What are you tricks for cutting down on Calories?

aaeros
aaeros Posts: 157
in Health and Weight Loss
When it comes to salads, I need salad dressing. So to help cut down on the amount of salad dressing I use I add some red wine vinegar.

What's your trick?
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Replies

  • dosmundos
    dosmundos Posts: 64
    When I want sweets, I eat sugar free Jello. Love it. With fat free creamsometimes. You can eat a ton and have very few calories.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,426 MFP Moderator
    The best advice can give you, try to eat stuff in as natural form as you can. The less processed the better. Sugar free, fat free, low calorie, etc all are loaded with chemicals which can make it harder to lose (very high sodium content). For salads, I use olive oil and vinegar. Try to eat lean meats, fruits and veggies and you should be pretty good.

    On a side note, based on your diary, it doesn't appear you have problems with calories. And as long as your are active, you can eat more than you already are. i workout 6 days a week (p90x/insanity hybrid), I am 5'11, 200 lbs and 12% body fat and I eat 2600 calories to lose weight. And try to stay away from fast food.
  • sandhillsmom
    sandhillsmom Posts: 319 Member
    I use cooking spray instead of oil to pan cook veges.
    I switched from creamy dressings to vinaigrettes and then still add more vinegar or lemon juice.
    I cut out bread products and have starchy vegetables instead
  • MrDude_1
    MrDude_1 Posts: 2,510 Member
    On a side note, based on your diary, it doesn't appear you have problems with calories. And as long as your are active, you can eat more than you already are. i workout 6 days a week (p90x/insanity hybrid), I am 5'11, 200 lbs and 12% body fat and I eat 2600 calories to lose weight. And try to stay away from fast food.

    just an FYI, for that same 200lb 5'11" man, if you sit at a desk job all day with very little movement, its easy to spend 800+ calories less then you without even trying... more so if you're not active outside of work.
  • Kebby83
    Kebby83 Posts: 232 Member
    My trick is to eat them and not log them!
    J/k

    I just be careful. Eat half portions etc.
  • snowgrrl83
    snowgrrl83 Posts: 242 Member
    Seriously, I have my own little "rules" that I try and follow as much as possible. I eat in snacks, every 2 hours.

    250 calories, every 2 hours. The snacks can not exceed 250 cals. They can be anywhere between 150 cals and 250 cals.

    9AM, 11AM, 1PM, 3PM I usually have a "meal" that is about 500 cals at 6PM and then another snack of 250 cals at 9PM. Voila!
    If you want to lower your cals even more...just try 200 cals every 2 hours.
  • Erica27511
    Erica27511 Posts: 490 Member
    Hmmm, I don't have any, I just watch my portions.

    But, I will be watching this thread for suggestions that peak my interest :bigsmile:
  • shabaity
    shabaity Posts: 792 Member
    diabetic i live with the calories in the regular dressing cause the fat free has more sugar there is like one gram of sugar in a serving of ranch but in fat free there is like 14 grams:sick:
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Not a trick exactly, but I am paying attention to portion sizes. That has been the trick I needed to cut back to a reasonable number each day. I am at net 1700.
  • Lina4Lina
    Lina4Lina Posts: 712 Member
    Salad dressing - I prefer things like salsa for salad dressing. You can also look at creative salad dressings you can make yourself. Like using frozen raspberries (frozen because they are cheaper) blended with a bit of balsamic vinegar, a touch of olive oil and spices.

    Bulking up on veggies - my biggest tip for cutting down on calories. Eat more veggies. Snack on sugar snap peas, baby carrots, grape tomatoes, roasted green beans, etc.

    Braise in broth/water vs sauteeing in oil.

    Bake instead of fry (although I've never fried anything in my life so baking has always been my staple)
  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,010 Member
    My trick is to cut out liquid calories or at least cut down.....Otherwise I enjoy my food and work hard to be able to eat it.
  • elainecroft
    elainecroft Posts: 595 Member
    Planning! Having things around that you know are low calorie and filling, like cheese sticks, veggies and hummus.

    Also, veggies. I get huge bags of frozen veggies and add them to stir fry, soup - pretty much anything. One of my proudest days was when my hubby was making Ramen (no, he's not a college student) and added in some frozen peas and broccoli without me saying a thing - he said he's gotten so used to the taste he likes it with veggies now!
  • _Elemenopee_
    _Elemenopee_ Posts: 2,665 Member
    I eat less
  • mondesa
    mondesa Posts: 61 Member
    I add losts of veggies onions and seasoning to my salads i find if there is enough ofa variety you do not need dressing. If its a must i try different salsas or change the seasoning. Lots of pepper helps too

    And as someone else said i bake or grill everything
  • RainingBrooke
    RainingBrooke Posts: 10
    No real tricks, but....I had my last caesar salad last week, NOT realizing how packed it was. Normally, with most salads I do not have any dressing. I like my salads in plain form, which took me a very long time to do. I watch portion size. I have a plastic pink bowl that I measured water in and I know it holds 2 cups, I use that alot for my portion control. I know if I have a soup, I can fill it alittle over half, for example. I also do not often use bigger dinner plates, I'll use the smaller ones. I drink lots of bottled water and not just any bottled water either. I rarely use salt so I don't drink Nestle bottled water, I have and do buy Walmarts Great Value simply because of the no salt content in it over the Nestle one. We shop mostly at our local Superstore and we try to buy as much blue menu products as possible. It's suppose to be healthier and when we compare them with other brands, they have lower contents of sugar, salt, fat etc. If you have a farmers market or a roadside farmer place, go there for your fresh produce.
  • jfatheree78
    jfatheree78 Posts: 78 Member
    My little trick for cutting calories is PB2. It's powered peanut butter with only 45 calories per serving (vs. 200 in regular peanutbutter). I put it in my shakes, but apparently you can also bake with it or add water to make it a paste like regular peanut butter.
  • IronPlayground
    IronPlayground Posts: 1,594 Member
    My trick is to cut out liquid calories or at least cut down.....Otherwise I enjoy my food and work hard to be able to eat it.

    ^^This! I get very few calories from drinks. Also, portion control.
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
    When I want sweets, I eat sugar free Jello. Love it. With fat free creamsometimes. You can eat a ton and have very few calories.

    Instead of salad dressing, sometimes I will use salsa, or cottage cheese, or both. Usually though, just adding more fruits and veggies to the day reduces my overall calories.
  • MrsSWW
    MrsSWW Posts: 1,585 Member
    Portion control

    Add low calorie vegetables to bulk out recipes, yup I'll eat aubergine and courgettes for breakfast, why not?

    Check the calories of everything before you buy it lest you end up eating it rather than throwing it away

    A little spice and dried herbs go a long way to add flavour
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    Dropped white foods - rice, bread, sugar, and anything made of flour.
  • Emily_fitat30
    Emily_fitat30 Posts: 32 Member
    Cut my portions down, it is mind over matter with me!
    I use smaller plates as I like to see them full! I buy 400g bread rather than 800 so im still having 2 pieces of toast they are just smaller
    no longer use butter or marg, i make white/ cheese sauces with cornflour.
    Use skimmed milk rather than semi
    weigh everything!
  • calmanza2
    calmanza2 Posts: 12
    I have almost completely cut out my fave - Ranch dressing. Market Pantry (Target brand) has a great Raspberry Vinaigrette and Lite Honey Mustard. Also, I don't pour the dressing on my salad anymore - I put it on the side, and just dip the edge of each bite of salad into my dressing. I get the flavor, without drowning my salad in unnecessary calories.

    I also love Greek yogurt - it tastes fattening, but is full of protein instead and fills me up for a long time. It fools me into thinking I am eating something fattening when I'm really not. Tzaztiki sauce is another great trick - it's Greek, with cucumbers and garlic (and Greek yogurt), but tastes like one of those creamy salad dressings without the calories. :tongue:
  • July121980
    July121980 Posts: 37 Member
    I cut out salt. Meaning I add salt to nothing. That used to be a huge issue for me. I know that has nothing to do with calories but it does retain water weight.

    I have stopped drinking regular soda. I only drink milk, tea, black coffee, water and on occassion a zero calorie soda ( like if we are out to eat - rare....and then only a small and with water)

    I think the small amount I have lost so far is mostly due to that. I have also started to eat more fruits and veggies and have found that I crave sweets less and less.

    I have my good days and my bad days but if I really am craving chocolate or sweets I will go buy a package of the 100 calorie snacks to cut that craving....

    My weight loss is minimal so far because I have cheated but what I mentioned above I have seen results from slowly now and in the past.
  • MAJr12
    MAJr12 Posts: 4 Member
    In the rare instances I eat a salad, lots and lots of fresh, coarsely ground black pepper. Heavy on the black pepper for almost everything, anyway. For meat/chicken breast, a tiny dab of sriracha spread across goes a long way.

    The black pepper handles my need for dressing, and the sriracha handles my need for sauces, other condiments, etc.
  • auntiebabs
    auntiebabs Posts: 1,754 Member
    I focus on getting in my nutrition FIRST.
    When your body has what it needs, it's less stress, more satisfied and you get less cravings.
    Nutrient dense foods aren't always loCal per say, but foods with a good Nutrition to Calorie ratio tends to be more satisfying so you have less need to over eat.

    Carefully budget Sugar and artificial sweeteners because they increase your appetite.
    So I try hard to avoid or reduce them in "real foods", because I do have a sweet tooth and would rather have 15 of trader joe's chocolatey cats cookies for 9g of sugar. Than 1/2c of tomato sauce for 9g of sugar.
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
    I simply don't like salad. Period. So instead of drowning it in salad dressing, I get my veggies other ways. I think it was the lettuce that was putting me off, because I like raw veggies, and I'll have 1/2 a plate of them with my lunch. I use hummus as a dip, which doubles as my protein for that lunch. Lots of healthy fibre in the hummus too - bonus!

    I don't like the low-fat, low-sugar versions of a lot of stuff, so I just have less. I still love good butter on some cooked veggies, so I'm extra careful with the amount instead of just going crazy with it like I used to. I cut a lot of the calories from my lattes/cappuccinos by a) taking less syrup and b) taking a smaller size. I've got that down to about 100 cal now, so I can still enjoy it without it being a huge hit to my daily intake.

    Small changes - finding which ones work for you is the trick. :wink:
  • boreshagal
    boreshagal Posts: 20
    Substitutions. Using these helps to curve cravings and stay satisfied without feeling I am missing out on my favorite foods.My favorite chef show is Hungry Girl. I not only watch her shows for inspiration, but I also have her books and DO NOT MISS out on the love of FOOD. For instance, when I want fries, I just take a parsnip, mix it with a teaspoon of oil and my favorite seasonings and just go to town.They are that good and very low in carbs. Fabuloso.:smile:
  • NataBost
    NataBost Posts: 418 Member
    My trick is to cut out liquid calories or at least cut down.....Otherwise I enjoy my food and work hard to be able to eat it.

    This times 100. I found that my Tassimo Chai Tea was pretty heavy in calories, so I've switched to drinking tea with Truvia.

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  • CarolGrullon
    CarolGrullon Posts: 1
    I watch my portions!
    Instead of getting a big plate I take a smaller plate to serve myself lunch or dinner. It's a good trick to full your mind because then I actually realize that Im full.
    When Im on a run and don't have time to eat, so instead of buying food while Im on my way to work or school, I grab my meal replacement which is only 140 calories, packed with 20 grams of protein and only 1 gram of sugar! This is one of my good tricks to cut down down calories because not only do I save money from buying food outside, I actually feel full for about 4 hours once I take my meal replacement. Plus I get all the nutrients and vitamins that I need!
  • vettle
    vettle Posts: 621 Member
    diabetic i live with the calories in the regular dressing cause the fat free has more sugar there is like one gram of sugar in a serving of ranch but in fat free there is like 14 grams:sick:

    wow never thought to look at that... hmmmm.

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