A Year Without Coffee Creamer
How Small Changes in Your Diet Can Melt the Pounds Away
At the end of 2019, I made a goal of eating healthier during 2020. A common New Year’s goal, sure, but it wasn’t the new year that spurred this goal. I was just tired of my expanding belly.
I had read and researched enough to know that diets don’t really work. People will start off gung ho, then crash shortly thereafter and go back to their old ways. I decided that I would not go on a diet per se, but simply change my eating habits.
I also made the decision to take a slow and easy approach. Some years ago, I tried a low-carb diet where I cut out bread and sweets, but after a couple weeks or so I caved in and got myself a brownie sundae from an ice cream shop called Oberweis. Although some people are successful with the cold turkey approach, extreme changes don’t typically work well for the average person.
So I figured, let’s start small. I’ll cut out the sugar-filled creamer I was adding to my morning coffee. A serving size is one tablespoon, but come on, who really adds that little? I was easily adding two tablespoons, and at 35 calories per serving, that was 70 calories right there. I’ve gotten used to drinking coffee straight black, and I can now appreciate the nuances in single origin, recently roasted, freshly ground beans. Over time, I began adding a tablespoon of collagen to my coffee instead; it doesn’t affect flavor, but gives me 6 grams of protein and only 25 calories.
I told myself I would try this approach for three months, but I became accustomed to it and stuck with the change for the remainder of the year, and so far this year. Since I proved to myself that I could make this small change and stick to it, I began making other changes to my diet as well.
Start off small.
I became more mindful of what I ate. I no longer grabbed a bag of chips from the pantry and ate mindlessly. I measured out a serving size. I invested in a digital kitchen scale for about $20, and it was well worth it.
In fact, I began measuring all of my meals and tracking calories in a spreadsheet. You can use an app to track calories, and it is kind of a pain, but it can be eye-opening because you finally have cold, hard data staring you in the face. I used to think I was eating healthy, but once I took note of everything I consumed I realized this wasn’t the case.
That data helped me fine-tune my diet and motivated me to control my portions. I also made more conscious choices about what to eat. After getting familiar with the nutrition facts of different foods, I began favoring lower calorie, higher protein foods such as grilled chicken breast, salmon, tuna, and lean ground beef (93%). I also tried to be more careful about how much oil I added when cooking, and have stuck to olive oil as my fat of choice.
To add more protein to my diet, I started adding an egg substitute (25 calories and 5 grams of protein per serving) to my morning breakfast, in addition to a whole egg. I also try to include cottage cheese and baby spinach with breakfast.
Further, I began digging for other low calorie, high protein foods, which has been surprisingly fun. Not that I’m trying to promote any particular products, but here are some that I’ve enjoyed:
- Angelic Bakehouse Bread — 60 calories and 4 grams of protein per slice
- Tumaro’s Carb Wise Tortillas — about 60 calories and 5 grams of protein per wrap
- Halo Top Birthday Cake Ice Cream — 100 calories and 6 grams of protein per serving
- Two Good Yogurt — 80 calories and 12 grams of protein per serving
- Quest Hero Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars — 200 calories and 19 grams of protein per bar
- Quest Protein Chips — about 140 calories and 19 grams of protein per bag
- Quest 4-Cheese Pizza — 330 calories and 27 grams of protein per half a pizza
- Quest Peanut Butter Cups — 190 calories and 11 grams of protein per two cups
- Magic Spoon Cereal — about 110 calories and 11 grams of protein per bowl
- TakeOut Puffs — 130 calories and 7 grams of protein per serving
- Eat Me Guilt Free Brownies — about 180 calories and 22 grams of protein per brownie
As you can see, some of the above foods are healthier versions of certain treats. Don’t get me wrong. I still enjoy actual sweets and other indulgent foods on occasion, but it’s more controlled now. I think it’s important to allow yourself a cheat day or two each week. Otherwise, it feels too rigorous and, quite frankly, boring.
In addition, I try to include vegetables with dinner every night, preferably roasted. Instead of rice, I’ve tried out other grains or pseudo-cereals like barley, bulgur, couscous, and quinoa. When it comes to nuts, which can be quite caloric, I try to only have a partial serving. Almonds are a good choice, but having a variety is good because nuts are very nutritious.
In any case, in less than a year, I lost over 10 lbs almost effortlessly. Exercise is important for your body, of course, but diet has a greater impact in my opinion. The point of this article is not to boast about my diet, but to show that you too can see the changes you’ve long desired by modifying your diet.
Start off small. Commit to eliminating or reducing one unhealthy thing. Prove to yourself that you are in fact disciplined enough to stay the course. Then make another positive change. Over time, you’ll have a new, healthier way of eating and will not only look better, but feel better.