How and what to eat to lose weight

So you want to lose a few lbs. The first thing you might think about doing is lowering your caloric intake. Restricting foods. Skipping meals. Telling yourself that you can’t eat certain foods or that certain foods are “now allowed.”

While diet culture has instilled this mindset in us, it’s crucial for us to be shift that mindset in order to reach the goals that we want, such as weight loss. Part of this mindset shift that we need to specifically focus on is skipping meals. It’s common knowledge that paying attention the quality of the foods that we eat is a good idea when weight loss is a desired effect. But sometimes we can take that too far. Not eating enough can significantly impact our ability to lose weight.

Why is that?

When we don’t eat enough food by skipping meals, we’re under-nourishing our body. Our body doesn’t know when it’s going to get food again and goes into a “starvation mode.” In starvation mode, our metabolism decreases and therefore the number of calories that we are burning goes down too. The result of this is that it’s harder for the body to lose weight. 

Those who consume adequate calories and properly fuel their body end up being able to see changes in weight.

 

Low-calorie, and under-nourishing, meals and days can also negatively impact other areas of our health. Inadequate calories can lead to poor cognitive performance (think: low concentration at work,) increased risk of diseases, and an unhealthy relationship with food. A low-calorie diet can also increase cortisol in your body, which is a stress hormone.

So how much should I eat?

The calorie needs of individuals vary depending on a number of factors. Your height, weight, gender, physical activity, past medical history, medications, and much more can all impact the number of calories you need each day. If you’re looking for a specific number, we recommend seeking help from a registered dietitian or other healthcare professional. 

Pure Plates makes healthy eating for weight loss easy for you by preparing nourishing meals with specific calorie quantities for you. We make healthy eating ridiculously simple, and we even provide meal plans for those who are wanting to follow one. Our meal plans can help to save money, save time, lose weight, and decrease stress around healthy eating. Some of our favorite meals right now are our Sirloin Tips with Roasted Veg and Breakfast Burrito.

All of Pure Plates meals provide various calorie amounts. They’re designed to fit into everyone’s daily life and routine and provide the ideal amount of calories so you are properly nourishing your body with the appropriate nutrients and calories. 

What should I eat?

Now that we’ve talked about how much, let’s talk about what to eat. Here are Pure Plates, we’re all about real, whole foods. What we mean by that is foods are not chemically-derived, fake or ultra-processed. Our foods are fresh and we believe in their power to nurture and fuel your body. Think of healthy eating for weight loss as quality of your diet over quantity. Quality of your food matters because you’re choosing food that not only has calories in it, but also a variety of other nutrients like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. These will all help you to reach your goals, such as weight loss, as well as live a long, healthy life.

We’re loving this Chicken Cauliflower Fried Rice right now on Pure Plates menu!

 

When should I eat?

We’ve discussed how much to eat and what. The last key to the puzzle is when should you eat. As we mentioned before, it’s important to make sure that you’re not skipping meals. Consistently in eating is important. For example – if you think of your body’s fuel as a gas tank of a car. When we are running on low or empty, we need more fuel to keep us going. This applies to our everyday functions, and therefore we need adequate and the appropriate fuel. While everyone is different in terms of their schedules, listening to your body and eating when you are hungry, when it fits into your schedule, and when it works for your family is what it comes down to. We recommend eating every few hours if you are hungry and your body is telling you to eat. 

If your life is busy and you don’t have time to cook, you don’t know what to cook, or maybe you don’t have any interest in cooking, Pure Plates can take the work off your shoulders. Let us do the cooking for you! We’ll provide you with the how much and what, and then when with our customized meal plans.

Remember, your daily calorie needs are different than others around you. Focus on your own health and your own goals so that you can succeed. Pure Plates can help you with the healthy eating part with our seriously good meals and snacks.