Little changes that make a big difference

moonagedaydream72

I was thinking we could have a thread where we could share little cooking tips and tricks (switching out certain ingredients, etc) that help save on calories.

For a while I just didn't bother to use cooking spray when I made my omelettes or cooked something in a pan. I'd use butter or olive oil because it was there and i didn't think to go out and get cooking spray. But since I switched to it, I'm saving at least 100 calories per meal, which is awesome.

Are there any small switches that helped you save calories?

lorrpb

Sandwich thins or thin sliced bread instead of regular sandwich bread. Sorry don't have the cals st hand.

KimmieCapone

I haven't made any changes to my diet yet, but this is only my 3rd day. My first week challenge is to 1. drink more water and 2. no fast food. Next week I'm going to make my goal to have at least one serving of fruit and vegetables every day. In the past, I think I've tried to do too much too soon and I quickly got overwhelmed.

I ONLY drink water, I take a medication for my chronic migraines that makes anything carbonated taste super nasty, so soda was easy for me to give up. Initially, I lost 30 lbs but I've managed to pack it all back on. I am in LOVE with the Great Value wild strawberry with energy powder drink enhancers from Wal-Mart. Each packet is 10 calories and I could easily go through 6-8 packets a day. When I am at work, I alternate between plain water and the packets so I don't drink as much. Not only because it costs me calories, but it cost me $$!

pinggolfer96

Greek yogurt as sour cream, mayo, base of a salad dressing....etc

healthy_hermione

moonagedaydream72 wrote: »

I was thinking we could have a thread where we could share little cooking tips and tricks (switching out certain ingredients, etc) that help save on calories.

For a while I just didn't bother to use cooking spray when I made my omelettes or cooked something in a pan. I'd use butter or olive oil because it was there and i didn't think to go out and get cooking spray. But since I switched to it, I'm saving at least 100 calories per meal, which is awesome.

Are there any small switches that helped you save calories?

I'm curious, what cooking spray do you use? I do the melted butter thing too but a healthier alternative would be great.

Kalikel

I usually use stock instead of oil to cook things. Often, I throw the onion in first and that lubes things up well enough that I don't need anything. There is very little that I need to actually fry with oil.

Fat-free dairy is an easy-peasy way to cut calories.

I make my own bread. Home-made whole wheat bread is a million times better than the crap they sell in the store and you can slide it thin, so fewer calories in a slice!

Fruits and veggies are good for us and fill us up nicely for very few calories, so I eat a lot of them. I cannot say enough good things about "The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone." If anyone wants to begin making healthy foods in yummy ways, it's a wonderful cookbook to get started with.

Kalikel

kimberlynolte wrote: »

I haven't made any changes to my diet yet, but this is only my 3rd day. My first week challenge is to 1. drink more water and 2. no fast food. Next week I'm going to make my goal to have at least one serving of fruit and vegetables every day. In the past, I think I've tried to do too much too soon and I quickly got overwhelmed.

Sounds like a great plan. Good luck!

JShailen

Definitely cutting down on oils/butter when cooking. In general I only add them when I want the flavor, not to grease the pan.

Also, made the switch to diet/no added sugar drinks years ago...that alone is saving me a few hundred calories a day, possibly 1000+ based on how much I used to drink.

HeidiCooksSupper

Measure dry pasta by weight before boiling. If I only boil 1 serving per person, we only eat 1 serving per person. Use lots of vegetables to bulk up a pasta recipe. Use freshly grated strong cheese like real parmesan, asiago, etc. to get lots of cheese flavor from very little cheese.

This is a hint you might not use very often but when I make spanakopita, instead of brushing on melted butter or pouring on oil, I use my fingers to dot on olive oil. I can make a whole-sleeve-of-filo/2-bags-of-spinach spanakopita with less than 1/4 cup of olive oil -- total! Comes out wonderfully tasty/crispy.

karyabc

lorrpb wrote: »

Sandwich thins or thin sliced bread instead of regular sandwich bread. Sorry don't have the cals st hand.

Love this , some people complain about them but I love them , I use multiple brands but that Sara Lee's is like 45 per slice

karyabc

Don't know if somebody mention it already but 2 big things for me are egg white and my almond milk , huge calorie saver items

karyabc

Oh and I'm not huge consumer but diet coke does it for me too

wizzybeth

1. Sprite Zero - for when I want a sweet carbonated drink that doesn't taste horribly diety.
2. Club soda or seltzer water to turn a 5 oz glass of wine into an 8 or 10oz refreshing spritzer
3. Learned to drink coffee & tea black/plain - no calories from milk/cream or sugar (I hate artificial sweeteners and creamers)
4. Using fat free ranch dressing instead of mayo on sandwiches (some don't like FF ranch, but I think it's a brand thing...I don't notice a difference in taste myself. It is a little thinner but OK for sandwiches or tuna/chicken salad.
5. Learning to use less salad dressing on salads - takes time but it does eventually happen!
6. Drinking water when thirsty instead of soda, iced tea, juice, etc.
7. Weighing everything...everything...everything. It is a "little" thing that turns into a BIG help.
8. When eating meals - eating salad or huge portions of plain veggies first so I am more full and will be satisfied with smaller portions of the other food (like being satisfied with a small slice of pizza instead of wanting 3 slices, lol)

BethM1015

For the salads I make at home, I use mild salsa instead of salad dressing.

bebeisfit

Ok, so this isn't a calorie swap... but stay with me. Add in a vegetable with every meal. You will begin to eat a bit less of everything else because of the increase in the volume of food. In addition, the added fiber does it's magic. Of course, you'll need to increase your water intake as well. Ditto for adding beans into your diet. your energy goes way up and the desire for fast food or highly processed foods seems to go down. It's worked for me in the past...guess I need to get back to this.

And I don't mean plain steamed vegetables or salads. Be creative, incorporate fresh herbs, roast your vegetables.

moonagedaydream72

healthytwentytwo wrote: »

moonagedaydream72 wrote: »

I was thinking we could have a thread where we could share little cooking tips and tricks (switching out certain ingredients, etc) that help save on calories.

For a while I just didn't bother to use cooking spray when I made my omelettes or cooked something in a pan. I'd use butter or olive oil because it was there and i didn't think to go out and get cooking spray. But since I switched to it, I'm saving at least 100 calories per meal, which is awesome.

Are there any small switches that helped you save calories?

I'm curious, what cooking spray do you use? I do the melted butter thing too but a healthier alternative would be great.

I use the "our compliments" brand which is just a Canadian generic brand. it's about 5 cals per spray

jacklifts

salad dressing sub: balsamic vinegar only instead of balsamic vinaigrette. one serving goes a long way too.
95/5 ground beef when making meat sauce. can't tell the difference.
Baker's semi-sweet chocolate bar for treat - 1oz is 8carbs/6 fat, much lower than other chocolate (don't know why)
Frozen chocolate greek yogurt bars - very macro friendly

elisa123gal

1. Use chicken broth instead of butter for steaming vegetables, in your mashed potatoes, and to sauté anything.

2. Add mashed cauliflower to any kind of mashed potato to bulk up portion and lower calories. I do this with
Mashed potatoes (using chicken broth) and for my twice baked potatoes.

3. add 35 calorie wedge of laughing cow light cheese to your portion of mashed potatoes or twice baked ..also
into whipped into egg whites and vegetables for a tasty frittata. I also use them with spinach or broccoli for
stuffed chicken breasts

4 Mushrooms are so low in calories.. stuff them with diced shrimp, spinach, and laughing cow light cheese and
broil.
5. Helman's Dijonnase is a big secret of mine.. i use it in place of mayo.. only 5 calories. I eat a deviled egg
almost every day made with that.
6 Frank's hot sauce.. tangy..the best for adding flavor to anything.
7. 100 calorie microwave popcorn. Hello? yes.. great portion control..just eat one bag and you're done.
and why not dash some Frank's hot sauce for extra flavor?

suzan06

Especially if you can get it cheap from a garden.... Add a salad to every lunch and dinner (if you do just vinegar and lettuce it is quick, easy, and low calories). It fills up half your plate. Same with breakfast- if you are making eggs, sauté a bell pepper with it, etc.

I went to a really interesting nutrition talk by a researcher at, I think, Cornell. He does a lot of work about how and why people make good or bad food choices. Stuff like in school cafeterias, if you have fresh fruit displayed, or if you have 3/4ths white milk in the case and the chocolate is way at the back, people make healthier choices- even though all the same stuff is there! So I try to set us up for success by having a fruit drawer in the fridge full of fruit that lasts a while (apples and oranges), and stuff like that.

The other thing he talked a lot about was plate size and how you serve yourself. Obviously a lot of people here weigh and measure, but if you don't, or if you have family members who don't, your plate size makes a difference in how much you eat. Even after they gave a lecture to a group of people about the plate size thing, they did a meal after and measured people's intake at the meal, giving them different sized plates, and there is a difference! It's totally subconscious. So we picked up a few "lunch" sized plates, that are just smaller dinner plates, and tend to use those as much as possible, to trick our brains into thinking we are full. Same with stuff like if you buy a bag of chips- if it's a huge bag, your brain eats way more unless you are measuring it.

Physick

Paying attention to starchy foods- they pack a lot of caloric punch. I try to stay away from bread, potatoes, pasta, and rice. Not exclusively, but man does it change my lunches. If your mindset isn't 'dieting' but simply trying to avoid starchy carbs being the center of your meal, you really cut calories quick.

For example, my lunch is no longer centered around bread, sandwiches, or pasta. It really leaves me with salad, grilled proteins, choosing a vegetable or fruit side dish as opposed to mashed potatoes, french fries etc...

So yeah- avoiding starchy high GI carbs. Bread, rice, potatoes, pasta.

yayamom3

Anytime we eat Mexican food in a restaurant (which is frequently), I always leave the cheese off. It makes a huge difference, and I don't miss it. For example, if I order two shrimp tacos without cheese. that is only 500 calories. A very reasonable and delicious dinner.

AnnPT77

• I pretty much skip the pasta or bread, and just eat what I would've put on the pasta, or in the sandwich. But lettuce wraps work for sandwich-like use, too. The pasta/bread just aren't worth the calories to me, in terms of their nutritional value (and I don't crave the carbs, as some do).
• I like vinegar on salad, and there are a bunch of different types, or you can put prepared mustard, or herbs or spices in it (heat some of it *briefly* in the microwave to get the herbs/spices to give up more flavor, if you're using it right away).
• Use greek yogurt to make "creamy" salad dressing & add some protein, and greek yogurt makes great deviled eggs.
• Top your salad with some cottage cheese instead of dressing.
• Use pureed white beans to thicken soups or sauces - not necessarily lower calories, but higher nutrition than a cream sauce, and more filling. Pureed cauliflower, winter squash, or other suitable veggies are also an option.
• Herb tea, hot or cold. Or herb/green team mixed half-and-half with sparkling water.
• Plain do-it-yourself popcorn, popped in the microwave, is lower calorie than most of the prepackaged stuff, and way cheaper. Add your own flavor - quick spray of olive oil helps salt or other dry seasoning to stick (you could use regular cooking spray, but I don't love it). For around 100 calories, I can eat a decent portion of popcorn with half an ounce of actual fresh grated parmesan cheese on it, even.

I *don't* cut out a small amount of olive oil for scrambled eggs or what-have-you, because it's healthy fat, and it only takes a teaspoon or so. Worth the calories to me. As with any of these things, people have different tastes, cravings, and satiation factors, so YMMV.

AnnPT77

HeidiCooksSupper wrote: »

This is a hint you might not use very often but when I make spanakopita, instead of brushing on melted butter or pouring on oil, I use my fingers to dot on olive oil. I can make a whole-sleeve-of-filo/2-bags-of-spinach spanakopita with less than 1/4 cup of olive oil -- total! Comes out wonderfully tasty/crispy.

Spray olive oil (either commercial spray, or in your own pump sprayer) also works great for filo in savory dishes. Quicker than spreading *anything*, and - though it's tough to measure - I'm guessing the total quantity of needed oil may be less. Bakes up all flaky & crispy, just like you'd like.

LittleMissGreedy28

Good thread

akboy58

I love salmon, and eat a lot of it to reach my protein goals. I used to brush it with oilve oil and tamari then broil it, but now I take a 6-oz frozen filet and just microwave it on high for 3.5 minutes with some seasoning -- twice as fast, equally delicious, and saves the olive oil calories. Another favorite calorie cutter is Greek yogurt -- I eat tons of it. With some seasoning I use it as a substitue for mayo on sandwiches, or in tuna salad; mixed with berries and maybe just a tsp of sugar it's my go-to creamy dessert.

patrikc333

- logging
- spray oil
- low fat yogurts
- having a calories limit for the day
- evaluate what food is better to eat in that particular moment

umayster

Don't drink your calories. Proteins and fats minimize hunger.

busyPK

Anyone ever use Chef Shamy Garlic Butter? It is amazing! I put a bit in all my steamed veggies and it give it so much flavor. I never need more than 1T for a big helping and it's under 100 calories and really has me enjoying my veggies now.

Another poster mentioned Laughing Cow Cheese. I use a wedge in my stuffed chicken with some spinach and a very small amount of other shredded cheese with some Cajun spices sprinkled on top and it is amazing. Great dinner!