There's no secret to weight loss. If you burn more calories than you are consuming, you will lose weight. Because red meat is higher in saturated fat and calories, cutting it out of your diet may seem like the key to weight loss. But if you're consuming other high calorie foods, eliminating red meat from your diet may not make a noticeable difference. Talk to your doctor before changing your diet.
Calories in Red Meat
Red meat is high in protein, but it is also high in fat and calories. One 1/3-lb. hamburger patty contains approximately 280 calories and 20 g of fat. If you're sticking to a 2,000-calorie diet, that's 14 percent of the calories and 31 percent of the fat you will eat in the day, and that doesn't include the bun, condiments or any side dishes. If you ate a veggie burger instead, you'd eat only 1 g of fat and 70 calories. You'll be able to add more food to your meal without having to worry about going over your calorie allowance for the meal.
Why it's Not Always Effective
Although limiting red meat from your diet may help you lose weight if you make no other changes in your diet, chances are you will need to consume more calories in order to feel full and satisfied. Fill up on other foods that are high in calories in fat, like cheese, fried foods, desserts and salty snacks, and you may eat even more calories and fat than you would by eating red meat. Stick with small portions of red meat -- 3 oz., about the size of a deck of cards, is one serving of meat.
Getting More Protein
If you eliminate red meat from your diet, you will need to eat other sources of protein to stay healthy. Every few nights, go vegetarian to decrease the amount of calories you eat in order to lose more weight. This way, even if you do eat red meat occasionally, you will still reduce the total amount of calories you consume throughout the week. Vegetarians have lower cholesterol and weigh less, on average, than meat eaters do.
Healthier Main Dishes
If you're devouring a steak or a hamburger every night, you don't have to quit eating it all at once. Instead, go without red meat one or two days a week and limit your portions to 3 oz. on other days. Beans, fish and chicken are high in protein, but do not contain as many calories and grams of fat as red meat. Lower the calorie count of your cut of meat by trimming away any visible fat before eating it.
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