Can I Lose Weight Without Giving Up My Favorite Foods
- Sandro Torres
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
The Myth That You Must Eat Only Chicken, Rice, and Lettuce
Lose weight without giving up favorite foods
I remember one of our members, Ana, who came in convinced she’d have to live on boiled chicken and lettuce to tone her body. She was already preparing herself for a lifetime of bland meals. But after a few weeks, she realized something surprising — she could still eat her tacos and enjoy family dinners and lose weight. So where did this myth come from?
It often starts with the bodybuilding world, where competitors follow extreme, short-term diets before stepping on stage. Those diets are designed for competition week — not real life. Once the event is over, many of them gain the weight back because that kind of eating is not sustainable and, honestly, not very healthy.
Yet, this “eat like a bodybuilder” approach became the blueprint for anyone wanting to tone up and that’s how millions of people ended up believing that restriction equals results.
Why Restrictive Diets Don’t Work
When people follow extreme diets that cut out entire food groups, they may lose weight fast, but it never lasts. Soon, they feel tired, frustrated, and deprived. Their energy drops, and they end up rebounding harder than before. At Custom Body Fitness, we take a different approach. We teach our members to lose weight while eating their favorite foods, without guilt or restriction. Because the truth is, you can’t hate your way into a healthy body — you have to nourish and respect it.
How to Eat What You Love and Still Lose Weight
Here’s how you can enjoy your favorite meals and make steady progress:
1. Cut Out Processed Products
Processed foods are full of chemicals, sugar, and empty calories that make you gain weight and feel sluggish. They trick your brain into craving more, leaving you hungrier than before. Choose real, whole foods that your body can recognize.
2. Stop Drinking Sugar-Added Beverages
Soda, flavored coffees, Starbucks, energy drinks, and “fruit” juices are among the biggest culprits in weight gain. Your body only needs water, but you can also enjoy black coffee, green tea, kombucha, or fresh fruit-infused water for variety.
3. Avoid Fast Food
Fast food is just processed food in disguise. It’s cheap, convenient, and addictive, but it does nothing for your health. In fact, it makes you sick and gain weight. Instead, make your favorite meals at home with real ingredients.
4. Add Veggies to Half Your Plate
Here’s the key: don’t remove your favorite foods. Add to them. Whether it’s chiles rellenos, hamburgers, mac and cheese, chicken masala, rice and beans, or lo mein — keep your culture and flavors alive! Just make sure half your plate is filled with colorful, fiber-rich vegetables.
5. Use Olive or Avocado Oil
These oils are packed with healthy fats that support your metabolism and hormone balance. Skip vegetable, canola, or seed oils — they don’t help your body lose weight or stay healthy.
Combine Healthy Eating with Movement
When you combine balanced eating with regular exercise, your results multiply. At Custom Body Fitness, our members lose an average of 2 to 6 pounds per month without feeling deprived, restricted, or miserable. They enjoy their favorite dishes, celebrate progress, and most importantly — they build habits they can maintain for life.
The Takeaway
You don’t need to give up your favorite foods to lose weight. You just need to learn how to make better choices, prepare your meals with love, and stay consistent. So go ahead, eat your favorite foods, add your veggies, drink your water, move your body, and enjoy your life. That’s what real, sustainable weight loss looks like.
Lose weight without giving up favorite foods