Most of us know that to lose body weight we need to consume less calories per day than our body uses throughout the day for its metabolic functioning and movement.
It’s a simple equation - consume less calories than we use, and we’ll lose weight. So, given the equation for weight loss is pretty simple – why is losing weight so hard?
How many Cals in snacks?
One of the major reasons people struggle with weight loss is due to miscalculating the number of calories they consume in their meals.
Most snack foods that taste great (corn chips I’m looking at you!) are unfortunately not great for our waistlines because we generally eat more than the recommended serving amount. It’s a trick many snack manufacturers use to improve the nutritional labelling on their products, saying there are five serves in the pack, when generally their customers are consuming the pack in two servings. From our observations, if you are eating snacks from a large packet, you may be eating twice or three times as many calories you think you are.
If you are looking to lose weight we recommend taking a look at the nutritional information panel on your favourite snacks and ensure they align to your goals. You might also like to weigh your portions out for a short time to get a handle on how much the serving size is.
How many Cals in your Main meals?
For many people, the main meals of the day actually have the reverse problem to our snacking habits. We find that people aren’t eating high quality meals with the right balance of protein, carbohydrates and fats. If you're interested in losing weight, the best approach for your main meals is to ensure you get at least twenty grams of protein per meal.
For most people it can be a challenge to make time for the additional planning and preparation time required to consistently eat high protein meals throughout the day. But taking the time to plan protein rich main meals will assist with your weight loss goals.
Losing weight can be difficult but one of the major changes we need to make is taking the time to consider the amounts of protein and calories we consume in the main meals of the day. Planning to eat high quality main meals does take some work but the rewards will be sustainable weight loss routine.
Here’s to heathy eating!
Cheers, Paul.
Summary
Single serve snacks are better than eating from larger packets.
Ensure your main meals of the day contain over 20g protein.
Ensure your meals have enough calories to sustain you to your next main meal.