The secret to enjoying the meats you love without the extra calories.

If you are like me you like your meat, but not all meat is the same.

Depending on the cut of the meat and type of meat you can go from a very high protein, low calorie piece of meat to a very fatty, high calories piece.

Some Tips on Meats to Eat

Back before I started on my weight loss journey I would eat mostly red meat. I loved my hamburger and one of my favorite things was a deli style 6 inch cheeseburger sub with the works.

Now things have changed a lot for the better. I still eat my ground beef but now I chose packs that are 93% lean ground beef instead of the normal 80% lean. That’s a difference of 205 calories for 4 ounces instead of 307 calories.

You end up with less fat and what I have found is you end up with more meat because the hamburger doesn’t shrink up as much when you cook it.

There are lean cuts of red meat and I still enjoy an occasional steak from time to time, but I have found most of my meals are now chicken or fish.

As far as healthy meats go even a lean New York Strip steak at 195 calories with 24 grams of protein and 8 grams of fat can’t beat in quality a grilled halibut at 125 calories with 24 grams of protein and 2.6 grams of fat.

Nor is a Filet Mignon at 240 calories, 36 grams of protein and 11 grams of fat as healthy as a Chicken breast at 186 calories, 39 grams of protein and 2.1 grams of fat.

It’s also important how you prepare the meals as well. If you fry your chicken and fish in a lot of grease or batter you might as well have that cheeseburger sub because you have soaked the meat in calories.

I have found I enjoy a lot of broiled or steamed fish these days. My wife has also learned how to make crispy chicken by just spraying this chicken with just a little oil and not putting any oil in the pan.

Instead of giving flavor to the meat with by soaking it in oil, experiment with spices and herbs. There are an abundance of flavors using herbs.

I like spicy food so things like hot pepper flakes and cayenne pepper are usually nearby to be added to my dishes.

Now I probably only have beef or pork only once or twice a week. Chicken and fish the rest of the week. I also want to add more beans only meals to my protein intake as time goes on.

For those who still have a craving for foods you usually only get with beef and pork keep reading.

Try Turkey Substitutes

Who doesn’t like bacon for breakfast or sausage patties with their eggs? The problem is they usually have a lot of fat in them.

What if I told you that you could enjoy them anytime you want and lose weight!

The secret to enjoying a lot of meats that you would otherwise have to skip is using turkey substitutes.

I have been doing this for some time now and it really is much healthier. There are a lot of things made that now have turkey alternatives that have less fat and almost half the calories.

For example I get turkey meatballs. I don’t even bother with regular meatballs anymore. Turkey meatballs have only 25 calories per meatball compared to 43 calories for the equivalent regular meatball.

I use them for spaghetti or just on their own with mashed potatoes and a vegetable for a meal. Recently I started cutting them up and adding them to an omelet that is just so good!

Earlier I mentioned bacon. A regular slice of bacon has between 45 to 50 calories. A slice of turkey bacon is 25 calories. They are a little meatier than regular bacon and cook up very crispy. I actually like turkey bacon better than regular bacon.

Then there is sausage patties which normally have 140 calories per patty verses 90 calories for a turkey sausage patty. They are not as greasy as regular sausage patties but just as tasty.

Another staple in our home is Jeannie-O’s turkey ham. It looks like a chunk of ham and is sold right beside hams but only has 90 calories per 3 ounces of meat. We cut it up in salads or make sandwiches with it. A little light mayo and lettuce and you have a filling sandwich.

For snacks I enjoy turkey sausage sticks. They are like the sausage sticks you get at the convenience store but only have 40 calories per stick and taste the same as the fattier snacks.

Probably the only thing that I don’t substitute with turkey but don’t is ground beef. The ground turkey I have tried does not form into burgers as well as I would like.

Also, like I said earlier, when I buy ground beef now I get a very lean ground beef that is 93% lean. Since it’s so lean there is really no difference in calories.

These are a few suggestions for healthy substitutes to favorite meats. Hopefully you will find some tips that can help you.

If you know of any others I would like to hear what they are. Have you tried any of these substitutes yourself? Let me know your opinion.