Is pork a bad idea for weight loss?
purple4sure05
Posts: 287 Member
Hey guys! I've just gotten back on the weight loss wagon. My problem is that I do not like seafood, and have moved to New Zealand where they generally don't sell turkey. This basically leaves me with chicken, chicken, and more chicken. Is it a bad idea to incorporate pork into my diet a few times a week with dinner? I'm desperate for other options but I dont want to hinder my progress. If there are other suggestions for better options please let me know:)
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Replies
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You don’t have to give up any kind of meat (or any other food actually) to lose weight. It’s all about calories.14
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Pork is fine.6
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Pork is a fantastic choice. Of course, like chicken, it all depends on how you prepare it.4
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It’s all about how much fat is incorporated in the meat. A lean pork cutlet will have as much calories ounce for ounce as chicken.
Use the power of MFP to measure out portions that fit in to your calorie goals and you will be fine.
And, lamb?3 -
And, meatless options such as all the pulses, and Tofu?0
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It’s all about how much fat is incorporated in the meat. A lean pork cutlet will have as much calories ounce for ounce as chicken.
Use the power of MFP to measure out portions that fit in to your calorie goals and you will be fine.
And, lamb?
...and how it is cooked. Pork shoulder, for example, is a very fatty cut. If cooked low & slow (e.g. slow cooker 8-10 hr or smoker at 225F, also does beautifully in instapot pressure cooker), all the internal fat and collagen melt away. If you skim the fat off the resulting juice, you end up with a very lean, very versatile pulled pork that can be used countless ways.
Good idea on the lamb, too.6 -
There is lots of lamb in NZ.
And beef
Nothing wrong with pork but those are also readily available options.3 -
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When we are talking strictly about weight loss, then calories are the only thing that matters and it makes no difference what foods those calories come from. If you enjoy pork, it fits into your calorie goal, and you have no other personal reasons not to eat it, then you should feel free to eat it.4
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It’s all about how much fat is incorporated in the meat. A lean pork cutlet will have as much calories ounce for ounce as chicken.
Use the power of MFP to measure out portions that fit in to your calorie goals and you will be fine.
And, lamb?
I associate lamb with steak, assumed its better to stay away from it. But it's very common here so I could give it a try!4 -
Nothing wrong with steak or any meat6
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you can get some nice lean pork steaks from supermarkets here in Australia - i'm assuming it would be similar in NZ. Just go for the lean pork instead of the full on pork belly type pork.
As long as it's within your caloric goal, any meat is fine. I eat lamb all the time. LOVE IT. NZ has amazing lamb. eat it. Again - if you are worried about your fat macros, eat leaner lamb options like lamb leg steaks - again - easily found in supermarkets. I eat them at least once a week.
You might be able to find turkey mince in the supermarkets too.3 -
Cahgetsfit wrote: »you can get some nice lean pork steaks from supermarkets here in Australia - i'm assuming it would be similar in NZ. Just go for the lean pork instead of the full on pork belly type pork.
As long as it's within your caloric goal, any meat is fine. I eat lamb all the time. LOVE IT. NZ has amazing lamb. eat it. Again - if you are worried about your fat macros, eat leaner lamb options like lamb leg steaks - again - easily found in supermarkets. I eat them at least once a week.
You might be able to find turkey mince in the supermarkets too.
Can you get turkey mince at Woolies over there? Maybe they'd have it at Countdown, but couldn't find it at Pak n Save
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What about sheep?0
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I'm in NZ too. What about venison? It's a very lean meat and I now prefer it to beef.
I like pork but rarely cook with it. When I do it's mainly stir fries however pork fillet is great when cooked properly (hubby does it so I don't how how thats done!). Not sure re the calorie content of pork mince as probably quite fatty. Good for lots of Asian dishes though.0 -
Can you get turkey mince at Woolies over there? Maybe they'd have it at Countdown, but couldn't find it at Pak n Save [/quote]
I've never seen turkey mince in NZ. Only ever seen Christmas turkey and very expensive rolled roast.
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purple4sure05 wrote: »It’s all about how much fat is incorporated in the meat. A lean pork cutlet will have as much calories ounce for ounce as chicken.
Use the power of MFP to measure out portions that fit in to your calorie goals and you will be fine.
And, lamb?
I associate lamb with steak, assumed its better to stay away from it. But it's very common here so I could give it a try!purple4sure05 wrote: »It’s all about how much fat is incorporated in the meat. A lean pork cutlet will have as much calories ounce for ounce as chicken.
Use the power of MFP to measure out portions that fit in to your calorie goals and you will be fine.
And, lamb?
I associate lamb with steak, assumed its better to stay away from it. But it's very common here so I could give it a try!
Steak to me is beef - although one can get lamb steaks so that is confusing.
Anyway why would it be better to stay away from steak ??? - beef, lamb, venison or any type of steak????
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purple4sure05 wrote: »
Good question. I'm reading along as I just bought some pork filet and am still uncertain on what to do with it. Maybe cooked in a very hot pan so it gets a well brown on the outside, served with apples or berries. I do love crispy pork mince for some Chinese/Japanese dishes - though it's really difficult to get here. Shops only seem to have beef, or half beef/pork
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purple4sure05 wrote: »It’s all about how much fat is incorporated in the meat. A lean pork cutlet will have as much calories ounce for ounce as chicken.
Use the power of MFP to measure out portions that fit in to your calorie goals and you will be fine.
And, lamb?
I associate lamb with steak, assumed its better to stay away from it. But it's very common here so I could give it a try!
Why would steak be bad?
To answer your question, lots of pork cuts are low fat, high protein, including most pork chops and pork loin. Many beef and lamb cuts are too, and most game meat (venison) are. Look up calorie and macro information for various options.
I ate pork, lamb, and beef a lot when losing.4 -
Weight loss is all about eating less calories than your body burns. No matter the type of weight loss program you’re on. Either you are counting the calories yourself, or the calories are figured out for you by the plan you choose. It’s your choice how you spend your calories.
I enjoy roasted pork, pork chops and pork carnitas. I make the carnitas in a crockpot. Great on tortillas, in wraps and on salads.
I love lamb, but it’s so expensive here that I only have it a few times per year.2 -
purple4sure05 wrote: »
My favorite is a roasted pork tenderloin. Are you Pinterest? There are hundreds of recipes there.0 -
Well my husband smokes a pork loin and it's like the best thing ever. It is not quick though, it takes him like 2 hours so I won't share that recipe lol.
I also like doing pork fried rice0 -
purple4sure05 wrote: »
Hiya. Apologies for slow response. This is what I use for pulled pork shoulder. I have adapted the cooking method many ways (slow cooker, instapot pressure cooker, smoker), but I use the same Creole seasoning every time. Love it! I use about 1/4 cup seasoning for a 2-3lb cut (shoulder, aka Boston butt or just butt). If I buy a huge cut, I often freeze half & cook half.
We use it for tacos (with ancho roasted pecans & guacamole), cabbage rolls, salpicon, shepherds pie, "hot mess" (stuffed in a baked potato or sweet potato), pork hash (with fried grated potatoes and a poached egg), quesadillas/nachos. It also freezes beautifully in its own juice after cooking. Very tasty, very versatile.
Emeril's Original Recipe
* 1 (5-pound) pork shoulder, bone-in ,untrimmed and not tied
* Salt & Freshly ground black pepper
* 1 cup Creole seasoning
* 1/2 cup olive oil
Preheat the oven to 400F. Season all sides of the pork with salt and pepper. Combine the Creole seasoning and olive oil in a small bowl to make a paste. Rub the paste all over the pork. Place the pork, fat side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast the pork for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 250F and continue to cook for 6 1/2 hours. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Remove the meat from the pan and using two forks, shred all of the meat
For 3/4 cup creole seasoning
* 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
* 2 tablespoons garlic powder
* 2 tablespoons salt
* 1 tablespoon black pepper
* 1 tablespoon onion powder
* 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper (too spicy for one family member, so I reduce)
* 1 tablespoon dried oregano
* 1 tablespoon dried thyme
--using teaspoons instead of tablespoons will yield 1/4 cup. I usually skip the olive oil paste and just rub on seasoning.0 -
For pork tenderloin or crown roast, try this -- https://www.marthastewart.com/314427/crown-roast
Delicious! We do posole and the same pork tacos as above with leftovers. Mmmmm.0 -
purple4sure05 wrote: »Hey guys! I've just gotten back on the weight loss wagon. My problem is that I do not like seafood, and have moved to New Zealand where they generally don't sell turkey. This basically leaves me with chicken, chicken, and more chicken. Is it a bad idea to incorporate pork into my diet a few times a week with dinner? I'm desperate for other options but I dont want to hinder my progress. If there are other suggestions for better options please let me know:)
Weight management is about calories, not what kind of meat you're eating. You can also eat beef...there are plenty of lean cuts. I also like lamb.1
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