I’ve had so many clients come to me over the years that have trouble sticking to their diet.
And time and time again I notice one big problem, and it starts in the kitchen.
More often than not, they are following a meal plan that is super boring and restrictive.
The more restrictions you place on your diet, the less likely you are to succeed.
I don’t know about you, but I would never be able to eat chicken and broccoli 5 times a day in order to lose fat.
Your diet needs variety with great-tasting meals.
In this video, I’m going to show you the key to sticking to your diet.
I’m going to walk you through several ways to prepare great-tasting calorie-conscious meals that will let you stick to your diet.
Tip #1: Add Bulk
If you are dieting, you are in a calorie-restricted state and most people think they need to take foods away.
But the truth is, you actually need to add MORE food to your meals.
It’s all about adding more fiber which serves as the bulk substrate to keep you satisfied.
Its well known that adding more fiber to your meals is beneficial for weight loss.
Foods that contain a lot of fiber have significant volume but are usually not very calorically dense.
That means you get more bang for your buck.
You can eat a larger quantity of these foods without spilling over on your calories.
For example, this super packed salad has SUBSTANCE.
We have a base of mixed lettuce greens all topped with pan-seared Korean-style chicken and a medley of garnishes that include red bell pepper, pickled onions, and pumpkin seeds.
Each bite contains a whopping amount of flavor and a variety of roughage which is going to keep you full and satisfied.
It was super simple to make and the only thing that required any real cooking or prep work was the chicken.
But the good news is, you can make a bunch of it ahead of time and then create several different unique meals from the same chicken.
We’ll be using this chicken to make a completely different meal during the next tip so you can see what I mean.
- But first I marinated some chicken thighs overnight in 1 tbs of sesame oil, 2 tbs of soy sauce, 1 tbs of mustard,1 tbs of Korean red pepper paste, and a bunch of fresh crushed black pepper.
2. Then I seared both sides in a pan for 5 minutes on medium heat in order to get a nice crust and then I covered it with a lid to bring the chicken up to temp.
3. Let that rest and then chop it up into little bite-sized pieces.
4. The base of our salad greens will be a handful of spring mix tossed with 1tbs of olive oil and a splash of apple cider vinegar.
5. I massaged the salad to get all of the leaves coated in the dressing.
Now it’s just a matter of layering on our bulk to make this salad filling and satisfying.
The Bulk To Keep You Full
1.) First, I’m going with 4oz of the Korean-style chicken that we just made.
2.) Then I’m adding in some diced red bell pepper for some sweetness and color pop.
3.) Then I am throwing in a handful of pickled onions which provides an awesome tang and crunch component.
4.) Finally, I’m going with a tbs of pumpkin seeds for some added fiber and texture.
This massive bowl of deliciousness contains only 380 Calories.
32 grams of protein and 28 grams of fat.
Tip #2: Layer In Flavor
Most people think that since they are dieting they need to eat super clean and therefore really bland.
But the truth is, you can eat really great-tasting flavorful food without spilling over on your calories.
You just need to make sure that the flavor component is coming from ingredients that are not super calorically rich.
Any great chef will tell you that the secret to awesome tasting food is to layer in flavor.
The same applies to diet-friendly recipes.
You just need to get creative in the kitchen.
So let’s take a simple meal like your morning breakfast and make it irresistible.
The Flavor Packed Coffee
I don’t know about you, but I’m a coffee fiend.
And every morning I have my coffee with my breakfast.
And when I’m dieting, coffee gives me that little extra energy kick I need in the morning.
But instead of making your coffee the normal way, let’s give it some flair and nuance.
I make my coffee each morning in the french press and if I want to layer in some flavor so I’m not just drinking my plane old moring coffee – I spice it up.
I’m going to add in one black cardamon pod to my ground coffee beans.
Black cardamon is a little different than green cardamon because the pods of the black cardamom are harvested much later and are also dried over a large fire pit to give them a smokey flavor.
I’m telling you, adding just one pod of this powerful spice will layer in flavor like you couldn’t believe.
You get the classic coffee flavor first on your pallet that slowly transitions into a smooth sweet camphorus – like back note.
The flavor compound Eugenol is responsible for black cardamom’s characteristically woody and warming quality.
You want to make sure you crush the pod up in your hand a little bit before you drop it in because it will significantly help liberate the aromatic qualities of the cardamom.
Then I’m adding in a stick of cassia.
Cassia comes from an evergreen tree that is closely related to cinnamon.
Its flavor notes are sweet, peppery, and astringent.
Its flavor compound Cinnamaldehyde gives it its characteristically sweet warming quality.
Pour in your boiling water and then stir it around before you let it sit for 5 minutes.
I added a little bit of milk into the coffee mug because it is going to help bring out the flavor of that cardamom since a lot of the flavors in cardamom are fat-soluble.
Plus the creaminess of the milk is just a perfect complement to coffee in general.
So the only calories we are getting from the coffee are from the milk so we’re talking 20 calories.
The Flavor Packed Protein
Next, we are moving on to cooking up the protein component to our meal.
1.) Drop in half a tablespoon of butter to pan that has been heated on medium.
2.) Let it melt down and throw in a handful of chopped onions.
3.) Sautee those up for a minute or two and liberate some of those onion sugars.
You will start to see them turn translucent and develop an outer brown layer.
4.) Then you are going to drop in 3 scrambled eggs and stir around until they cook, about a minute or so.
5.) Take those off the heat and serve them on a plate.
Now it’s time to layer.
6.) First, we are layering on a handful of chopped pickled onions.
These are probably one of my favorite ingredients and I incorporate them into so many different meals.
They have a tangy crunch that will complement the sweetness of the cooked onion and egg.
7.) Then we are going to go with a handful of chopped cilantro for some added greenery and a fresh pop.
Cilantro has tangy citrus notes that are delightfully pungent and herbaceous.
8.) Finally, this dish would not be complete without some crushed salt to enhance the flavor of our eggs.
9.) We also want to add in some fresh crushed black pepper because pepper and eggs go together perfectly.
One final touch.
10.) I’m adding in a little habanero hot sauce for my heat element.
I’m obsessed with spicy food and adding a little heat will really bring together all of the other flavors in this breakfast dish.
Our final layered decadent breakfast comes out to only 283 calories, 20 grams of protein, and 21 grams of fat.
All of those garnishes that we added on top added no significant calories to our meal but it did add many layers of flavor.
If you want to stick to your diet, you need to change it up and layer in unique flavors to all of your meals.
You want some texture, some tang, and spice.
At the end of the day, there is no RIGHT way to do any of this.
You’ll learn over time which flavors go together best and it will allow you to begin layering them into every recipe that you make.
Tip #3: Variety
Most meal plans advocate eating the same meal several times a week.
And I don’t know who wouldn’t get sick of that.
I certainly could never eat like that.
If you want to successfully stick to your diet, you need variety.
It’s okay to cook the same meals from time to time but more often than not, you should strive to change your recipes even just a little bit.
You can take the same ingredients and combine them in different ways or add different spices and the final dish will come out totally unique.
Remember that Korean Style Chicken we seared up earlier?
We are going to take a couple of pieces of that and create an entirely new recipe for some variety.
Ginger chicken fried rice with cabbage and scallion.
You get the convenience of having your protein source pre-made but also the joy of diversity.
Okay so first let’s start with the base carbohydrate for our dish.
- I’m going with half a cup of cooked brown rice and am going to toss that into a pan with 1/2 tbs of butter.
I want to get that rice nice and crispy, a classic prelude to any great Asian-style dish.
2. Stir around occasionally and let it go on medium heat for about 5 minutes.
3. Take it off the heat and put it on a plate.
Next, we are going to chop up some cabbage.
The cabbage will be our main fiber component along with the fiber contained in the brown rice.
4. We also need a little ginger and garlic finely chopped as well.
5. Stir fry your cabbage for a few minutes until it begins to soften.
You don’t want to overcook it so just keep watching it closely.
6. About a minute before you are about to take off your veggies, throw in your garlic and ginger.
We are adding those in toward the end because they are so finely chopped that we don’t want them to burn and stick to the bottom of the pan.
7. Finally, splash in some soy sauce and stir around.
8. Then add your last garnish of black sesame seeds.
These provide a little extra crunch and unique sesame flavor.
9. Top your rice with 4oz of the chicken and some veg and you officially have a completely new recipe made with the same marinade chicken from before.
This dish comes out to only 300 calories, 31g of protein, 16g of carbs, and 12g of fat.
Stick to the principle of adding variety to your meal plan and you will drastically improve your ability to stick to your diet.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, the three secrets to sticking to your diet are bulk, flavor, and variety.
If you are new to this blog, you’ll soon find out that these three components are critical to any fat loss diet plan.
If you can incorporate these three components into your recipes, you will surely be able to stick to your diet.
Being in a calorie-restricted state is hard enough and there is no reason you should have to suffer because you are eating bland food.
Add some flavor and flair to your diet and it will drastically improve your ability to stick to your diet.
Cheers and we’ll see you next time!