Swap this for that!

amusedmonkey

This may sound like a silly swap, but now I have thin crust pizza instead of full pan. I never bothered to try before but it turns out I actually like thin crust better, and it's a bit lighter on calories.

Half mayo half greek yogurt instead of a whole portion of mayo

Bread crumbs soaked in nonfat milk instead of heavy cream in my minced cutlets. I REALLY can't tell the difference in taste, makes me wonder why I didn't do that in the past.

Chocolate instead of chocolate... yeah, not gonna be substituting that in a million years.

Basically the swaps I did make actually taste the same or better to me than my original version, otherwise I don't bother with swapping.

suzannemcarter

Mashed cauliflower for mashed potatoes

I have tried this so many times and I just cant stand it. I have to add SOO much salt/chickenstock during the blending to make it taste good. Maybe I'm doing it wrong?

Comment: I would add a whole clove of minced garlic (and really mash it up!) The garlic really helps with the flavor. Also I put a little sour cream in - but I stir it after I've mashed/whipped the cauliflower so I can taste it in there!

mellie112233

GMO free foods in place of GMO foods.
Homemade salad dressings for store.
Sweet potatoes for potatoes.
I half the amount of butter for recipes and use coconut oil instead.
Lemon water in the morning in place of coffee.

I've made a lot of changes..because I pretty much stripped our diets from most processed foods. We have a few organic ones or some that don't contain GMO's . Not all with the calories in mind. More with the health benefits of the changes in mind.

WaKay

vodka or gin for water.

Gemini61454

I would like the recipe for those low carb tortillas

I've tried most of the suggested switches and I think they are good, but I also think eating smaller portions for your favorites works too.

As far as the substituting porter or stout for the lager - I really don't see the point, if you like it, not much difference there in calories or health benefits. Why not drink the lager if you like it better? Isn't drinking alcohol about indulgence anyway?

amusedmonkey

One more thing I forgot to mention, when I do feel like having fried stuff that need batter, I heat the oil up, use soda in the batter (bubbles form during frying that repel too much oil from being absorbed), and rice flour instead of wheat flour (less gluten less absorbed oil). Of course drain after frying. This actually reduces the amount of oil use by at least a half and the result is amazing and crunchy.

histora

I've switched flour tortilla wraps for red leaf lettuce when eating taco chicken or something similar. The calories in a wrap are ridiculous and made me sad. I actually found out I liked it. Added bonus, the kids see Mom eating leaves and aren't afraid of lettuce like their father.

Also switched to plain greek yogurt in my tuna salad sandwich mix. I like the tangyness, the rich feel, and I hated mayo so it was a win-win.

Salsa on my eggs and baked potatoes and my tacos instead of various things like cheese, high-sodium taco sauces, etc. I like the contrast of the flavors and textures.

1/2 coffee 1/2 cappuccino instead of all cappuccino. This was easier on my stomach and had less cals.

Kita salmon or steelhead trout for tilapia. I found myself compensating for the tilapia's lack of flavor with higher calorie breadings and sauces. The trout and salmon have more texture and flavor on their own, so I don't have to really mess with it as much.

I don't completely eliminate the foods I switch out, but there are days where I can't "just exercise more" to make room for it, and what the hell do you care if I decide I like not using tortilla wraps and choose lettuce instead? I was doing exactly what you suggest, and I made room for the calories I really wanted by cutting out the ones I didn't need. So blow.

rebalee8

I swapped lattes for cappuccinos.

I didn't do it to save calories, I just got tired of the so much milkiness.

But it does save calories... especially when you drink 3-a-day.

BlueBombers

Some people around here swap cauliflower for everything.

:sick:

eimaj5575

Cauliflower pizza crust yum!

Also applesauce instead of oil in baking

^^^^ This!!! It is so yummy and cant tell a difference.

bciloveme2014

peanut butter → PB2
dairy milk → almond milk
ice cream → frozen yogurt
white bread → wheat bread (thin)
milkshakes → fruit smoothies
fast food → home-cooked meals!

tortilla chips - -toasted corn tortillas
regular rice -- brown rice
regular pasta for whole wheat pasta

nm212

Bump

robinkelly25

Spaghetti Squash for Pasta...

jlapey

I don't do a whole lot of swapping. All things in moderation. I have however recently switched from a 190 calorie whole grain ciabatta roll to a 90 calorie whole grain flat bread for my lunches at work. That's 500 calories less a week.

histora

Oh, that reminds me - switched my random white chocolate mocha from SB with the Hazelnut Macchiatto. The taste is still amazing IMO and the cals are half. Switching to soy milk also helped my digestion - didn't switch for cals there.

Part of the challenge in switching at my house is that I have, HAVE, to provide high-calorie nutritionally-dense foods for my boys and husband, who are all extremely active and slender. (Two of my boys are "underweight", one is on the low end of "normal".) I can't afford to buy two sets of groceries, and if I put the family on a heavy fruits and veg, less everything fattening diet, they'd wither away. So I switch out foods and we can all share the same foods. Win-win. Small portions only gets ya so far sometimes.

Nuttynutnuts

Love this thread!

- Gave up beer and wine so I can have more delicious food (I didn't like the taste of alcohol much anyway, and I'd rather spend my calories on precious food)
- Home made popcorn instead of microwave popcorn, so I can control the oil and portion size.
- Unsweetened herbal/fruit tea instead of chocolate soy milk and fizzy drink.
- Almond milk instead of soy milk (fewer calories).
- Hummus instead of peanut butter on my toast (I love peanut butter but it's so high calorie so I have it less. Really want to try PB2 though!)
- Small Pringles can instead of eating a whole big Pringles tube by myself. LOL.

MelissaPhippsFeagins

/Oh another one... instead of spaghetti I have spaghetti squash...easy to bake - cut in half, take seeds out and in overn for 45 min at 350 then scoop out the 'spaghetti stands' and I arrange them on a plate like spaghetti and put (home made) tomato sauce and a bit of parmesan cheese and YUM. And I can have seconds! At first I didn't think I'd be full since i love carbs...but it is actually quite filling...and they re-heat nicely!

This...and for the person who thinks it's too sweet, sprinkle it with oregano and sage before you bake it. The sage cuts the sweetness and the oregano adds some Italian flavor.

paperpudding

Why are people so sad about what others are choosing to eat or not eat?

Because unless you have a medical condition its unnecessary. And to watch people make mistakes that I've made in the past is sad, you can enjoy delicious food just smaller amounts of it. You don't have to think of any food as good or bad.

Eating cauliflower and pretending it's pizza crust is just depressing.

Also for the one that said this is about getting healthier not just losing weight, well since I've lost 107 lbs by eating all the good foods that I enjoy, I've been taken off of multiple prescriptions, all my blood work has improved significantly... so I would say I'm getting much healthier.

Nobody is thinking of food as good or bad - they are thinking of it as high calorie or low calorie.

and one could take the alternate POV - is sad to see people struggling to eat smaller portions when they could still be enjoying larger portions - of alternative food with lower calories (or a mixture of the 2 approaches)

People can do things differently to you and still be successful, you know.

spirit095

I've swapped cereal for the most part for oatmeal.

rak173

I love this! So many good ideas.

The big ones I use:

Pam spray butter or spray olive oil instead of pouring it in the pan
Air popped popcorn instead of chips
Coffee with a tiny bit of creamer instead of the decadent treats at places like Starbucks
Frozen yogurt instead of ice cream

amusedmonkey

Here is another one, in some recipes where leaner cuts are just not right, I grind some heavily seasoned and cooked mushrooms with my ground meat (in addition to onions and garlic) this imparts some special amazing flavor and cuts down the bulk of fatty meat.

P.S I have always loved cauliflower so I'm curious about the pizza crust, isn't it chuck full of cheese and egg yolk making it a higher calorie alternative to the conventional crust? Or have I been reading the wrong recipes? I'm honestly curious to try it if it actually has lower calories.

manda1978

3pm sugar fix (chocolate, muffins etc) for a Quest bar

belanna5

In my pies
sugar+flour+eggs---->oats+juice

hellomanen

normal overly sweet over the top with sugar apple pie for a healthy oats and cauliflower crust with thin apple slices with cinammon and stevia drops! that ish is even gluten - diairy free!

04ward

Unsweetened Almond Milk for Skim Milk in Protein Drinks.

marcksh

I've swapped juice for flavoured 0 cal water - PC Free & Clear. So good even my hubby drinks it.

Only issue I have is are there added chemicals? Or enough to worry about?