What are you tricks for cutting down on Calories?

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  • trishaknighton
    trishaknighton Posts: 19
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    meijers has a bolthouse dressing in the produce dept. its awesome, and like only 35-45 calories per 2 tbls. depending on which kind you get , i like the thousand island, french and honey mustard, also i use the kraft fat free or light dressings
  • Linda_Darlene
    Linda_Darlene Posts: 453 Member
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    When It comes to salad dressings I do one of the following:

    Dilute it with water so it takes less to spread farther.

    Mix fat free sour cream with some salsa and use it as a dressing.

    Use plain salsa as dressing.

    Use a sprinkle of lemon juice as a dressing.

    If you get creative there are lots of things you can do that don't involve the gooey bottled dressings or chewing plain salad.
  • Espressocycle
    Espressocycle Posts: 2,245 Member
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    My future trick is to get a new job so I don't need to drink a martini after work to forget about how much my boss hates me.
  • SquishyPies
    SquishyPies Posts: 2
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    I cut down the amount of sugar in my tea.
    I use smaller plates so it looks like I'm eating more when I'm not.
    When cooking sausages, I take the skin off. Then shape it into patties. (Without the skin, more fat can be released while cooking.)
    I drink water before, during and after my meal to fill me up.
    I eat until I'm not hungry anymore and save the leftovers for later (to avoid over eating)
    Veggies! - Loads of veggies!
    I mostly only drink water, fresh juice and tea. - Be careful, you can easily drink all your calories. Stay away from soft drinks is my advice.

    Oh and for your actual question (which I missed somehow) I put some sun dried tomato and chicken breast (finely chopped) with grilled veggies.


    Hope I helped ^.^
  • PibblesRun
    PibblesRun Posts: 236 Member
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    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:

    Thats a wonderful idea! Thanks so much...I never thought of using tzaztiki sauce for salads, i love tzaztiki sauce! And putting dressing on the side insteand and dipping...brilliant! Im doing those from now on! :D
  • oOMusicBabii
    oOMusicBabii Posts: 494
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    Learning to alter recipes and cravings to lower calories.

    Like chicken salad. I now smear a serving of mayo on my sandwich thins, then add chicken and lightly season with salt and pepper. Satisfies my craving and MUCH lower in calories (and fat).
  • kiminikimkim
    kiminikimkim Posts: 746 Member
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    1) replace spaghetti pasta with zucchini strands (mandolin slicer magic)
    2) replace rice with "riced cauliflower"
    3) Have an 'open-face' sandwich instead of 2 slices of bread sandwich
    4) use balsamic vinegar for dressing on salads without olive oil
    5) have healthy snacks on hand available 24hrs a day (my choice is a bag of whole carrots, not baby slimy carrots)
  • stellarcanicula
    stellarcanicula Posts: 50 Member
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    My key is to enter EVERYTHING I plan to eat at the beginning of the day. I keep breakfast simple and I pack my lunch everyday. That way I can see which has the most calories and if I want to swap it out for something with less. This also gives me the ability to see if I have room to throw in a higher calorie snack if I want it. I never just "wing it" when it comes to my meals.

    I work in an office job and get pretty busy; I don't have time to run to MFP for every little thing I eat. It's better for me to see my daily snap shot and just eat when i need to.

    Hope this helps!

    Oh 1 more thing, I also cut meat out of my diet. I didn't do it for any moral reasons, I did it cause meat was carrying the brunt of my daily calories. After about a week, I didn't miss it at all.
  • thrld
    thrld Posts: 610 Member
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    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?
    My salad tricks: Marinate the tomatoes. No dressing on the salad, just marinated sliced tomatoes. Also, for dinner, I'll serve the entree on a bed of salad greens. No dressing - the salad gets flavored by the entree (salmon, sliced steak, grilled chicken seasoned with Mrs. Dash)
    My breakfast trick: unsweetened almond milk. Put it in my cereal & it's a fine substitute for skim.
    My lunch trick: when I want something sweet to end the meal, I have sliced strawberries with a little splenda sprinkled on it. it satisfies my urge for sweet/dessert.
  • babymine55
    babymine55 Posts: 127 Member
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    I have been able to completely cut out mayo and sour cream and sometimes salad dressing by using this jalapeño yogurt from Costco. 50 calories for 2 tbsp-way less fat and it is SO yummy!
  • abeachlady
    abeachlady Posts: 88
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    Buy a very good balsamic vinegar, expensive, but then there is no need for any oil. Yum!
  • oOMusicBabii
    oOMusicBabii Posts: 494
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    I have been able to completely cut out mayo and sour cream and sometimes salad dressing by using this jalapeño yogurt from Costco. 50 calories for 2 tbsp-way less fat and it is SO yummy!

    Now I think I need to take a drive to Costco and find that!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Exercise!!! That lets me eat more.

    I eat very few salads. I prefer cooked veggies.

    I rarely eat breakfast. I'm rarely hungry in the mornings.

    I don't eat foods I don't like.
  • ericalynn104
    ericalynn104 Posts: 382 Member
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    I measure portion sizes.. It's crazy what we think a "portion" is as opposed to what is suggested.

    Also, don't drink your calories. Milk, juice, soda. All high in calories but don't full you up.
  • Samiannie26
    Samiannie26 Posts: 3
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    I use half fat salad dressings...but I like a lot of it. To help me cut down I put my salad in a large container, pour on a smaller amount of dressing, lid on the container and shake it. My salad then gets nicely covered using half the amount of dressing that I'd use if I was pouring it on.
  • delaware142
    delaware142 Posts: 3 Member
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    I have found an excellent salad dressing, Maple Grove Raspberry Vinegrette - use the sugar free - very low in calories and great taste, too. I make my own bread to cut back on calories, too. I use sweet-n-low instead of sugar and applesauce instead of oil , then I portion out 1-oz pieces to make small flat breads - calories vary alittle, but usually around 60 per roll. I eat lots of the sugar-free jello with fat free coolwhip for snacks to keep my calories down since I am only allowed 1330 per day, and take walks to exercise.
  • shapla79
    shapla79 Posts: 3 Member
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    When I make egg white omelets, I load it with veggies and use curry powder to give it a yellow color (tricks my body into thinking it has yolks in it). Spices go a long way for me.

    I used to be a huge soda junkie. I was able to cut it out for the most part by making seltzer at home with my SodaStream. I will add a little fruit juice for flavor. I also keep a pitcher of unsweetened iced tea in my fridge. I didn't realize how easy it was to make!

    If I'm about to eat something unhealthy, I stop and ask myself how long will I have to work out today to make up for eating this. Most of the time, I'll stop myself or if I cave, I make sure I eat a smaller portion.
  • lmarshel
    lmarshel Posts: 674 Member
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    I weigh everything I possibly can (even dressings/condiments and cookies) to keep my portion sizes in check. Except for coffee and wine, I try not to drink my calories. It's water during the day and maybe some crystal light or iced tea with dinner.

    To cut down on calories, I use unsweeneted almond milk instead of skim milk on my cereal. It saves 30 calories per 1/2 cup! And I also bought a Misto pump mister for my olive oil. You pump it up, and it allows you to spray a fine mist of oil when cooking...just like those canned cooking sprays but without any additives. It's great for making omelettes, sauteeing veggies, and searing meats. :)
  • paprs
    paprs Posts: 47 Member
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    I've completely cut out coffee creamer and milk from my morning coffee and have learned to enjoy drinking my coffee black. It seems like a small change, but 30-60 calories a day can really add up!
  • BeckySue1977
    BeckySue1977 Posts: 91 Member
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    My 2 biggest changes that come to mind have been said already on here, but I'll go ahead and say it again.

    First off, I am working on cutting out my morning coffee. I LOVE the flavored creamers in my coffee and tend to use a bit much. Those calories really add up faster than I realized! I have been trying to drink Tea or Crystal Light Energy to give me that caffein boost with fewer calories.

    The second trick for me is to weigh / measure EVERYTHING. Before pouring a dressing on my salad, I pull out the tablespoon so I can see exactly how much I'm actually using. This helps me put things in perspective. As I pour the 3rd tbsp on my plate of salad I'm already telling myself that's it, no need for a 4th, too many calories. Also, I mix the salad so there aren't some pieces with lots of dressing and some with none.
    Measuring my servings has really helped me see what I'm putting in my body. I find myself reading labels for serving sizes and calories per serving before I load my plate up. I'm calculating in my head to see where that extra amount is going to put me for the day and asking myself if it's worth the calories or if I would be satisfied with the smaller portion.

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