Swap this for that!

mlm5537

I've tried the zucchini vs pasta and cauliflower vs pizza crust and I just can't do it. So I only add pizza or pasta to my menu about once every two weeks and use a high fiber pasta and make homemade veggie pizza with wheat crust. Some common swaps I do make though are:

frozen greek yogurt for ice cream
unsweetened applesauce for oil in baking
steak sauce (5 calories!) and greek yogurt on baked potato instead of butter/sour cream/ cheese/ bacon
2 fig newtons instead of a handful (or more!) of cookies or other treats
WATER for regular soda (I do have a small glass of diet, caffeine-free soda when I can't stand it anymore)
reduced fat pretzels instead of potato chips
veggies and hummus or tzatziki instead of chips and dip
high protein high fiber wraps (like FlatOut) for flour tortillas

I think the idea is just to find a plan that WORKS for you. If you get to the end of the day and you're still hungry or you're fighting yourself not to go back to the kitchen for a late night snack, you're doing something wrong. You can find a way to satisfy all of your cravings. For some of us, that means eating a larger quantity of lower calorie foods. For others, it means eating smaller amounts of more calorie dense foods. As long as you can sustain the choices you're making FOREVER (since that is the goal here!), and continue being and feeling healthy, then it is the right choice for you.

likitisplit

Okay, spelling error no need to be a jerk about it And yes, ice cream is definitely not the most healthy food around but again MY opinion, don't want to start a war here

Eons ago when I had my tonsils removed, the standard hospital fare during recovery was vanilla ice cream. The point is, ice cream is not necessarily unhealthy. A good quality ice cream or homemade ice cream made using quality ingredients has good nutritional value including high protein so it is not something that has to be eliminated from the diet. However, cheap brands use artificial colours, artificial flavours, HFCS, thickeners like carrageenan, sugar substitutes, and lower protein content These are the ice creams that should be avoided.

FWIW, many view ice cream as a must have treat. We don't. I make homemade ice cream three or four times a year and we enjoy a rare ice cream cone with the grandkids once or twice a year. For those that do like ice cream, there's a lot worse desserts to indulge in like Boston cream pie :laugh:

Oooh. I'm thinking about doing a Boston Cream Pie for my birthday. All those yummy, yummy eggs....

ObtainingBalance

This thread makes me sad. Good luck off to have my last chocolate of the night

Why does it make you sad?

People aren't saying they will never have their favourite thing ever again - but if you are going to lose weight, you are going to have to make some changes to your eating habits ( and/or do more exercise) .
So if one of their changes is swapping, say, a regular snack of ice cream to a snack of frozen grapes, why is this sad?

Exactly. I don't see why it should make a person sad. They never said they banned the food, they just found nice alternatives, which helps them save calories.

ObtainingBalance

One swap that makes a difference in calories, even though it's small, is switching from normal milk to skim milk or drinking almond milk.
Finding ones that are below 100 calories vs drinking milk that has 150 calories. (this makes a difference if you like adding milk to your hot drinks, if you make low calorie hot cocoa with it, or if you drink a couple cups of milk/day)

Also adding stevia to unsweetened things instead of buying items with large amounts of sugar.

rebalee8

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

Maybe hurts their feelings to not have the validation of others making the same choices?

Mygsds

This thread makes me sad. Good luck off to have my last chocolate of the night

Why does it make you sad?

People aren't saying they will never have their favourite thing ever again - but if you are going to lose weight, you are going to have to make some changes to your eating habits ( and/or do more exercise) .
So if one of their changes is swapping, say, a regular snack of ice cream to a snack of frozen grapes, why is this sad?

Exactly. I don't see why it should make a person sad. They never said they banned the food, they just found nice alternatives, which helps them save calories.

Thank you, nicely said

RachelSueMobley

single serve bowls of cereal for grab bags of chips

MysteriousMerlin

I change out oat or whole wheat flour for 50-75% of the regular white flour in baked goods, and greek yogurt or applesauce for oil.

MireyGal76

Let's see...

Pizza for... nope still eating it.
Ice cream for... um... nevermind
Alcohol for... hmm... still drinking from time to time
Chocolate for... ARE YOU CRAZY?
Doritos... no way am I stopping those!


Oooh - I do have a few!!!

Instead of a WHOLE pizza, I have two slices. usually.
Instead of a container of ice cream, I have a small bowl.
Don't ask about the alcohol.
I have more dark chocolate and less chocolate bars.
I have a handful or two of chips.. not the whole bag.

I started taking vitamins!
I snack on almonds
Try to drink less coffee
I still have fast food, but less often
I use more barbecue sauce and less ranch dressing
I drink more water and less pop / juice

sclaibo

Great thread!

couch for the gym
elevator for the stairs
pop for water
ranch to fat free ranch
sour cream to fat free sour cream
white bread to whole grain white bread (still can't get down with wheat)
pasta to whole grain pasta
rice to brown rice
eating out to home-cooked meals
potatoes to sweet potatoes

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.