What Ashley Ate to Lose Weight

By Ashley Spencer

July 25, 2011

I love food more than most things. What’s better than sinking your teeth into a hot slice of pizza? Biting into a well-condimented burger? Or making out with a piece of chocolate cake? Few things make people happier than FOOD. But if you want to lose weight, you have to learn how to eat right and well. Exercise will help you tone and sculpt, but changing your food habits will help you lose the EL BEES.

My food habits have definitely changed, and I’ve actually learned to like eating more nutritious foods! Now, when I eat French fries, I feel slightly nauseated instead of slightly orgasmic. I eat four or five times a day and try to stick to a diet rich in protein, veggies, and fruits, and low in saturated fats and carbs. Here's the first thing you need to learn about changing your eating habits:

You don't necessarily need to eat less. In fact, if you're eating right, you should be eating more meals, and actually feeling full most of the time. Dieting doesn't have to mean deprivation. So live and eat well with my tips:

1. Eat more often. Snacking is essential to getting skinny. When you eat portion-controlled, healthy snacks, you feel more full and are less likely to gorge on seconds, thirds, and fourths at mealtime. Before I started scheduled snacking, I would get really hungry at about four p.m. and graze like a little piggy in my kitchen, snacking on pretzels, cheese, chips, pickles, or anything salty I could get my hands on now. Now I plan to eat healthy snacks, instead of just grazing with no end in sight. My favorite snacks are fat-free cottage cheese, yogurt, nuts, apples, cucumbers and hummus, and carrots and low-fat ranch dressing—not all to be eaten at the same time, of course.

2. Eat more veggies. Though they don’t taste like cookies, vegetables are an important sources of vitamins and nutrients. Even better for those watching their weight, veggies are a very low-calorie food. You can bulk up meals by adding a rainbowed array of veggies. When having a chicken breast for dinner, add a heaping pile of green beans to your plate. Or make your meals last longer by adding a healthy side salad (with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing). One of my favorite vegetables is mushrooms. I add them to salads and omelets, and even eat them raw with a fat free ranch. I love fungus!

3. The name of the game is protein. When you're watching your portion sizes, it’s important that your meals and snacks are filling. Eating protein will make you feel more full and satisfied. For breakfast, ditch your bagel and eat an egg white scramble with veggies. After you hit the gym, drink a chocolate protein shake as a snack—if you close your eyes real tight and think of heaven, it may begin to taste like a McDonald’s shake. Another protein-filled snack? Cottage cheese! Add fruits or veggies for an extra healthy and filling treat. For dinner, chicken is what’s up. Grilled chicken is a lean meat, and while I was really watching my weight, I ate so much of it, I was pretty sure I was going to start growing feathers. I stuck to about 4-5 ounces of meat. Find out what works for you, but remember that just because something is good for you, doesn’t mean you can overeat it. Lastly, if you a burger person, switch to turkey burgers! They’re the same thing but BETTER for you. Have a side of baked sweet potato fries and you're golden.

4. You say potato, I say…. sweet potato! Sweet potatoes are my favorite sides. They are healthy and delicious. Put a little margarine on top, with a sprinkle of cinnamon (you can add this in oodles to anything—try it on oatmeal, too!). My other favorite healthy sides include brussel sprouts (seriously, they are AMAZING with garlic), baked potatoes, brown rice, and refried and black beans. Beans are also an awesome, super filling food to put in your tummy! They make me feel so full, it’s awesome—like I ate an entire pizza for lunch!

5. Drink like a champ. Keeping hydrated will keep you feeling full. So it’s important to drink as much water as possible. Just as important as drinking lots of water is not drinking other things. When watching your weight, try to drink as little of your calories as possible. It’s a waste (unless it’s a protein shake). If you currently drink soda, you’ve got to ditch that habit, because you're sucking down pure sugar and calories. If you can ditch diet soda as well (or at least cut down), you will notice that your tummy is less bloated. Lastly, don’t drink too much coffee. My trainer suggested ditching it altogether because it dehydrates you, but there's also tons of evidence that coffee is good for you. And besides, how can you function without it? My new favorite drink is green tea. I drink it warm in the winter and cold as a refreshing treat. Green tea has many benefits, and has been proven to help speed up your metabolism. If you’re buying it by the gallon, my favorite brands are Arizona and Lipton. In this case, make sure the label says diet—these version are less caloric and sugary.

6. Treat yourself and savor it. While I wouldn’t suggest pizza as a nutritious dinner, I would suggest it as a FREAKING delicious dinner. When dieting, you can’t totally deprive yourself. Watching your weight shouldn't make you miserable; it’s supposed to make you happy. As you see yourself progress, allow yourself some cheat days. Get that pizza you’ve been having sex dreams about, or go to your favorite restaurant with your friends. You can treat yourself without going off the rails completely. Have a salad with your pizza; at restaurants, substitute those fries with something (ANYTHING) else. After your cheat, don’t feel guilty, but do get back on the wagon. One slip doesn’t need to become a weeklong bender.

Do you eat like Ashley does? Tell us about your favorite healthy meals and snacks—we want to copy them!