Not Cooking? No Problem!

Does anyone else live in a house full of other people? Have you ever tried to lose weight while not being the main meal chooser? It can be rough! Trust me I know! I have been on a mission to lose weight since February of 2020. I was 194 lbs at my first weigh-in, but now — one whole year later — I weigh 149 lbs. An exciting 45 lbs lighter than a year before. It hasn’t been easy tho. Like I said — I don’t always get to choose what kind of meals I eat. So let me share with you, how I managed throughout this past year.

One thing to keep in mind is that I have a major food issue. I’m a binge eater. I will stuff my face until I throw up. It’s a terrible issue with lots of problems. It is the main reason I was overweight! So, with that being said this was a super hard change for me. I had to establish a lot of discipline and really knuckle down. I had a lot of good days and a lot of bad. This method I am about to tell you about may not work for you! So please take what helps and leave what doesn’t

Rule One: Eat More Veg!

Simple enough right? Veggies are great for you! Usually high in fiber, can have healthy fats and acquire a boatload of vitamins. However, my sweet tooth didn’t agree with this rule at first — neither did my belly. But over time, I was able to imply the hand full rule (one-two handfuls of veg at each meal) which eventually replaced my eye for cheesy quick carbs into an eye that desired colorful veggies.

Another tip is to incorporate veggies into snack time. Something that I honestly never would have thought of until my pediatrician recommended it for my kiddo. Veggies and a reasonable dose of dressing or dip is a great snack that can cure the rumble in your tummy while also helping replace the chips and salsa you might be craving. And when your sweet tooth is acting up, try a mix of PB, honey, raisins, and celery; or sweet hummus and carrots. You could also eat a healthy amount of fruit if the veggies don’t calm your sweet tooth’s nerves.

Rule Two: “ExTrEmE” Calorie Deficit.

Now, before you get the wrong idea please note that I am not telling you to starve yourself — that’s far from what I am saying. Before you scroll past please take note that everyone’s calorie deficit is different depending on their physical activity.

For me, I have complete control over everything I eat before dinner. I usually have no control over dinner. So for most of the day, I try to stay at a reasonable calorie deficit so that when dinner rolls around I am in good enough standards to have a full meal. For me, this works. This may not work for you and may need adjustments if tried.

I usually try to stay under 2,000 calories a day. For me it works, I have a set time of day to work out and I am a breastfeeding mom of a wild toddler — which usually means I burn at least 500 extra calories apart from my workout. This means that I usually eat roughly 700–800 calories during the day, which usually gives me roughly 1,000 calories that I can consume during dinner.

Rules Three: 80% 20%

Eat 80% healthy, 20% “dirty”. Everything you eat within a week should average out at 80% healthy 20% Dirty. This gives you room for your sweet treats but also helps you maintain a healthy lifestyle. Simple enough right? Let’s go ahead and break it down anyway.

Say Monday, you are super excited about your nutrition and only want to eat healthy that day. So you have eggs for breakfast, a chicken salad with a light dressing for lunch, an apple after work, and for dinner, you have grilled turkey breast with rice and veggies. That day was 100% healthy.

Tuesday however you were running late, so you grabbed a donut from the break room, but then had a healthy wrap for lunch, then another donut for a snack and salad for dinner. That day was 80%

Wednesday and Thursday you ate what you had on Monday. But on Friday you had oats for breakfast, a donut from the break room, a chicken salad for lunch, and pizza for dinner. That day was 80%.

And Saturday you had healthy meals, but you also had a slice of cake along with a hardy dose of alcohol. That day was 80%. And Sunday, since you were hungover you ate healthily and drank a bunch of water. That was a 100% day.

Altogether, it adds up to 85%. Which is where I usually try to stay. However, I am a pro binge eater, not all of my weeks look like this. Usually, I had a chocolate bar here or there which usually put me at 80% for the week.

This rule can also work for invaluable meals. 80% “clean” 20% dirty. So if you are having fried chicken or pizza just make sure that you can put something else on your plate to help you establish this 80% rule.

All together these three rules helped me lose weight while living in a household where I don’t always get to choose what I eat.