Did you know that a pound of fat weighs the same as a pound of muscle or even a pound of feathers for that matter! A pound of something weighs the same as a pound of something else, because a pound is a pound!
Did you also know that it takes 3500 calories extra to put a pound on your body? OMG! Are you ready for this? I found on the web that there is one item on the Red Robin menu that is 3540 calories! http://www.eater.com/2014/7/30/6178881/3500-calorie-combo-at-red-robin-is-the-single-unhealthiest-chain ((for more bad food choices when eating out: http://news.health.com/2014/07/30/worst-restaurant-meals-in-america/ ))
I don’t know about you but I would never had known this until the above article! What I do know is that I like to eat! Don’t you? Lucky for me I like fruits and vegetables! I also love eggs and prefer fish to any other animal flesh even before I was a vegetarian (Pescetarianism). These are usually lower in calories.
I used to like grapes but not enough to buy them. Since January both my husband and I enjoy a serving of 15 grapes (cold from the fridge for us!) for an afternoon snack. The natural sugar really is a nice pick me up! And since a grape is only 3 calories that serving is only 45 calories!
DietBet does a pretty good job at telling you what your minimum calories you need to consume and lose weight at your activity level. I am fairly sedentary. Taking their suggestion, I try to divide it up in the day and give myself a couple of snacks. Dietbet says I should eat 1200-1350 calories a day. Dividing that by 3 meals is 400-450 but I need my snacks! I try to keep my meals around 300 calories (no Red Robin for me!) and then I make up some snacks to keep me going. (If I have less at a meal then, yeah!, I get an extra snack later! I like snacks!)
A few containers of 15-20 grapes, washed and ready to eat. (45-60 cal) Oh how about 1/2c plain yogurt + chopped cucumber. (60 cal) That is very refreshing. Or onion + tomato + cucumber, all chopped + a couple Tablespoons diet zesty Italian dressing (60 cal a cup) Or a Banana is only 100 calories (depending on size) The list goes on and on! I even like 1/4cup of cottage cheese with celery stick (or chopped and mixed works too!)
I am not a doctor. I am not a nutritionalist. I am just someone on the journey to being healthier and more fit so I can enjoy the rest of my life a little more actively. These things have worked for me. Maybe they will for you. Maybe not. Post what works for you. Better yet, post fresh food combinations that you love that are also low in calories!
Have a great day and count those calories!