I very well understand your desire to know how to lose 40 pounds without giving up on your special dishes. But sorry to burst your bubble, as there is no miracle and replacement to exercise and self-control available yet.
The only way to lose weight is to have self-discipline and develop strong self-control, wit to say a big NO whenever you are about to give in to high-caloric food.
The primary and foundational reason for people to follow a plan to lose 40 pounds is health and fitness. These trends are mushrooming at an increasing rate because today’s population all over the world is aware of the unmatched and immense benefits of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
However, the biggest hurdle that interrupts you from completing your goal is the inability to give up your favorite dishes like pizzas, burgers, coke, a bag of chips, cheezy portions of pasta, and whatnot.
Also note that if I say lose 40 pounds without leaving your favorite food, it does not mean that you still can binge on these fried, greasy, overloaded cheezy, extra sugary, and high-caloric dishes.
Be prepared in advance to read the article without expecting alternatives to junk food. To lose weight, there is no possibility of including such meals, P-E-R-I-O-D.
Table of Contents
Lose 40 Pounds Without Falling for the Gimmicks
All of us do come across luring publicities that shout nothing, but losing weight is easy. Suppose you want a permanent solution for it and not a temporary one. In that case, you will have to bring the necessary lifestyle changes that are not only significant but essential in your weight loss journey.
Eat in Portions to Lose 40 Pounds Without Leaving Your Fav Food
Has it ever happened to you that you feel so hungry that you are unable to control it and just throw all the food in front of you to fill up your stomach?
You may think this to be the only option, but in reality, you are doing more damage to yourself rather than a benefit. Always remember that if you eat slowly and chew each and every bite of your food properly, you will feel your stomach to be filled soon as compared to just literally eating without thinking.
Moreover, the adversities attached to this practice are that you tend to gain weight quickly and may also choke on the food. The best bet is to always put food in portions, finish it off, and then add if required.
This way, you can easily keep a tab on how much you eat per meal and overall on a daily basis. Focus on filling and satisfying your heart rather than your belly.
Think Twice About What’s Going on your Plate
How can you possibly imagine losing 40 pounds without caring about what you eat? Only when you are mindful can you formulate a diet plan and follow it. When you have control over how much you eat, the next important step in line is what goes on your plate.
You may work out for two hours and burn a lot of calories but then eating junk is not going to show the expected results that you long for. Especially continuous or frequent junk consumption is only going to make things worse for you.
In simple terms, you will be working out only to burn the calories you just consumed. However, losing weight will require you to be cognizant and choose what is healthy and not just tasty.
Snack! But Healthy
I totally get it whenever you open a chilled can of coke and a bag of chips to enjoy them while you watch a movie or meet up with a friend. I do the same; trust me! However, let me drop the truth bomb on you, which is that these snacks may taste absolutely delicious, but the disastrous effects it leaves on your body are no less than a nightmare.
Besides the risk they pose to health, their consumption can carry you and drop you into the pool of chronic illnesses. So, be careful. What can be done? Well, definitely, you can first replace high-greasy junk snacks with healthy ones.
Next time you feel like munching on something, don’t pick chips or buttery sweet biscuits; munch on greek yogurt with berries, nuts, trail mix, hummus, IQ bars, oats, and more.
More than making a smart pick, it’s also about the control of yourself. Give more priority to your health and not your tongue, which will give in front of delicious food items.
Find the Missing Balance
Do you always find yourself hanging in the middle? One day you are able to follow all the corrective measures to lose weight, and the next day, you are binging on unhealthy junk food.
To break this neverending vicious circle, it is important to first recognize it and then introduce the necessary changes. Like making a schedule for everything in advance and following it without missing it.
Needless to say that your day-to-day goals should include exercising, watching what you eat, stretching a bit, and detoxification (At Times). The way to keep these changes a part of your lifestyle is if you bring changes to your diets and routines every fortnight.
And always remember that it is never going to be overnight magic, and you will be able to adapt to these changes over time. So, eating your favorite meal but a healthier version every fifteen days is not that grave. (You deserve it!)
Throw Away the Frozen Food Packets
As much as these frozen meals are delicious, they are convenient and easy to prepare. In just a click, they are served on your plates, and you don’t have to wait for a longer period of time.
But the downfall of frozen meals is that they are full of preservatives and whatnot. If you are on a determined mission to lose 40 pounds without leaving your favorite food, then frozen food items should not be a part of the list.
And what can you expect with food that is pumped with harmful chemicals that are going to make you the opposite of healthy? Furthermore, you are a fool if you believe that healthy frozen meals are actually good for your health. The problem is that upon freezing, the ingredients lose all the nutrients and minerals.
Besides, according to Mary Jane Brown, Ph.D, MD, freshly prepared meals are any day far better and healthier than frozen ones.
Follow a 2000 Calorie Diet
In adults who are adamant about losing, following a diet plan that gives you 2000 calories per day is recommended. It is both adequate and capable of fulfilling the nutritional needs of an adult.
List of Foods to Eat in a 2000 Calorie Diet
You have reached the most important part of the article, from where you will learn exactly how to lose 40 pounds without leaving out your favorite foods. Mind it again that the list will not talk about alternatives to junk food as they are unhealthy and can never let you shed extra unwanted kilos.
To reach and fulfill your goal, include whole grains like brown rice, oats, quinoa, farro, and millet instead of dangerous processed white flour. I fancy you if your first choice at night is to eat ice cream. However, you can never shed extra kilos till the time you don’t replace them with fresh fruits like apples, guavas, oranges, berries, peaches, etc.
And if you are a hardcore carnivore and prefer eating meat in every meal, the best is to include lean meats like chicken, turkey, beef, lamb, veal, etc., to cut down the extra calories.
The common notion that revolves around losing weight is totally cutting down on fats, but that is also very healthy. For our bodies to function properly, it is very important to also give them the healthy fats that are required, like avocado, olive, and coconut oil.
Also, if you are a coffee lover, then you will know that it is loaded with caffeine. Having said that, note that the caffeine content does not promote weight gain as such. However, if you have a habit of adding sugar spoons to your beverage, then obviously, you will have to leave.
Replace sweetened beverages with sparkling water, lemon water, or honey ginger water.
Sample Meal Plan to Lose 40 Pounds (Alternative Food Options)
We all know that three meals a day are recommended that keep energy levels high and not draw you towards malnutrition. So, what you eat in the entire is very important and should be kept a count of. Let’s look at a sample diet plan and alternatives you can choose for breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner.
For breakfast, you need to eat full stomach, as it becomes the fuel for the entire day. So, go for Cardamom & peach quinoa porridge, vegetable omelet, Tofu scramble, breakfast burrito, or scrambled eggs with basil, spinach, and tomatoes. All these breakfast meals are not going to cause weight gain and are healthy.
Continuing the day, you will feel like snacking, for which you go for fruits, berries, uncoated popcorn, salad, and more. And by any chance, if your day includes munching on chips, slices of cake, or anything unhealthy, you are not going the right way.
For lunch, I prefer eating Quinoa and black bean stuffed sweet potatoes, quinoa and black bean burger, veggie wraps, veggie-loaded brown rice bowls, black bean soup, low-fat chicken curry with whole wheat bread, and more. So, even you can give it a try.
Again for the evening snacks, go for the options mentioned above. The ones who want to end the day the right way eat chicken breast and some lean meats, salmon with veggies, wild rice, assortments of Beans and legumes, etc.
What’s More?
Keeping a proper tab on what goes inside you in one thing and the other most vital and inseparable part to lose 40 pounds without leaving your favorite food items is regular exercising.
If you read the introduction, I clearly mentioned that there is no overnight miracle and further no replacement for exercise. Especially if all you want is to lose extra fat on your body.
A person who is fat or leaning towards obesity looks out of place, but this is just half of the problem; the severity of the condition is leading to an unhealthy lifestyle. Looks are nothing in front of a sum of chronic diseases that you are inviting yourself to.
The benefits of exercising are already known to all and should be included in all of our day-to-day lives as there is no good that comes from living a sensible life. Not only will you start seeing impressive results when you combine a conscious diet and working out, but you will also experience countless other benefits.
Some of these benefits include the alleviation of anxiety and stress, providing you a shield from a plethora of life-threatening diseases, flexibility, clarity in your daily life decisions, a better quality of sleep, fewer hunger pangs, no acid refluxes, and more.
Any day you miss a workout session, try including it again in one way or another. By keeping a regular and consistent check on all these pointers, you are going to lose 40 Pounds without leaving your favorite food. (Also, in a jiffy!)
As far as alternative unhealthy but favorite options are concerned, there is always a second and healthier option that you can opt for. For example, a sandwich that is very healthy except for the concoction of sauces and two slices of white bread.
The better alternative for it is replacing white bread with whole wheat or multigrain ones and making a yogurt dip rather than applying those extra salty sauces.
The Bottom Line
“How to lose 40 pounds without leaving your favorite food” may not be that easy, but it is very much possible if you stick to your vision and do not give up in between. After all, losing the extra kilos will not only improve the way you look at yourself but also make you feel healthy like never before.
Remember that after accomplishing your goal to manage or reduce weight, make these changes a part of your life permanently. All the associated benefits will be seen not only in the present but further in life too.
