I quickly saw how to make swaps that would help me stick to my calorie target, without leaving me feeling hungry. I saw that red meat – which I love; I’m Brazilian – was often quite a fatty choice (a 4oz steak is around 200 calories and 10g of fat), as are chicken thighs (around 185 calories per thigh and 12g of fat). That’s not to say I couldn’t eat them, but I’d have to balance the calories out in other ways, say for example having a smaller portion of chicken thighs in a salad and then adding in low-fat cottage cheese (half a pot is about 110 calories and 2.7g of fat) or a can of tuna (120 calories and 1g of fat) to bulk up the meal. I also saw how too much “healthy” food can add up; yes, olive oil is good for us, but a tablespoon is around 120 calories, so that can quickly turn a salad into a high-calorie meal if you use too much. It was a really useful lesson.
Tracking and sending pictures of my meals also showed me that I was tending to overeat at dinner time. I would previously eat relatively well all day, but be really hungry at dinner and have a huge portion. My coaches advised a healthy snack at around 4pm, such as 150g of zero-fat Fage yogurt with berries, which is around 100 calories, but has protein in it that fills you up. It meant then that I could have a lower-calorie dinner later on because I wasn’t starving.
A hugely important lesson the coaches taught me was that, while calorie tracking is super important, it’s where you get your calories from that really counts. I needed to increase my protein as it’s the most satiating. Carbs aren’t banned as they are on lots of diets – which is great because I really feel like I need them for energy – but you have to be mindful of how many you eat. I tend to go for a chickpea or a lentil pasta if I want that kind of dinner.
By November 2022, after six months, I reached my goal weight of nine stone (58kg), and I’ve maintained that for almost a year now. When I reached my goal, my coaches increased my calories: I’m now on around 1,900. I still calorie-count and track my meals every day, but during the week I tend to eat a very similar thing every day, so it’s easy.
The difference losing the weight has made to me has been huge. During my journey, I was going through a divorce, and the support I got from the coaches was immense. Having that to focus on was really important. Now that I’m back where I want to be with my body and weight, I feel so much more confident, which is definitely a bonus now I’m starting to cautiously date again.
But more importantly, I feel that focusing on healthy change has been really important as a model to my kids. They see me making careful choices and feeding my body things that naturally support it, while still enjoying my food. I’ve got so much more energy to play and be fun that I just feel like a better mother. I’ve learnt that you have to look after yourself first before you can really take care of everyone around you.
Do you count calories to stay slim? Let us know in the comments
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