Winter Comfort Food for Weight Loss

Comfort food can be calling as winter wears on, but what happens to weight loss when you heed the comfort food call? You’re liable to hit a plateau or even gain some weight if you go for standard fare such as mac and cheese, grilled cheese, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and hot cocoa.

The BariatricPal has a better idea for weight loss. Turn to our comfort food suggestions instead, and you can feel satisfied while filling up and losing weight.

Pasta, Pasta, Pasta

Mac and cheese, spaghetti and meatballs, and lasagna are high on any list of comfort foods. They also have the nutritional stats you would expect from top comfort foods. A big serving can easily approach 1,000 calories and have 50 to 100 grams of carbohydrates.

Instead, try an instant Protein Pasta Entrée.  Some of our cheesier favorites are Nacho Cheese Pasta and Cheesesteak Pasta, while Spaghetti and Meatballs and Vegetable Lasagna hit the spot for classic pasta favorites without the carbs, and with a hit of protein to help fill you up. These instant meals are ready faster than delivery or even frozen meals!

Grilled Cheese

Grilled cheese takes you back to childhood or to any time when your cares were further away. You can replicate the classic by using high-fiber, low-calorie bread and fat-free cheese slices. You can make it even creamier by spreading fat-free cream cheese on the bread before grilling your sandwich. Other variations are a high-protein grilled cheese sandwich with all-natural turkey slices, and a colorful version with spinach or basil leaves and tomato slices.

Of course, there is always space and time to serve your grilled cheese with Cream of Tomato Protein Soup for an extra 80 calories and 15 grams of protein. You will be guaranteed a warming meal!

Fried Chicken and Biscuits

Yes, this one is for real! Fried chicken and biscuits from a fast food chain or restaurant can cost you well over 500 calories, not to mention a load of carbs and unhealthy saturated fats, but you can do better by making your own. Coat skinless chicken with a mixture of egg whites and yogurt, and swap Protein Rusk Bread for regular breadcrumbs. Then bake your chicken instead of frying it for a crispy but tender treat.

For the biscuits, there’s an easy way to save time, calories, and carbs, and get a boost of protein. Just use Carbquik Complete Biscuit and Baking Mix. Add water and you can have freshly baked biscuits in under 15 minutes – with 2 grams net carbs per serving!

Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

You’re liable to think of mashed potatoes and gravy when you think of fried chicken and biscuits, or, if you are like us, mashed potatoes and gravy can be a comfort food in itself. A big bowl of the real stuff can have more carbs and fat than you need in a day. The BariatricPal Store has a better offering.

Cook up two-ingredient Mock Mashed Potatoes made with Protein Chicken Bouillon and cooked cauliflower. You’ll already be getting 5 grams of fiber and 12 grams of protein. Add Instant Chicken Gravy, and you will be looking at a low-carb, high-protein comfort food. Not bad!            

Hot Cocoa

Hot cocoa is a classic go-to when you are ready to relax at night. However, creamy milk, a scoop of chocolate, and a load of sugar, not to mention marshmallows, combine to make hot cocoa a sugar bomb that is more likely to wind you up than calm you down.

A better choice for your waistline and ability to sleep is Protein Hot Cocoa. Each serving has only 80 calories and no more than 2 grams of sugar, while giving you 15 grams of protein. Select Classic, Classic with Marshmallows, Mint, or Raspberry Hot Cocoa, or go a little farther afield with Vanilla Cappuccino, Mocha, or Amaretto.