Im a weight loss coach here are 5 sacrifices I made to drop 160 pounds

These five helped her thrive.Wisconsin weight loss coach Amber Clemens is revealing the five “realistic sacrifices” she made to drop 160 pounds from 2018 to 2020 — and keep it off.In a TikTok this week, Clemens credited her success to preparing meals at home, switching to zero-sugar beverages, relying on pre-portioned snacks, counting desserts in her daily caloric allotment and setting a realistic step goal — and sticking to it.Clemens said she limits herself to two meals, presumably a week, that she doesn’t prepare at home.Restaurant food tends to have more fat, sodium and calories and less fiber and nutrients than home-cooked meals.One study found that 92% of fare from large-chain restaurants and local eateries exceeds typical calorie recommendations, with one of the researchers explaining that the “portion sizes are obscene.”Time is often a barrier to cooking more at home.But a journalist who only ate home-cooked meals for 31 days reported feeling healthier, wealthier and more confident in the kitchen even as she fought food fatigue and the temptation to join her pals at restaurants.Clemens said she swapped full-sugar drinks for zero-sugar alternatives.Health experts agree that soda is bad for you because of its caloric content and added sugar — but diet sodas may not be much better.

They have little to no calories but also little to no nutritional value.“Diet sodas are not health foods.They should be treated no differently than regular, full-sugar soda,” Toronto-based registered dietitian Abbey Sharp said in April.

“They don’t really add anything to the diet except for maybe some pleasure and a little energy kick.Diet, zero, regular, whatever, if you’re gonna drink soda, choose the one you like the most and enjoy in moderation.”Better alternatives include water, unsweetened iced tea, kombucha, coconut water, low-sodium vegetable juice and certain milks.Eating from the snack bag is a recipe for overindulgence, Clemens said.

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