I’m already thinking about my family’s trip to Cuba this Christmas. Of course, I want to be able to (confidently) rock a bikini on the beach. To have a bikini-ready body when you’re already training hard, it means you need to watch your diet. Personally, I eat healthy, but I know my weakness is carbs. (Hmm carbs) I don’t want to change my diet completely, but I know if I cut back a few things here and there I’ll have a beach body in a few months.
If you want to lose a few pounds without making drastic dietary changes, try cutting calories in the foods you already eat. It’s so easy you won’t even notice anything is missing!
Five Ways to Cut Calories
1. When you have a burger, choose an open sandwich or “steak style” (no bun)
A hamburger bun can have more than 200 calories. Apart from French fries, which are also high in calories and carbohydrates, it is not the best food for weight loss. However, if you only eat half the bagel or nothing at all, you can easily cut back while enjoying a “forbidden” meal. Once a week I eat veggie burgers with baked sweet potato fries, dusted with Cajun powder. It’s almost too good to be healthy!
2. Reduce and limit sauces, spreads, and toppings.
If you ate 1 tablespoon of peanut butter instead of 2, you would save 100 calories. If you cut back on ketchup, you’re saving a lot of calories, mostly from sugar! Dips can kill a diet. Get salad dressing on the side and try not to eat it all. It is very high in saturated fat.
3. Divide a meal in 2.
I really enjoy a vegetable burrito with soup. Instead of eating it all at once, I like to eat the burrito first. That keeps me happy for a couple of hours. When I’m hungry again, I eat the soup. If it didn’t, you can bet you’d be looking at something else, adding your total calorie intake to the day. Dividing meals into smaller ones keeps you full all day. No feelings of deprivation at all!
4. Reduce portions.
This one seems obvious, but I think it’s an underrated tip! Cutting 100 calories a day from a full serving of, say, pasta or rice will equate to a pound of weight loss in just over a month. 100 calories of rice or pasta in a main course is not much. You won’t even notice it’s gone!
5. Calorie count.
Don’t get hung up on counting calories. If you try to track what you’re eating for a few days, you’ll have a better idea of where you need to cut back. You’ll most likely get bored after a few days, but you’ll get a great idea of exactly what you eat and how much. People often overestimate how many calories they burn during exercise and underestimate how many they eat.
I hate the idea of being unhappy while trying to tone up. Changing your body should be something positive and fun. Not some kind of punishment or torture.
Use these tips in addition to switching to low-fat foods and diet pop if you haven’t already, to lose a few pounds for your next vacation, get-together, or just because!
Try it!