Stop eliminating and start modifying … 🍝
When we are trying to lose weight it’s common to feel like we need to cut out certain foods / meals. You may choose to cut some foods of course but you’re eliminating foods you actually really enjoy then your chances of long term success are far lower. So rather than thinking about never having a certain dish again, instead think of ways you can modify it to fit your goals.
In this example the spaghetti bolognese on the left is made using 20% fat beef mince and comes in at around 661 calories. The one on the right is made using the identical recipe but using 3% mince. The result is a significant reduction in calorie content –
487 cals.
The reality is the taste and satisfaction of that meal will be broadly similar for both dishes. You’d probably barely notice the difference. If you’d chosen to use a meat-substitute mince then you would have saved a further 30 /40 calories. You could of course leave the meat/meat substitute out all together and just use vegetables – that would reduce it even further by another 100 or so calories (using lentils instead would come out somewhere in between). However you’d probably find it wasn’t as satiating due to the lower protein and fat content and it certainly wouldn’t be as indistinguishable from the 20% beef mince option.
Of course there’s also the option to swap the spaghetti itself out for a lower calorie pasta or even courgetti etc if you like that, reducing the calories even further.
So it’s up to you – there are multiple ways to modify meals but still tick the box on taste and satisfaction. Start thinking about how you can modify things you enjoy and still accommodate them in your diet to achieve your goals.
🤗
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Every Step Fitness 