The Word on Weightloss

I spent years, and I mean YEARS of my life resorting to low-fat and fat free foods. I sacrificed flavor for chemically modified foods that were full of ingredients that were fake and processes and completely unhealthy. It didn’t make a difference to me – I thought because I was controlling my calories and fat intake (no matter how processed) that it would help me reach my goal weight, and ultimately my weight loss plan.

Wrong.

A lot of foods these days have either (and sometimes both) a low-fat or fat free variety. Not all are BAD, per say, but if it sounds like an oxymoron it probably is, unfortunately. That’s the general rule of thumb that I started to develop only a few months ago because after years of feeling unsatisfied in my diet, consuming foods that were overly processed to be low fat or fat free I just had enough (and so had my stomach to be honest).

How many of you are living by this philosophy? At this point you’re probably wondering how you can meet your weight loss goal and NOT consume some low fat and fat free foods. Sounds mind numbing, but it isn’t  - trust me. It’s time to switch to the natural wholesome foods that your body is craving, and has probably been craving for a long time.

Below is a list of wholesome foods and recipes that I’d encourage you to start incorporating into your weight loss diet. These foods are rich in vitamins, are all-natural and contain fewer than 5 ingredients. So that it’s easier to digest (pun intended), I’ve divided these up by meals of the day:

Breakfast:

My newest breakfast obsession is Oh She Glows Vegan Overnight Oats. Make this right before you hit the sack and you’ll wake up so excited – you’ll think it’s Christmas! Put all ingredients in a box and mix – then you’re all set.
PM Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup regular oats
• 3/4 cup almond milk
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 1 tiny ripe banana, peeled and smashed
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Snack:

Raw energy cookies are, again, another new obsession for me. I want to share them with you because they’re absolutely delicious, made of all natural ingredients and no baking is needed! These cookies are also from Oh She Glows:
Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup of almonds
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tbsp sunflower seeds
• 9 FRESH medjool dates, pitted
• 4-5 dried apricots, chopped
• 2 tbsp cacao nibs
• 1/2 tbsp pepita seeds (pumpkin seeds)
• Pinch or two of sea salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions: Place pitted dates and almonds into a food processor and process until the mixture is ground up. You can leave a few larger pieces if you prefer. Remove mixture from the processor and place into a medium sized bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well with your hands. Form into mini cookies or balls. Makes 5-8 mini cookies.

Lunch:

If you’re a fan of Tuna (like me) you’ll love this delicious tuna salad recipe featured on Fitsugar this week. Tuna is a great lunchtime meal because it’s lean and full of healthy protein and minerals.
Ingredients:

• 2 whole-wheat pitas
• 1 can tuna canned in water without salt
• Lemon juice from 2 wedges
• 2 tsps olive oil
• 1/2 small onion diced (purple or red onion adds color)
• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• Salt and pepper

Directions: Open can of tuna, drain it, and place in a bowl. Stir in lemon juice and olive oil. Add bell pepper, onion, and parsley. Salt and pepper to taste. Pop into the pita and eat!

Dinner:

How about some homemade turkey burgers? I recently tried this recipe by Tosca Reno in her Clean Eating Cookbook. They’re great on the grill as an end of the summer treat!
Ingredients:

• 1 cup high protein cereal flakes
• ½ Cup skim milk (or any other milk you prefer)
• 3tsp low sodium chicken broth
• 3tbsp minced onion (I prefer red onion)
• 2 egg whites
• 1lb lean ground turkey

Directions: Combine the first five ingredients in a large bowl and let them soak together for about five minutes. Add the lean turkey after a few minutes and mix well with your hands. Shape into 4-5 patties and throw them on the grill!