By jasenlee
Cutting your calories is important because it can help you feel better, look better and lose weight. A healthy lifestyle includes a balance between a good diet and the right amount of exercise. In this article we find out about easy ways you can shave your daily calorie intake without feeling like you are starving.
Instructions
Things You'll Need:
- Willpower
- Planning
- Calorie Counter
- Healthy Foods
Meal Planning - It can take a little discipline if you're not used to planning your meals but the simple act of taking 20 to 30 minutes each week to plan your meals can make a big difference. The three steps to success are to:
1. Don't forget to switch your meals up from week to week otherwise you'll get bored with what you are eating over time and have a tendency to go off your meal plan.
2. Create a shopping list and stick to it.
3. Think about making one or more meatless meals a week. Meat is more expensive, carries a higher carbon footprint and a veggie based meal will typically be lower in calories.
Eating Out - Dining out can be tough, you don't always know how much butter or other ingredients they are using. Also, restaurants tend to make meals larger than most people want. When eating resist the temptation to order fried food or make simple choices like skipping the sausage on pizza. Four other tips that help with cutting calories when dining out are:
1. Ordering an appetizer as your entrée.
2. Consider ordering a broth based soup. Soup is filling and a good chicken or vegetable soup can be lower in calories.
3. You don't have to have a salad without the salad dressing. Ask for it on the side and before each bite dip your fork in the dressing and then dig in. You'll still get all the flavor with a significant reduction in calories.
4. Before you even finish your meal, in fact when you order it, ask for a take out box and put half of your meal in it. This will help with portion control and you'll have an extra meal for later.
And whatever you do... avoid fast food at all costs!
Grocery Delivery - Sometimes it can cost a little more but if you can afford it, using a grocery delivery service can help enforce a little self discipline. By using an online grocer like Peapod you might not be so tempted to make impulse buys you might otherwise when at the store. Besides, you can't beat the convenience of having your groceries delivered to you when you want them.
Avoid the Middle Aisle - It's widely known that the middle aisle at most grocery stores contain some of the most unhealthy processed foods. Try shopping in a loop around the store and don't go up and down each aisle. Not everything in the middle is bad for you, we all like our coffee, beans and spices but you just might be tempted to purchase some foods which might not be so good for you.
Eat More Produce - Everyone knows that vegetables are key to a healthy diet. The good news is you'd be hard pressed to find a serving of almost any raw vegetable over 75 calories. The list below are some of the lowest calorie vegetables you can eat.
- Romaine Lettuce (1 cup = 9 calories)
- Cucumber (1/2 large = 20 calories)
- Radishes (1 cup = 20 calories)
- Celery (1 cup = 20 calories)
- Tomatoes (1 medium sized tomato = 25 calories)
- Zucchini Squash (1 cup = 28 calories)
- Carrot (1 larger carrot = 30 calories)
- Cabbage (1 cup = 32 calories)
- Mushrooms (1 cup = 40 calories)
- Spinach (1 cup = 40 calories)
It is a great resource which allows you to type in the names of your ingredients (anything you have in the house) and it will find recipes that match.
Also, remember you can use zero calorie cooking sprays and butter sprays like I Can't Believe it's Not Butter or Parkay.
Drink Water Lose Weight - Most people don't drink enough water and if you find yourself guilty of this you should consider drinking more. Drinking water will help you feel more full between meals, aids in hydration and metabolism. Besides, water is inexpensive and can even help your skin look better. The benefits of water really go on and on.
Also, consider buying a water bottle that you can reuse as disposable water bottles are one of the biggest sources of environmental waste.
Substitute Your Soda - Most people love soda from time to time and some of us like drinking it every day. It might take a little bit of getting used to but if you switch from a regular soda to a diet soda or a zero calorie soda like Coke Zero you can cut a lot of calories out of your diet. Consider this, a 12oz can of Coca-Cola has 155 calories in it but Coke Zero has none. If you drink two cans a day you could save almost 15% of your daily allowance of calories by just switching to a diet version of soda.
Alcohol - Some call it the water of life... most of us enjoy having a nice cocktail, beer or wine after work, at dinner or when out with friends but alcohol contains what are called "empty calories". Meaning they provide no nutritional benefit but do pack on the pounds. It's okay to indulge from time to time but excessive drinking can add a lot of calories. Consider having a glass of water between drinks or diluting them with mixers like club soda.
Meal Delivery Services - Meal Delivery Services like Weight Watchers, Seattle Sutton's and Jenny Craig can help you manage your caloric intake. They are available in most areas and provide meals in specific calorie counts. Meals are usually generous in portions but are specifically designed to make sure you are getting just the right amount of calories. They generally space out different meals throughout the week so you can mix and match to have a variety of different things to eat.
Pack Your Lunch - It saves you money and saves your waistline. If you don't pack a lunch each day you run the risk of running out for the quickest thing available. Make sure you feed your body and stay on track by packing your own lunch. If it's easier you can make a bunch of lunches before the work week begins so it doesn't seem like such a hassle.
Buy Smaller Plates - It might seem like a silly suggestion but the simple act of buying smaller plates can help you eat less. Less room on your plate means less room for food and with good portion control practices you will cut calories. Don't starve yourself but don't go back for second helpings either!
