Eat your favorite food and still lose weight

 Nearly all diets start you off with a list of do’s and don’t, usually including a number of foods you should avoid at all costs.  Only by strictly following these rules, will you lose weight (or at least that’s what the diet promises).

You look at the list of “forbidden” foods and make peace with the fact that you will never eat pizza, cookies, ice-cream, pancakes and so on again. But, it’s doesn’t have to be this way!

What is the solution you might ask? How can I still lose weight and not feel like I’m missing out? The solution is…

Healthy Alternatives

We all have our favourite foods – pancakes, cookies, pizza, brownies, ice cream, roast potatoes, and so on. You are not alone! I love them! You can still enjoy your favorite food even though you are on weight loss program by choosing a healthier alternative!

You would be amazed at how cookies made from nut flour, goji berries and bananas can taste the same or even better than the “naughty” ones! Of course, by virtue of being healthier, you should expect some differences in flavours. But your taste buds will adjust in no time.

The internet is a big place and if you just take that first step and look around, you would find lots and lots of healthy and tasty recipes. I came up with an alternative recipe for pancakes, cookies, pizza, brownies, tortilla chips and many others (they will all be featured on my blog soon).

The beauty of substitution is that you feel like you can have your favourite food, but without the guilt! A win-win situation right?

Choosing healthier alternatives not only satisfies your cravings, but also keeps you healthy on the inside. And before you know it, the scales will start showing you the numbers you were after in the first place :)

Substitute example – Pancakes

I loooooove pancakes. But let’s face it, they are not the healthiest. I was determined to create a recipe high in protein, low in sugar and saturated fat. And I did. To put it into perspective, here’s a snapshot of the nutritional value of the traditional (using white flour, butter, milk, egg, sugar) and my high protein pancakes (Serves 1-2). Well, you tell me which one benefits the body and weight loss more…

	Traditional pancakes	High protein pancakes
Calories	420 kcal	325 kcal
Carbs	40 g	45 g
Protein	12 g	34 g
Fat	20 g	2 g
Saturated fat	10 g	0 g

 

As you can see, the traditional recipe has more calories, a third the protein and ten times more fat! White flour, butter and sugar = empty calories! From a health point of view, you are not providing your body with much needed nutrients. When choosing recipes or products, try and focus on the ingredients used.

Shop around

As with most things, there is a tradeoff. You have to be willing to do a bit more work than before, whether that means hunting around in different shops or online for better products, or spending time in the kitchen experimenting. But trust me, it’s worth it. I actually prefer my pancakes than the “normal” ones and would never go back.

Action

I challenge you to go online and find a healthier substitute, whether it is for ingredients or a recipe. If you can’t find a good recipe, let me know in the comments box below and I’ll try to come up with something healthy and yummy :)

Keep up the good work!

Rules of dieting