Monday, June 7, 2010

17 Ways to cut calories!!

17 Ways to cut 100’s of calories! (you won’t miss them!)

Looking to lose weight without starving? Here are 17 ways to cut calories -- and not even miss them. Consider it stealth dieting for women who've had it up to here with feeling deprived!!

1. Scramble your breakfast routine
Start your morning with one-half cup of Egg Beaters. They're just 60 calories, fat-free, and packed with protein and vitamins. And they contain no cholesterol.


2. Eat until you're hara hachi bu
This Japanese term means "eat until you're 80 percent full." It's a calorie-saving strategy used by the Okinawans, who have one of the lowest rates of heart disease, cancer, and stroke -- and one of the highest life expectancies -- of any population in the world. Stop eating when you feel only slightly full; within 15 minutes, you should be satisfied.


3. Spray calories away
Avoid a heavy hand with cooking oil: Use a sprayer like Misto (misto.com) or an olive- or canola-oil spray from Pam. A two-second spritz is roughly one-half teaspoon of oil -- 100 calories fewer than the three teaspoons that could end up in your frying pan.


4. Fill up on veggies midday
Munch on low cal veggies like baby carrots, celery, cucumber, and grape tomatoes to keep the hunger pangs at bay! Still starving? Add 1 ounce of nuts to the mix!


5. Speak up...
When you eat out. Ask for foods made with low-cal cooking methods, such as poached instead of fried.
Ask for vegetables steamed or sauce on the side. That alone could save you 100 calories a dish.


6. Eat slo-o-owly
I've been reading several diet books on Volumetrics, a dieting plan. "Eating mindfully gives you a chance to realize you're full," says Barbara Rolls, PhD, a nutrition professor at Pennsylvania State University and author of
The Volumetrics Eating Plan. Do this at every meal and you could cut 200 calories a day -- or 21 pounds a year!


7. Eat lots of whole fresh fruit
You'll get tons of nutrition for few calories. Try oranges, grapefruit, strawberries, bananas, and grapes, says Barbara Rolls (Volumetrics). They're loaded with vitamins and antioxidants, and they make great healthy portable snacks. Bonus: Fruit is filled with fiber, which helps fill you up and keeps you feeling satisfied longer.


8. Downsize your snacks
Research shows the bigger the package, the more you'll eat. Divvy up big bags of munchies into single-serving sizes as soon as you get home from the store.


9. Start with a salad
Studies by Barbara Rolls show that people who munch on low-calorie, high-fiber foods like veggies and salad 15 minutes before a main course eat 64 to 107 fewer calories overall.


10. Dress for success
Don't sabotage your healthy greens by drowning them in high-fat dressings. For instance, two tablespoons of Thousand Island costs you nearly 100 calories more than reduced-fat Italian. Always ask for dressing on the side when eating out. Put just a little on your salad; you can always add a bit more later if you need it. Better yet- opt for olive oil and vinegar or a low cal vinaigrette!


11. Wrap your sandwich
Thin whole-grain tortillas have 60 to 80 fewer calories than two slices of hearty grain bread! One to try: the 120-calorie La Tortilla Factory Whole Grain Wraps or better yet Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Tortillas!


12. Ask for what's not on the menu
Some restaurants offer small side orders, despite the fact that they're not actually listed on the main menu. Same goes for Starbucks, which will give you a "short" coffee if you ask. Choosing from the child's menu or bringing half your entree home are other good ways to control calories.


13. Take the fat out of your frying pan
Saute meats and vegetables in broth rather than oil or butter. Use two tablespoons of broth instead of two tablespoons of oil and you'll save more than 200 calories. If you do use oil use olive oil!


14. Pump up the volume
Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, which contain lots of water, and you'll consume 24 percent fewer calories a day, according to a recent study in the
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. One easy trick: Throw a cup of vegetables into your pasta and cut back on the noodles; you'll get more nutrients and fewer calories.


15. Cook more, eat less
A study at the University of Texas found that female dieters took in an extra 226 calories and 10 grams of fat on the days they ate out. That's because restaurant portions are up to five times larger than in the past. Make extra servings of your favorite meals to eat throughout the week.


16. Do more baking
Dry-heat cooking methods, such as broiling, baking, and roasting meat, cut the fat. For instance, broiling salmon can slash 120 calories from the pan-fried version. And remove the skin from chicken after it's cooked. You'll retain moisture yet chop 40 calories and 6 grams of fat. Better yet- buy boneless skinless chicken breasts!


17. Slim down your sandwich
Switch from tuna packed in oil to tuna in water and you'll save 73 calories!!!

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