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50 Ways to Cut Calories in 2021 (Without It Being Terrible)

Why are these ideas not terrible?

Because they don’t involve you completely changing your diet or completely removing every food you love from your life. It’s all about finding moderation and creating awareness of what you put in your body.

The fancy stuff that most people focus on only matters once you master the basics 🙂

No more chitchat – on to the list:

  1. Drink (none) as little of your calories as possible – limit soda, juice, booze, creamers, etc.
  2. Leave one or a few bites of food on your plate at the end of every meal.
  3. Always have a vegetable at a meal.
  4. Load your plate once per meal – no going back for seconds
  5. Choose mini servings of desserts at restaurants (or only order one and split it!)
  6. Don’t eat anything that is free at restaurants (bread, chips, etc…) <— TOUGH!
  7. Always get the steamed veggies as a side dish at the restaurant – and still get whatever you want for the main dish.
  8. Try to avoid cream sauces, stick to lighter red sauces on pasta.
  9. Never eat anything directly out of a bag or container – make yourself put it out on a plate first.
  10. Have a big glass of water before you eat.
  11. Eat your salad or vegetables before your main course.File:Burger and a Salad (Unsplash).jpg - Wikimedia Commons
  12. Sub a 30-50 gram protein shake for one of your snacks or meals
  13. Buy the low-calorie version of the foods you eat (check the labels, it’s not always the low-fat version!)
  14. Choose grilled/baked versions over fried or breaded versions of chicken/fish.
  15. Mustard over mayo on sandwiches
  16. Plan your meal before you eat it – log it or write it down prior to actually eating
  17. Eat fruit for your main carb at breakfast – Oranges over orange juice too!
  18. Order salad dressings on the side, and only add what you need to the salad
  19. No calories in the coffee – either drink it black or use a zero cal option
  20. Do you eat appetizers at home? Then stop eating them at restaurantsOutback's New Bloomin' Onion Has A Truly Terrifying Amount Of Calories | HuffPost Life
  21. Stop eating when you are satisfied
  22. Don’t order anything with the word “double” or “triple” in it
  23. Always choose thin-crust
  24. Eat with your non-dominant hand
  25. Learn how to cook
  26. Learn about calories, and what foods are sneakily high in them
  27. Eat protein at every meal
  28. Use diet mixers/sparkling waters with your booze
  29. Always get water or diet soda at restaurants
  30. Just say no to supersizing or jumbo options
  31. Try not getting cheese on sandwiches (do you REALLY taste it?)
  32. Eat fresh fruit instead of dried fruit
  33. Choose leaner cuts of meat
  34. Pick one part of your meal and eat half of what you usually wouldHow to Choose the Leanest Cuts of Steak - The Dr. Oz Show
  35. Start tracking your food
  36. Write out a list of trigger foods that you can’t seem to control yourself around (yes, just becoming aware of it will help in the long haul)
  37. Place high-calorie foods higher up in your fridge, and closer to the floor in the pantry
  38. Stop giving food morals – it’s just food
  39. Eat 20-30 grams of fiber per day
  40. Use a teaspoon of oil/fat instead of a tablespoon
  41. Do you put butter and jelly on your toast? Skip the butter
  42. Make your own salad dressing or use zero calorie brands (Walden Farms)
  43. Don’t get the combo meal – just get the sandwich and water
  44. Get a fruit side at fast-food restaurants – most have them
  45. Swap plain Greek yogurt for sour cream
  46. Use a food scale
  47. Use a smaller plate than normalFood Art: The History of Plate Sizes
  48. Ask for a take-home container with your meal – and bag up anything more than your normal portions.
  49. Don’t eat snacks at movies.
  50. Cut yourself some slack. Maybe you don’t need to cut more calories…maybe you need to be more patient. Maybe you are going through a stressful time and holding onto water weight – and in that case, cutting calories will only hurt you by adding MORE stress. Are you confused yet?

Here is the deal: lists like this pop up everywhere, and they can be helpful, but many people will just blindly follow them or pick a random a few things to try. Instead, be aware of your body.

WHY are you where you are right now? What do you really need to focus on? Maybe one of these tips will make the biggest impact on you, so focus on that and ignore the other 49.

You might get stuck. You might take a few steps backward. And that’s OKAY!

Consistency > Perfection –  and enjoying the process is what it all is about.

If you need help getting started, building these habits, or having someone to be accountable to… look no further than online coaching. Training and nutrition! Let me help you find the best plan for you – from anywhere in the world.

For more information, click HERE!

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Published by Mike Gorski

Registered Dietitian and Fitness Coach OWNER OF MG FIT LIFE LLC

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