This is a question I get asked all the time by clients doing meal plans or trying to lose weight.
The answer is no. No you don't. You can eat all your favourite foods you just need to make sure the calories balance.
Life is far too short to never have the things you love. Not just with food either, I personally think a treat now and then is what makes it all worth it.
When I plan meals for my clients I always ask them what they want me to keep in their diet. So say for example they love a donut. I will try and fit one in for them. It won't be every day and it may mean they sacrifice something else but you can't have everything.
It is the same with alcohol. I don't include this in the week but if a client likes to have a wine I always suggest saving it for the weekend and making it fit.
So you might be on 1800 calories, work out how many calories the wine you want is and deduct that from the 1800 you have, then whatever calories you have left is for food.
Now of course I am not suggesting you should have alcohol over food but if you are counting the calories in order to lose weight then something has to give.
A 250ml glass of wine has around 250 calories. So if you want 2 glasses then that will leave you with 1300 calories for the day if you are sticking with 1800. A healthy day of meals is very possible with that amount of calories but would be restricted and lower than most people need. So it would need to be well thought out.
Over consuming the calories is the biggest reason for weight gain so trying to limit the high calorie treats is worth doing. Eat a good balanced diet of less processed, healthy foods and limit but don't ban the treats and you can still enjoy the favourites and reach your goals.
Try and keep in mind that things like alcohol, donuts, chocolate, pizza etc etc don't offer any health benefits, we just like the taste. So try and retrain yourself to not use them as a main part of your diet but to keep them as treats and it makes staying on track much easier. It's all about balance, get that right and you will reach your goals.
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