Dieting tips from someone on a weight-loss journey: getting started

Sup, fam. This isn’t like the prior posts on this blog. It’s kind of the opposite.

I want to be more active here, but don’t want to eat fried chicken three times a week. Let me rephrase that — I VERY MUCH DO want to eat fried chicken three times a week, but I’ve been hitting my stride on a diet the past few months and don’t want to derail that.

I’ve been on the fence about this and going back and forth on if I want to start posting this type of stuff, but I’ll give it a try and see how it goes. I feel I’ve learned some valuable things for people out there who want to cut weight and gain control of their physical health.

Getting the diet figured out has been one of the most important things I’ve done. I’m still learning as I go and everyone’s body is different, so what works for me might not fully work for you. But I’d like to at least get what I know out there because dieting is daunting; especially trying to start one.

I’m unsure what my vision is for this in the long haul, but for now, I plan on just passing out some tips to get the wheels on the ground and offer some lower-calorie, but still tasty food options.

For this post, let’s just get some staples in your fridge and your pantry. I like to switch the meals up a bit so I don’t get entirely sick of eating the same thing over and over, but there are a few things I always stock up on to help me stay full, keep the calories low and the protein high.

Staples:

• Greek yogurt: I prefer to buy nonfat Greek yogurt since it’s lower in calories, but you don’t have to go the nonfat route. It’s a great addition to protein shakes and builds the base for some more recipes such as high-protein “ice cream,” which I’ll share on a later date.
• Eggs or egg whites: Both whole eggs and egg whites are high in protein and low in calories. I’ve been opting for egg whites recently because they’re lower in calories and cholesterol.
• Chicken breast: It’s such a popular dieting option because it’s versatile, very high in protein and low in calories.
• Protein powder: I’m fairly new to the protein powder game and have just been rolling with the run-of-the-mill stuff I find at Target. I know there are a bunch of good ones out there, so feel free to send recommendations my way.
• Vegetables: Not nearly as fun as the other staples, but they’re valuable, beneficial and can still be tasty. I usually purchase spinach and cauliflower rice as my go-tos, but eat whichever veggies you desire.
• Fruits: This is all personal preference. I always keep frozen strawberries and blueberries in stock for shakes and smoothies, however, if you want some direction.
• Almonds: Salty food cravings are some of the strongest for me, and hitting a serving of almonds helps satisfy that craving and is healthier and more filling than something like potato chips, which I still hold near and dear to my heart.
• Almond milk: I much prefer the taste of regular milk, but unsweetened almond or cashew milk is very low in calories and tastes just fine when it’s thrown into a protein shake.
• Healthy pancake mix: Pancakes and doughnuts are about the only sweet cravings I have, so I always have Kodiak Cake mix on hand for my Saturday morning pancakes.

That about does it for my base foods that I keep in stock. Next time, I’ll give you a couple tasty, high-protein, low-calorie meal ideas. Thanks for reading and take care of yourselves.