What Are Some Of Your Calorie Cutting Tricks?

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  • Snip8241
    Snip8241 Posts: 767 Member
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    Very good tips.....thanks.
  • Snip8241
    Snip8241 Posts: 767 Member
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    Not sure if these can be called tricks, but:
    5 meals a day and not eating between meals.
    Portion control. I have reduced the amount of rice, pasta, bread, pizza, fruit, cheese, chips, chocolate, nuts and milk I ingest at a time.
    Frequency. I eat chocolate, chips, cookies, cake, ice cream less often.
    Drink water instead of soda.
    Cook from scratch instead of eating premade.
    Stopped using sugar in tea and milk in coffee.
    Baking fish, meat instead of frying.
    Yoghurt/smoothies w/fruit and nut butters instead of ice cream.
    ETA: I eat better quality food, no low-fat low-cal anything, I'll rather reduce portion size.
  • Snip8241
    Snip8241 Posts: 767 Member
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    Thanks
  • RosanaRosanaDana
    RosanaRosanaDana Posts: 93 Member
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    Quality food is really important to me. I garden and visit local farms for foods I don't grow. I read labels and wont buy anything if I don't know what it is (i.e. calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate, ammonium sulfate, DATEM, sodium stearoyl lactylate, potassium iodate and ascorbic acid). By the way, I found those on line as chemicals in many breads. If you were baking bread would you include them? Would you even find them in your pantry?
  • whitebalance
    whitebalance Posts: 1,655 Member
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    Weigh it, log it, and put the container away before taking a bite.
    Pre-log and stick to the plan - or adjust the plan during the day, but always with the log.
    Hit the macros with the meals, and choose snacks to fill in any lagging micros.

    Ok, those aren't "tricks." I'd generally rather just work my butt off and eat all the foods, but I guess I do have a few "tricks" ...

    When I buy a sandwich or salad, I order it with double meat... Lunch gets me almost halfway to my protein macro that way, for not many extra calories.

    I mostly cook my sautéed foods in the skillet before adding oil or butter... That way it doesn't take as much fat to brown the foods.

    V8 makes a great soup. A quarter- to half-pound of deli meat with a little crackers and cheese makes a great breakfast or snack. A bag of frozen veggies browned in the skillet with some eggs makes a great dinner if you're low on calories for the day.

    Angel food cake is surprisingly low-cal... Pile on a couple hundred grams of raspberries or blackberries, and you have a nice high-fiber dessert.

    Only the really good ice creams, cheeses, chocolates and other snacks... Not only are they yummier, but they spoil you for the cheap stuff and render you immune to the vending machine at work. And because they're pricier, a portion control incentive is built in.

    I won't eat crunchy, salty snack foods unaccompanied by a diet coke. So I don't keep much diet coke in the house. That way, if I want it, I have to walk a couple miles to and from the nearest convenience store to get it - which burns a few extra calories and helps me avoid impulse eating.
  • bizgirl26
    bizgirl26 Posts: 1,808 Member
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    No tricks.

    Pre-log as much as I can
    Portion control
    Everything in moderation
    I dont have to finish my plate-I can take half home
    Making healthier choices
  • stuffinmuffin
    stuffinmuffin Posts: 985 Member
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    no cheese, bread, peanut butter, butter, salad dressing, dessert, alcohol

    :noway: no peanut butter?!?!

    High protein
    Loads of massive plates of salad
    Salad cream :love:
  • congruns
    congruns Posts: 127 Member
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    chew baked goods and spit
  • Chevy_Quest
    Chevy_Quest Posts: 2,012 Member
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    I make sugar free orange jello and put a can of crushed pineapple in it while it sets (pineapple in it's own juice, not syrup), then top with cool whip lite and it feels like I am indulging in a very delicious adventure :)

    Also, green tea throughout the day, and I agree with using spices and herbs to kick up the flavor of foods. I switched to evoo instead of butter and love Greek yogurt.

    Agree with balancing carbs, proteins and fats and stay away from high glycemic foods.

    Great topic!!

    I am marking because the orange jello pineapple thing sounds too awesome! :smile:
  • ReaganP13
    ReaganP13 Posts: 35 Member
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    chew baked goods and spit


    Ummmmmmm........ Can't tell if this is for real but "ew" and "haha!" are my first reactions.
  • sweetnlow30
    sweetnlow30 Posts: 497 Member
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    Nothing secret about my tips but here are some things that have helped me:

    Prelog my day each morning

    I eat the same thing for lunch every day with slight variations. It is easier for me to plan and I am not sick of it yet!

    I never drink my calories besides one coffee a day. If I decide to have something like a smoothie, I consider it a meal replacement.

    I keep tempting foods like baked goods out of sight. My husband has a cupboard for his own treats since he is bulking. I find I crave less when I don't have to look at it

    I save a good amount of calories for a bed time snack/ treat every night. Its usually fruit and ice cream or a salty snack. It's a reward for staying on plan that day and the calories are accounted for.

    I enjoy taking traditional recipes and making them lighter. Sometimes I will create my own mini casserole as a side to the family's higher calorie dish. I use less cheese on mine and weigh out the items so I have a calorie controlled dish of my own

    I use a smaller plate at dinner time. It really does feel like I am getting more food when I fill a small plate and I feel more satisfied. Your mindset is important when sticking to a calorie reduced plan.
  • trainguy917
    trainguy917 Posts: 366 Member
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    no cheese, bread, peanut butter, butter, salad dressing, dessert, alcohol

    I agree with all of these except for, well, most of them. Cheese is high in calcium and protein. Peanut butter is one of the most amazingly versatile foods in the world nutritionally. Whole wheat breads are wonderful sources of whole grains, fiber, and even protein if you choose wisely. Salad dressing is so broad that I don't know what you mean. You eat your salads with no dressing at all? What about the fact that you need some fat in order to absorb some of the nutrients in the salad most effectively? Oil and vinegar is great on a salad and good for you. Butter, dessert, and alcohol I'll give you, but not 100% of the time. The key is portion control. To me, no food is completely forbidden. There are every day foods, every week foods, and special occasion foods.
  • sabolfitwife
    sabolfitwife Posts: 424 Member
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    I make sugar free orange jello and put a can of crushed pineapple in it while it sets (pineapple in it's own juice, not syrup), then top with cool whip lite and it feels like I am indulging in a very delicious adventure :)

    Also, green tea throughout the day, and I agree with using spices and herbs to kick up the flavor of foods. I switched to evoo instead of butter and love Greek yogurt.

    Agree with balancing carbs, proteins and fats and stay away from high glycemic foods.

    Great topic!!

    Your Jello recipe sounds absolutely delicious! I will have to try that, maybe even this weekend for a healthy 4th of July bbq dessert :-)

    I myself like to pre-log my foods for the day (usually the night before while I make my lunch for work) so I can see how many calories I'll be taking in throughout the day. Then I go by how I feel. If I'm hungrier than I thought I'd be I try to eat some extra protein. Lots of water, no sodas and I've been trying to add in more fresh veggies as they're low in calories and fill you up.
  • amberj32
    amberj32 Posts: 663 Member
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    I've been slicing up banana, putting it in a ziplock bag, tossing in a little bit of hot cocoa powder, shaking the crap out of it, and then freezing it. The result is a delicious banana chocolaty mess.

    I need to do this tonight! That sounds very good!
  • trainguy917
    trainguy917 Posts: 366 Member
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    chew baked goods and spit


    Ummmmmmm........ Can't tell if this is for real but "ew" and "haha!" are my first reactions.

    If serious, http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/
  • LotusAsh
    LotusAsh Posts: 294 Member
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    no cheese, bread, peanut butter, butter, salad dressing, dessert, alcohol

    that sounds terrible
  • LPReid
    LPReid Posts: 2 Member
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    Measure/weigh your portions. No guessing!
  • MG_Fit
    MG_Fit Posts: 1,143 Member
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    I usually try to replace all of the recipes that call for grain with cauliflower. This seem to work well. Oh, and when eating a burger or hot dog, I just use lettuce.
  • Biggirllittledreams
    Biggirllittledreams Posts: 306 Member
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    no cheese, bread, peanut butter, butter, salad dressing, dessert, alcohol
    I couldn't never give up cheese or peanut butter for the rest of my life!

    Peanut butter = lyfe.
  • kvansanity
    kvansanity Posts: 108 Member
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    I don't cook with oil or butter. I use cooking spray to get the job done. Yeah, I'm sacrificing flavor and tenderness of my meat at times but with enough vegetables and spices it all tastes good.

    I also avoid using salt unless absolutely necessary cus once I start eating salty food I won't stop.

    PB2 for peanut butter in smoothies (although I go for the real stuff half the time too!)

    I drink coffee, water, and tea and hardly any other types of beverages. I rarely drink and I don't do soda either!

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