In a 2016 interview, Oprah admitted that she was able to lose weight while still eating bread every single day. This goes against many of the most popular diets that try to limit one’s intake of simple and complex carbohydrates. For those who love bread, here are some tips and tricks that can be used to lose weight without giving up specific food groups.
Calculate Your Baseline Metabolic Rate (BMR)
Before anyone starts a new diet or exercise program, they should first try to figure out their baseline metabolic rate. This is the average amount of calories that an individual burns every day and how many calories they must eat to maintain their weight. Most online BMR calculators ask a series of simple questions including one’s age, current weight, height, and activity level. Although you may be sensitive about your weight, it’s important that you are honest with the calculator about everything so that it can help you calculate it correctly. Just remember that the information that you put in and receive back is between you and the site. Unless you purposely publish the information, it is completely private. Once an individual has that number, they will know exactly how many calories they can eat while still losing weight. You should also know that comparing your BMR to another person’s may not be the best thing to do as the average BMR differentiates by gender, age, and height. A woman who is 28, for example, may have a BMR of 1586.5 while a man who is 30 might have one that is 2108.
Fill Yourself on the Healthy Foods First
Even those who plan on occasionally treating themselves should still try to fill up their plates with nutrient-dense foods. Eating these foods will ensure that an individual is not deficient in any important vitamins or minerals. It will also reduce their risk of overdoing it when it comes time to splurge. A healthy diet should primarily consist of fresh produce, lean protein sources, and whole grains.
So what type of foods are considered to be nutrient-dense? There are tons! Salmon and seaweed, for example, are key ingredients in a lot of sushi dishes and both make the list of the top 11 most nutrient dense foods. This means that you pretty much can eat as much sushi as you want—if you’re into that, then that’s a great thing! Don’t forget to eat a good salad, though! Three other highly nutritious foods that you should consider tossing together in a bowl are kale, blueberries and egg yolks. Of course, you might want to top it off with some sort of healthy poppy seed dressing too. Two other ingredients that also make that list that go well together are garlic and potatoes—which can be used to make delicious garlic roasted potatoes (just remember to use olive oil instead of vegetable oil and to go light on that as well to help preserve the nutrients).
Try Out New Types of Bread
Different types of bread have different nutritional values, and that is why many people try new styles and brands until they find a product that is both healthy and is attractive to their taste buds. Options such as whole wheat flatbread, like the Klosterman Baking Company has, work wonderfully for sandwiches and toast, and they generally have just a fraction of the calories. Those who are looking for healthier brands should also keep an eye out for any unhealthy additives in the bread such as dyes and refined sugar. If you’re not sure what type of bread you like, ask your friends who may have similar tastes as you what they would recommend. Otherwise, try a different brand or type every week until you find the one that is just right for you. You might also consider asking local bakeries about what they recommend as they’ll be more knowledgeable about the bread that they make and put on their own shelves than the grocery stores that have their bread delivered to them.
Change What You Eat With Your Bread
No matter what type of bread that is being used, piling on unhealthy ingredients will make weight loss nearly impossible. Depending on what is placed on one’s toast or sandwich, these dishes could potentially contain hundreds or even thousands of calories. Those who want to lose weight should take a close look at each individual ingredient to make sure that they are as healthy as possible. Like most other dishes, any meals involving bread should primarily consist of lean protein sources and fresh produce.
Losing weight doesn’t always require an individual to make huge sacrifices and toss out all of their favorite foods. As long as most of one’s diet contains a variety of nutrient-dense foods and they exercise as often as possible, eating whole grains isn’t going to hamper weight loss.