Do you want to know about eating turkey jerky for weight loss and how effective adding this snack can be? Turkey jerky is a low-calorie, low-fat snack, which is why many people add it to their weight loss plan.
If you want to know the answer to, is turkey jerky good for weight loss, keep reading this guide. Besides learning more about the health benefits of turkey jerky, you’ll discover other weight loss and dieting tips to help you round out the rest of your diet. When you combine all of these efforts, you will be on the right path to a healthier lifestyle, and weight loss will come consistently.
Is Turkey Jerky Good for Weight Loss?
Yes, turkey jerky is good for weight loss for a few reasons. The first reason is that this is a low-fat and low-calorie snack. When you begin a diet or embark on a healthy lifestyle change, looking at the snacks you eat can help tremendously. Replacing snacks high in calories, carbs, or sugar can be a great start.
Another reason that eating turkey jerky for weight loss is a good idea is that meat is very filling. This means you will stay full for longer, unlike other snacks. This will allow you to consume fewer calories throughout the day. This is partially due to protein reducing the level of ghrelin, the hunger hormone your body produces. It can also boost peptide YY levels, a hormone that makes you feel full.
How Turkey Jerky Stacks up to Other Types of Jerky for Weight Loss
This guide started out with the question, is turkey jerky good for weight loss? The answer is yes. But, what about other types of jerky? Is it only turkey jerky or are all types of jerky good for weight loss?
Although turkey jerky is a fabulous choice, you can always add other jerky flavors to try to lose weight. Jerky - in general - is a great snack when trying to maintain your current weight or lose weight because of the high protein concentration combined with a low fat & calorie count. Turkey is also white meat, which adds to its healthiness, especially when looking for heart-healthy foods.
The answer to this question is, that depends. Typically, other jerky products, especially beef have a high fat content. For instance, it could be 5 grams per ounce instead of the mere 1 gram with turkey jerky. However, this greatly varies by brand and flavor profile. Even so, you will be able to add in some other jerky flavors sparingly, while keeping your main focus on turkey jerky.
When looking for other types of jerky, you can start with our premium beef jerky, which is available in 16 different flavors. This will allow you to try different varieties, such as habanero beef jerky, sweet n spicy brisket jerky, or cowboy jerky while maintaining a healthy diet.
If you want to try something a little more unique, there are plenty of jerky products outside of turkey. We also offer elk jerky, buffalo jerky, wild boar jerky, and fish jerky.
You might be wondering how much protein is in beef jerky. Each of these jerky products has at least 8 grams of protein per serving (19 grams for wild boar) and only between 85 – 100 grams of fat per ounce. So, as you can see, the nutritional values are very similar, making all flavors of jerky excellent snack choices.
Yes, Eating Turkey Jerky for Weight Loss is a Good Idea - But…
You started off wondering, is turkey jerky good for weight loss, which it is, but is there anything else you can do to help reach your goal? Turkey jerky is an excellent start to your diet and weight loss plan, but will any turkey jerky do? Sadly, no. When picking out the right turkey jerky for you, buying quality jerky made without additives and harmful ingredients is essential.
At Mahogany Meats, we use only the best and highest quality ingredients to create our jerky products. We do not add any harmful or unnecessary additives or ingredients.
We also make all our jerky in small batches, ensuring our customers get the freshest products possible. When you are ready to buy turkey jerky, know that we also have five different flavors, so you can choose from a variety of options.
Additional Tips for Jumpstarting Your Weight Loss Journey
Choosing healthy snacks, like turkey jerky, is a great start to your weight loss plan. But what else can you do to be successful on this journey? Here are some tips to get you started on the road to success.
Come Up With a SMART Goal
One way to jumpstart a diet plan is to develop SMART goals. So what are SMART goals? SMART goals stand for creating goals that are:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Relevant
- Time-Bound
The idea is that when you make SMART goals, they are more well thought out and easier to achieve. The best SMART goals are those you come up with on your own. However, here are a few ideas to get you started:
- I will start a food journal and track daily what I eat.
- I will plan weekly meals on the weekend to ensure I stay within my nutritional goals.
- I will eat one high-protein snack per day.
- I will try a new source of protein this week.
- I will include lean protein with every meal.
- I will eat fish twice this week instead of red meat.
Dial in the Rest of Your Diet
Now that you know the importance of SMART goals, what else should you do to dial in your diet besides replacing unhealthy snacks with turkey jerky?
Your first focus should be calorie intake versus calories burned. This means you need to ensure that you are either cutting calories from your diet or burning more calories than before. Usually, men are recommended to consume 2,500 calories a day, and women are recommended to consume 2,000 calories a day. This varies greatly depending on your unique body and genetics, though.
However, most people eat more than that. This is largely due to bad eating habits like high-carb meals, large portions, fast food, and sugarly drinks and snacks. Start by cutting your diet to the recommended calorie count.
If you are exercising, you should also know that you need to burn 3,500 calories to lose one pound of weight. So, if you either cut your diet by 500 calories a day or burn an additional 500 calories a day, you may lose 1 pound a week.
Now that you have a main priority, it is time to decide on other things you may want to include or exclude. This could mean eliminating carbs and sugar, eating more whole foods, or having most of your hydration come from water.
Once you know the main factors of your diet, you can move forward. This includes making lists of snacks and meals, researching recipes, and making meal plans.
Make Sure You’re Exercising, Too
It is usually a combination of things whenever people talk about losing weight. Typically the top two items are diet and exercise. So, even though you are making an effort to change the type of food that you are eating, it is essential to also add an exercise program to the mix.
The good news is that the added protein from turkey jerky will help with exercise. When metabolized, it turns into glucose which can be used as energy. Also, it provides your body with amino acids to help build muscles.
Besides diet and exercise, you should also increase your water intake and get better sleep. These lifestyle changes can help you lose weight and live a happier, healthier life.
Calories come into play here as well. If you can not cut any additional calories out of your diet, you can exercise more to burn them away. By combining diet and exercise, your total calorie intake will lessen and you will lose more weight. Of course, increased muscle gain and metabolism will also play a part. This is why combining diet and exercise is so effective.
Focus on Recovery Efforts
Recovery is just as important as dieting and exercising - so you can enjoy sustainable weight loss. The last thing you want is to go full boar and then burn out.
So - think back to your diet and ensure you’re getting ample protein. Protein will also aid muscle repair, which can be needed after exercise. When you exercise, your muscles can be damaged, forming tiny tears that need to recuperate.
Besides eating protein, there are other ways to recover after exercising. Some of these ways include having a cool-down period, hydrating, resting, and massage. Those are the immediate recovery methods to use right after a workout. However, it is important to think long-term as well.
Make sure you are getting enough rest a night and you have rest days. You should aim for 7 or more hours of sleep every night and take days off between exercising, especially when working the same muscle groups.
Be Patient - it Won’t Happen Overnight!
Losing weight will take time, so it is essential to have patience. Most people who quit their diet and exercise programs do so because they saw little to no progress. The issue with this is that they did not give themselves enough time.
Do yourself a favor and commit to these changes for the long term. The longer you eat right and exercise, the easier it will become. Over time, you will notice the changes you wish to see. We recommend at least 3-6 months of continuous efforts before making any changes.
Final Thoughts on Eating Turkey Jerky for Weight Loss
Now that you read the guide, is turkey jerky good for weight loss, you should know how beneficial adding turkey jerky as a regular snack can be. It is an excellent way to lose weight and have a more balanced diet. This is especially true if you are looking for snacks that are not only filling but also low in fat and calories.
As great as turkey jerky is, you should do other things to maximize your weight loss potential. These activities include adding an exercise program, drinking more water, sleeping right, and making SMART goals to help you reach your goals.
Of course, eating tasty snacks like turkey jerky can not hurt. In fact, that might be the most fun part of the list of things to do while trying to lose weight. When you are looking for the perfect turkey jerky or when you want to try different flavors, don’t forget that you can order jerky online here at Mahogany Smoked Meats.
This will make shopping and picking out exactly what you want easy and comfortable, as you never have to leave your house. Still not sure? Learn more about who makes the best beef jerky online today. Find out what makes Mahogany Smoked Meats the perfect jerky brand for you. Good luck on your new journey to a healthier, slimmer you.
