Do you try making good choices when you are at a fast food restaurant?
Such as a Wendy’s salad instead of the Baconator.
Do you buy a zero-calorie energy drink instead of the one with 66 carbs and a matching sugar count? Do you cook barbecued chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy at home instead of Kentucky Fried Chicken?
Does this sound like you?
I am sure you are consistently trying to make the best choices when you are caught in a situation but why do you still continue to gain weight week after week?
Well, replacing foods with a healthier option is ALWAYS a good idea but unfortunately, the food industry wants us to “think” certain things are healthy so they label them that way.
However, when you truly start reading the ingredients, you will find that your “better” choices are still high in calories, carbohydrates, and saturated fat.
SO WHAT IS THE SOLUTION
>>>Start reading labels. Yes, this will take extra work but I promise you will start being horrified when you look at what they put in your foods, such as Heinz ketchup.
This is your ingredient list:
TOMATO CONCENTRATE FROM RED RIPE TOMATOES, DISTILLED VINEGAR, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CORN SYRUP, SALT, SPICE, ONION POWDER, NATURAL FLAVORING.
Hello? High fructose corn syrup AND plain corn syrup? Ever wondered why it was so sweet? HFCS has been shown to increase aging, raise blood pressure, increase insulin resistance, type II diabetes, and obesity to name a few.
This is just one example. You are basically looking for clean ingredients that have names you can pronounce and are real foods. If they are not, don’t buy it! When I first start working with someone, I always suggest going through their refrigerator, especially their fridge door, and seeing what they have that fits within the “healthy” category and what doesn’t.
I have a video I created for my clients inside of the Defiance Dieting Method. Check out the video at the end of this post for label reading basics.
>>>Another suggestion I have is to weigh and measure all your food and track your calories in My Fitness Pal or Carb Manager phone app for 3 days to see where you truly are. It is easy to guesstimate what we are eating in calories or portion sizes, but you will blow your mind when you realize what is actually going into your body. This is a great tip to get started.
>>>I would also suggest googling an online calculator to track how many calories you should be eating. Don’t worry about macros (how much protein, fat, or carbs) at this point. Let’s just focus on seeing where you are and then you can start cutting down your portion sizes or not including some of the foods you typically eat that are higher in calories. I know this seems tedious but remember you can do ANYTHING for 3 days and this will greatly benefit you.
