I Lost 169 Pounds in 16 Months and This is What I Eat Every Day to Keep It Off

YouTuber Yassie is showing fans and followers exactly what she eats on a day when she plans on going out for dinner. Instead of depriving herself of her favorite foods, Yassie takes a more sustainable approach to long-term weight loss. Nothing is off the table, but she is mindful of her portions and of calories in certain ingredients that may not add much to the meal. "I'm on month 16 of my weight loss journey, and I have lost 77kg [169 pounds] so far! Still have a little while to go, but slow and steady wins the race," she says. Here's what Yassie eats before her special meal and how she approaches the treat to make it a healthy part of her weight loss journey.

Protein Bar

Yassie opts for breakfast at a Quest bar. One bar has 20 grams of protein, 4 grams of carbohydrates, and 0.7 grams of sugar. "It's 177 calories for the bar," she says. "This is Birthday Cake flavor, so it tastes pretty good to me."

Marine Collagen Peptides

Yassie follows up her protein bar with a liquid collagen shot. Each shot has 10,000 mg of marine collagen and 75 calories. "I like this because I get a lot of blemishes, and I feel like it helps my skin look a little bit more fresh," she says. Each shot also contains 11.1 grams of protein.

Healthy Sloppy Joes

Yassie makes homemade Sloppy Joe sandwiches with ground lean turkey and two slices of light cheese. She uses garlic and onion powder to season the turkey. Using canola oil spray also saves calories when cooking her lunch. Each sandwich comes out to 516 calories, but Yassie recommends omitting the cheese for a lower-calorie option.

Wings and Fries

Yassie's "going out" appetizer consists of honey-soy chicken wings and fries. She makes a point of allowing the occasional special treat as a way of making her weight loss journey sustainable. Yassie uses MyFitnessPal to calculate how many calories are in her meal, adding an extra 50-100 calories for oil.

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Chicken and Salad

Yassie's main meal is chicken parmesan with more fries and a side salad. Before she even starts her food, she takes the fries off her plate into a to-go box. Because the portion is so big, she can enjoy it another time. "We can take that away and eat it another day," she says.

Eating Salad First

One useful weight loss trick Yassie does is to eat her salad first, letting herself get full from the greens. "That's another trick," she jokes. "I also eat my husband's salad." Sometimes, she will order a separate garden salad to fill up on the healthy options.

Not Finishing the Plate

Yassie feels under no pressure to finish every bite of her plate. Instead, she eats until she feels full, and takes the remainder of her meal home with her. This way she enjoys her food while still listening to cues from her body, and can eat the leftovers the next day.

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Picky About Calories

Yassie was pleased with her dinner but recognized where there were calories she could have removed—for example, the cheese smothered on her chicken. "Dinner was so good, I loved it. I was really happy with what I ate," she says. "As you can see in the video, I halved my portion size. There's food left over for another day. You don't have to have the whole plate."

Maintenance Calories

Yassie recommends switching over to maintenance calories for a special meal as a one-off. "It makes it more sustainable for you, and you don't feel guilty or with a mentality of 'I went over my calories, I won't eat anything tomorrow.'"

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No Cheat Days

Yassie doesn't believe in cheat days—instead, she makes a point of living a balanced lifestyle. If she knows she ate more calories than usual, she might work out a little bit more the next day, or eat healthier options, or both. "I can enjoy the food I eat. I can enjoy the tastes I love," she says. And if you enjoyed this article, take advantage of these 15 Quick Ways to Lose Body Fat Percentage in a Week.