By Trevor Stinson

Disclaimer: I would first like to point out that I am not a medical professional. I am not a doctor, I am not a nutritionist, I am not a registered dietitian, and I am not a food scientist. Please for the love of god, consult a trained medical professional before undergoing any sort of major dietary or lifestyle change. Don’t just take my word as gospel, use your damn head. Also the calorie counts that I give are approximates. I can’t tell you exactly how many calories are in each recipe without knowing exact quantities and brands that you’re using.

So, 2020 is a year. If you’re like me, you probably want to erase this year from existence. As things slowly begin to open back up again, you may have realized that you’re now carrying around a little extra body weight than you were before. Don’t worry, you are most definitely not alone. I stepped on the scale a few weeks back and made this face when I saw the number: 😬

After receiving a complete and total shock to my system I decided that since I couldn’t get to the gym, I could at least clean up my diet and attempt to shed a few pounds that way.

So how do you clean up your diet?

There are thousands of fad diets available to try that claim to be THE KEY TO WEIGHT LOSS (doctors hate him). Keto, carnivore, intermittent fasting, Atkins (man how old do I sound saying that?), Mediterranean, one meal a day, three meals a day, five meals a day — the list could go on forever. So, what did I do? I kept it simple and tired to consume fewer calories per day than I was taking in. That’s it, nothing special, nothing fancy, no counting macros. (Hot take: if you count macros you are a literal psychopath).

There are a multitude of ways to accomplish this. You could eat a diet of cauliflower rice and tilapia every day for weeks, but I would recommend against this because you will get bored, you will abandon the diet, and when you do finally finish the diet (whether early or on time) you will rebound hard the other direction and gain most of the weight back. I know because I did all of those a few years back when I went on a strict diet of chicken, rice, and bell peppers for two months.

The key to succeeding is to eat a varied diet that contains a lot of foods that are not calorie dense and high in fibre. The low calorie density means you can eat a lot, and the fibre will make you feel full.

“You’ve been dancing around and avoiding the real answer to the question.”

You’re right, so here’s five different meals that can help you eat healthier (while at the same time still enjoy food, which is really important). Ready to shed those COVID pounds?

Salads (They Don’t Have to Be Super Boring)

I know, I know. This feels like a bit of a cop out — almost every diet involves salad. But there’s a good reason for it: you can eat a ton of it and not feel bad. The trick is to do it right.

I’m not talking about that weak ass salad that contains ¼ of an avocado, 3 leafs of lettuce and a mushroom. No, no, no. My kind of salad is as follows:

Big ass bag of spinach and mixed greens
Big ass pile of vegetables
1 or 2 cooked chicken breast(s)
A light drizzle of low calorie sauce/dressing

If done properly, you should need a mixing bowl to hold everything, and there should only be about 500 calories (more if you use 2 chicken breasts).

The trick to making salad interesting every day is to try new greens or grains (your base), experimenting with herbs, loading up on veggies, switching up your protein, and a low calorie dressing.

There’s no way you’re going to eat all of that and still feel hungry after.

Wraps (Portable Salad)

Remember the salad you just made? Take it and put it in a tortilla or two. Seriously, it’s that easy. Calories for this are going to depend heavily on the type of tortilla you get, but probably around 500 per wrap. Bonus points if your tortillas are fortified with fibre or protein.

Pizza Burrito (Because Sometimes You Just Want Pizza)

To piggyback off of the wraps from above, here’s a recipe from Remington James Fitness: the pizza burrito. It’s super simple, just throw some turkey pepperoni, low fat mozzarella, low calorie pizza sauce, and a dash of oregano in a tortilla, roll it into a burrito, wrap it in tinfoil, and throw it in the oven. It tastes like a Pizza Pop and is, again, around 500 calories. (Noticing a theme here?)

Sometimes I realize that I still have the palate of a 12 year old.

Nachos & Guacamole (Because Sometimes You Need a Snack)

This is less of a meal and more of a snack, or an add on to a meal. However, it’s still worth mentioning because it’s super tasty and oddly filling. Cut up a tortilla or two into little triangles like a pizza, put the pieces on a baking sheet, and throw it in the oven for a little bit until they’re nice and toasty. Then dip in some guacamole (gotta get dem healthy dietary fats yo). These little guacamole cups are fantastic and I recommend that you keep some on hand if you can find them, or you can make your own guac. This is 300-500 calories, depending on your guac and how many chips you eat.

Stir Fry (Simple, Filling, and Easy to Change it Up)

Stir fry doesn’t have to be complicated. Many people will tell you otherwise, that flavours need to be layered and other nonsense. Bullshit. Fry some meat in a pan, add some vegetables and some soy sauce, then put it on a plate with about a cup of cooked rice. Squeeze some fresh lime juice over top if you’re feeling boujee. Boom. Super easy. To make it diet friendly opt for lean meat like chicken breast or eye round steak, or, if you want, substitute the meat with mushrooms or tofu to make it vegetarian friendly. Again, around 500 calories. Ready to make stir fry? Learn how.

There’s no meat here. If I can do it, then you can do it.

Mediocre Tip: If you’re going to use chicken breast, cut it into super thin pieces. The chicken cooks faster and will help with the browning.

Bonus Round: Skyr & Granola

“Let me eat this before I destroy the enemy” - some Viking dude probably

This one strays a bit from the low calorie density idea, but I’m including it because if you’re like me, then you may not always have time to make yourself a full breakfast before work and this does the job really well. Combine some Skyr and granola and eat it. It’s literally that easy. But Trevor what’s Skyr, and why should I eat it? Well, Skyr is essentially Icelandic yogurt (but can also be considered a very soft cheese) and it’s t h i c c c c c c c c. Like Greek Yogurt thick. Proper Skyr has very little fat, like I’m talking less than 0.2% fat, and tons of protein. It’s basically pure protein in a t h i c c c c package. Shit’s mad healthy. And it’s from Iceland, so you get to feel like a badass viking warrior while you’re eating it. Or maybe that’s just me. Does it have to be Skyr? No. If you can’t find it use Greek yogurt. Or just plain yogurt, but be careful — plain yogurt can be higher in fat than you might think. Opt for low calorie/low fat versions where possible.

Bonus Bonus Round: Diet Pop and Sparkling Water

Do you drink a lot of soda/pop? Drink the diet version. Otherwise you’re just consuming tons of empty calories. Diet pop isn’t really that bad, and after a while you’ll likely not even notice the difference anymore. I’ve been drinking diet/low calorie pops for around 6 years now, and I honestly find that the “real” versions are far too sweet for my liking. Also consider trying sparkling water (club soda). There are tons of flavours for sparkling water these days, so try it. Unless your name is Haylen and you have a sparkling water prejudice.

Author’s Note: So this post has been fairly light-hearted and I have tried to steer very clear of the realities of how hard this year has been. Not everyone has come through these tough times in a good spot. Some people were fortunate. For some, things have gotten really bad. And for others the quarantine and lock down isn’t over yet. If you or someone you know is struggling or having a hard time, I urge you to check out the following resources. There is no shame in asking for help when you need it. Be safe out there.

Food Banks Canada: https://www.foodbankscanada.ca/

Feeding America: https://www.feedingamerica.org/

5 Healthy Meals to Help With Your Quarantine Body