Anyone who ever tried to lose weight knew it takes a lot of effort and dedication. Fortunately, it’s easier than you think. If you burn more calories than you eat, you lose weight.
By cutting about 500 calories a day you can enhance your weight loss efforts and achieve your weight loss goals faster.
Because 3,500 calories equals to 1 pound of fat, you need to burn 3,500 calories more than you take in to lose one pound. So, if you cut 500 calories from your diet every day, you will lose 1 pound a week (500 calories x 7 days = 3,500 calories).
Calories are the energy in food. Your body has a constant demand for energy and use calories from food to keep functional. These calories will remain stored in the body as fat unless you use them, either by reducing your calorie intake or by increasing physical activity.
Cutting calories can be easy. It’s a matter of making a simple substitution over the course of a day. Here are some easy ways to cut calories, which in turn will help you lose weight:
- Drink Green Tea
If you can not abstain from drinking tea in the morning, go green tea. Green tea can burn up to 70 calories per day because it increases your metabolism. Since there is no need to add cream or sugar, it is the best way to start your day.
- Eat Fresh Fruits
Choose fresh fruit instead of fruit juice. Fruit juices contain lots of sugar to sweeten them. A medium-sized orange has 60 calories, while a cup of orange juice contains 120 calories. In addition, fresh fruit has more fiber, which helps facilitate digestion.
- Downsize on Desserts
Cutting calories does not mean saying no to all dessert. You certainly can have them but in a very small proportion. Small steps such as skipping chocolate topping or avoid cream can go a long way!
- Limit Alcohol intake
Most alcoholic beverages are high in calorie. These include beer, wine, and cocktails. In addition, alcoholic drinks have very little or even no nutritional benefit. If you must to take alcohol, choose lower-calorie one. For example, order a light beer instead of regular beer. - Choose Water over Soft Drinks
Changing the soft drinks with water can save you hundreds of calories per day. If you can not give up on soft drinks then try switching to diet soda drinks. Choosing the coconut water over the fruit juice can also help because the coconut water is low in calories and high in vitamins and minerals. - Increase Protein intake
High protein can help keep fat away. Protein requires a complex procedure to be converted into energy and it also can make you feel full. - Use less oil when cooking
Instead of bathing your food with oil, try using a tablespoon of oil at a lower heat setting. Spread less butter on your bread and avoid putting it in your food. Prefer healthy cooking oils like flaxseed oil, olive oil, etc which provide fewer calories and more Omega-3 fatty acids.
- Eat more Vegetables
Vegetables like broccoli, carrot, are rich in fiber, which is not only good for your digestive system, but are also good to give your stomach a sense of fullness so you eat less. - Reduce Portion size
You do not have to eat 3 large meals a day. Instead, you can reduce portion sizes and have 4-5 small meals a day. This keep your metabolism remains busy throughout the day. If you eat one plate of rice, cut into a half. - Go for Smaller plates
Changing the size of your plate into smaller ones. The bigger the plate you have, the more likely you eat more. So, switch it to a smaller one. It is easier to resist the temptation to fill the plate if the plate is not large enough to accommodate the mound of food buildup. - Avoid Starchy foods
Starchy foods like potatoes are tend to have more calories so it is better to avoid it or replace them with peas or other beans such as chickpeas and kidney beans which are rich in fiber and vitamins. - Select Whole Grain
If possible, eat whole wheat grain bread and whole wheat pasta instead of white grain. Whole wheat gives you fewer calories and more nutrients. They are also rich in fiber and iron.
- Eat at Home
We tend to get more calories when eating out. When you eat at home, you can control how to prepare it and the portion sizes. - When Eating out, Order smartly
When eating at a restaurant, order an appetizer as your main dish. If you’re still hungry, order a salad but without mayonnaise based dressing. Also, not a large amount of pouring salad dressing, you just dip the fork into the dressing before taking a salad. When ordering pizza, choose thin crust base with less of fat and more vegetables. - Read Food Labels
Be sure to check the Nutrition Facts panel and the number of calories per serving on the packages. Do not just check the amount per 1oz or per 100g but the amount of the whole package and think about how much you normally would eat. Then decide whether to leave it on the shelves or take it home to add to your waistline.
