I’ve made a lot of points in the articles I’ve written on this blog so far. The main point is, eat as much food as you can while keeping your calories low and your protein high so you can stay full.
So before getting to foods that you may want to eat on your journey, let’s talk about foods that are marketed as healthy but contain a very high calorie count, which ultimately leaves you fewer calories to eat.
Foods that come to mind are many that are very high in fat per gram and can be addictively delicious.
Peanut butter
Once serving size of peanut butter is typically 2 tablespoons (33 grams) and contains about 190 calories. Only about 28 of the calories are from 7 grams of protein. Many of the calories come from 16 grams of fat, which is about 144 of the 190 calories. Two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, without the bread and jelly, can easily eclipse 400 calories.
It’s best to find a substitute like powdered peanut butter.
Nuts
Nuts are very high in fat. Most contain way more fat than protein. And eating nuts with salt makes them addictive for most people. So even a 19.5-gram, 100 calorie snack pack can be dangerous. It contains only 3 grams of protein but 6 grams of fat, but because they are salted, it’s hard to eat only one pack. It’s best to avoid them.
Choose snacks from the high-protein, low calorie snack list I put together in the Build Muscle Get Lean program, such as protein bars, Greek yogurts, cottage cheeses, etc.
Butters, Oils, Sauces, and Salad Dressings.
Butters and Oils usually contain 120 calories per ounce or tablespoon. All their calories usually come from fat.
Takeaway: Swap Regular Condiments for Sugar-Free or Low-Sugar
The take-away here is to switch out condiments that contain sugar and fat for sugar-free and fat-free or low-fat options. Not all sugar-free, fat-free, or low-fat options are created equally, but most contain way fewer calories than their regular counterparts.
For example, a regular serving size of syrup contains 100 calories, but a regular serving size of sugar-free syrup contains only 15 calories. Once tablespoon of sugar itself, which is about 21 grams, contains roughly 120 calories, but a zero-calorie like Splenda contains, well, 0 calories. These switches alone can save you lots of calories.
I don’t like all zero-calorie sweeteners. I prefer Splenda. You may prefer Stevia. Try them all. But whatever you do, during your 90-day challenge, don’t use pure sugar in anything. That goes for honey, cane sugar, vegan sugar, or any sugar flavoring that has calories. If you must sweeten your coffee or foods, use a packet or two, or three, of a zero-calorie sweetener.
Hopefully you now have a great understanding why calories matter more than anything, especially since you now know your number. You no longer have to be tricked.
