Have you found yourself trying to make healthier food options when eating out or at home, only to not have the success you want when trying to lose weight? It can be very frustrating when you think that you’ve been making good selections, but those selections might not be so good, after all. That’s where this next diet comes into play, and it describes simply to “Eat This, Not That.” The diet was started by David Zinczenko, who has worked with Men’s Fitness and ABC News.
The original “Eat This, Not That” book was released nearly 10 years ago, and it is still one of the most popular diet plans out there. With more than 10 million copies of the book franchise sold in that time, people are learning to pick out options that should allow them to further their weight loss progress. Let’s take a look inside this diet to see if it might be the right plan for you, as there are still a lot of tasty foods on the menu.
Behind the Eat This, Not That Diet
Zinczenko teamed up with Matt Goulding to create a series of food recommendations both in the kitchen and at restaurants around the world. Though it calls itself a ‘non-diet’, the recommendations for foods cover both weight loss and overall health. For example, a food can be the same amount of calories as a similar item, but will be marked in the “Eat This” category if it is lower in saturated fat, sodium and sugar while providing more fiber.
Due to the success of the first book, there have been several more that have been released, including the “Restaurant Survival Guide”, “350 Calorie Meals”, “Drink This, Not That!” and even a book for kids. Not only the books, there is an entire website devoted to helping people make better choices, with other forms of media included. This has made the Eat This, Not That eating plan one of the most well known and widespread diets you can imagine.
What’s on the Menu?
There are countless suggestions for swaps that the Eat This, Not That series has made, so let’s take a look at some of the most popular. When it comes to eating salad at a restaurant, the diet suggests that you eat a Santa Fe Chicken Salad from Chili’s instead of the Fresh Mex version that you can find at a similar restaurant, Chevy’s. The swap will save more than 500 calories and 40 grams of fat, though Chili’s 700 calorie salad is still more than filling.
If you’re a big fan of hamburgers, Eat This, Not That suggests that you hit up Steak ‘n Shake to fill that craving, as a Double Shakeburger with Cheese is only 440 calories. Meanwhile, the popular Five Guys single cheeseburger contains 400 more calories.These are just small examples of what you can swap out while eating at restaurants, but what about at home?
Here’s a look at a sample menu if you are following the Eat This, Not That eating plan:
Day One
Breakfast – Sprouted Grain Toast with Peanut Butter (260 Calories)
Lunch – Tuna and Chickpea Sandwiches on Pita Bread (380 Calories)
Dinner – Non-fried Sweet and Sour Chicken (435 Calories)
Snacks – Cinnamon Raisin Granola Bar (130 Calories), Orange (45 Calories)
Day Two
Breakfast – Orange and a Bowl of Wheaties (185 Calories)
Lunch – Grilled Chicken and Hummus Sandwich (400 Calories)
Dinner – Lemon Herb Chicken and Rice (420 Calories)
Snacks – Harvest Vegetable Chips (130 Calories), Banana (90 Calories)
Day Three
Breakfast – Greek Yogurt with Strawberries and Blueberries (150 Calories)
Lunch – Chicken and Avocado Red Pepper Pizza (400 Calories)
Dinner – Pork Chops with Sweet and Sour Glaze (360 Calories)
Snacks – SkinnyPop Popcorn (150 Calories)
As you can see, there are a lot of tasty options on the menu, and that’s just a small sampling. As a matter of fact, some of the foods that come later in the day are actually higher in calories compared to some of the many recipes that are included with the series of books. Another thing that will have to be a big part of the weight loss routine with Eat This, Not That is the portion control aspect.
Sure, many of the foods are low in calories compared to the alternative, but a lot of that comes from the fact that the portions are smaller when prepared than at a restaurant. Thankfully, there are many options for eating out that will provide you with overall better nutritional facts. Just don’t expect to eat many bowls of ice cream or cookies, though a lot of the meals are pretty indulgent tasting.
Exercise and Weight Loss with Eat This, Not That
A lot of diets will promise that you don’t need to exercise to lose weight while following their programs. While Eat This, Not That says that you can still lose weight without exercising, they suggest adding fitness to your routine. Not only will it improve your overall health, but will give a huge boost to your weight loss.
The books and website cover the exercise portion of weight loss, as well, even giving you alternatives to the exercises that you might be doing. For example, cardio is the type of exercise that is going to allow you to burn the most calories. Most people will hop on the treadmill and start running, but that’s not the cardio that burns the most calories. Instead, getting on the rowing machine will torch more than any other exercise around.
If you’re not a fan of the rowing machine and would still prefer to run, the treadmill still won’t be your best option. Treadmills don’t offer a lot of resistance (unless you crank up the incline), so Eat This, Not That suggests that you run outside. Preparing on the terrain of the outdoors will make you faster, and battling the weather conditions will burn more calories, even if you aren’t going as fast. Finally, you should be doing blanks instead of standard sit-ups if you want those abs to start showing.
Summing it Up
As you have probably already known if you are trying to lose weight, calorie counting can be a huge pain. It’s nice to have a guide to tell you how many calories are going to be in the foods that you are preparing to eat, and offering up a better suggestion to aid you in your weight loss. Eat This, Not That isn’t perfect (as it can offer some higher calorie foods that have less of the other harmful stuff), but it’s definitely a great weight loss plan.
Another reason that Eat This, Not That gets high marks is because of the vast amount of resources available to each person. Even if you don’t feel like buying the many books that are available at book stores (which aren’t all that expensive), there is plenty of solid information on their website. This plan is also set apart from other diets because it doesn’t give you a set meal and exercise plan that promises to get you shredded or thin in just seven days.
That makes Eat This, Not That among the best diets that we have reviewed so far, as their guide to eating is very easy to follow. It’s also not a strict plan like some of the other diets are, giving you more options than you can shake a stick at. This means that you’ll be able to find eating habits that you can stick with for life instead of just six weeks of eating a specific food that gets tedious and boring.
If you are looking to lose weight at a slow and steady basis and then maintain your weight after reaching your goal, this is a great plan. We have to agree that it’s a ‘non-diet’, but that’s a good thing in this case. When you find out the nutritional value of the foods that you have been eating in the past, your mind will be blown and you’ll realize why you are trying to lose weight in the first place. Thankfully, you can find out how to finally fix those eating habits.