Calorie Density: The measure of the calorie content of food relative to its weight or volume.

You need to be cognizant of the calorie density of foods because eating a high calorie-dense diet is most likely what is stalling your weight loss. There are a lot of charts on the Internet to view that show the calorie density of certain foods. You might want to do a search online (type in “calorie density chart”) to understand more thoroughly. But essentially, foods like non-starchy vegetables and fruits are the lowest in calorie density and animal products, processed foods, nuts/seeds/nut butters, and oil are the highest in calorie density. That said…choosing foods with a low calorie density can help with weight loss.

GOOD NEWS! If you’re trying to lose weight, you can still have your pasta and eat it, too. The way I am able to include higher calorie-dense foods (like whole grain pasta) into some of my meals and lose weight or maintain weight loss is by adding low calorie-dense vegetables like spiralized zucchini or mushrooms (or whatever vegetable pairs well!)–allowing me to fill up on less calories. Try adding 2 or 3 spiralized zucchinis into your spaghetti with marinara sauce or mix with a bag of frozen, oil-free hash browns and bake them!