Eat yummy food and stay slim

For the first time in my life, I've joined a gym. I'm actually quite excited but I have to wait until Monday, which is the day of my induction.

Until then, I can keep myself busy by stocking up on low calorie food. Below are a few healthy things that I actually love to eat/ drink and which I'll be incorporating into my Three Hour Diet. If you are planning on losing weight then I hope it helps you make simple substitutes in your diet to save on calories.

My shopping list...

Substitute no breakfast or an unhealthy breakfast with Cereal

You've all heard it many times before: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It is especially important if you want to lose weight. Wholegrain cereal, such as Oatibix and Bran flakes can keep you full for longer. I need to hunt down Kallo Organic Wholegrain Puffed Rice as I am obsessed with Kallo.



Substitute sweet snacks with Cereal bars


It is smart to keep a cereal bar in your bag to eat when you're out.  However, there are cereal bars with crazy amounts of calories and sugar so always read the label.



Substitute biscuits with Weight Watchers Double Choc Chip Cookies

A box contains 6 packets containing 2 cookies each so you can pop one in your bag for when you need a treat. They're nowhere as nice as Maryland Cookies (yum!) but they're pretty decent biscuits with a nice cocoa flavour. However, I personally won't be buying these as I want to keep my diet as natural as possible.

Cost: 70p from Sainsburys

Calories: 98 per 2 cookies

Fat: 1.2g per 2 cookies

Substitute crackers with Kallo Organic wholegrain rice cakes - slightly salted

I always make sure that we have a packet of these at home at all times. I love them so so much! It's literally organic wholegrain rice and organic salt. That is all! Whenever I feel peckish, I just grab one of these ricecakes and eat it plain or top it with different ingredients depending on what I feel like eating.

Cost: 95p from Sainsburys

Calories: 28 calories per rice cake

Fat: 0.2g per rice cake

Substitute crisps with Kallo wholegrain corn cakes

These corncakes are made from organic corn and salt. Nothing more, nothing less. They are crunchier than the rice cakes so they're a great alternative to crisps. You can top these with whatever you like but I tend to munch on them straight out of the packet.

Cost: £1.35 from Holland and Barrett

Calories: 16 calories per corn cake

Fat: 0.2g per corn cake

TIP!!!

Top your rice cakes and corn cakes with these yummy toppings:

• Cheese spread, smoked salmon, lemon juice and dill.
• Dairylea Extra light spread
• Cottage cheese
• Philadelphia light
• Thin layer of light peanut butter with a little jam or sliced banana
• A little drizzle of honey (how about some sliced banana or strawberries on top too?)

Substitute full fat cheese with Low fat cheese

You may have noticed from my tip that there are different cheeses that you can eat whilst losing weight. I won't go through each one in detail but these are the cheeses that I personally eat...

• The Laughing Cow/ Dairlylea spead or triangles - Extra light
• Philadelphia - light (Extra light isn't nice at all)
• Cottage cheese - you can get these mixed with pineapple or chives but I prefer it plain. Remember to read the labels well as some have more fat than others.

Substitute full fat milk with Skimmed milk

If you are used to drinking full fat milk, it is best to start drinking semi skimmed milk first and then move onto drinking skimmed milk so that the difference in taste and creaminess isn't too different. Milk can be used in many low fat breakfasts such as smoothies, porridge and cereal.

Substitute full fat desserts with Low fat yogurt/ fromage frais

Yogurt is perfect for dieting as it is so versatile. You can have it as a dessert, snack or breakfast and mix it with different toppings such as a little honey, nuts, fresh fruit, dried fruit, cereal or seeds. You can also use it to make smoothies. So keep a tub of this in the fridge and you will always find something healthy to eat.

Be good to yourself 0.1% Natural yogurt from Sainsburys

Cost: 85p for 500ml

Fat: 0.2g per 100ml

Calories: 54 calories per 100ml

Be Good to Yourself 0.1% Natural fromage frais from Sainsburys
Cost: 85p for 500ml
Fat: 0.1g per 100ml
Calories: 49 per 100ml

Substitute coffee for Green tea

Green tea is known to have both metabolism increasing and detoxing properties so it can help burn calories faster and flush toxins out of your body, which tend to hold onto fat in your body. It also has many other health benefits.

I have dried tea leaves at home but you can find green tea in most supermarkets and health stores such as Holland and Barrett and Julian Graves.

Lemons

To make lemon juice! Stir some lemon juice into either hot or cool water. You can add a little honey if you wish. This helps detox your body and flush out the toxins which are holding onto some of the fat in your body. It has many other benefits such as helping to prepare your liver for the day ahead.

Cost: About 30p each

Calories: Zero!

Fat: Zero!

Water

Since a lot of the time we think we're hungry we're actually thirsty, it is important to make sure that you drink enough water especially if you're exercising.

Cost: 35p for 2 litres at Sainsburys

Calories: Zero!

Fat: Zero!

My list might seem long and daunting but once you buy the low fat/ calorie alternatives to what you normally buy, you will realise how simple and tasty it really is to save on calories/ fat.

Are there any low fat/ calorie foods you love?

xoxo