5 Quick Calorie Cuts

 

When it comes to fat loss, calories are king. But often times it can be stressful just trying to figure out what to cut out, and what to keep. Here’s the short list of things to keep:

• Protein
• Veggies
• Healthy Carbs (including fruits)
• Healthy Fats

So where and what do we cut out?

Here are 5 quick and simple cuts/rules you can implement NOW to cut back on calories that don’t really help when it comes to fat loss.

1) Swap out Mayo for a zero calorie condiment 

40 calories per TBSP vs. 0 Calories (in something like mustard)

40 calories? Does that really matter? It could over the course of the day…

Do you only put 1 TBSP on your sandwich? Do you eat more than one sandwich? Then it could matter. IT could easily ad up to 200+ calories per week.

2) Say “no thanks” to freebies

Bread baskets at restaurants, chips and salsa (dear God no), free donuts in the break room, etc.

Anything that is free is usually not going to help in your fat loss efforts.

Now, if it is free food in the break room, this will take a little planning in self control. If you already made lunch for the day, then stick to your lunch, and pass on the free pizza. You could always take a piece for later if you are hungry for a snack, or just say no thanks…

At restaurants, the bread basket can easily add hundreds of calories to a meal that it likely already high in calories.

One slice of bread/roll can usually be estimated around 100 calories, along with 1 TBSP of butter coming in at 70 cals. Have 3 of these before eating your meal, and you are at 510 calories before your meal even arrives.

3) Stop eating nuts and nut butters

Yes, nuts can be a heart healthy fat. But they are also SO EASY to over eat. Check out how little it takes to eat just 100 calories:

(I didn’t make this picture, but its the best I could find – I have no clue why they didn’t just use the actual number of nuts for the picture – so reference the numbers)

As long as you are still getting in a little olive oil, or other healthy oils, you shouldn’t have to worry about going TOO LOW with your fat intake because of fat found naturally in other foods.(too low can be very dangerous, and mess with hormones)

4) Use measuring cups to measure out your carbs

This may seem like a no brainer, but there is something psychological about measuring out your pastas, rice, oats, etc.

It can be so easy to fill a plate with pasta, upwards of 800 calories.

Obviously everyone will have different portions, but for starters you could try:

• 1/2-3/4 cup for women
• 3/4-1 cup for men

By making ONLY this change, you could end up cutting out over 1000 calories EASILY per week, without changing anything else.

5) Don’t drink ANY calories

If you are a big time coffee, soda, or alcohol drinker, you may want to take a good hard look at how many calories you are consuming through beverages in a day.

I challenge YOU to do this for one week and see what happens. The results may shock you.

Check these numbers out:

 

 

 

These changes are just for a hypothetical person, but could end up meaning a huge swing for someone – by just making a few tweaks here and there. Give them a try – and let me know what you think!

 

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Stay healthy my friends,