Weighing scales don’t lie (unless it is not well calibrated) and when it says you are beyond your ideal weight, then accept the fact that it is time to cut back on calories. Now you do not have to subject yourself to an unhealthy crash diet. Besides aerobic exercise, the next best thing to do is to cut back on calorie intake.
Here’s how you can drop a few pounds by carefully choosing the food that you eat.
· Stay away from nuts.
Nuts may be a healthy snack alternative but it contains quite a large amount of calories especially those oil-roasted ones. Did you even know that three handfuls of roasted nuts is equivalent to more than 500 calories? If you can’t help but crave for nuts, go for pistachios which contain around 160 calories per two handfuls.
· Toss out calorie-laden salad toppings.
Green salads are healthy, but only if you stay away from toppings rich in calories. Cheese, croutons, caramelized nuts, dried fruits, avocado, bacon and vinaigrette are quite heavy in calories. Instead, opt for mushrooms, grilled onions or roasted bell peppers. Also, cut the amount of dressing in half.
· Avoid buying chips in large bags.
Once you opened a bag of chips, it would be extremely difficult to stop until you empty it. Before you know it, you’ve cleaned a large bag of chips worth more than a thousand calories. Instead of buying them in large sizes, go for smaller bags. You get to indulge in your favorite bag of chips but limit your calorie intake at the same time.
· Order simple cocktails
Most of the time, the more fancy the drink is, the greater the chances that it contains more calories. When ordering drinks, watch out for these ingredients – cream, sour mix, syrups and fruit juices. Go for distilled liquors, drinks with tonic water or club soda, or cocktails mixed with citrus or cranberry juice.
· Go for coffee instead of coffee-based drink creations
Those coffee drinks that are dessert-like can be packed with lots of calories too. Apart from coffee, it can also contain loads of cream / whipped cream, syrups and whole milks. Therefore, instead of ordering a tall cup, go for brewed coffee or an espresso shot with whipped cream. The latter still contains lesser calories compared to coffee creations.
· Quench your thirst with water not soda
A can contains around 150 to 200 calories. If you quench your thirst with a can of soda, the sugar would make you thirst for more. Thus, you end up drinking more. The next time you feel like quenching your thirst, go for a bottle of cold water. It would help you cut back on a big amount of calories.
Finally, make it a habit to read food labels. Read the details carefully such as the serving size and the servings per container. It’s easy to assume that a package is equal to one serving only. So you end up consuming double or triple the amount of calories. Always keep track of your calorie intake. Be aware of what you eat.
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