When it comes to weight loss/maintenance, it's all about energy balance. If your goal is to lose weight - you need to move more and eat less than you currently do. IT really is that simple. But it's easier said than done for most, of course, which is why you're perusing this illustrious blog.
Eating food adds calories to your diet. Adding more food to the food you already eat adds more calories to said diet. But what qualifies as food can be nebulous for some and taken for granted by many more, if the recent UberEats ad campaign is anything to go by.
Much of the time, people trying to cut calories in their diet aren't taking into account the condiments they use, which quickly add up in caloric intake. Condiments qualify as food, which qualify as energy, which qualify as calories. Often times, when people plateau on a weight loss journey - the culprit lies somewhere in this area.
Taking a different perspective on the subject; many people don't realize how much easier weight loss could be for them if they made some simple changes/switches in the condiments they currently add to foods, or ingredients they currently use to make some of their favorite dishes.
Will all of these changes make your food taste just as good as the "real thing"? Probably not. But in most cases it will be good enough and should help curb any potential cravings that may destroy diet progression. And that's the point. Because if you're not enjoying the foods that you eat on a daily basis: you won't stick to your diet. That's guaranteed.
Here's a few simple condiment recommendations you can make to help with your dietary goals.
1. Artificial Sweeteners (Read: Apartame, Stevia, Sucralose, etc.)
It's the year 2022. If you still think aspartame causes cancer, your child probably hates you for the Tamagotchi you got for them last Christmas. Unfortunately, there's still a lot of fud in media regarding artificial sweeteners that contributes to fear mongering about these products, denying people of a powerful tool that could help them control their weight.
People are generally very bad at interpreting scientific data, and that broad category of "people" most definitely includes the media. Despite some terribly done recent research articles, artificial sweeteners are fine. Great, even, when it comes to weight maintenance/weight loss in particular.
There's considerable evidence that supports the idea of lowering simple sugar intake correlates with weight loss (Rule # 1: of Weight Loss/Maintenance: Never Drink Your Calories). This has also been my own anecdotal experience with weight loss. Switching to diet soda essentially saved my life. Many people find it hard to enjoy solid food without a sweet beverage. I was definitely one of those people, drinking north of 2 full 2 liter bottles of Mountain Dew per day.
Use artificial sweeteners to sweeten your protein shakes, your plain (Greek) yogurt w/ fruit, your fruit, heck, use it sweeten your smile. If you have a sweet tooth, artificial sweeteners are your best friend and are one of your most valuable precision weapons when evaluating your current diet to see where you can cut the most calories. Of course, everything in moderation. But if you're doing the risk/benefit analysis between artificial and real sugars - artificial should win, given the evidence, hands down.
Don't like the taste of aspartame (Equal, Sweet n' Low)? Try Sucralose (Splenda). Don't like either of those and want something more "natural" (marketing term)? Try Stevia, which is often minimally processed from a leaf.
You don't have to take my word for artificial sweeteners being largely safe. I'm a nobody. See what reputable Nutritional Scientist Dr. Layne Norton has to say on the subject and the aforementioned article here. I would recommend watching his other videos talking about the subject of artificial sweeteners as well, to help provide a fuller picture of where the actual consensus is in the scientific community concerning the stuff. There's simply too much to go into here.
2. Mustard
Very insignificant amount of calories. A standard packet of mustard has about 3 calories. If you like mustard, add it to any dish where it makes sense. Low Calorie Wraps/Sandwiches made guilt free! Any brand here will do.
3. Sugar free ketchups
Here is a brand you can try to go with your zero calorie mustard, so that your homemade cheeseburger doesn't shoot up to McDonald's level proportions of calorie amounts.
4. Sugar free BBQ
If you love BBQ, it doesn't have to be fattening or derisive to your diet goals. But most are full of sugar. Here's a brand you can try:
5. Plain, non-fat Greek Yogurt
Great for more than just eating straight up. Substitute it for sour cream. Add some paprika. garlic season etc. for some easy ranch dip for vegetables. Use it for alfredo. Too good.
6. Olive oil spray
Pressurized olive oil with zero calories - well, not technically, but it can be advertised as such, since you'd have to use a fair amount for the calories to add up. Not only is this great for cooking without adding additional calories to your food, but it can also function as a spray-on to any salads. While traditional olive oil is great for you nutritionally: it's still high in calories. Anywhere you can cut calories, you should, since it allows more room for the things you truly love in your diet.
7. Red Wine Vinegar
Zero Calories. Add this with your Olive Oil spray on your salads, or to juice up your wraps/sandwiches without stacking the calories. Any brand will do
8. Fat Free/Sugar Free Dressing
Salads are one of the largest culprits for ruining diet plans. People oftentimes fill a bowl full of low calorie, nutrient dense vegetables that would be great if it weren't for the fact that they often drench their salads in dressings high in calories. A salad could go from a few tens of calories to hundreds with only a seemingly small amount of salad dressing.
If you're not good with oil/vinegar, there's not a lot of options in terms of low calorie dressings - but they do exist!
Enter "Skinny Girl":
Great low calorie dressing brand that makes enjoying low calorie salads that are filling a lot easier for your weight loss goals. There are a variety of flavors if you look into the brand.
Honorable Mentions
Salsa - Very low calories per serving that can flavor meats, wraps/sandwiches, side dishes, et. al. Fresh made salsa is even better.
Lemon Juice - simple and effect zero calorie condiment great for meats and seafood.
Hot Sauce - Similar function to Salsa
Forever Better!
-Kye
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