Cut 400 … or 800

I always see health magazines bragging that it’s so easy to cut excess calories from your diet. The way they list their tips usually make me feel slightly like an idiot for not immediately dropping 10 pounds.  It’s even worse when I do eight of their 10 tips and the scale hasn’t budged.

Is it really that easy?

Well, for some people yes. For others, no.

One of the tips I feel like I come across frequently is “cut liquid calories”. If you drink three sodas a day, drinking only water or iced tea will have a drastic effect on your calorie intake. Something like 750 calories! But if you’re like me and drink mostly water (and wine and more wine), cutting liquid calories won’t work. Unless I cut my wine but that’s just not  happening – I mean, get real. A girl’s got to have some guilty pleasures.

Unless you’re eating fast food every day, these changes probably won’t have an immediate drastic effect but they can add up over time and are just general rules for healthy living.

I decided to find places in my everyday life my goal was to cut 400 and it looks like I was able to find a few extra calories to dump along the way.

And some of these are probably not news to you but always a good reminder.

Here’s what I came up with:

1. Skip the whip:  It’s fall which means pumpkin spice lattes. No I won’t drink them every day but when I do I say no to the fluffy white stuff. Calories saved: 42.

2. No cheese, please: Okay, okay so I was forced into this one but maybe try forgoing it in your sammies. Leaving off the cheese in a turkey sandwich will add up. Calories saved: about 110.

3. Pass on the butter: I get that sometimes there’s no way around it but there are times when you can skip the butter and not really miss it.  I stopped putting it on my Kashi waffles – using agave nectar is enough. Calories saved: 36. Instead of putting it on bread at dinner, dip your bread into whatever you’re eating or, better yet …

4. Skip the bread basket: This is a toughie, I won’t lie.  Especially if you’re a carb whore like me but just try it occasionally.  Calories saved: About 80.

5. Mustard vs. mayo: Skipping the mayo at lunch and relying on only mustard to flavor your sandwiches or wraps can really lighten up your lunch. Calories saved: 57 calories.

6. Red not white: No we’re not talking about wine, we’re talking about pasta sauce. Tomato-based sauces have less fat, more nutrients and yes, fewer calories.  Save the Alfredo for special occasion or better yet, say goodbye to it  forever (I’m not good with forever because I have no willpower so once in a while works for me). Calories saved: about 180.

7. Halfsies: I started doing this out of pure lethargy but hey, it works. When you get your dinner, immediately put half of it in a Tupperware or box for lunch the next day. I’m sure you’ve all heard this before but have you actually tried it? It’s easier to eat leftovers than make a whole new lunch ( See I told you… lazy). Calories saved: It ranges but for me, about 300 for a home-cooked meal.

Happy healthy eating!