How to Choose the Right Foods for your Goal

Why it Matters

It’s important that you align your food selection (what foods you eat) with what your weight goal is. Sure, your total calorie intake per day (how much food you eat) will determine your weight gain/loss, but we’re looking to make each of these goals as easy as possible. 

Too many times I’ve seen those who are trying to lose weight eating foods that are calorie-dense, and not very filling. That’s why the first thing people often remove when trying to lose weight is soda, which is basically liquid calories. One of the larger 20 oz cokes packs in 240 calories (kcal), about the same as drinking a hamburger from McDonalds.

On the other hand I see those trying to put on weight and build muscle who have always had a hard time gaining weight by putting down baked chicken, plain white rice, and steamed broccoli. They’re going to have issues trying to get in 500 extra calories of this super-filling whole foods meal. 

With that, it’s important you are selecting the right foods for your goal. If you choose the foods that fit your goal, your hunger will fall where it needs to be (whether that’s lower, or higher if you’re trying to gain weight) and it will make the dieting process much smoother. 

So let’s talk about how we can pull the lever of food selection to make your dieting process smoother and not cause you to rely on unnecessary will-power to reach your calorie goal. 

Food Choice for Losing Weight

Our goal for choosing our foods when looking to lose weight is things that will allow us to eat a high volume of food, without eating a large amount of calories. That primarily means whole food items over liquid calories and processed foods. Things like leaner cuts of meats, leafy greens and other vegetables, and fruits are your best bets. For carbohydrate sources try to rely on potatoes, lentils, and other whole grain options as they keep you full and satisfied.

For your weight loss goal you only have to find about 500 – 700 calories per day to keep losing weight (1). Let’s see what that looks like on an example day. 

Before (maintenance)	After (weight loss)
4 scrambled eggs (280 kcal) Medium Bagel (250 kcal) Single serve yogurt cup (100 kcal)	2 scrambled eggs + 1/2 cup egg whites (200 kcal) -80 kcal 1 cup of mixed fruit (80 kcal) -170 kcal Single serve yogurt cup (100kcal)
6 oz grilled chicken breast (280 kcal) 1 cup of white rice (200 kcal) 1 cup of steamed broccoli (55 kcal)	6 oz grilled chicken breast (280 kcal) One medium potato (110 kcal) -90 kcal 1 cup of steamed broccoli (55 kcal)
8oz Ribeye Steak (600 kcal) 1 cup cooked white pasta (200 kcal) 1 tbsp olive oil (120 kcal) 1 oz parmesan cheese (110 kcal) 1 cup roasted green beans (50 kcal)	8 oz Grilled Top Sirloin Steak (456 kcal) -144kcal 1 cup cooked white pasta (200 kcal) 1 tbsp olive oil (120 kcal) 1 oz parmesan cheese (110 kcal) 1 cup roasted green beans (50 kcal)
1 Scoop Protein powder (120 kcal) 1 cup whole milk (150 kcal)	1 Scoop Protein powder (120 k cal) 1 cup 2% milk (120 k cal) -30 kcal
Total: 2,540 kcal (Maintaining weight)	Total: 2,001 kcal (-539 kcal or -1.08 lbs/week)

Remember: this is just an example day. You should never follow a meal plan that has you eating the exact same foods every single day.

Food Choice for Gaining Weight

When you’re looking to gain weight we want to choose foods that make it easy to eat a lot of food. You don’t want to be miserable trying to choke down your meals. That means opting for ground meats since they basically save you the trouble of chewing. You also have the freedom to add in some processed foods here. As long as you are sticking to a slow and steady calorie surplus and not gaining too much weight rapidly, you will be just fine to add in some processed foods. Liquid calories will be your friends here. It doesn’t have to be an overpriced “weight-gainer” shake, the best “weight gainer” on the market is whole milk and it’s a whole lot cheaper. 

Let’s look at an example day modified for a weight gain goal. 

Before (Maintenance)	After (weight gain)
4 scrambled eggs (280 kcal) Medium Bagel (250 kcal) Single serve yogurt cup (100 kcal)	4 scrambled eggs (280 kcal) 30g cheddar cheese (120 kcal) +120 kcal Medium Bagel (250 kcal) Single serve yogurt cup (100 kcal)
6 oz grilled chicken breast (280 kcal) 1 cup of white rice (200 kcal) 1 cup of steamed broccoli (55 kcal)	6 oz grilled chicken thighs (300 kcal) +20 kcal 1 cup of white rice (200 kcal) 1 cup of steamed broccoli (55 kcal) 1 tbsp of olive oil (120 kcal) +120 kcal
8oz Ribeye Steak (600 kcal) 1 cup cooked white pasta (200 kcal) 1 tbsp olive oil (120 kcal) 1 oz parmesan cheese (110 kcal) 1 cup roasted green beans (50 kcal)	8 oz Ribeye Steak (600 kcal) 1 cup cooked white pasta (200 kcal) 1 tbsp olive oil (120 kcal) 1 oz parmesan cheese (110 kcal) 1 cup roasted green beans (50 kcal)
1 Scoop Protein powder (120 kcal) 1 cup whole milk (150 kcal)	1 Scoop Protein powder (120 kcal) 1.5 cup whole milk (225 kcal) +75 kcal
Total: 2,540 (Maintaining weight)	Total: 2,850 (+310 kcal or +0.62lbs/week)

Always Keep a Baseline of Healthy Foods

No matter what your goal is, it’s a good idea to keep a baseline of healthy foods in your diet. That means three servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit per day (2). You also won’t be manipulating your protein requirements, because no matter what your goal is you will want to prioritize muscle retention or building. Now that we know this is our baseline, we can use the tips I mentioned to add/remove processed foods and liquid calories to get where we want to go. 

Key Takeaways

• Align your food choices with your current weight goal, and manipulate your food selection differently as your goals shift.

• For weight loss; look for mostly high satiety whole foods and leaner cuts of meat. Avoid liquid calories. 

• For weight gain; add in some lower satiety foods like ground meats, and some processed food items. If you really struggle putting on weight, consider liquid calories. 

• Keep a foundation of healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins always. Modify around these foods. 

If you follow these principles your diet journey will be much smoother sailing. Matching and shifting your food choices as your goals change will keep you on the right track. 

If you have any questions about food choice or want to share your experiences, comment below or shoot me an email at brandon@brandonsemones.com

References

1. Aragon, A. (2022). Flexible dieting: A science-based, reality-tested method for achieving and maintaining your optimal physique, performance, and health (p. 275). Victory Belt Publishing.
   
2. Lee SH, Moore LV, Park S, Harris DM, Blanck HM. Adults Meeting Fruit and Vegetable Intake Recommendations — United States, 2019. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2022;71:1–9. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7101a1.