Everyone knows the old pickles and diet sodas diet hacks, but what about the people with a sweet tooth? (like me).
I’m not writing this post to get people substituting foods in place of their favorite desserts all willy-nilly (unless you just want to).
It’s more of a “hack” when you’re deep in a cut or prep and just want to get that sweet kick (or the need for cheese, less fat plz) without sacrificing all the calories.
My Top 3 Diet Hacks
Sugar-free Pudding
Fat-free Dairy
PB2/PBFIt
Sugar-Free Pudding
Sugar-free pudding is a blessing in disguise.
You usually don’t look at sugar-free jello packets and think “Oh yeah cake, lemon square, cheesecake!” etc.
Most think “boring old pudding???”
But what if I told you that you can have your cheesecake, and eat it too?
Mixing sugar-free pudding with high-protein yogurt makes a delicious alternative to cheesecake, lemon-flavored pie, chocolate mud pie, and more.
The flavors are endless.
Most days I mix my Oikos Pro Plain Yogurt ~200g with ~14g of sugar-free pudding (Lemon is my favorite), and it’s only ~200 calories and ~30g of protein.
Compare that with a lemon square that can be anywhere from ~200-300 calories with only ~1-5g of protein…
It satisfies the sweet tooth without going overboard on calories, and there’s almost 5x the amount of protein…
This leads me to dairy products…
Fat-Free Dairy
Full-fat dairy products have their place, but what about when we’re on a cut?
Full-fat products can be so calorie heavy (of course they are… 1g of fat is 9 calories!!!)
An easy way to get more protein for even fewer calories (again) is fat-free dairy.
Fat-free cheddar…
Fat-free mozzarella,
Fat-free cream cheese,
Fat-free milk,
Fat-free yogurt,
You get the gist.
Opting for fat-free dairy can save on calories, give you the opportunity to double up on servings, and increase protein intake (in most cases).
It has saved me more than a few times and makes me truly appreciate my full-fat products when it’s time to reverse diet or bulk.
Leading to my ultimate favorite fat source… peanut butter.
PB2/PBFit
This is my saving grace because I am a peanut butter aficionado. I mean I freaking LOVE peanut butter.
But it’s so many unnecessary calories.
And the protein content is pretty low.
But two servings of PBFit or PB2 is about 50 calories less for double the protein… just add water and it becomes peanut butter… you can’t beat it.
This was actually a “cheat sweet1” for me during competition prep. Add a little bit of PB2 “Peanut butter” to some fat-free cream cheese and it was like I was eating peanut butter cheesecake. (Add a little sea salt and I don’t even have to tell you the rest).
Amazing.
FIN
These are just some simple “hacks” I used when I was on prep for my Bodybuilding show last year.
Fulfilled all my sweet needs and didn’t break the calorie bank.
Hopefully they can be useful to you too. :-)
Your friend,
- BowTiedHeifer
Disclaimer
I am not a licensed personal trainer or pre/postnatal specialist—these are simply my personal experiences and things I have witnessed to work for many others. This is not legal, medical or financial advice. Please speak to a professional before starting any new programs, applying any new diet plans, or supplement protocols.
A sweet/dessert that is off-plan. Yes, I made it up.