My goal from the start with my postpartum weight loss journey was to balance supporting my body's needs for breastfeeding while also sustainably losing body fat. Just like what I share on my blog and YouTube channel, I did this by focusing on nourishing foods that naturally raised my satiety hormones, turned off hunger and helped me achieve my goals without counting calories (AND while eating meals that I truly loved).
Striking this balance doesn't have to be a struggle or a major shift, but it does require putting thought into how meals are structured and a basic understanding of how nutrition and the body works.
But once you strike that balance, it's amazing how effortless it can feel.
During my 20 pound weight loss journey, I was satisfied from my meals, I wasn't hungry, I didn't track calories and I didn't do crazy amounts of exercise.
Instead, I ate delicious meals, slowly scaled up my exercise and walked daily.
I've shared my journey in numerous videos on my YouTube channel, but you can also find the strategies that I personally followed in my Complete Intermittent Fasting Bundle.
And obviously a big component of achieving my goals was what I actually stocked my fridge and pantry with each week.
So today I'm sharing 10 foods I bought every single week to help support my body recomposition goals.
1. Eggs
Normally I don't need to buy eggs because I have 7 backyard chickens. But it was Fall and Winter during my weight loss journey, and unfortunately this is the time of year when they molt and stop producing eggs.
And I ate a lot of eggs.
I mostly ate eggs in the form of scrambled eggs or in my protein waffles. Eggs are rich in high quality sources of protein and fat to help boost satiety and prevent muscle loss and cravings during the weight loss process. They're also high in a variety of important nutrients, such as choline, which is crucial for brain health and memory.
Studies have even compared eggs to other breakfast items (such as oatmeal) and found that eggs are better at helping to prevent hunger later in the day.(1)
2. Cottage Cheese
You either love cottage cheese or you hate it.
I love cottage cheese.
It's incredibly rich in protein and easy to make into a fast, no-cook meal. I top my cottage cheese bowls with sautéed blueberries and almond butter for a delish, satisfying lunch.
3. Zero Sugar Chocolate Chips
As a little treat, my husband and I add 1-2 tablespoons of Lily's Zero Sugar Dark Chocolate Chips into our protein waffles. But to be honest, I have my husband make the protein waffles, otherwise it would be too easy for me to sit and eat the bag of chocolate chips while prepping our break-fast.
4. Honey Crisp Apples
Apples are a bit higher in sugar than other fruits, such as raspberries and blackberries. However, I've found focusing on the glycemic load rather than the total sugar content to be a more useful tool for assessing if a food will work for my goals or not. And it turns out apples are fairly low glycemic load .
Plus, with it being the Fall season during my weight loss journey, apples sounded so dang good.
I would chop up honey crisp apples and add it to my cottage cheese bowl for a complete meal.
5. Kale
I was off the kale bandwagon for a while. But again, with the time of year and kale coming back in season, it just sounded so good. I was literally craving it.
Especially the way I make it.
I combined chopped kale with olive oil, dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar and salt in a bowl and used my hands to "massage" in the dressing. This helps to break up the fibers while also infusing flavor into every bite.
I would then top kale with roasted cauliflower, broccoli, onions and garlic and some grilled chicken.
So simple and so good.
6. Skyr
Skyr is similar to greek yogurt but it's even higher in protein. And because protein is a crucial component to body recomposition goals and reducing hunger, I made the switch.
I love the brand Siggi's for skyr because it comes in a whole milk option. Most skyr is made with low-fat or non-fat milk which is less satiating and much lower in bone and heart health protective vitamin K2.
Plus, research has found that full fat dairy products are more protective against weight gain and obesity than their low-fat alternatives (likely because it's more satiating).(2)
I love topping skyr on my protein waffles for an extra hit of protein or making yogurt bowls with homemade grain-free granola and fruit.
7. Carrots
The humble carrot.
Early on in my weight loss journey, I was primarily focusing on only low glycemic load foods to best optimize for nutrient dense, satiating meals. This meant that sweet potatoes were on hold for the time being. (As a side note, as I got closer to my goal, I started adding in more medium glycemic load foods to help with my muscle mass goals, too.)
So instead of roasting sweet potatoes, I would roast carrots instead.
And this was surprisingly delicious.
I combined carrots with cumin, paprika, mustard powder, salt and olive oil for a super tasty, low glycemic load swap to sweet potato fries.
8. Nutpods
Nutpods are natural zero sugar coffee creamers that come in fun flavors, like vanilla, eggnog and coffee cake.
I've found it extremely important to make sure that you truly enjoy and love the food you're eating during your weight loss journey, otherwise it's very easy to fall back into bad habits that don't support your wellness goals.
And incorporating Nutpods in my daily coffee was a simple way for me to do that.
I would also use the classics like heavy cream and half and half, but I really enjoyed the addition of Nutpods into my coffee routine.
9. Broccoli + Cauliflower
These two veggies are so versatile and make so many tasty side dishes. I loved keeping it simple and just roasting them with olive oil and salt to pair with roast chicken, steak or lettuce bun burgers.
Cauliflower also makes an amazing swap for potatoes in a lot of different recipes. I was whipping up my favorite low carb shepherd's pie recipe all season long.
10. Whole Milk
The main reason I would buy whole milk each week was to make my zero added sugar protein hot chocolate. This recipe tastes like the real deal and is incredibly simple to prep.
It uses whole milk, my zero sugar chocolate protein powder and unsweetened cocoa powder... and that's it.
It hits the spot when you want a little something sweet while also helping to fill the gaps on daily protein needs (one serving has a whopping 18 grams of complete protein!).
You can find my zero sugar protein powder HERE.
Head over HERE to grab Autumn's Protein Powder today!!
❤️,
Autumn
