How To Choose The Best Low Fat Foods: Weight Loss Tricks

Losing weight is a goal or focus of millions of people’s lives, but did you know that losing weight is easier in stages? One “stage” of the weight loss process is to change your eating habits. Whether this means a whole dietary change, or a few minor adjustments – a very simple method of cutting out the crap in your diet is to switch to low fat foods.

The method of “losing weight” that you’ll hear me talk about the most is moderation, but just for a bit let’s talk about changing WHAT you eat, without changing what you’re eating. Don’t worry, it will make sense!

Losing weight isn't just about dropping pounds. It is also about teaching your body to process better foods after, for most, a lifetime of poor eating habits. A diet is a lifestyle change, and should be approached with serious thought and care.

(Disclaimer: Any advice given here is through anecdotal success, as based off my personal weight loss success. Please, if you have a condition such as diabetes, consult your doctor before making drastic changes to your daily diet. Thank you!)

My daily menu tends to shift, and has changed since the time of the last writing here. I have cut out soda almost completely from my diet - I enjoy a soda two to four times a month total. I also cook a lot more often now, saving money and controlling my food intake. Here's what amounts to an average day in my belly:

Breakfast:

• · Oatmeal - I am highly enamored of the apple cinnamon flavor, and no, I don't opt for the sugar free version. I eat two packets at a time, with four tablespoons of peanut butter added. Total fat: 52g
• · Water

Lunch:

• · Lean deli cut meat, flour tortilla, two slices of cheese. 11g
• · Water

Dinner:

• · I have been using the rice cooker pretty frequently lately to cook chicken and rice. Minimal amounts of fat consumed here any more. 20g
• · More water. I am currently consuming roughly 64 ounces of water a day, often times more.

Dessert/Snacks:

• · I have ceased "snacking" for the most part. I used to eat cookies, candy, sweets of all kinds, chips and other such things, but have reduced those to special treats as they should be. This was one way I cheated myself every day, by loading up on calories in specialty items that I often didn't count against myself. Naughty me.

Synopsis: Total average fat grams consumed in one day (waking time of roughly 18 hours) – 83g!! For those of you who paid attention to your pyramids, FDA messages and nutrition classes in school, that’s twenty grams more than the “recommended daily allowance.”

Taking my own numbers for an example, let’s look at my new daily diet style, and you’ll see pretty clearly the ways you and I both can easily cut fat out of a day without sacrificing meals or flavor.

Breakfast:

• Let's be honest - most of the morning fat grams come from the added peanut butter. If I reduced the amount of peanut butter I use in my oatmeal from four tablespoons to one tablespoon, I'd reduce my daily fat intake by 36 grams.
• Water- I carry a water bottle with me at all times now, it holds 18 ounces of water. Keep it full of cold water and that’s my trick!

Lunch:

• Continuing to eat the homemade lunches is best here. My current fat intake is pretty low at lunch time, but I could still improve my lunches by adding fresh fruit or vegetables into the mix. If I add an apple, I'm only adding 0.3 grams of fat to my diet, but getting 3-4 grams of dietary fiber. Bring it on, Granny Smith!
• Mmmm, water! You really should drink lots of it; your body needs it more than you think.

Dinner:

(Warning: Due to high volumes of jealousy which may occur, individuals without best friends who are chef trained should skip dinner explanation.)

• Meals are prepared by former chef’s apprentice, consisting of smaller portions and smarter ingredient choices. Perhaps 20g of fat max, when meals like home-made chicken alfredo are prepared.
• Water. Oh boy, the water. Or, sometimes, Country Time Lemonade.

See? Now, does that look like the diet of a person depriving themselves? NO! I would venture to say that I eat about the same amount of food now as I did before, I just eat smart, and that is really the key.

1. Make a comprehensive list of the things you normally buy, including name brand. You’re making a grocery list, so be specific enough that you know what you’re looking for, and then take that list to the grocery store.

2. Without cheating, and when you have the time to devote to your own personal wellbeing and the health of yourself and your family, compare your normal purchase to its ‘low fat’ option. Choosing low sodium options in things like soups will help your goals as well, so keep an eye out.

3. Jot down the numbers for both the regular version and the low fat version of each item on your list.

4. Go home!

5. When you get home, sit down with your list and do some math. Tally up the fat grams in the stuff you normally eat, then tally up the fat grams in the ‘low fat’ options you found in the store.

6. Subtract the low fat’s total from your normal food’s total.

7. GAWK! STARE! Now pick up your jaw!

You have just seen, with your own two eyes, how much of an impact eating low fat foods can have on your diet. Now that you know, keep this last important tip in mind: Eating low fat food is not an excuse to eat more. Control yourself!