Can't lose weight even on your diet? The one simple mistake you're probably making…

What the hell is going wrong?

Well, there's more to eating for a lean physique than simply filling up on fresh veg and lean proteins, as Australian dietician Paula Norris is showing.

She's been sharing side-by-side images of the same healthy meals on her Instagram, with vastly different calorie counts.

In one example, she looks at "sneaky 'salads'", one bowl of which contains 995kcals and the other seemingly identical one weighing in at 535kcals.

The difference, she says, is the dressing.

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SNEAKY ‘SALADS’ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Unfortunately calorie heavy dressings, too much grain and not enough veg can result in a ‘salad’ with calories closer to that of a risotto. Here’s how easily it can happen, even with ‘salads’ of similar bulk… ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ?On the left • 1 cup cooked Pearl Barley • 70g Haloumi • 1/3 Zucchini • 2 florets Broccoli • 1/4 Capsicum • 50g Eggplant • 3 Cherry Tomatoes • 200g Poached Chicken • 1/2 cup herbs • Dressing of 2tsp EVOO and 2tsp Balsamic Vinegar ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ?On the right • 1/2 cup cooked Pearl Barley • 35g Haloumi • 2/3 Zucchini • 5 florets Broccoli • 1/2 Capsicum • 100g Eggplant • 5 Cherry Tomatoes • 100g Poached Chicken • 1/2 cup herbs • Dressing of 2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar and 2tsp seeded mustard ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

A post shared by Paula Norris, Dietitian ?? (@movingdietitian) on

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SNEAKY ‘SALADS’ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Unfortunately calorie heavy dressings, too much grain and not enough veg can result in a ‘salad’ with calories closer to that of a risotto. Here’s how easily it can happen, even with ‘salads’ of similar bulk… ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ?On the left • 1 cup cooked Pearl Barley • 70g Haloumi • 1/3 Zucchini • 2 florets Broccoli • 1/4 Capsicum • 50g Eggplant • 3 Cherry Tomatoes • 200g Poached Chicken • 1/2 cup herbs • Dressing of 2tsp EVOO and 2tsp Balsamic Vinegar ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ?On the right • 1/2 cup cooked Pearl Barley • 35g Haloumi • 2/3 Zucchini • 5 florets Broccoli • 1/2 Capsicum • 100g Eggplant • 5 Cherry Tomatoes • 100g Poached Chicken • 1/2 cup herbs • Dressing of 2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar and 2tsp seeded mustard ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

A post shared by Paula Norris, Dietitian ?? (@movingdietitian) on

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SNEAKY ‘SALADS’ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Unfortunately calorie heavy dressings, too much grain and not enough veg can result in a ‘salad’ with calories closer to that of a risotto. Here’s how easily it can happen, even with ‘salads’ of similar bulk… ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ?On the left • 1 cup cooked Pearl Barley • 70g Haloumi • 1/3 Zucchini • 2 florets Broccoli • 1/4 Capsicum • 50g Eggplant • 3 Cherry Tomatoes • 200g Poached Chicken • 1/2 cup herbs • Dressing of 2tsp EVOO and 2tsp Balsamic Vinegar ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ?On the right • 1/2 cup cooked Pearl Barley • 35g Haloumi • 2/3 Zucchini • 5 florets Broccoli • 1/2 Capsicum • 100g Eggplant • 5 Cherry Tomatoes • 100g Poached Chicken • 1/2 cup herbs • Dressing of 2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar and 2tsp seeded mustard ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

A post shared by Paula Norris, Dietitian ?? (@movingdietitian) on

"Unfortunately calorie heavy dressings, too much grain and not enough veg can result in a ‘salad’ with calories closer to that of a risotto."

The smaller portion contains half the amount of grains, halloumi, chicken, and double the amount of veg – replacing the oily balsamic dressing with a vinegar and mustard variation.

Another dish that gets the side-by-side treatment is homemade burrito.

One wrap contains over 900kcals, compared to a much fuller-looking 520kcal burrito.

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You can apply some of the below modifications based on your fitness goals- if you want to gain weight – go left. If your goal is to lose or maintain weight – go right. The bulk of these meals is pretty much the same, so both will be equally filling. This is important because satiety is one of the major challenges when trying to lose weight and many people think they need to eat smaller meals. This is simply not necessary! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ?On the left • 3 small soft shell tacos • 1tsp oil for cooking • 1/2 garlic clove • 1/2 brown onion • 200g Regular mince • Taco seasoning + herbs • 1/2 tin tomatoes • 4 cherry tomatoes • 1/4 small corn cob • 50g Avocado • 40g full fat cheddar cheese ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ?On the right • 3 large lettuce leaves for shells • 1Tbsp water for cooking • 1/2 garlic clove • 1/2 brown onion • 100g Extra lean mince • 70g red kidney beans • 1 small grated carrot • Taco seasoning + herbs • 1/2 tin tomatoes • 8 cherry tomatoes • 25g dices capsicum • 1/4 small corn cob • 25g Avocado • 10g Parmesan cheese (Parmesan has a much sharper flavour so you can get away with much less) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

A post shared by Paula Norris, Dietitian ?? (@movingdietitian) on

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You can apply some of the below modifications based on your fitness goals- if you want to gain weight – go left. If your goal is to lose or maintain weight – go right. The bulk of these meals is pretty much the same, so both will be equally filling. This is important because satiety is one of the major challenges when trying to lose weight and many people think they need to eat smaller meals. This is simply not necessary! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ?On the left • 3 small soft shell tacos • 1tsp oil for cooking • 1/2 garlic clove • 1/2 brown onion • 200g Regular mince • Taco seasoning + herbs • 1/2 tin tomatoes • 4 cherry tomatoes • 1/4 small corn cob • 50g Avocado • 40g full fat cheddar cheese ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ?On the right • 3 large lettuce leaves for shells • 1Tbsp water for cooking • 1/2 garlic clove • 1/2 brown onion • 100g Extra lean mince • 70g red kidney beans • 1 small grated carrot • Taco seasoning + herbs • 1/2 tin tomatoes • 8 cherry tomatoes • 25g dices capsicum • 1/4 small corn cob • 25g Avocado • 10g Parmesan cheese (Parmesan has a much sharper flavour so you can get away with much less) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

A post shared by Paula Norris, Dietitian ?? (@movingdietitian) on

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You can apply some of the below modifications based on your fitness goals- if you want to gain weight – go left. If your goal is to lose or maintain weight – go right. The bulk of these meals is pretty much the same, so both will be equally filling. This is important because satiety is one of the major challenges when trying to lose weight and many people think they need to eat smaller meals. This is simply not necessary! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ?On the left • 3 small soft shell tacos • 1tsp oil for cooking • 1/2 garlic clove • 1/2 brown onion • 200g Regular mince • Taco seasoning + herbs • 1/2 tin tomatoes • 4 cherry tomatoes • 1/4 small corn cob • 50g Avocado • 40g full fat cheddar cheese ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ?On the right • 3 large lettuce leaves for shells • 1Tbsp water for cooking • 1/2 garlic clove • 1/2 brown onion • 100g Extra lean mince • 70g red kidney beans • 1 small grated carrot • Taco seasoning + herbs • 1/2 tin tomatoes • 8 cherry tomatoes • 25g dices capsicum • 1/4 small corn cob • 25g Avocado • 10g Parmesan cheese (Parmesan has a much sharper flavour so you can get away with much less) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

A post shared by Paula Norris, Dietitian ?? (@movingdietitian) on

There, Paula points out, the size of the wrap can save you around 100kcals alone.

"But the other differences save you an extra 300kcals," she says, pointing out that the lower calorie option doesn't use cooking oil and opts for extra lean mince over regular mince, less avocado and cheese and again, a lot more veg.

Instead of cooking with oil, Paula recommends putting a little water in a non-stick pan for cooking onion and mince.

And in almost all of the dishes she shows, she bulks meat out with fresh vegetables – meaning that she can then reduce the amount of carbs (which although necessary, don't need to be eating in huge quantities to feel full).

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A chicken Pad Thai spot the difference for you @judithhross ? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ You can apply some of the below modifications based on your fitness goals- if you want to gain weight or maybe you want to maintain but have higher energy requirements- go left. If your goal is to lose or maintain weight – go right. This Pad Thai is on MEDIUM sized dinner plates (hence why they fill up most of it!) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ?On the left • 200g cooked chicken thigh • 2tsp oil for cooking • 130g (when dry) rice noodles • 1/4 red onion • 1/2 carrot – julienned • 3 snow peas – chopped • 1Tbsp Soy sauce • 1/2tsp Fish sauce • 1Tbsp Lime juice • 1/2 egg ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ?On the right • 120g cooked chicken breast • 1tsp oil for cooking • 70g (when dry) rice noodles • 1/4 red onion • 1 carrot – julienned • 8 snow peas – chopped • 1 bunch Chinese Spinach • 1Tbsp Soy sauce • 1/2tsp Fish sauce • 1Tbsp Lime juice • 1/2 egg ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

A post shared by Paula Norris, Dietitian ?? (@movingdietitian) on

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A chicken Pad Thai spot the difference for you @judithhross ? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ You can apply some of the below modifications based on your fitness goals- if you want to gain weight or maybe you want to maintain but have higher energy requirements- go left. If your goal is to lose or maintain weight – go right. This Pad Thai is on MEDIUM sized dinner plates (hence why they fill up most of it!) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ?On the left • 200g cooked chicken thigh • 2tsp oil for cooking • 130g (when dry) rice noodles • 1/4 red onion • 1/2 carrot – julienned • 3 snow peas – chopped • 1Tbsp Soy sauce • 1/2tsp Fish sauce • 1Tbsp Lime juice • 1/2 egg ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ?On the right • 120g cooked chicken breast • 1tsp oil for cooking • 70g (when dry) rice noodles • 1/4 red onion • 1 carrot – julienned • 8 snow peas – chopped • 1 bunch Chinese Spinach • 1Tbsp Soy sauce • 1/2tsp Fish sauce • 1Tbsp Lime juice • 1/2 egg ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

A post shared by Paula Norris, Dietitian ?? (@movingdietitian) on

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A chicken Pad Thai spot the difference for you @judithhross ? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ You can apply some of the below modifications based on your fitness goals- if you want to gain weight or maybe you want to maintain but have higher energy requirements- go left. If your goal is to lose or maintain weight – go right. This Pad Thai is on MEDIUM sized dinner plates (hence why they fill up most of it!) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ?On the left • 200g cooked chicken thigh • 2tsp oil for cooking • 130g (when dry) rice noodles • 1/4 red onion • 1/2 carrot – julienned • 3 snow peas – chopped • 1Tbsp Soy sauce • 1/2tsp Fish sauce • 1Tbsp Lime juice • 1/2 egg ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ?On the right • 120g cooked chicken breast • 1tsp oil for cooking • 70g (when dry) rice noodles • 1/4 red onion • 1 carrot – julienned • 8 snow peas – chopped • 1 bunch Chinese Spinach • 1Tbsp Soy sauce • 1/2tsp Fish sauce • 1Tbsp Lime juice • 1/2 egg ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

A post shared by Paula Norris, Dietitian ?? (@movingdietitian) on

By making sure that you really pack all your dishes out with lots of fresh green veg, "the bulk of these meals is pretty much the same, so both will be equally filling".

She explains: "This is important because satiety is one of the major challenges when trying to lose weight and many people think they need to eat smaller meals. This is simply not necessary!"

It's not necessary to weight out your food and calculate calories to the nth degree (although you can using apps like MyFitnessPal), but just getting an eye for portion control can help to work out how much energy you're consuming.

So if you want to lose weight, try to bulk out your meals as much as possible with ultra-nutritious, low-calorie, filling vegetables while watching your dressings, cooking oils and protein choices.

That way you'll never feel hungry and tempted to snack – all while getting a good dose of vital vitamins and minerals.



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