What are Good Foods to eat to Lose Weight

I’m a firm believer the best way to lose weight and keep it off is to have a varied and healthy diet. This is done by sticking to healthy habits, alongside lifestyle habits like regular exercise, rest, sleep and time with people you love. But what exactly are the best weight loss foods to eat? I’m going to give you my top 7 foods you can eat 7 days a week.

One week your told to eat something for weight loss, then the next an article comes out saying it’s poison. No wonder everyone is so confused about what to eat and what to avoid for losing weight.

I’m going to break it down for you to make it clear what we should and shouldn’t eat for weight loss.

Weight Loss Made Simple

First of all, it is important to remember overall calories we eat in a day will determine if you lose, maintain or even put on weight. It is also important to remember not all calories are equal.

For example:

200 kcals of chicken will have a very different effect on you than 200 kcals of chocolate.

One will leave you feeling satisfied and fuller for longer, whilst the other can leave you still feeling hungry and craving more, so basing your food just on calories alone is not always the best option. We need to look at the calories in addition to what they are made up of with the most filling ones in our meals most of the time (with a little room for our fave stuff from time to time)

The Best Protein Foods for Weight Loss

To lose weight and still enjoy what you eat without feeling like you’re depriving yourself, there are some foods I would highly recommend you eat regularly for successful weight loss. Of course these foods wont actually burn fat and drop weight, but they will make you feel fuller for longer, which will help you to cut down on calories throughout the day.

Lean Meat & Poultry

Like Chicken, Turkey & Beef. These are high in protein which helps to keep you fuller longer, they burn lots of calories just being digested and are great for giving your muscles what they need to help you get more toned alongside your workouts.

Fish

Another low calorie, high protein option. Fish like Salmon & mackerel are great sources of Omega 3’s

Eggs

So versatile and easy to eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Eggs are again a high source of protein with some healthy fat to help keep you full and they’re low in calories.

The Best Vegetables for Weight Loss

Vegetables

There is no need to worry about how much veg your eating, pile them on your plate and enjoy! Especially the leafy greens like kale & spinach because they’re low in calories & carbs (if you’re working on lowering them). They are also high in fibre. If you like to look at a generous plate of food to feel full & satisfied, veggies are the way to go, so pile them up.

Soups & Stews

Big soups and stews are super simple to make in a slow cooker and easy to save for another meal time. As the trick to losing weight is a sustainable diet that fits into your lifestyle, these are so convenient to keep you on track. With a slow cooker, you can chop everything up, leave it for hours. You then have 6-8 healthy meals ready to grab in the week or when you simply don’t have time prepare dinner.

High Protein Dairy for Losing Weight

Dairy: such as Cottage Cheese & natural yogurts. Again high in protein and low in cals. The full-fat versions are great.  However, if you wanted to enjoy your yogurt with some nuts or seeds. You should opt for the 0% or low calorie versions. This will lower the calories of the whole meal.  Meaning you can still enjoy some high-fat foods like nuts in a calorie controlled portion.

Healthy Whole Grains for Sustainable Weight Loss

Whole Grains

Oats, quinoa and whole grain rice are all high in fibre. Even though they’re high carb (nothing to be scared about), teamed up with some protein and veggies they can help stop you craving sweet foods after your meal. Carbs have a good effect on your mood and how well you sleep. This is due to the effect they have on serotonin in your brain. So feeling happier means you don’t comfort eat and get better sleep,  resulting in more clarity and willpower the next day. All non-edible ways of helping to lose weight.

On the whole, it’s important to remember if you balance as many meals as possible with protein, veggies and/or a little carbs/fat,  you can eat meal that satisfy you, meals that fill you up and stop you mindlessly grazing and craving snacks.

The Best Diet for Weight Loss

Never forget this though – a little bit of what you fancy will help you keep going. So don’t feel guilty about the odd bar of chocolate or glass of wine. The best weight loss diet is a sustainable diet. If you can’t stick to it, it’s probably too hard & restrictive and you’ll probably end up going back to old habits and staying the same (or worse, putting on!)

For more info on exactly what to eat in a week and lose weight, plus daily coaching from me, I have a plan full of healthy meals waiting for you in my Life Transformer Plan