I love Instagram but it can be a challenging place. It’s hard to filter all the people that flood the grid with thinly veiled sales pitches and mis-truths. The best instagrams to follow for diet is a collection of just that, those instagram accounts I really trust to give me information and help me find that sweet spot for fat loss.

The Fitness Chef (@thefitnesschef_)

The Fitness Chef is a great account to follow, he’s an online Personal Trainer and his account is full of hard and fast nutrition tips with full calorie counts of items like all the burgers on the menu at Burger King and some great calorie comparisons. He subscribes to flexible dieting whilst staying in a calorie deficit for fat loss which is such an achievable method.

Comparisons like the below are a great reminder to be mindful of the things we’re eating.

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Tag a mate who needs some help preparing their work lunch 🤝 – – The prawn salad on the left is not bad as much as my prawn flatbreads on the right are not good. Instead, they are what they are – a source of energy and nutrients. – – One happens to have significantly more energy than the other across a similar volume of food. Consuming high calorie foods is not bad, as long as you’re aware of your overall energy intake in relation to your goal. – – Both these options contain protein, carbs and fat, but the main difference is shown in the fat values. On the left; 38g = 342 calories of fat, compared to 10g on the right = 90 calories from fat. The inclusion of additional protein on the right also balances it’s macronutrients more evenly. – – At the end of they day it’s up to you. The likelihood is that preparation of meals at home gives you 100% control in making them suit your goal. Whereas shopping at lunchtime gives you less control in finding something enjoyable which also suits your goal. – – Make sure you are aware of the bigger picture (daily calorie intake for your goal) and apply that mindset to the smaller pictures (each meal or snack). Eat what you enjoy, but always be aware and informed on what you consume. – – Here’s the recipe for the right hand side: – – 1️⃣ In a bowl, mix up 150g of cooked prawns, juice from 1/2 a lime, black pepper and dried coriander. 2️⃣ Chop up 1/4 of a bell pepper and add to 2 folded flatbreads, along with a small handful of spinach in each. 3️⃣ Add the prawns to the flatbreads (75g in each), put in the fridge and take to work the next day. – – #thefitnesschef #worklunch #mealprep #lunchideas #lunchbox #lunchboxideas #losefat #caloriedeficit #eatsmart #balanceddiet #highprotein #caloriecomparison #prawns #portioncontrol #caloriecounting #mfp #workfood #nutritioncoach #fatlosstips

A post shared by Graeme Tomlinson (@thefitnesschef_) on Aug 20, 2018 at 1:06pm PDT

He also does great lists of popular fast food items with calorie counts, he’s based in the UK so it’s always best to check calorie counts for your country on an app like myfitnesspal or on the website of the venue you plan on eating at.

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Tag a McDonald’s lover, hit save and keep both you and your friends informed on the calorie values of this bunch of the franchise’s items. – – Whilst most McDonald’s item’s ingredients lack the quality and nutrient density of a whole foods, I think most of us already know this. But the pertinent thing here is that people enjoy Macdonald’s. And people will consume their items now and for years to come. This is evident by the ferocity in which Macdonald’s has dominated the fast food market for decades. – – Therefore, instead of lambasting somebody (or yourself) for choosing a Big Mac over a kale salad, why not become more aware of what consumption of their food means in simple terms. Perhaps this awareness will consequentially mean that a higher quality food is selected instead in order to fit your plan better, or simply that you are more aware that you can actually fit these items into your current, flexible diet. – – As you can see, I’ve listed these items in singularity, but when combined into a meal (and with a sugary drink), the calorie value can rise fairly high for the volume of food consumed. – – That said, what’s your go to? If you have one at all…? If your despise Macdonald’s, feel free to comment “McDonald’s can get f*cked” 😉😬😂. – – #thefitnesschef #mcdonalds #bigmac #fatloss #fastfood #calories #caloriedeficit #losebellyfat #mcflurry #mcmuffin #nutritioncoach #fatlosshelp #fatlosscoach #burgerlover #mcdonaldsbreakfast #losefat #fatlosstips #eatsmart #nutrients

A post shared by Graeme Tomlinson (@thefitnesschef_) on Aug 2, 2018 at 10:09am PDT

Related: How to find a gym that’s right for you

Equalution (@equalution)

Equalution are ‘body transformation experts’ – they meal plan for their clients based on flexible dieting and the 80/20 rule. Equalution post great calorie comparisons on their instagram account. I actually used their services for a while during the start of my weight loss / fat loss journey. Their instagram is great and they’re consistently showcasing great flexible dieting ideas and calorie comparisons.

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Whether in your coffee ☕️, on your cereal 🥣 or just as it is 🥛 MILK DRINKERS LISTEN UP 💡 How many calories in your choice of milk⁉️⚠️ Switching to lighter variations in something you may have once, twice or multiple times a day is a good way to reduce your overall calorie intake. One area that many people fall short in caloric reduction is liquids – like milk 🥛 . Just because some edibles are liquid it doesn’t bypass energy intake and the need to be aware of it. 💥Our top tips for milk ✅ Choose skim or non fat milk if you’re choosing regular milk ✅ In the case of almond milk go for an unsweetened variation ✅ Watch your portion size (for liquid calories it can be quite dense) ✅ If you’re looking for a dairy free alternative soy (or almond milk) is lower than lactose free or coconut. Fun fact: Most soy milk brands are also fortified with similar levels of calcium to dairy milk. Some, including Sanitarium's, also contain vitamins D, B2 and B12, potassium and phosphorous! ⭐️FINAL HOURS FOR THE PRESALE20 DISCOUNT CODE FOR THE 8 WEEK CHALLENGE COMMENCING MONDAY. Link in bio 👉🏼Will your body be the next we transform⁉️📧info@equalution.com

A post shared by Body Transformation Experts (@equalution) on May 16, 2018 at 2:50am PDT

Carter Good (@cartergood)

Carter Good is an online fat loss coach and his instagram showcases motivating and informative posts about fat loss and diet. Sometimes they’re the little snippets in my feed that change my mindset just when I need it.

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First off, Can we take a moment to appreciate the number of tiny pizza emojis I crammed into this graphic? 🍕❤️ ⠀ Anywho, I motha-flippin’ love this graphic. It perfectly illustrates two of the biggest “whoopsy-daisies” folks make when they’re trying to lose weight… ⠀ The first mistake is on the left ❌ —> thinking that occasionally eating something “bad” or unhealthy is going to undo their hard work entirely. ⠀ The second mistake is on the right ❌—> thinking a few “good” or healthy meal will fix their evening and weekend overeating. ⠀ Here’s the Truth ✅: what you do MOST of the time is waaaa… *takes sip of coffee* …aaay more important than what you do SOME of the time ⠀ And that goes for both the “good” and the “bad.” 👌 ⠀ In other words, don’t freak out over the occasional pizza 🍕 or ice cream 🍨 or chocolate 🍫 or whatever. Instead, focus on hitting your nutrition targets and eating nutritious foods 🥗🍎 the majority of the time. ⠀ Bonus point if you can fit a few slices of Za into your daily targets w/o going over 😉🍕 ⠀ The same goes for occasionally eating healthy foods… ⠀ Don’t assume eating a salad 3-4 times a week will magically solve all your weight loss woes 🥗👎 ⠀ What you do most of the time matters most ⭐️ – If you want to make real, lasting changes to your body, then you need to find a comfortable balance between eating “fun” foods and foods that are going to benefit your health in the long run. — ⠀ ⠀ #cartergood #weightloss #losingweight #diet #dieter #dieting #nutriton #fatloss #healthydiet #weightlossplan #fitness #weightlosssupport #weightlossstruggle #nutriton #nutritioncoach #fatlosscoach #weightlosstips #weightlossjourney #salad #pizza #pizza🍕

A post shared by Carter Good • Fat loss Coach (@cartergood) on Aug 27, 2018 at 5:51am PDT

Lady Lolas (@lady.lolas)

Katie Lola’s is all about balanced nutrition and encouraging others to healthy meal prep. Her meal preps are fantastic (yes, she shares the recipes!) and she showcases meal prep from her followers every week.

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I originally started meal prepping to manage my IBS. Prepping my lunches meant I was guaranteed access to food that wouldn’t give me cramps or make me feel tired and bloated. I still have a sensitive stomach, however a combination of prepping and regular visits with a gastroenterologist and nutritionist have helped me to significantly improve my gut health and minimize my IBS flares. Prepping also saves me so much money and I’ve found a real passion for cooking and creating my own recipes 😍. It makes me so happy to see you guys trying out my creations! Remember to use hashtags #LLmealprep, #LadyLolas and tag me when you post your prep and or try one of my recipes so I can share your creations on my story xx . This week’s prep includes: . . 💛BREAKFAST – almond, coconut flakes and chia seed overnight oats with fresh strawberries. . 💙MORNING SNACK – Home set soy vanilla yoghurt with mixed nuts and a piece of fruit. . . 💜LUNCH – Quick and easy vegetarian wraps! I will add the full ingredient list on my website www.ladylolas.com soon. For next week’s lunch I’d like you to share in the comments section below a dish that you love, but wouldn’t necessarily know how to re-create into a healthy prep? I’ll choose one of your suggestions and create a new recipe to share with you next week! . . 💚AFTERNOON SNACK- @thecleantreatsfactory peanut butter protein ball and @tropeaka salted caramel shake. . . ❤️DINNER – team @hellofreshau 😍✊. Use code ‘KATIE40’ for 40% off your first box.

A post shared by Katie Lolas (@lady.lolas) on Sep 2, 2018 at 12:28am PDT

Finally I can’t pass up an opportunity to send you to my instagram accounts! I have two @in_amandaland for travel and pretty things and @amandadoesweights for all things gym and fitness.

Look out for my next post in this series – The best instagrams to follow for workouts and let me know in the comments below if you have some great diet instagrams I should add to the list.

Related: The 2018 guide to working out with YouTube