10 Terrific Tips for Cutting Calories
You don't have to completely change the way you eat and avoid the foods you love in order to lose weight and keep it off for good. There are easy ways to cut calories without reducing flavor and appeal, and these methods of cutting calories add up fast. Find ways to reduce calories in your daily diet and you'll lose weight without completely avoiding or cutting back on the foods you love.
Carbonated Beverages
If you drink carbonated beverages containing sugar on a regular basis, you're adding hundreds of empty calories to your diet. Replacing carbonated beverages with sugar-free drinks is a great way to cut a considerable amount of calories from your diet. Before long, you'll prefer the flavor of diet drinks to those containing high levels of sugar.
Salad Dressing
A tossed salad isn't much of a salad without rich and creamy salad dressing, but many salad dressings contain excessive amounts of fat and calories. To cut calories from your diet, always choose salad dressings that are lower in fat. Dressings lower in fat are almost always naturally lower in calories. Read labels to find out exactly how many calories are in your favorite salad dressings, and choose them accordingly. There are many delicious salad dressings that aren't at all fattening.
Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise is a must-have with tuna, egg, chicken, or ham salad sandwiches, and it also adds the perfect amount of flavor and moisture to other sandwiches. Mayonnaise is used for many different flavorful dishes, but in addition to flavor, regular mayo also adds a great deal of fat and extra calories. Substitute lower fat or fat-free varieties instead of regular mayonnaise. It will provide creaminess and moisture to your favorite sandwiches and foods, and it won't add fat and calories to your diet.
Bread
Reducing carbohydrates is a very effective way to lose weight, and bread is one of the main sources in the average diet. Opt for whole-grain bread that's lower in calories, or forego the second slice of bread and eat an open-face sandwich complete with low calorie additions such as lettuce and tomato. Skip the second slice of bread on a daily basis and you'll greatly reduce the number of calories you regularly consume.
Spreads
Buttered toast is delicious, but butter and margarine contain high levels of fat and calories. Have you ever tried jam or jelly on toast? Instead of slathering your toast with butter or margarine, cover it with a thin layer of all-natural sugar-free jam or jelly. You'll be surprised by how good it tastes, and you'll cut out a great deal of calories in the process.
Baked Potatoes
Many people love hot and steamy baked potatoes slathered in butter and sour cream, but these toppings make a naturally-low fat and healthy selection considerably higher in fat and calories. Instead of covering your baked potatoes in mounds of butter and sour cream, opt for butter-flavored sprinkles and cooked veggies such as broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower, and top it with flavorful chives. Your baked potatoes will be exceptionally delicious, but you'll greatly cut out fat and weight-producing calories.
Fried Foods
Who doesn't like crisp fried chicken or French fried potatoes? They are simply delicious, and the flavor and texture can't be beat. Unfortunately, these foods as well as other fried foods are loaded with fat and calories. Instead of frying chicken in artery-clogging and weight-producing grease, remove the skin and coat it with your favorite low-calorie chicken seasoning. Bake it in the oven to achieve a crispy coating without extra fat and calories. Baked foods don't have to be boring and tasteless. Use the spices you savor to turn your favorite fried foods into flavorful healthy foods.
Milk
If you want to cut calories from your daily diet in an effort to lose weight, consider the variety of milk you're drinking and using in food preparation. One 8-ounce cup of whole milk contains 150 calories, the same amount of reduced-fat milk contains 130 calories, and one cup of skim milk contains 90 calories. Choosing skim milk over whole milk saves a whopping 60 calories per 8-ounce serving, and this can greatly add up over time. Switching from whole milk to skim milk is an adjustment, but all you'll really miss is the fat and added calories.
Candy
If you have a sweet tooth, you don't have to completely give up candy in order to lose weight. Completely depriving yourself won't help you lose anything but your will to eat a healthy diet. Occasionally give yourself permission to have moderate portions of your favorite treats and sweets. All candy bars are not the same, so be sure to read product labels, and choose varieties with fewer calories. Your diet won't be nearly as painful if you occasionally satisfy your sweet tooth.
Meat
Many people include meat in their daily diet, but meat can be high in fat and calories. If you regularly use ground beef to prepare main dishes, consider substituting it for ground turkey. Ground turkey is lower in fat and calories, high in protein, and when it's included in foods such as lasagna, spaghetti, tacos, and chili, no one will notice the difference. You'll attain the delicious flavor and texture you want while cutting calories from your favorite main dishes and from your regular diet.