When you’re trying to lose weight, one of the toughest things is to keep yourself satiated and content. And often you’re totally fine one moment, and completely starving the next. So, in order to see real weight loss success, you often must have a snack that can be accessible to you in less than 5 minutes – or otherwise it might be fast food instead!
Bananas. Bananas are one of the higher sugar fruits, but they are so nutrient packed and versatile that we keep them for our favorite snacks. Bananas are high in fiber and potassium and are a great base for smoothies (they make smoothies more thick and creamy), are fabulous dipped in a little bit of chocolate, great with a scoop of almond butter, or even just a quick snack on their own.
Eggs – If you are trying to lose weight, eggs are such an easy, healthy food to keep around. One egg is only about 75 calories and eggs are full of protein and have a bit of fat. They will help keep you full, rather than being the snack that you have one, and are hungry 30 minutes later again. You can hard boil a couple of eggs and keep them in the fridge, and then all you have to do is peel and go! There are also a lot of evenings that if Mike and I have not set out something for dinner, we chop up some veggies, throw them in a pan, cover it with eggs, and make a fabulous high protein, high fiber veggie omelette! And did I mention that eggs tend to be pretty cheap? A dozen eggs are normally about $2-3. A two egg omelette with chopped veggies can be made for under $1.00 – that’s less than you can spend on a burger on a value menu!
Nuts and Seeds – We keep almonds, walnuts and our personal favorite – Sunflower Seeds in our fridge (yes our fridge). Nuts and seeds are just SO easy for a quick weight loss snack! When we get a bag of nuts or seeds, we bring them home and put them in a container in the fridge and close them up. It keeps the nut oils fresh and keeps the oils from going rancid and the nuts/seeds have more flavor than when they sit in our room temperature pantry. Nuts are high in protein and much like eggs, they are a quick, perfect way to grab a snack and go – without any extra prep time. Try to do organic to avoid the toxins/pesticides if possible!
Almond Butter – just like the nuts themselves, almond butter has protein and fats – and is a great snack to keep you full and balance out your blood sugar. Almond butter is perfect on apples, celery, or fennel. The only word of caution on nut butters is that they ARE high in calories – so don’t just open a jar and keep dishing. If your objective is losing weight – dish out 1-2 tablespoons, so you know what you’ve eaten. Otherwise, you could easily down over 500 calories of almond butter before you ever thought about it!
Hummus – I LOVE hummus as a great go to weight loss snack. Hummus is made from garbanzo beans, and ultimately they are high in protein, but not as high as nut butters in calories. Hummus can be used as a spread over a sandwich or as a dip for veggies. It is tangy and full of flavor, and can make even the pickiest eater enjoy their veggies.
So, pick a healthy, QUICK snack or two and keep them near you to help you meet your weight loss goals!
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Originally from the Midwest, Amy moved to San Diego in 2001. A graduate of Valparaiso University, Amy had been a Financial Advisor since 1997. When Amy began taking Pilates with her neighbor Wendy, in 2006, she fell in love with the method and benefits of the program and knew she wanted to help others achieve their fitness goals. It was not until Amy took her first barre class that she discovered her true passion for fitness. She loved the challenge and energy of each class. And more importantly, she was excited by the results as her body became more toned than through any other workout routine she had tried in the past. Amy would be one of the best testimonials for Fit in 60 Pilates and Barre. In less than a month’s time, attending 4-5 classes a week, Amy went from a size 10/12 to a size 6. She came home one day and told her husband, Mike that “if every girl knew this, every girl would do it.” Amy is passionate about getting to know her clients and provide modifications and corrections to challenge every client, while making classes as safe as possible. Amy lives in Carlsbad with her husband, Mike, and her dog Emma. She loves what she does, and is thrilled to present the Fit in 60 workout to Carlsbad and Carmel Valley and is eager to help women look and feel great!
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