Is Hot Pot Healthy? (7 Tips For Weight Loss)

Hot Pot is one of the most amazing types of food that is widely available in many Asian cultures and cuisines.

It's essentially a super flavorful pot of spices and herbs that cook individual pieces of meat while instilling an awesome flavor to each and every bite.

Although Hot Pot is delicious, is it healthy and good for weight loss?

Hot Pot is generally very unhealthy as its packaged broth contains an extreme excess of fats per serving.

Unfortunately, most restaurants are using packaged broths which can exceed 1,500 calories per packet.

However, eating Hot Pot at home can ensure a healthy alternative as it is easier to control what goes into the pot.

In this article, we will discuss how you can eat your favorite Hot Pot meal while staying in shape and healthy.

We summed it up to 7 basic tips and facts about Hot Pot that will allow you to ease down on some of the unhealthier choices that Hot Pot has to offer.

Here are the 7 tips and facts about Hot Pot that will benefit anyone looking to eat healthier.

Stick To Homemade Broths (Packaged vs Homemade Broth)
Stick With Sirloin & Skirt For Your Meats
Eat Your Greens and Fibrous Vegetables
Avoid The Liquid Calories That Come With The Meal
Understand How Many Calories You Need To Eat In a Day
Make Sure To Workout Regularly & Build Muscle
Eat Less For Your Other Meals

Now that we know the 7 tips and facts. Let’s get into each one and see what we can do to eat a healthier Hot Pot meal.

Tip 1: Stick To Homemade Broth (Packaged vs Homemade Broth)

Many Hot Pot broths come from a package that you can buy at your local Asian grocer.

These packages, however, have a ton of fat per serving and are filled with ingredients that boost flavor but add a ton of negatives to your health.

If you look at the nutrition label of any food you can see the three basic macronutrients which are protein, carbs, and fats.

The most popular packet I found is the mala (spicy) packet which clocks in at 199% of the recommended fats that you should eat in a day.

You’re probably going to be eating Hot Pot with friends and family so you’ll probably only get a percentage of the fat; however, when you add in the fats that you get from your meats, you will get close to that 199% recommended fat content.

You’ll basically be eating two times the amount of fat that you usually would eat in a day which is not good as fats are the highest caloric macronutrients as they clock in at 9 kcals per 1 gram served.

Let’s take a look at what this means and check out the nutrition labels coming from a packaged broth and a homemade broth.

In the packaged broth (1): for every 155 grams of fat, there are 24 gram of carbs and 10 grams of protein.

This is insane as most of the calories come from fat. This means that 1,395 kcals come from fat, 96 kcals come from carbs, and 40 kcals come from protein.

I understand that you’ll be eating this meal with a wide group of people but dipping your already fatty meat into a ulta fatty solution will add up in no time.

There is a time and place to eat this Hot Pot as it’s delicious and comforting; however, if you plan to stick to your diet and stay healthy, this probably isn’t the right choice for you.

Now, Let’s take a look at the homemade broth (2) and see what we can work with.

For every cup (equal to a packet), you get 8 grams of fat, 28 grams of carbs, and 17 grams of protein.

This a much more reasonable and sustainable macronutrient ratio that can be consumed on any healthy person’s agenda.

Let’s compare. Packaged Broth contains 155g while Homemade contains 8 grams.

This means that 1,395 kcals come from fat in the Packaged Broth while 72 kcals come from fat in the homemade.

You can and will save so many calories when eating a homemade stock where you can control what goes in.

You can have the flavors of the broth rely on fresh herbs such as garlic, peppercorns, and sesame instead of pouring a ton of oil and MSG to the dish.

There’s a ton of ingredients that you can see in the package that probably makes for a delicious broth that is filled with unknown variables that could get in the way of your fitness journey.

A clean and healthy broth, however, can provide an awesome comforting meal with a fraction of the calories while keeping that great taste.

Hot Pot can definitely be healthy while still being satisfying and delicious.

It’s the same concept as eating whole foods with awesome ingredients vs. eating processed foods where flavor relies on chemicals and excess oil.

Tip 2: Stick With Sirloin & Skirt For Your Meats

Sirloin & Skirt are two cuts of beef that aren’t usually served at Hot Pot restaurants so it’ll be a little difficult to find when you’re out and about.

If we learned anything from section one of this article, we can see that packaged broth is extremely fattening which is what most Hot Pot restaurants use.

So, it’s best if you make Hot Pot at home if you’re someone who cares about their fitness goals.

Sirloin & Skirt are leaner cuts of meat that have lower fat contents than your typical brisket or rib-eye.

There are leaner cuts of meat when coming to beef but they are just terrible to eat with something like Hot Pot (Eye of Round, Chuck, etc.)

Hot Pot is already naturally a very fatty dish as much of the broth consists of fats coming from different types of oil.

So, we have to look for low fat alternatives when eating Hot Pot as you can definitely add up the calories without even knowing that you’ve eaten too much.

Let’s take a look at the nutrition facts for both Sirloin and Skirt to see how much fat we get compared to eating some other options.

For Sirloin you get 12 grams of fat for every 0 grams of carbs and 23 grams of protein.

This is great as the ratio to fats and protein is 1:2. Remember, fats have 9 kcals per gram served and proteins have 4 kcals per 1 gram served.

This means that 1 gram of fat has twice as many calories as protein which means it must be eaten in moderation.

For Skirt you get 10 grams of fat for every 0 grams of carbs and 22 grams of protein.

This is an even better ratio as there is way less fat than there is protein in a typical cut or skirt.

Many of the cuts such as rib-eye or skirt have a higher fat content than protein which means that most of the calories come from fat and protein is really lacking.

This doesn’t mean that you can never enjoy brisket or rib-eye, it just means that these are two foods that should be eaten in moderation.

When you dip any meat into a fatty Hot Pot broth, it soaks up the flavor of the broth which means it soaks up the calories as well.

Hot Pot broth is fatty so you’ll be adding fats to your already fat meat.

Now, red meat isn’t your only option when eating Hot Pot as so many places and home cooks offer fish, chicken, and seafood to the mix! Our tip here is to make sure you eat a balance of meats and not just eat the red meat.

Even Sirloin & Skirt steak are a little high on fats compared to fish and chicken.

You can find some delicious flavors from there as well so don’t be afraid to pick at the other healthier options on the table as well.

The one thing that fish, chicken, and seafood all have in common are that they are low in fats!

If you look at chicken breast or tilapia for example, you’ll see that there’s a ton of protein with 0-2 grams of fat per serving.

This is definitely a tool you can use in your Hot Pot as you can drop down on the fats and still eat some delicious meats.

I know that Hot Pot is generally eaten with meats such as lamb, brisket, and pork belly, but if you care about your fitness then chicken, fish, and seafood are all available as well!

We understand that there is a lot of sacrifice that goes into eating healthier foods but an excess of fats is the easiest way to pack on the pounds so it’s worth it in the long run.

Our tip here is to have your days where you eat the fatty version of Hot Pot as a cheat meal while having your healthier Hot Pot meal as the majority option.

Tip 3: Eat Your Greens & Fibrous Veggies.

The most important tip that I give to my clients looking to shed a few pounds of fat is to pack your diet with a ton of greens as they are both low in calories and extremely satiating.

Vegetables add a ton of flavors and textures to so many dishes so you’ll benefit from the variety of flavors you get from the meal as well.

Vegetables contain a lot of fiber which is great for dieting as it keeps you full without having to consume many calories.

This is such a big trade off as satiation is key to fighting off that hunger which will inevitably occur when you are eating at a deficit of calories.

Hot Pot usually comes with a variety of different vegetables such as cabbage, lettuce, mushrooms, carrots, and bean sprouts.

These are all great options that are, in my opinion, necessary for a complete Hot Pot meal.

Without veggies in Hot Pot, you’ll be getting one not throughout your meal and you’ll want the veggies eventually as the meat can get overbearing without some different flavors and textures complimenting it.

When veggies are soaked in a stew or broth, however, they absorb much of the liquids so make sure that your broth is low fat or homemade so you can control how much fat goes into your broth or eventually your veggies.

Our tip here is to make sure that you pair the meats and veggies to a 1:1 ratio. For every bite of meat you take, eat a spoonful of veggies and you’ll be good to go.

This will save you so many calories and will provide some amazing textures and flavors that keep your meal from becoming flat and overbearing.

Tip 4: Avoid The Liquid Calories That Come With The Meal

This is a tough ask as I’m always so tempted to get a milk tea or carbonated drink when I’m out eating Hot Pot.

There’s something special about pairing such a savory and fatty dish with a carbonated or sweet beverage.

However, my will always gets the best of me and I stick to good old fashioned water.

Liquid calories are the best way to keep you hungry when dieting.

The reason for this is that most drinks have calories that solely come from sugar and drinking sugar is unsatisfying and keeps you wanting more sugary things.

Take, for example, a can of coke which has 0 grams of fat, 40 grams of carbs (40 grams of sugar), and 0 grams of protein. Knowing this, I like to coke as a can of 40 grams of sugar rather than a beverage.

There’s a time and place for sugar which is in moderation or on your cheat days.

When you drink a can of coke, you get 160 kcals coming from sugar as 1 gram of carb is 4 kcals.

You can easily cut this out of your meal and drink water which has no calories at all and keeps you hydrated amongst all the fat that you typically consume through Hot Pot.

Some great options when eating Hot Pot is to drink a cold unflavored tea which can provide a lot of great flavors that pairs well with the savory bite of the meats.

There’s no sugar in the tea which means that there are no calories.

My favorite Hot Pot place offers complimentary milk tea and boba so this makes things really difficult for me when I’m out with friends and family.

If you really have to go for a beverage when eating Hot Pot limit yourself to just one glass or, if really needed, just stick to diet soda.

You’ll save a ton of calories and leave more room for the delicious foods that are constantly being plated on your table.

5. Understand How Many Calories You Need To Eat In a Day

Now that we know how many calories there are when eating a typical Hot Pot meal, we need to understand how many calories we must consume on a daily basis in order to stay lean and fit.

Most of the people I work with are concerned about weight loss so let’s talk about the steps needed to shed some fat.

Weight loss comes solely from a deficit of calories and nothing else.

It isn’t so much about choosing “healthy” foods but rather the concept of energy and how much energy we consume vs the energy we expend.

Simply put, if you eat more calories than you expend then you will gain weight. If your calories consume and your calories expended are the same, then you will stay the same weight.

And if your calories consumed are less than the calories you expend are less, then you will lose weight.

So, how many calories should we eat in a day to be in a deficit?

That’s something that you must discover through trial and error.

A good place to start, however, is to either multiply your current body weight by 12 or to use an online TDEE calculator online (just type in TDEE calculator and input your info).

These are both very rough estimates and are not specific to the individual so you’ll have to work at it a bit to see what that perfect number is to lose weight.

For some, the number the calculator gives will be perfect, for others you’ll have to lower it to see some substantial weight loss.

Now, the problem with this concept is that many people will starve themselves in order to see really quick weight loss results.

Starving yourself will result in a great amount of fat loss; however, anything gained that quick will come back just as quick. I guarantee it.

Dropping too low means that your metabolism will adjust to the low amount of calories you feed your body and will eventually maintain your weight at low amounts of food.

This is hell in my opinion as the only option you have to lose more weight is to keep dropping and this is no way to live a healthy life.

You want to aim for a pound a week lost or, at the very most 1.5-2 lbs a week. Anymore than that and your body will take away energy from muscle and you’ll be running in circles.

This means if you need to lose 10 pounds of fat, then you need to go on a 10 week fat loss journey.

Now, we must understand what calories are made up of.

There are three macronutrients that are named fats, protein, and carbs which we have discussed all throughout this article.

Each one has their own specific role but you must make sure that you have a good balance of each of these.

Protein is the hardest one to get in your diet which is why you see so many people drinking protein powders to supplement a diet that is lacking in it.

It is the most satiating of the three macronutrients and aids in retaining muscle and building muscle.

Carbs and fats are less satiating and have a high potential to be overeaten as they are delicious and addictive.

These two are fine to eat but just make sure that your protein isn’t first.

If you want a more extensive guide on finding out your macros then either find a dietitian to help you out or do more research on getting your nutrition.

Here is our guide to how you can set up your ratio of fats, carbs, and proteins so you can get to your goals quicker.

https://www.aspirefitnesswalnut.com/how-to-actually-get-a-six-pack-after-30

Now that we have a deeper understanding on the importance of calories, let’s take a look at why we need to build muscle throughout this process.

Tip 6: Make Sure To Workout Regularly & Build Muscle

There are two reasons why you need to build muscle throughout your weight loss journey and why you should always strive to have more.

First, muscle burns calories at rest and second, muscle looks great after you’ve shed the fat off your body.

If you plan to diet without working out or building muscle you’ll eventually lose a lot of fat without any muscle to keep you looking fit.

This means that you’ll still have that sliver of fat on your lower belly instead of abs or a lean midsection.

This is that skinny fat look that many people try their best to avoid which is the result of lacking muscle.

Muscle also burns calories at rest which means that it allows you to eat more throughout your journey.

This is amazing as hunger is definitely the enemy when dieting and can really cause a bad relationship with food.

Eating more while staying lean is what we should all strive for as you can enjoy so many more foods in your diet such as Hot Pot or the many Asian dishes we talk about throughout our blog.

Eating is one of my favorite parts about life and delicious foods are really the reason why I workout so much.

With all this being said, you can never out train a bad diet which means you must still be on track with what we discussed in section 5.

It is the process of sustaining a healthy calorie range while working out that provides results and one must be done with the other in order to stay fit.

Here is our article that features a basic workout plan that can ease in anyone looking to start working out.

https://www.aspirefitnesswalnut.com/how-to-actually-get-a-six-pack-after-30

So make sure you’re doing your weekly exercises and keeping active as these workouts will allow you to look great and consume more calories in the long run.

Tip 7: Eat Less For Your Other Meals

We went on a bit of a tangent there but hopefully you learned a thing or two about what you can do to stay lean while eating hefty meals like Hot Pot.

Our last tip revolves around what we discussed in section 5 which is to eat less for your other meals when eating Hot Pot.

This requires some planning on your part as you need to know which meal is the one with Hot Pot and what each of the other meals need to be filled with.

As mentioned in the other sections of this article, Hot Pot consists of a lot of fat as the broth and meats can both be very fatty.

This means that your Hot Pot meal will most likely be the highest calorie meals so focus on eating fewer calories meals for the meals that fall either before or after Hot Pot.

There’s a lot of potential to overeat when eating Hot Pot as there’s such a big social aspect to it.

I hardly ever focus on the food when I’m eating Hot Pot as I’m immersed in discussion and socializing with friends.

I can easily eat over a thousand calories for this meal so I want to make sure I can enjoy it to my heart's content.

Our tip here is to focus on lean meats, green vegetables, and moderate carb foods.

My go to meal is always chicken and rice which would be a perfect example of a meal you can eat on your Hot Pot days.

These meals should range from 400-500 calories and the calories should be coming from proteins and carbs for this meal.

You want to make sure to eat as minimal fat as you can since you’ll easily be getting over 60 grams from your Hot Pot meal.

There It Is!

7 Tips on how to eat Hot Pot and still stay in shape. In this article we discussed the fat content of Hot Pot and what you can expect when eating out at some of your favorite Hot Pot places.

We hope that you learned about the importance of understanding calorie ranges and the benefit of exercise and activity.

You want to learn more about healthy Asian foods and fitness tips, then make sure to check out our other blogs where we discuss all that and more.