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When people ask what my favorite food is, I’m most likely to say “Mexican” because it is broad enough that I have a lot of variety if I ever had to eat it for the rest of my life. And the best part about Mexican food? Cheese. Same with Italian food, another great option.
It wasn’t until recently that I realized just how much I love cheese. I noticed because my fridge has a whole drawer that is dedicated to cheese… of all varieties. At any given time, I have at least six varieties on hand, which lead me to really question which ones I should be eating more sparingly versus which aren’t going to break the calorie bank. Because let’s face it: I’m not giving up on cheese. So let’s look at the results for the winners and the losers, shall we?
Cheeses to Ditch
Anything Squeezable/Sprayable
But really, why would you eat that anyway?
American
Honestly, this is left over from a BBQ because I personally find American cheese pretty disgusting. Which is a good thing, because according to my research at the Center for Medical Weight Loss, our country’s signature cheese is not a good soldier in the weight loss battle. While the stats don’t look terrible, apparently it’s mostly processed, which makes sense when you consider how long it lasts.
Serving: 1 slice
Calories: 96
Calories from fat: 57
Protein: 5.37 grams
Cream Cheese
I totally recognize that cream cheese and bagels are not diet friendly. Being true to who I am, I wanted to confess that it is in my fridge right now. I was entertaining last weekend… and yes, I did have a thin layer, spread evenly across a delicious, cinnamon raisin bagel. And it was amazing. But the research shows the calories from fat are just too much, and let’s be real, who the hell puts only one tablespoon on your bagel? Buh bye, creamy friend and your carb-heavy mate…and an occasional hello to your slightly-healthier friend, Neufchatel.
Serving: 1 Tbsp
Calories: 51
Calories from fat: 46
Protein: 1.06 grams
Cheeses for the Win
Fat-Free Crumbled Feta (GOLD MEDAL WINNER)
Okay, seriously, these stats are amazing! Low cal, no fat, 7 grams of protein, and it doesn’t take like an old shoe like many fat-free cheeses do. It’s actually good. I use this cheese on Greek salads, but also use it on other salads too, like strawberry and walnut.
Serving: 1 ounce
Calories: 35
Calories from fat: 0
Protein: 7 grams
Parmesan
My love of crispy parm has always been dangerous, but at least it’s not the worse cheese addiction one could have. Multiple times a week I’m finding myself eating parmesan crisps, pre-made or homemade, and loving it. Thankfully, a tablespoon goes a long way.
Serving: 1 Tbsp
Calories: 21
Calories from fat: 12
Protein: 1.89 grams
Low-Fat Cottage Cheese
I’m including this because, despite the fact that I think it’s totally gross, lots of people swear by the low-fat variety as a diet staple, which is not surprising giving that it has a whopping 28 grams of protein with relatively low fat and calories.
Serving: 1 cup
Calories: 163
Calories from fat: 2.3 grams
Protein: 28 grams
Low-Fat Mozzarella
When you need that melty, gooey goodness, there’s nothing better than some good mozzarella. While we can all agree that the non-fat version of all cheeses except for the aforementioned feta are absolutely disgusting, I usually can’t tell the difference between low-fat and full-fat in other varieties, so bring it on..
Serving: 1 ounce
Calories: 40
Calories from fat: 13.5
Protein: 4 grams
Starting weight to Lose: 30 pounds
Week 1 Results: – 1.1 pounds
Week 2 Results: – 2.1 pounds
Week 3 Results: +0.4 pounds
Week 4 Results: – 0.2 pounds
Week 5 Results: – 0.2 pounds
Week 6 Results: – 0.1 pounds
Week 7 Results: -0.9 pounds
Week 8 Results: 0.0 pounds
Week 9 Results: -0.5 pounds
Week 10 Results: -0.6 pounds
Week 11 Results: 0.0 pounds
Week 12 Results: – 0.2 pounds
Week 13 Results: -0.1 pounds
Week 14 Results: No weigh in
Week 15 Results: – 2.3 pounds
Week 16 Results: +0.6 pounds
Week 17 Results: – 0.2 pounds
Week 18 Results: -0.1 pounds
Week 19 Results: 0.0 pounds
Week 20 Results: -2.4 pounds
Remaining weight to lose: 20 pounds
If you want to follow along with me, friend me on MyFitnessPal or FitBit!
Respond
Jenna Crowley
Jenna used to be known as 2NOTBrokeGirls, but then one of the girls actually went broke, so she's struck out on her own. Jenna spends her free time saving the world, one sorority girl at a time (usually while wearing yoga pants), questioning why she decided to get a doctorate, documenting her love of all things cheese related, and hosting the new PGP podcast Don't Take It From Us. You can ask her anything you want about football, using your boobs to get what you want, and pizza at @JennaLCrowley on Twitter or via email at JennaLCrowley@gmail.com.
@JennaLCrowley
@donttakeitfromus
I read this article while eating a piece of cheesecake for breakfast.
Cheesecake for breakfast. I’m in. Sup?
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Good luck
Big week! Congrats!
Keep in mind “fat free” is a giant trap. No fat means it tastes like trash so it’s pumped full of sugars to balance it out. Macros mean more than low fat / no fat / etc. Good luck!
Agreed here you shouldn’t avoid all fats. A mozzarella cheese stick (with fat) is a great snack because the fat will keep you full and help you avoid getting to hungry and binging out on other foods
I’m in the middle of a lactose-free diet and I feel personally attacked by this. Also my office got Panera bagels catered this morning so you can imagine the struggle
I love cheese, but I try not to get it on top of stuff (like Parmesan on pasta or in my burrito) because I usually can’t taste it anyway so it’s just empty calories and fat. When I eat cheese, it’s usually when I can taste it the best: on a cracker and with a glass of wine.
I’ve been hammering down on some Central Market cheese and crackers almost nightly. Trying a new cheese is just the kind of rush I need in my life.
If you can’t taste the Parmesan cheese on your pasta you just didn’t put enough on, duh
I just can’t do fat free cheese of any kind. It’s got more of a rubbery texture to me. I’d much rather have some full fat feta on my salad for more flavor. I just try to limit the amount of times per day or week that I eat cheese to try to balance it all out.
You should check out quark cheese! It’s similar to cream cheese but with a more crumbly texture. In 2 tbsp, it’s got 21 calories, 0.1 g of fat, 1.2 g of carbs and 4.1 g of protein!
Man being lactose intolerant really blows ass
Agreed, but so worth the pain every once in a while.
These always make me feel like a gigantic piece of shit for how poor my diet is
I gained some weight over college and decided I wanted to get rid of it once I became more active. Nothing seemed to work until I turned to a high fat, high protein, low carb diet.
It’s rough getting used to it for a few weeks but then I felt great and was losing about two pounds per week. I’m not absolutely ripped by any means but I’ve been able to maintain the weight while still having fun on weekends.