When you are a foodie the last thing you want to think of is turning down a great dessert or cutting out your favorite foods.

Whenever I think about losing those extra pounds indulging in some of my favorite goodies seems like it’s out of the question.  I mean I love the foods, but I hate the extra calories.  So, I started to think of options that would give me the best of both worlds. I want to eat my favorite meals without blowing my healthy diet to smithereens.

After years of failed and frustrating weight loss attempts, I’ve uncovered a few easy tips that allows me to indulge without going overboard.

Start Smart By Making The Right Picks

I love a great pound cake, but I don’t even want to think of the calories that are in this yummy goodness.  Saying no to goodies like this one sucks, because I know how good they taste.  So instead of saying no to all of the things I enjoy, I have figured out a way to say yes.  When I want to indulge I start by thinking about two very important things.  What I am eating and how much of it I am going to eat.  Portion size matters and so do ingredients.

There is nothing wrong with a treat, but having a small piece of cake instead of large piece can save your hundreds of calories.  If I had 1/2 or a 1/4 of the slice pictured above instead of eating the whole thing it’s enough to cure my sweet tooth, but not enough to kill my diet.

Ingredients are also important.  I love foods with 5 ingredients or less.  I also love foods that have an ingredient list full of words I can pronounce and easily recognize (when those ingredients can be found in my kitchen, I am ecstatic.

 

I really enjoy ice cream, but I don’t want the 1/2 a cup of ice cream if it’s going to cost me 345+ calories.  I’ve found some great ice creams that have simple ingredients and the calorie count for 1/2 cup is only 180.  This is almost 1/2 the calorie count I’ve found in some traditional ice creams, so pay attention and shop around.

 

Add In Healthy Extras

Cutting the portion sizes is a great trick, but this trick is even better.  The ice cream above is one of my favorite, but I have figured out a way to cut the portion size and make my treat healthier & even better tasting.

Adding fresh fruits and nuts allows you to cut the portion size of your ice cream, while you can still indulge.  For instance, I added about 1/2 cup of strawberries to my ice cream and the taste was amazing.  The flavors were incredibly good and I felt so much better about my dessert.  Adding healthy extras is a great way to add some fiber, nutrition and to get rid of some of that guilt.  Although I did this with strawberries, you could do the same thing with peaches, blueberries, raspberries or tons of other fruits.

Get Nutty

Nuts are a fun and tasty way to add fiber, nutrition, and amazing flavor.  You can put them on top of your dessert or you can eat them along with your dessert.  Just add a few of them to whatever you are eating.  They are filling and pair well with almost anything.

These are just a few tips, I will be sharing more so tune in.  If you have some tips you would like to share or if you try these tips comment below.