What Are Some Of Your Calorie Cutting Tricks?

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  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    I pre-log everything.

    I weigh out my portions in grams.

    I learned to cook-- specifically learn which things can be reduced, omitted or swapped out in recipes without altering the flavor and which things can't.

    I spend most of my calories on foods that will promote satiety and fulfill my fat/protein goals. I spend the rest on foods that promote mental health.
  • Derp_Diggler
    Derp_Diggler Posts: 1,456 Member
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    no cheese, bread, peanut butter, butter, salad dressing, dessert, alcohol

    Oh, you're doing the P.O.W. diet. Does it come with daily beatings too?
  • Swiftlet66
    Swiftlet66 Posts: 729 Member
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    Portion sizes!! Like using smaller bowls and plates. I also carry a tiny bento lunch box to work that can only be filled up to about 600 calories of food, depending on what I put in it. I also log a recipe into MFP before cooking something and alter it to fit my calorie/macro needs.
  • ReaganP13
    ReaganP13 Posts: 35 Member
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    I make every meal huge by adding veggies to it.

    I use 0% Plain greek the way you'd use sour cream.

    Switched from sugar to Stevia.

    I always drank a ton of water and was never a soda person, but I did like fruit juice, and no longer drink it (unless its a little and fits in).

    I gave up booze. (For now. Let's see how long it lasts.... I hope long, but I have issues with booze, so that's a whole other thing for me)

    Switched from regular crackers to rice crackers. The calorie difference is pretty massive. The wasabi flavored ones are my favorite.... amazing.

    Creamy dressing are out - balsamic vinegar and spices are in.

    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.
  • krawhitham
    krawhitham Posts: 831 Member
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    I personally have been feeling more and more comfortable with only eating 2 times a day.

    If I tell myself, in my mind, that I don't need to eat and I assess why I get urges like "I want to eat SOMETHING now" when I logically know I don't require sustenance, I can usually talk myself out of it.

    I find the more times a day I eat, the more urges I get that are like "I need to eat NOW" when in reality my body doesn't need it.

    That's my trick! Jedi mind tricks! I think getting to a normal body fat % is all about just adjusting to what your body really needs, not what your brain thinks it wants.
  • PinkyFett
    PinkyFett Posts: 842 Member
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    I've cut my bread or wraps out of lunches and just roll meat and cheese together. Aside from that, portion control basically.
  • Beautiful_disaster40
    Beautiful_disaster40 Posts: 154
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    No tricks but I naturally don't like things like mayo, cheese, dressings, condiments. Little things seem to add up and not liking them has helped.
  • changing4life
    changing4life Posts: 193 Member
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    These are all really good ideas!!!
  • lockmand
    lockmand Posts: 90 Member
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    Hello, LemonSnowdrop,
    How do you prepare or use the PB2? Is that a powdered peanut butter?
    Thanks for any reply on this.
    Lockmand
  • 59gi
    59gi Posts: 307 Member
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    Drink 1 tab of cocoa with stevia and water only 20 calories.
  • CallMeRuPaul
    CallMeRuPaul Posts: 151 Member
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    I really don't have any, but I recently went to eating Egg Beater's egg whites versus cracking an egg for the whites and throwing away the yolk. Everyday is a cheat day for me.
  • andeey
    andeey Posts: 709 Member
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    When making eggs, I use a mixture of whole eggs with egg whites so the portion is larger, but the calories are lower. Also, I get stuff "protein style" a lot, so an In-n-Out burger gets wrapped in lettuce and I get all the gooey cheesy/meaty goodness and then the calories I save on the bun can go toward fries.

    OP, I just can't believe it's gone this long without someone commenting on your name. Nice reference. I loved Gilda!! =)
  • haleigh29
    haleigh29 Posts: 70 Member
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    I weigh my food, instead of using a measuring cup. I have found that using a measuring cup is not always very accurate. With oatmeal: a serving is 1/2 cup = 40 gram, but my 1/2 cup measuring cup holds appox. 48grams, putting the caloric intake at more than I would have logged.
  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
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    nothing ground breaking - my tips are some that have already been listed in this thread.

    first, i only eat foods i really love. that way i never feel deprived because EVERY meal includes one of my favorites.

    i eat 5 to 6 smaller meals per day, between 180 and 225 calories each usually. that way, i never have time to get hungry.

    i weigh or measure everything i eat.

    since i love late night comfort foods, most days my last meal is right before bed - one of my favorite cereals (either erewhon rice or corn flakes) with non-fat milk and 2 tsp stevia on top. that way i get something sweet AND my late night snack, and i don'f feel like i'm missing anything.

    substitutions. reduced fat cheddar and swiss (the swiss is also low in sodium), and galeo's ginger wasabe dressing makes an amazing sauce with much less calories than most sauces and dressings. light sour cream. if you're dying for ice cream, i suggest dryer's slow churned, which has half the fat or less with a great taste and texture. i lost the first 50 pounds on this journey by making substitutions.
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
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    no cheese, bread, peanut butter, butter, salad dressing, dessert, alcohol
    :sad:
    I eat all those things, just in moderation.
    In fact, a stick of mozzarella and some flavored pita chips make a good snack.
    Many mornings I have an open-face PBJ (on whole grain bread) with my carnation instant breakfast.
    For dessert, choose things which are tasty & healthy: fresh fruit with a half cup of nonfat vanilla greek yogurt and some stevia or honey; sugar free fudge pops; sugar free chocolate pudding made with skim or 1% milk
    A beer has maybe 150 calories

    Increase your fruit & veggie intake, as well as beans / lentils. The only thing it helps with is feeling full, but that's important.

    Have protein at every meal. It helps you feel full longer.

    If you want an unhealthy food, have some. Just make sure it's "some" and not "a lot". For instance, I plan to have some chocolate this evening. I won't have the whole 8 oz bar, just one 2 oz piece, and savor it.

    One thing I've been doing, and it seems to be working, is to reverse the usual order of how Americans eat: big breakfast, medium lunch, small dinner. In fact, some days I have breakfast at 9, lunch at 4 or 5, and am not hungry before bed, so I skip the last couple hundred calories.

    Here's the study I found saying that that helps weight loss, as well as other measures of health:
    This study compared eating a small breakfast, medium lunch, and large dinner, [200, 500, 700 cal]
    with eating a large breakfast, medium lunch, and small dinner [700, 500, 200 cal].

    "The [large breakfast] group showed greater weight loss and waist circumference reduction ... fasting glucose, insulin [&] triglycerides ... decreased significantly to a greater extent in the [large breakfast] group."
    In addition, hunger was less and satiety was greater.
    Here's the summary: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23512957

    Here's a PDF of the whole article.
    http://genetics.doctorsonly.co.il/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Jakubowicz-at-al-Obesity-2013-oby20460.pdf
  • NataBost
    NataBost Posts: 418 Member
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    I try to pre-log as much as I can.

    I also use a digital scale when I prep my foods, and pre-portion things like almonds and protein powder.

    I haven't cut out peanut butter or cheese. I just make sure to weigh it and to log it. I still drink Alcohol, but far less frequently.
  • sewedo1
    sewedo1 Posts: 200 Member
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    Raw tri-colored peppers, blueberries, , hummas, 100 calorie pack of nuts......makes a great low-cal lunch. Always drink lots of water.
  • laurenk08
    laurenk08 Posts: 89 Member
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    Love some of these ideas! Always looking for healthy ways to stay in my calorie limits.
    I have started eating just the egg whites when eating eggs since they have most the protein and only like 17 calories each! Plus I now only buy the plain non fat Greek yogurt, and add my own fruit, instead of the flavored stuff with lots of calories and sugar. Also, at dinner time we always have a protein, usually lean, and then veggies. I have cut out the processed carbs for the most part and that has saved me tonnns of calories! You can eat so many veggies and get filled up for very few calories. We have been making a variety of veggies on the grill most nights, its a great way to try new veggies too!
  • George_Baileys_Ghost
    George_Baileys_Ghost Posts: 1,524 Member
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    I find it helps to put it just out of reach.
    tumblr_inline_molrdxnmI01qz4rgp.gif
  • BuildaBetterBody4
    BuildaBetterBody4 Posts: 89
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    I find it helps to put it just out of reach.
    tumblr_inline_molrdxnmI01qz4rgp.gif
    . Haha! Too cute

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