Simple Ways To Cut Calories

Cutting calories can be easier than you think. By simply decreasing portion sizes, moving sauces to the side, watching the calories in what you drink, and trying low-fat versions of your favorite foods, you may see savings of 100 calories and up.

That's important. One pound of body fat equals about 3,500 calories. If you're looking to lose weight, it takes a calorie deficit of approximately 500 calories per day to lose one pound per week. Eliminating just 100 calories per day can help you lose 10 pounds per year or keep the inevitable weight gain at bay.

Another tip? Eat salad before your meal. Researchers found that women who ate 3 cups of salad ate less of the rest of their meal. Other research showed that starting a meal with soup helped to reduce the size of the rest of the meal.

Where to Start

Keep food records to determine your eating patterns and how many calories you are currently taking in. See where you could make some changes in portion sizes or preparation.

Here is a sample of substitutions that can make a big difference, calorie-wise:

INSTEAD OF:

TRY:

SAVINGS:
FOOD ITEM CAL. GRAMS FAT FOOD ITEM CAL. GRAMS FAT CALORIES GRAMS FAT
2 cups whol milk300162 cups nonfat milk180012016
1 cup spaghetti19701 cup spaghetti squash5001470
1 TBSP mayon-naise90101 TBSP mustard908110
1 cup spaghetti19701 cup spaghetti squash5001470
Lender's traditional plain bagel3103Lender's indiv. wrapped plain bagel (2 oz)1500.51602.5
16 oz soda200016 oz diet soda002000
2 TBSP cooking oil24027Cooking spray0024727
StarbucksGrande Café Au Lait with whole milk*1408StarbucksTall Café Au Lait with nonfat milk*600888
1 ounce chips150101 cup grapes6208810
1 cup vanilla ice cream290161 cup lite vanilla ice cream21857211
16 ounce bottle apple juice240o4 ounces apple juice6001800

* Starbucks

Resources

  • Rolls, Barbara, PhD, Roe, Liane S., MPH, RD, Meengs, Jennifer S., RD. Salad and satiety: Energy density and portion size of a first-course salad affect energy intake at lunch. J Am Diet Assoc 2004 Oct:107:1570-1576
  • Rolls BJ, Bell EA, Thorwart ML. Water incorporated into a food but not served with a food decreases energy intake in lean women. Am J Clin Nutr 1999;70:448-55.

Learn more @ About.com

Advertisement
Why Create an Account?

So you can keep track of what you eat - which enables you to analyze your foods and receive the following:
  1. Health Score of your overall diet
  2. Warning when you approach your daily calorie limit
  3. Overview of the good and bad nutrients