How to Eat MORE Food While Eating FEWER Calories
Eating more food while eating fewer calories may seem counterintuitive, but it’s very possible to do in daily life.
It all boils down to this fact:
Calorie-density (the amount of calories per unit of food weight) varies between food-types.
For example, an ounce of apple slices contains roughly 15 calories, while an ounce of cheddar cheese contains roughly 110 calories.
You can see each option weighs the same, but the cheese has significantly more calories than the apple slices.
To take this a step further, if you allocate 225 calories of food for a snack, you can eat 15 ounces of apple slices, but only 2 ounces of cheese. It is clear in this case you will feel much fuller after eating almost a pound of apple slices compared to 2 ounces of cheese (a common amount of cheese for snacking).
Choosing foods with a low calorie-density means you can eat a lot without consuming many calories. Not feeling full after meals is a common complaint people have when attempting to lose weight. By incorporating plenty of low calorie-density foods in your nutrition routine, you can eat to satisfaction without eating too many calories.
Examples of low calorie-density foods:
Vegetables
Most fruit (especially berries)
Whole grains (e.g. oats, quinoa, rice, and barley)
High fiber wraps and breads
Fat-free or low fat Greek yogurt
Lean cuts of meat
Examples of high calorie-density foods:
Butter
Nut butters
Oil
Mayonnaise
Deep-fried foods
Fatty cuts of meat (e.g. lamb, duck, chicken thighs, and rib-eye steaks)
A lower-calorie alternative would be lean cuts of meat (e.g. cod, tilapia, sirloin steak, and chicken breast).
Creamy dressings
A lower-calorie alternative would be dressings that use fat-free Greek yogurt in lieu of sour cream, mayonnaise, or oil.
Soda and fruit juice
A no-calorie alternative would be water, flavored seltzer water, or zero-calorie, stevia-sweetened beverages. If you drink soda or fruit juice on a regular basis, substituting with no-calorie alternatives can make a profound difference in your daily caloric intake.
A lower-calorie alternative would be water (flat or seltzer) with some added fruit juice for flavor, or lower-sugar sodas/beverages, which are becoming more widely available.
Important Note: You may notice fat is a common factor in many calorie-dense foods (e.g. butter, nut butters, oil, mayonnaise, and fatty cuts of meat). A gram of fat contains 9 calories, while a gram of protein or carbohydrates contains 4 calories. Despite the fact it is naturally calorie-dense, fat has an important place in a healthy diet. Dietary fat is an essential nutrient for many fundamental metabolic functions. Calorie-dense foods are not inherently bad for you, but they do need to be moderated when it comes to weight loss.
Bottom line: Eating till fullness is an important factor in a successful weight loss program. Including large amounts of low calorie-density foods in your diet, while moderating the intake of high calorie-density foods, ensures a greater likelihood of weight loss success because you will feel full more often.