1 tablespoon skim milk
1 slice bread
1. Place all ingredients except bread in a blender; blend until combined.
2. Pour egg mixture into a shallow bowl. Place bread in egg mixture and soak, turning once.
3. Coat a nonstick skillet with vegetable cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Place bread in skillet and pour any remaining egg mixture over bread. Cook until browned on bottom; then turn over to brown other side.
Golden Pancakes
1 c uncooked whole-grain oats
6 egg whites
1 c fat-free cottage cheese
¼ tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
2 packets sugar substitute
½ c sugar-free maple syrup
¼ c mixed berries
1. Lightly coat a nonstick skillet or griddle with cooking spray and place over medium heat
2. In a blender, combine oats, egg whites, cottage cheese, vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar substitute. Blend on medium speed about 1 minute until smooth.
3. Pour batter about ¼ c at a time onto hot skillet. Cook pancake until bubbly on top and dry around the edges – about 3 minutes. Turn and cook the other side until golden brown – about 2 more minutes
4. While pancakes are cooking, microwave maple syrup until warm – about 20 seconds
5. Place a portion of pancakes on 2 separate plates, top with warm maple syrup and mixed berries.
Turkey Bacon Quiche
6 strips lean turkey bacon
3 eight-inch whole wheat tortillas
3 whole eggs
8 egg whites (or 1 c egg substitute)
½ c skim milk
½ c low-fat sour cream
¾ reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese
1 c broccoli florets
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2.Cook turkey bacon according to package directions. Set aside to cool.
3.Lightly coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray. Overlap 2 tortillas and cut the third one in half to form a crust
4.In a large mixing bowl, beat whole eggs and egg whites with a fork or whisk until well blended. Mix skim milk and sour cream into the eggs.
5.Chop cooked turkey bacon into bite size pieces
6.Add turkey, bacon, cheese, and broccoli to blended egg mixture, combine thoroughly
7.Pour egg mixture into tortilla-lined pie plate and bake for about 50 minutes. Tap the edge of the pie plate. When the filling is set and moist but not liquidy, it is done.
8.Cool for 10 minutes before slicing into portions.
Whole wheat toast or English muffins are also good choices as are low-fat or no-fat yogurt. Just keep portion sizes to what we’ve talked about before.
Lunch
Traditionally, lunch is the middle meal of the day when we eat three squares. Since you’re trying to lose weight without starving yourself, experts recommend that you eat several smaller meals, so consider lunches, your daytime meals.
Obviously, you can have sandwiches – on whole wheat bread, of course! Be sure anything you put between those two pieces of bread is lean and diet-friendly. Tuna is a great and filling sandwich, but lean roast beef, no-fat cheese, and chicken salad is also a good sandwich.
You can also opt for the traditional salad. Make sure you don’t top it with anything that will sabotage your weight loss efforts. That means no cheese (unless it’s non-fat or low-fat), bacon bits, croutons, or garbanzo beans – and no dressing unless it’s light. Try some lemon juice instead. It’s refreshing and delicious!
But there are other meals you can have during the day that are much more substantial meals you can have. Try some of these recipes!
Cool Taco Salad
½ lean ground beef
1 tbsp water
2 tsp. taco seasoning mix, divided
2 whole wheat pitas
2 tbsp reduced-fat cream cheese, room temp
2 tbsp fat-free sour cream
2 tbsp salsa
1 c shredded lettuce
1 diced tomato
¼ c reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2.In medium skillet, brown ground beef over medium heat until done. Drain off any fat. Add water and 1 tsp taco seasoning and simmer for 3 minutes. Removed from heat and set aside to cool slightly
3.Cut each pita into 8 wedges and place on baking sheet. Bake for 7 minutes or until lightly browned
4.While the beef is cooling, combine the remaining taco seasoning, cream cheese, sour cream, and salsa in a small bowl. Mix well. Divide and spread this mixture evenly onto 2 small plates
5.Spoon a portion of the beef over the sour cream mixture and top each with half the lettuce, tomato, and cheese
6.Place 8 baked pita wedges on each plate
2 servings
Chicken Pita Pizza
1 whole wheat pita
¼ c low fat pizza sauce
1 portion cooked chicken breast sliced
¼ red bell pepper sliced
¼ yellow bell pepper sliced
¼ small zucchini, sliced
¼ reduced-fat shredded mozzarella cheese
1.Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2.Place the pita on a baking sheet. Spoon pizza sauce evenly over the pita. Top with sliced chicken, peppers, zucchini and cheese
3.Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the pizza is heated through
4.Slice and eat!
Egg Salad Sandwich
4 hard boiled eggs
1 tbsp fat free salad dressing (Miracle Whip)
1 tbsp mustard
½ stalk sliced celery
¼ chopping red bell pepper
1 tsp pickle relish
1 tbsp fresh parsley
1 slice whole grain bread
1 lettuce leaf
¼ sliced avocado
1.Chop 1 whole egg and discard the yolks from the other 3 eggs and chop the whites
2.In a small mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except the bread, lettuce leaf, and avocado
3.Toast the bread and place on a small plate. Top with lettuce, egg salad and avocado slice
1 serving
Oriental Chicken Salad
4 portions cooked chicken (about 1 lb.) in bite size pieces
1 bag coleslaw mix
4 chopped green onions
2 tbsp light sesame oil
1/3 c rice vinegar
¼ c lite soy sauce
½ tsp ground ginger
1 c crisp chow mein noodles
1.In large mixing bowl, combine cooked chicken, coleslaw mix, and green onions
2.In small bowl, combine sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and ginger. Drizzle over chicken mixture and toss to coat.
3.Divide into 4 portions and top with chow mein noodles.
4 servings
Mile High Baked Potato
1 medium russet potato
2 tsp fat-free chicken broth
¼ c low fat cottage cheese
¼ c chopped cooked chicken
¼ c cooked broccoli
¼ c salsa
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
1.Pierce potato several times with fork. Place in microwave and cook on high 5-8 minutes until tender. Let stand 1 minute.
2.Use knife to cut an “X” in the top of the cooked potato. Press ends slightly to open potato and pour chicken broth into opening
3.Top potato with cottage cheese, chicken, broccoli, and salsa. Place filled potato in microwave and cook on high for 30 more seconds.
4.Sprinkle top with fresh cilantro.
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