One of the easiest ways to drop excess weight is to start decreasing your caloric intake daily. Essentially, cutting calories can produce many potential health benefits for those suffering from obesity, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes. The idea isn’t so much like a crash diet, where a person would dramatically cut out nearly half of the recommended daily caloric intake, but to gradually reduce calories each day.
Here are 10 tips to help you get started on your mission for cutting calories.
1. Eat More Vegetables
Eating more vegetables is one of the most obvious ways of cutting calories every day. Replacing portions of your meal with more veggies like carrots, or opting for lettuce instead of complex carbs will easily shave off a few extra calories. Eating vegetables accompanied with a healthy dip or spread is also a good way of cutting calories from snacks like cookies and chips.
2. Use Smaller Plates and Bowls
For many people, cutting calories is a psychological battle. People are often accustomed to cleaning everything off their plate, and if their usual dinner plate is the size of a regular serving platter, this can be a big problem. A quick way for cutting calories without even having to change the foods you eat is to use smaller plates and bowls for your food. This will limit your calories as long as you remember not to get a second helping.
3. Share
Every time you sit down for a meal or a quick snack, try sharing a portion of your food with someone else. This is another way to indulge on the same foods you like, while still cutting calories. If you are looking to eat healthy at your favorite restaurant, ask a friend or your date if they would be willing to split an entrée with you. This would also allow you to opt for a salad, soup or dessert without worrying as much about the extra calories since you’ve basically cut your meal in half.
4. Only Eat Half of Everything
If you are dining out, tell the waiter to only bring half of your meal out to your table, and put the other meal in a carry-out box. Whenever you stop to eat something, think about only eating half. Whenever you are reading a menu, always look for the option of half portions. What better way of cutting calories than by actually cutting your food in half?
5. Drink More Water
Not only is water important for staying properly hydrated, it can be a deterrent for excess snacking. Plus, opting for water when you would typically order juice or a soda is another method of cutting calories. Water has numerous health benefits for your body, so it would be wise to always carry a refillable bottle wherever you go to help you cut calories.
6. Don’t Skip Meals
One of the worst things about skipping meals is the fact that you feel compelled to eat more at your next meal. While skipping meals sounds like a potential way of cutting calories, the nutritional drawbacks of allowing yourself to starve outweigh the potential of minimizing your caloric intake. Now, if you can skip a meal without binging the next time you eat, it might be worth skipping a meal or two; just make sure not to make a habit of it.
7. Eat Less, but Frequently
The effects of skipping meals can be easily avoided while still cutting calories if you eat smaller, but more frequent, meals. Instead of the standard three meals per day, try eating five meals. This will prevent you from ever feeling hungry, while allowing you to minimize the amount of calories consumed.
8. Never Eat Till You Feel Full
People will often eat to the point of feeling completely stuffed. If you are trying to cut calories, then your goal for every meal would be to stave off hunger while avoiding food consumption to feel full. In other words, just eat till you are no longer hungry, then stop. Eating for the sake of feeling full is just as bad as polishing off a large plate of food.
9. Eat Lean Protein
Lean protein like chicken breast and fish is a great food for cutting calories. Eating more lean protein and less complex carbs like breads, white rice and potatoes will limit your calories because it will help you feel fuller faster and for longer periods of time. Lean proteins can also be effectively used for building more muscle, which can help boost metabolism and help you lose even more weight.
10. Bottom Line
Cutting calories is one of the healthiest and easiest ways to lose weight. You should aim for cutting about 200 calories each day, then gradually increase your calorie cutting to 500 calories each day. By minimizing your diet by 500 calories, you are still getting enough food to avoid starvation while decreasing caloric intake to lose weight.
