Eat what you want and still lose weight!

Unintentional Preface

Yesterday morning I had a fantastic walk full of hills, a stroller, and a dog. I guzzled some water and headed for the grocery store. Every intention I had of being (and feeling) healthy flew out the window the instant I saw the Easter Candy display.

If you know anything about me, you know my favorite holiday candy is from Easter. The ratio of peanut butter to chocolate in a Reese's egg is far more perfect than a cup. The smooth, creamy, chocolate inside a Cadbury mini egg is divine. The richness of a Snickers egg is more satisfying than a bar. I could go on...

One might think after searching for 5 minutes and not finding the Cadbury mini eggs that I would take it as a sign to run fast from the display and get the heck out of dodge. Not I, my friends, not I. After spending my life savings on pure chocolatey goodness, I pretended nobody was watching while I gobbled a Cadbury creme egg, drove home, ate a healthy lunch, and resumed my day.

My world was rocked later that night after Mr. Man and I finished a movie: I held up the Cadbury mini eggs bag, and to my great alarm, it was very nearly almost more than half gone.

This was after I had already eaten a Cadbury creme egg in the morning.
And a Snickers egg in the afternoon.
And half a bowl of popcorn.
And all my calories for the day.
Oops.

Moral of the story is: I feel totally hypocritical about what I'm about to write. 
Please just know that I am a real person, a real mom, and a real woman who is completely, utterly, and blissfully, addicted to chocolate.

Real Intentions

Eat what you want and still lose weight!

Do I sound like an infomercial?

I have found this week that the magic "secret" in weight loss is the ratio of calories consumed to calories burned during any given day. As long as your calories burned is higher than your calories consumed, you are guaranteed to lose weight. It's so ridiculously simple.

This means that it is very possible to continue eating food that you enjoy while still losing weight.

Disclaimer: this does not mean that you can continue eating fast food or junk food for every meal and still lose weight. That is extremely unhealthy and can pose many serious health risks later in life.

So how do you do it? What's the trick?

First, Portion Control.

If you want to have french toast and bacon for breakfast, great! Just have one or two slices of toast with one or two slice of bacon, accompanied by a large serving of scrambled egg whites or fresh fruit.
If you want to have cheesy, gooey, lasagna for dinner, do it! Just make sure to take a small square, and accompany it with a large side of green salad (light dressing!) or fresh veggies.

Make your portions smaller.

Next, Couple a rich main dish with lots of fruits and veggies.

When you couple a small serving of a rich main dish with a large serving of fruit and/or vegetables, you still satisfy your want for good food while satisfying your need for lower calories and high nutrients. There are tons of vegetables that are super low in calories so you can have a large serving, that fills ya up, without sacrificing the calories for the day! Fruit is higher in natural sugar so it has more calories, but it is still far better to eat fresh fruit than candy or processed sweets.

The best part about eating fruits and veggies with meals is that they fill you up quickly and they are so good for you!

Want a peak of what my diet has been like this week?

For breakfast I keep it simple with a fried or scrambled egg, a piece of toast and a piece of fruit. Or oatmeal with blueberries. High in protein, high in fiber, high in energy, around 200 calories.

For lunch, I usually have leftovers with a fruit or veggie, or a salad. I started measuring my salad dressing and realized I don't need as much as I think! Also, I found a delicious light italian dressing that is far more satisfying to me than Ranch, and it clocks in around 45 calories for 2 Tablespoons.

For dinner, I made pastrami and havarti cheese cresents one night, mexican quinoa one night, bbq chicken salad one night, and pasta with salad another night. Heavy right? Only if you take too large of a portion.

Lastly, measure, measure, measure.

Measuring out my food has cut back on lots of extra calories, and has taught me that I don't actually need as much as I think I need. It has also taught me how much a serving size really is. Sometimes it's surprisingly small, sometimes it's surprisingly large. Measuring takes only about 2 extra seconds and it is a very useful and effective tool when calorie counting!

By the end of every day this week (except last night), I actually had extra calories I still needed to consume, around 200-300. This meant I could have a couple Joe Joe's cookies or another small, sweet treat.

Recap:
-Portion control
-Couple rich main dishes with fresh fruits and veggies
-Measure everything
-Still have a treat, but only one serving.

If you can stick to these tips, count your calories, and exercise at least 30 minutes per day (it really does make a difference!), you can easily start losing weight and feeling great, while still eating the food you enjoy!

*The opinions and information expressed above are completely my own, based upon my meager knowledge and studies, as well as my somewhat ample personal experience. I am not a certified nutritionist nor health guru.