Consistency Over Complexity: Your Go-To Meals for Sustainable Weight Loss
This might seem like a hot take but when it comes to fat loss, you don’t need to constantly hunt for new recipes or follow the latest meal plan trend. In fact, the key to successful weight loss often lies in something much simpler—consistency.
One common pitfall many of us fall into is thinking that we need a variety of meals to keep things exciting, but what actually helps most is finding a few balanced meals you love and sticking with them. This repetition makes it easier to get in the reps (read: consistent low calorie but satisfying meals) that you need to hit your fat loss goals.
Not only do you not need to find a brand new weight loss recipe every time you cook. But your meals don’t necessarily have to follow a traditional recipe or meal idea. You can create a very balanced meal in the style of a Buddha bowl, component bowl or nourish bowl (these are all the same thing basically just with different names).
The ease and simplicity of cooking each component & throwing it together in one bowl or plate is what will help you get in the reps, regularly eating meals low in calories but high in fiber and bulk, to achieve the weight loss you want.
How do I do it?
The goal is to find components that are quick to prepare or easy to batch cook. First imagine splitting your bowl or plate in half. You want one half of that plate or bowl to be filled with non-starchy vegetables. These are things like:
- Onions
- Leeks
- Tomatoes
- Aubergine (Eggplant)
- Carrots
- Beetroot
- Turnips
- Fennel
- Okra
- Snow peas (mangetout)
- Bok choy
- Artichokes
- Cabbage
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Brussels sprouts
- Courgette (zuchini)
- Cucumber
- Peppers (capsicum)
- Asparagus
- Green beans
- Mushrooms
- Celery
- Radishes
- Onions
These are going to provide a large volume and bulk to your meal so that you physically feel full, activating the stretch receptors in your stomach to tell you that you are full. They are also full of fiber to feed your good gut bugs which in turn help produce hormones and signals to also tell your brain that you are full.
NOTE: do not cook these in oil if you can help it. Oil is one of the most calorie dense foods we have access to so adding oil to these low calorie veggies will ramp up the calories of this meal.
If you want leafy greens in your meal too, add these to the BASE as well as your 1/2 plate of veggies. This is because these types of leafy greens don’t have much substance to them so won’t keep you full in the same way as the other veggies. So these are things like:
- Swiss chard
- Rocket (arugula)
- Lettuce (romaine, iceberg, butterhead)
- Watercress
- Spinach
- Kale
- Rocket
- Rainbow chard
Now you should have 1/2 of your bowl left. You want to split this into 2 sections again.
One 1/4 should be made up with your plant based protein source. If you’re struggling for ideas, click here to download my free protein mini-eBook. If you’re already on my mailing list and don’t have it, email me “protein”
The other 1/4 should be a complex carbohydrate. A wholegrain or a whole starch like:
- quinoa
- brown,red,black rice
- wholegrain pasta
- bulger wheat
- millet
- potato
- sweet potato (white/orange or purple)
Finally: make sure it’s tasty!
- Add balsamic vinigar
- Lime or lemon juice
- Lots of herbs and spices when you cook your components
- Soy sauce
- Roasted tomatoes
- Fresh herbs
- Don’t be afraid of salt and pepper
- A low fat spicy sauce like sriracha.
- Add water or lemon juice to some hummus to make a low calorie dressing
If you follow these steps you will very easily have a big satisfying bulky meal that should be around 600 kcals. With three meals a day, you’d be hitting roughly 1800 calories—enough for sustainable fat loss. And remember, we’re talking about big portions that leave you feeling full, not small, unsatisfying plates that leave you hungry and snacking between meals.
This type of meal is exactly what I help my clients to create in a way that works for them! If you’d like personalised help on creating meals that work for you and your lifestyle for weight loss as well as any other health goal you may have, whether that’s managing IBS symptoms, hormonal health or a sports goal, click here for more information on my 1:1 consultations, or here to book a free health planning call with myself.
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