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Quick
and Easy Ways
to Cut Calories
The December
Holidays are behind
us but with Valentine’s
Day looming it’s
time to get rid
of those extra
pounds once and
for all!
"Eating
100 calories less
each day can help
you lose 10 pounds
in a year,"
says Jo-Ann Heslin,
registered dietitian
and co-author
of The Calorie
Counter (3rd Edition,
Pocket Books,
2003). "It
can be done by
making small changes
in what you eat."
The trick is to
eliminate something
you
typically consume
on a daily basis.
By taking that
approach, it's
easy to remember.
You're
basically forming
a new routine,
replacing a high-calorie
habit with one
that is lower
in calories.
The following
scenarios demonstrate
the impact of
small changes.
Make just a couple
of these adjustments
and you can easily
cut 100 to 200
– or more
– calories
a day.
Breakfast. Instead
of two pieces
of wheat toast
with margarine,
have 1 piece of
toast. Instead
of regular fruit-flavored
yogurt switch
to light or fat-free
yogurt.
Coffee break.
Switch from whole
milk to non-fat
milk in your latte.
Replace the apple
Danish with an
oat bran bagel.
Lunch. Put 1 tablespoon
of light mayonnaise
on your sandwich
instead of 1 tablespoon
of regular mayonnaise,
and make it turkey
instead of salami.
Replace cream-based
soups with broth-based
soups.
Afternoon snack.
Replace a small
bag of chips with
a cup or two of
light popcorn.
Replace an ice
cream sandwich
with a low-cal
frozen fudge bar.
Cocktail hour.
Have two light
beers rather than
two regular beers.
Drink a glass
of wine instead
of a margarita.
Dinner. Have a
green salad with
light dressing
instead of a baked
potato with butter
or sour cream.
Choose a "light"
frozen entrée
rather than regular.
Use mustard,
salsa or fat-free
salad dressing
in place of 1
tablespoon of
regular mayonnaise
Order a cup of
soup instead of
a bowl
Eat a plain baked
potato with pepper;
skip the sour
cream
Eat cereal with
non-fat milk instead
of whole milk
Swap broiled chicken
fingers for breaded
and fried
Use tuna packed
in water not oil
Swap diet soda
for regular soda
Have a chocolate
kiss instead of
a chocolate bar
Avoiding specific
foods will drop
calories from
your diet. But
so can changing
your style of
eating. I suggest
starting with
a small plate
and making a rule
that there should
be some white
space on the plate
after you've put
food on it –
basically a no-food
zone. This is
a particularly
good rule with
buffet-style meals.
Sometimes the
easiest way to
cut calories is
to cut portions.
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