12 Smart Ways to Cut Back on Your Calories Daily
12 Smart Ways to Cut Back on Your Calories Daily
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Calories always take the center stage when it comes to weight loss. But do you know that not all calories are actually created equal? Fact is, they’re not and so having one serving of grilled salmon is not the same as having one serving of friend chicken as the former is essentially more nutritious. That is why, you need to make smart choices when it comes to your calories and cut back on those that you do not need. More than anything, you have to focus on calorie quality and not just quantity. If you want to start right on your journey towards bodily transformation, you have to master the art of cutting calories and transitioning to healthier eating habits. Here are 12 smarter ways towards cutting 100+ calories each day.
- Nutrify your usual comfort foods
Just like any other human being, you will get attacked by food cravings at some point. Typically, you would crave for something that’s sweet, salty, creamy, or loaded with carbs. The objective is to be able to determine what it is you crave for regularly and then find a replacement that will be equally satisfying but more weight loss-friendly. For instance, if you are craving for ice cream, try some frozen banana pops. You get something that’s sweet and icy but you also get to save as much as 113 calories in comparison to a cup of your regular strawberry ice cream.
Similarly, you can swap in zucchini fries for French fries. Instead of a regular cheesecake, try to enjoy lime cheesecake cups. Give flourless brownies a shot and you will like it better than your usual brownies. Now, think about your own cravings and how you can make them more nutritious with less calories.
- Forget soda for good
Guess how many calories a 12-ounce soda has? As refreshing as a can of ice-cold soda can be, it actually contains 155 calories, mostly due to the added sugar at a whopping 37 grams. Remember that the American Heart Association only recommends 25 grams and below for women and 36 grams and below for men. Thing is, research has shown that when people drink soda, they do not consciously consume fewer calories in an attempt to make up for it – just the opposite of what you usually do when you enjoy solid food too much. Because of this, it will be more to your advantage if you quit drinking soda altogether. If you don’t think you can quit cold turkey, you can at least dial down on how much you drink until you are able to skip this calorie monster for good. When you eliminate a 12-ounce soda each day, you will be able to save up 56,575 calories and more than 7 pounds of sugar in one year.
- Drink your coffee plain and black
It can take a lot of getting used to when you always order a fancy café latte and you can’t have your coffee any other way. But what if, you discover that a plain latte with no sugar added has around 190 calories at 16 ounce? Meanwhile, a 16-ounce vanilla café latte is about 250 calories. To make matters worse weight loss-wise, the calories from the vanilla latte actually come from the added sugar at 35 grams. So what is a coffee lover like you ought to do at this point? Well, simply swap your plain café latte for a cup of plain black coffee and even a 16-ounce cup will only contain a measly 5 calories to your advantage. Jazz it up and add 2 tablespoons of half and half or some cinnamon and then save 140 on calories and money every day.
After all that and you still got to have your flavored café latte, then you can do so but with a few pumps of syrup, sugar-free if possible because the goal is to avoid the sweetened versions especially at coffee places. Otherwise, you can switch to low fat milk.
- Take half your meal to go or to share
You don’t know how much of a help portioning your typical meals can be. What if you can box up half your meal when you eat out or share half of it to a friend who is not on a weight loss program? Imagine having dinner at The Cheesecake Factory and ordering an herb-crusted salmon. You will be surprised to know that you just had 920 calories right there and then. But it doesn’t end there because it is not only the big chains that serve you such huge calorie bombs. In 2013, a study was conducted and it was found that even the local and non-chain restaurants serve up to 1,200 calories each meal on average. In conclusion, it was also found that 92% of these meals typically exceeded what one should only be consuming in one sitting.
So instead of walking out feeling overly full and bloated from your favorite restaurant, try sharing your meal with a food buddy or box up half to-go and then take your exit gracefully. You will not only be able to save 600 calories but have another delicious meal all prepped for later.
- Swap in vegetables for pasta and rice
If you can’t live without rice or pasta, it’s high time to rethink your options when you aim at cutting your calories daily. Swap in veggies wherever you can and enjoy your carrots, broccoli, kale, butternut squash, spinach, zucchini, cauliflower, and peppers. Veggies are higher in fiber, vitamins and minerals, and most importantly, lower in calories. Trade a cup of your favorite pasta dish with a cup of broccoli and save as much as 180 calories. The goal is really not to get rid of carbs completely as they are not the enemy. Carbs provide you with the fuel and the nutrition that your body needs. The point is to be able to ensure that you get your carbs from healthier sources including whole grains, veggies, and fresh fruits.
Have fun and swap in spiralized veggies for noodles and cauliflower rice for white rice. Check out some vegetable chicken recipes with zucchini noodles or cauliflower fried rice.
- Take control of your salad dressing
Veggie salads seem like a wise choice when you are trying to lose weight and when you eat out. However, not all salads are created equal because some can be drenched in dressing and yes, loads of calories. The trick is to have just 2 tablespoons of dressing for your salad and feel very satisfied with it. Do this for ranch dressing and it will save you 128 calories while, you will save 100 calories if you do only 2 tablespoons of Italian vinaigrette. To make sure this is what you will exactly have, order your salad dressing on the side and take control of how much you put in there.
Follow the same routine when you are at home. Level up and whip up your very own homemade dressing. Make a healthier ranch dressing or experiment on a lemon tarragon vinaigrette. Aside from the dressing, it’s also smart to slow your roll on the salad toppings that you throw in, in there. While the dressing is an obvious calorie culprit, don’t forget that the cheese, croutons, nuts, and raisins can add up as well.
- Change into smaller plates
Presentation and design is everything when it comes to your food and when you are trying to reduce your portions. However, these past few decades, a trend has developed where portion sizes have gradually gotten bigger. Because of this, plate sizes have also gotten larger. From the 1900s up until today, there has been a 23% increase in plate size from 9.6 to 11 inches. If you think about it, a 1.4 inch increase is not much but it is a lot when you start putting food in there. Dr. Brian Wansink is a food psychology researcher and author of the book, “Slim by Design”. He believes that people tend to eat more from a 12-inch plate than a 10-inch plate by 22%.
If an average American’s typical dinner contains 750 calories, this translates to a 165 calories of savings daily. Change into smaller plates and your smaller portion sizes will look like you have a full plate of food to enjoy.
- Make it a simple breakfast
There’s nothing like waking up to pancakes with syrup, butter, and whipped cream. But this is going way overboard and certainly unwise when your goal is to cut back on unhealthy calories. The key is make your morning meal simple and easy. Go for make-ahead recipes using ingredients that are high in fiber and loaded with protein. Think banana blueberry oatmeal muffins or sweet potato egg cups. It is important to fill your tank with nutritious foods that are filling and keep your cravings under control at the start of your day. In this way, you will be less tempted to munch on calorie loaded foodie like a 470 calories sausage egg biscuit or a 460 calories apple fritter on your way to the office. Make it a simple breakfast and save as much as 140 calories daily.
- Eat your fruits fresh
Certainly, you got to have fresh fruits instead of a candy bar when you want to satisfy your cravings for something sweet. But remember that fresh fruits are much healthier than dried fruits even when the latter is considered healthier than a candy bar. Dried fruits tend to have as much sugar as their candy counterpart. While fruits have almost the same amount of natural sugars whether they are fresh or dried, dried fruits bought at the store often has added sugar in them so always check the labels. Another con to dried fruits is that, you will tend to overeat them as their volume has been reduced with water having been removed in the process. The American Heart Association equates a half cup of fresh fruit to ¼ cup of the dried version. And so, if you enjoy fresh mango at 100 grams, you can cut at least 260 calories up against dried mango which has been sweetened with 50 grams of added sugar.
- Swap avocado in for butter and mayo
Avocados rock in the nutrition world because of all the nutrients it contains. It has more than 20 vitamins, phytonutrients, and minerals plus monounsaturated fats that are certainly good for your body. So instead of using mayo which has 180 calories or butter at 200 calories, switch to avocado and it will only be around 50 calories per 2 tablespoons. Use it on your egg toasts, stuff them into your sandwiches or mix them into your brownies to make them creamy and delicious. Yes, you can bake with avocado and you can check out a fudgy brownie recipe with avocado for yourself. Save as much as 150 calories for each ounce that you consume.
- Learn how to cook low-fat
Another surefire way that you can cut calories is when you employ some low fat cooking techniques. Bake, broil, steam, and saute and you will see how much calories you have saved. For instance, chicken breasts that have been fried will contain 364 calories in them. But if you roast the same amount of chicken breast, it will only be around 193 calories. A hundred and seventy one calories is certainly a lot to cut back.
- Home-cook your meals
There is nothing like home-cooked dishes and it’s not just about the taste. Cooking at home means you will be able to have more control over the ingredients that you use and how much you can prepare for yourself. It was found in a John Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health study how home cookers tend to eat fewer calories more often than those who do not make an effort to cook at home. Home cookers consume approximately 140 fewer calories each day or 51,000 calories total each year. Of course, you need to watch the butter, spices, sugar, and salt that you use as they can all add to the calorie count even when you cook at home. Just remember to stick to nutritious recipes that are balanced, delicious, and filling.
Are you ready to lose weight, build muscle, or feel more fit? Join Beachbody On Demand, and get unlimited access to Beachbody’s world-famous programs, including 80 Day Obsession, Liift 4, Transform :20, Body Beast, 21 Day FIX®, Insanity, P90X® and 100’s more. Don’t miss out on your chance for amazing results. Sign up today!
