How I eat what I want and still lose weight
I love junk food.
I mean who doesn't? However, once I began my weight loss journey I thought I'd never be able to eat those foods again, but I was so wrong.
Today, I'm going to be sharing with you my top five favorite low-calorie versions of things you shouldn't eat on a diet.
1. Pasta and Rice
I have found perhaps the best food item ever conceived: Shirataki noodles. Shirataki noodles are a Japanese food made from the konjac yam. They are shaped like pasta and are flavorless, so they take on the flavor of whatever you decide to cook them with. I've made everything from stir-fry to alfredo with these noodles. The best part? They are ZERO calories. They're also super quick to make: simply boil for two minutes and then toss them in a pan with high heat so they get that "pasta-like" texture. My favorite brand is miracle noodle, these have the closest texture to pasta in my opinion, if you prepare them right. Click the picture to purchase these on Amazon.
Credit: www.amazon.com
2. Bread
Perhaps what I missed most when I crash dieted was a good old-fashioned sandwich. Then, I discovered the best thing since sliced bread- literally! Pepperidge Farms makes a bread called Light Style that is 45 calories a slice compared to the 80 calories that bread usually is. Nearly every grocery store stocks this bread and it is just as satisfying as the full-calorie version. Click the picture to purchase this on Amazon.
Credit: www.amazon.com
3. Chips
My mother is a huge potato chip fanatic, so we always had them around the house. This was very dangerous because I used to eat potato chips every night as a midnight snack. Truth is, for just ten potato chips, you're taking in over 100 calories, and everyone knows you can't stop at just ten chips. Enter Popcorners. Popcorners have a serving size of 17 chips for just 120 calories. You're getting twice the amount of chip for your calorie intake. I use these chips for everything, I like the different flavors to snack on, and I usually dip the plain ones in salsa or whatever else I can find in my fridge. Click the picture to purchase these from Amazon.
Credit: www.amazon.com
4. Dip
I love dips. I was deeply upset when I thought I was going to have to give them up for good. However, Trader Joe's has opened my horizons, they have amazing options for low calorie snacks, including my favorite dip: Creamy Cauliflower Jalepeño. I was skeptical at first, but this dip is the perfect combination of savory with a very light kick. You'll enjoy this even if you can't take spicy foods. Two tablespoons of this dip are only 40 calories, compared to other cheese dips that are over 100 calories for the same amount. Click the picture to read more about it.
Credit: www.traderjoes.com
5. Ice Cream Sundae
I'm not very big on dessert, so cutting it out of my diet was something I was okay with. However, every once in a while I would get the craving for an ice cream sundae. I discovered Halo Top ice cream, and it changed my dieting life. Halo Top makes so many flavors of ice cream, even dairy-free ones, and they are all under 400 calories a pint! For reference, a pint of regular ice cream hovers around 1,000 calories. Halo Top definitely doesn't taste exactly like regular ice cream, but if you let it sit on your counter for around five minutes before eating, it's a pretty close second. I love the cookies and cream flavor, which I pair with Reddi Wip fat-free whipped cream (6 calories for one tablespoon), sugar-free Hershey's chocolate syrup (5 calories for one tablespoon), and a little shake of rainbow sprinkles (21 calories for one tablespoon). When you portion correctly, you can eat an entire ice cream sundae for well under 300 calories. Click the pictures to purchase these items!
Each of these dupes are excellent, but they are only the beginning. If you have any other low-calorie dupes, please let me know in the comments. Check back in November 6 to see how I use these items in recipes that are absolutely delicious!
But for now,
This was a super creative and informative post. I too enjoy junk food and definitely struggle with avoiding these foods in college. Foods like pasta and rice are so vital to almost every meal I make and I am super interested in trying out those miracle noodles! I also love halo top ice cream. I would love to see more alternatives to dessert foods in a future post. I am a big dip person and a big trader joes person so I will definitely be picking up a tub of that creamy cauliflower jalapeño dip! Great ideas in this post!