Know your protein sources

Eating your protein needs for the day means you are supporting your body to retain and or build muscle, eating protein curbs hunger and is satiating meaning you will most likely eat fewer calories in the day.

First, you need to know how much you need, I like to look at it in a range If you were at your desired body weight times that by 1.6 and 2, for me I am 80 kg and my desired weight is 78kg meaning my protein goal is 125g to 156 per day and we will round up to make it 130-160g per day.

**Now, the next step is identifying protein sources or the "stars" of your meals to meet your daily target.**

8 More! “Day of Protein” at the bottom of the Page!

Try to aim for 80% of intake from main protein sources and the remaining is met with the other ingredients in the meals.

Now that we have the stars of the show, we can make a **breakfast** consisting of eggs with some avocado and 2 slices of bread,

OR maybe scrambled eggs with a side of fruit, or a side of oatmeal.

**Lunch** I like having a lentil curry with turmeric and ghee paired with potatoes,
OR a lentil salad with avocado, walnuts, and sweet potato or pumpkin.,

Dinner with a stir fry with chicken veg, steamed rice or noodles.

OR maybe you feel like a crumbed chicken with mashed potatoes.

Mid-Meal/Dessert yogurt bowl with berries, frozen cherries and honey.

2. Understand your usual portion control with oils and dense carbohydrates.

stick to a tsp of oil for cooking, we can easily pour 300 unnecessary calories in the pan for cooking which can throw us over into a surplus, continue that habit over the course of weeks and you may have an extra belt buckle to start using.

The same applies to your carbohydrate sources. While it’s straightforward to track pre-portioned items like two slices of bread, **it can be trickier with foods like rice, potatoes, or sweet treats** (which we’ll address later). To stay mindful, weigh your portion sizes at least once to understand what you’re consuming. For example, this might look like two large scoops of rice or half a plate of potatoes.

3. Caution of undercover calories

Burger sauces, mayo, oil, salad dressings, alcohol, spices with sugar.

**opt for clean sauces like;**
*mustard, low sugar tomato sauce, soy sauce, sriracha, Worcestershire.*
**Opt for Salad dressings like;**
*Balsamic vinegar and apple cider, with a tsp of honey or maple syrup for sweetness.*

Also using herbs and spices to build flavour in your dishes without adding unnecessary calories.

4. Backfill with low calorie foods.

These can be the most nutritious involving foods such as vegetables, pickled foods and leafy greens filling up your belly and packed with fiber and micronutrients to satisfy your body and prevent overeating the dense stuff.

**Jared/preserved veggies;**
*pickles, olives, sauerkraut, kimchi, beetroot.*
*for example, 150g or 1 cup of kimchi or sauerkraut has about 20 calories, which is insane!*
**some great low calorie veggies** with plenty of flavour are:
*Pumpkin/squash, zucchini, beetroot, capsicum, Asian greens (pak/buk choi)*

5. Do not be afraid of fruit

The more whole food you eat as a percentage compared to processed you will be naturally more satiated, balanced and healthy.

1 timtam biscuit has 90 calories, or equivalent to 300g of rockmelon or a punnet of strawberries, now I will have no trouble eating 2 or 3 time tams but I will find it a challenge to eat 1kg of rockmelon.

Fruit also has plenty of minerals to support your energy and health, also coming along with a lot of water making for a hydrating and cleansing addition to your diet.