Winning the fat loss battle means conquering nutrition. Here’s how to build a healthy weight loss grocery list that’ll guarantee victory on the diet front.

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One of my biggest rules for long term success in the realm of health and fitness is to practice the 80/20 Rule. Aim for a diet that leans towards 80-percent of whole, nutrient-dense foods and lean proteins and the remaining 20-percent can go to more highly-palatable foods. Pizza night, baby!

And at the end of the day, the first rule of weight loss will always apply: you must be in a calorie deficit in order to lose weight. 

Which is why it is so important to learn a few skills in order to maintain that calorie deficit over time. 

We’ve talked about the all-important skill of tracking calories and macros. If you need a primer on that, please head over here to learn how to set up your fat loss diet. 

But one of the most underrated tools in your fat loss toolkit is how you set up your weekly meals when you head to the store. Building a weight loss grocery list and sticking to it is a lifelong habit that will pay dividends in your journey.

In this article, I’ll break down: 

• The best tips for improving your current grocery shopping habits
  
• How to avoid simple mistakes most people make when they go shopping
  
• What to look for in the store so you can build the perfect weight loss grocery list

Let’s get into it.

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Much of the weight loss process involves manipulating your environment to make things easier. What’s around you can influence just about everything in terms of food abundance, cost, access and availability. 

If you are surrounded by coworkers that load up the break room with nothing but huge bagels, muffins, cookies and other high calorie options, it’s a mental hurdle to avoid eating off-plan every single day.

Whereas if you have a social network of fellow die hard Paleo crusaders, it’s much easier to stick to your plan and stay on point.

Likewise, this falls along socioeconomic lines, as well. Your neighborhood surroundings play a big role in the food available to you on a daily basis. It’s no secret that lower income areas opt for more fast food establishments. The upper middle class hoods get the flashy restaurants with 78 different takes on rice bowls and salads and vegan flare.

But, the biggest local environment that provides the most control over your diet is the local grocery store. If you can master the skill of food shopping, it will go a long way towards breaking the chains of yo-yo dieting to finally realize long-term fat loss success.

It starts with winning in a few manageable areas:

Make a list

So many people don’t even start thinking about what they need until they step foot in the grocery store. This is a recipe for disaster because it opens you up to potentially grabbing something you don’t need. 

Not to mention, it’s easy to forget items and then force yourself to make return trips. 

Take at least five minutes before you go. Run a quick inventory of the things you’ll need for the week and stick to it.

RELATED: In this post about applying personal challenges, I talk about building character and fortitude into your daily routines. One of those personal challenges is to force yourself to make only one stop at the grocery store per week. No exceptions. It’ll force you to get creative with some of the unused food items in your pantry on those days when the weekly food shopping trip came up short.

Don’t show up hungry

The most common food shopping tip. But, if you are serious about building a weight loss grocery list that will work for you, it bears repeating. 

If you’re hungry while shopping, you’re more likely to shop with your eyes instead of your goals. 

Have a bite to eat before you go. Grab your list. And stick to your list.

Shop online instead

Food shopping online takes some of that temptation out of walking by the bakery section in your brick and mortar spot.

Fill up your cart. Pick it up or have it delivered. And boom. You’re done. Many stores offer this option at an additional cost, but it might just be worth it If you’ve got the means and access.

Check with your local grocery store, or you could look to services like FreshDirect, Instacart and Amazon Fresh.

With these tips out of the way, let’s talk about the most common mistake preventing you from building a weight loss grocery list that actually works for you and your goals.

Learn Flexibility Over Rigidity

If you’ve been following me for a while now, you’ll know that I’m a big believer in having some freedom in your diet to enjoy foods that you love. 

The most successful dieters that keep the weight off over the long haul are not engaged in some plan that eliminates entire food groups at once. 

When you introduce such rigid rules that restrict calories or foods from your lifestyle, it can lead to falling off of the wagon hard and going face first into a plate of nachos.

Balance is the key to victory. We already hit on the 80/20 Rule above. And we can take this idea of balance a step further.

If you enjoy carbs and really love to eat pasta and rice and potatoes, then you probably should be avoiding something as carb-restrictive as the Keto diet. It’ll be difficult to maintain over the long term in order to keep that hard-earned weight away.

On the flip side of the rigidity coin is its sibling rival, flexibility.

While I’m giving you permission to enjoy some of the foods you love, I’m not giving you a license to eat like an asshole.

Yet in too many cases, novice dieters hear the word flexible, get excited about the idea of just staying within their calorie deficit in order to lose weight and go into this concept of “If It Fits My Macros,” the food quality doesn’t matter.

Sure, you can lose weight eating candy bars and protein shakes as long as you hit your calories for the day. But that approach won’t help you in the optimal health department. Again, the rule of balance is what you’ll want to play here.

“Cool, that’s great and all, Pete. But, what the hell does any of this have to do with teaching me to build a weight loss grocery list?”

It has everything to do with that, my young Padawan. Sit back down and allow me to explain.

When you don’t have a plan for how you’ll tackle your food prep for the week (whatever that looks like), you’ll default to buying whatever looks good at the time.

If you are shifting too far into the realm of flexible dieting, it’s entirely too easy to stuff your basket full of pop tarts instead of sweet potatoes. All of the sudden, you’ve got a cart full of pastries and candy and chips.

This stuff adds to the mental torture of trying to restrict yourself from potential trigger foods when you are at home.

Think of it this way: When you go out to eat at a restaurant, you don’t order multiple desserts for yourself. You might order one. You might even split one with your date. But when you stuff a pantry with Doritos, Oreos and Snack cakes, you’ve created a massive obstacle for yourself.

It’s entirely too easy to justify grabbing one Dorito while running to the kitchen to get a refill of water. That one Dorito turns in two. Then you grab two or three more a few hours later when you’re a little bored.

As a result, we now have what I like to call the Calorie Creep. And it’s enough to wreck your calorie deficit and turn it into a surplus.

“Out of sight. Out of mind.”

It’s cliche, but it is 100-percent true. 

If you want to lose weight and keep it off for good, you will be much better off if you keep most of the triggers and overly-tempting foods out of your house and living environment(s).

And this is why you’ll be creating a grocery list and populating that list with mostly whole, nutrient-dense fruits, veggies and lean proteins.

Building a successful weight loss grocery list starts with produce

The produce section remains undefeated in the game of food choice. You cannot go wrong by adding a ton of fruits and vegetables to your diet. 

Your parents probably always told you to eat your veggies and there’s a reason why. It leads to much better overall health.

From a health standpoint: produce options like veggies and fruit provide increased energy, appetite control, better digestion and a more optimal hormonal profile. 

Here’s what you should buy when you hit the produce section:

• Aim for the leafy vegetables first, which will carry fewer calories than their starchier vegetable options. You’ll look for things like spinach, kale and arugula.
• Bell Peppers and onions add flavor and volume (more food for fewer calories)
• Grab and go fruits like apples, bananas and oranges
• Berries pack a huge nutrient punch with minimal calories and are great alone or as add-ons for your favorite meals like oatmeal. Did you know one pound of strawberries is only 150 calories?

Do not be afraid of frozen fruits and vegetables. They are super convenient and do not lose any nutrients in the freezing process. It takes a few minutes to microwave and boom, you are ready to rock and roll.

Another pro tip: When traveling, getting several full servings of produce throughout your trip can be difficult. Grab a few packets of baby food to help hit your goal. Yes, baby food. Look at the ingredients on those infant meals. They are some of the most simple and minimal food options on the market and still pack nutrient-dense food options.

Aim for the lean protein

After you’ve stacked your cart with plenty of leafy vegetables and handfuls of fruit, it’s time to talk about meat.

Protein is your friend. It is the most important macronutrient out of the bunch. Largely because it preserves muscle while on a diet. Protein also burns more calories through digestion, which is an added fat loss perk. 

If you’re trying to figure out just how much protein you need to help meet your fat loss goals, I’ve got you covered with this article here.

When trying to figure out the best protein sources to build a weight loss grocery list that delivers optimal results, you’ll want to opt for the leaner protein options.

Let’s break it down like this. A four-ounce piece of chicken breast is about 125 calories and packed with about 27 grams of protein. That’s a ratio of 1:5 in terms of protein per calories (1 gram of protein per 5 calories). Remember from this guide to macros that one gram of protein is four calories. Which makes this a really lean option with tons of protein power.

Try to keep similar protein sources within a protein:calorie ratio of 1:10 (1 gram of protein per 10 calories).

The fattier the cut of meat is, the more calories it will deliver to your daily totals. And when you are dieting and trying to lose fat, calories are at a premium. So by sticking with the leaner cuts of meats and proteins, you are already making a bigger decision on cutting calories as a whole.

Some great protein choices:

• Skinless chicken breast/tenderloins
• 92/8 ground beef (or even higher)
• Lean ground turkey
• Low-fat or Non-fat Greek yogurt
• Low-fat cottage cheese
• Tuna
• Lean tofu
• Low-fat tempeh
• Whey, Casein or Vegan protein powder

A note about eggs

Eggs are a fantastic and convenient source of protein. But, popping 3-4 whole eggs into your pan and cooking them up will lead to a pretty dramatic increase of calories. There’s a better way.

You see, the yolk contains the fat and cholesterol of the egg, so a good rule of thumb is to combine 3-4 egg whites per every 1-2 whole eggs. The whites of the egg have virtually no fat and they are almost all protein. 

Which is why I suggest having a carton of liquid egg whites on hand. It’s like a cheat code. One serving of liquid egg whites (about three tablespoons) is five grams of protein, zero grams of carbs and no fats. When you’re trying to figure out how to fit your protein goals for the day, utilizing egg whites can help you get there easily.

Deli meats and protein bars are convenient and can come in handy when you are either traveling or really short on time. But, these overly-processed options will never meet the standard that the above options provide in terms of bang for your buck and overall protein profile.

Find some filling carb sources

Carbs get a bad wrap from the Keto fanatics in the world. But, let’s be clear, you can eat carbs and still lose weight as long as you are in a calorie deficit.

This bears repeating: you can eat carbs and still get into amazing shape as long as you manage your energy balance consistently.

Along those same lines, let’s break away from the idea of good foods versus bad foods and healthy versus unhealthy choices. There are just options with higher or lower calories. Where these foods fit into your daily eating routine is up to you. 

But there are a few things to keep in mind, particularly when dieting, that you’ll need to know in order to build a sustainable grocery plan that will assist your weight loss goals.

First thing is to think about the satiety factor of your meals. Namely, your goal is to try to blunt the hunger pangs as much as possible. To do this, you’ll want to opt for slower digesting carbohydrate sources.

Here are some of my favorites:

• Sweet & White Potatoes
• Brown & White Rice
• Beans (black, pinto, etc.)
• Quinoa
• Whole Grain Breads & Wraps
• Oats
• Starchy Veggies (corn, pumpkin, butternut squash)

This does not mean you can’t eat pasta or white bread. It just means you should make options like I’ve listed here the majority of your carb focus. Remember the 80/20 Rule and you’ll be fine.

We’ve hit on the protein and the carbs, now let’s round out your food shopping plan with some fat.

Grab healthy fats in moderation

If you are following my recommendations and incorporating a strength training routine into your regular workout schedule (like what I’ve laid out in this article), you’ll need to fuel those workouts. 

A moderate carb and lower fat macro profile is typically the best approach to ensure proper energy for your strength workouts.

Fats are the most demanding macro in terms of energy consumption at nine calories per gram. And they are typically less voluminous than their cousins, protein and carbs. 

A tablespoon of peanut butter is about 100 calories. While an entire 170 gram serving of nonfat greek yogurt comes in at the same calorie number (90-100 calories).

But we won’t skimp out on fats altogether. Fats are essential for hormonal health and play a role in keeping us full after meals. We just need to be strategic in how we add them to the cart.

Here’s what I recommend:

• For Cooking: Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, Avocado Oil
• For Spreading: Butter, Peanut Butter, Avocado

There are other healthy fat sources like mixed nuts and dark chocolate. But for folks looking to lose weight, those foods are best left as treats to be consumed in moderation.

Adding in your fave foods for that 20-percent of fun

If your fancy diet setup restricts your favorite foods altogether and makes you miserable, it is absolutely the wrong diet. Period.

You should be able to eat your favorite foods, no matter how loaded with calories they may be, and still lose weight. This all goes back to that 80/20 Rule. And you’ll incorporate that rule into your food planning.

Important note: If you have a trigger food that will force you into a pattern of bingeing if it’s stocked in your kitchen, I highly recommend avoiding this step altogether and instead opt for purchasing your food from time-to-time (once you have better control over your urges) and limit this to special occasions.

Here are my recommendations: 

• Find pre-portioned and single-serving snacks and treats (like chocolate, chips.crackers, and ice cream bars)
• Buy treats that satisfy your sweet tooth, but aren’t overly tempting
• Avoid having a variety of treats in your house. Stick to just 1-2 different treats at a time, so you’re not overly tempted.

Once you have a that weight loss grocery list nailed down it’s time to start using it

Going to the store with a list of healthy & weight loss friendly foods is great, but without a solid weight loss plan, it’ll all be for nothing. 

Develop a plan for yourself that includes staple meals you’ll cook and have handy. Make sure you’ve either removed or at least accounted for any and all obstacles preventing you from staying on plan.

And then keep working on this newfound skill of getting nailing your food shopping list to coincide with your weight loss goals.

Lead Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay 

Let me help you learn how to build a healthy weight loss grocery list … 

I’m here to help you out. 

If you have any questions, reach out. I answer all of my emails at pete [at] petecataldo [.] com … Hit me up with the subject line “weight loss grocery list” and I’ll answer any questions you have to make this work for you.

Or you can hit me up anytime on the socialz on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

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