Straight out of college and having lived off a diet of cereal, pasta, and bagels, I was having major stomach issues, so I thought gluten was the culprit. When I gave it up, I wanted to replace it with something that felt just as comforting as a bowl of noodles, so I turned to rice.
For lunch, I would cook up one cup of rice and add one can of beans. That was lunch for two days. TWO DAYS. Holy carb overload. You would have thought I was training for a marathon. I did this for about a year and ended up getting pretty chunky, when I was actually trying to lose weight! I wish someone had told me not to make these three mistakes.
Portion Control!
While rice and beans is full of fiber and protein, I was probably eating twice the amount I should have been. I should have read and followed the serving sizes suggested on the packages and divided that lunch into four containers instead of two.
No Veggies
Beans do count as veggies, but since they're high in calories and carbs, they definitely should not have been the only veggie in my bowl. I should have cooked those beans up with red peppers, carrots, mushrooms, broccoli, corn, and kale. Or maybe had a big salad and plopped a few spoonfuls of rice and beans on top to make it more filling. Or maybe I should have discovered veggie-packed alternatives and made this cauliflower rice and beans! Veggies are low in calories, high in fiber, and high in water content, so they would have satisfied my appetite without causing weight gain.
No Fat
For someone reason, I was convinced that eating fat would make me fat. But on the contrary, healthy fats can make you feel fuller longer, so they can help with weight loss. I should have added a few slices of avocado on top or added some dressing and sliced almonds to a side salad.
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