Cutting Calories

Although healthy food choices are a key to healthy living, it’s also important to eat the correct portion of food. Pounds appear easier and easier with each year we age. Cutting calories is one easy way to stop weight gain. Eating an extra 100 calories a day than you burn can cause you to gain 10 pounds a year, (which is so easy to do - add a small cup of coffee from Dunkin Donuts with cream and sugar and at 120 calories - you just added that 10 pounds) whereas eating 100 calories less than usual may result in a loss of 10 pounds. Although the cleanse helps you cut those calories and still enjoy eating on cleanse weeks - this blog centers on tips to reduce calories on off cleanse weeks.

During the time that I (Carrie) was losing my weight, from time to time, Andy and I would go out for lunch and the good Italian in me would always clear my plate. I wouldn’t stop eating until I had finished, while Andy would never finish and always leave 4 or 5 bites. It always bothered me and I finally asked him why he would “waste” food like that. His philosophy - if you never finish the plate and leave a few bites behind, those calories add up and by the end of the day - you save at least a 100 calories without even realizing. Brilliant I thought, and even though I still struggle NOT to eat everything on the plate - I mindfully try to leave a few bites with every meal to save those calories. (And each time I do it I know, my Italian grandmother roles in her grave!!)

Salad isn’t automatically a calorie winner - it’s so very easy to add countless calories without even realizing with toppings. Avocado, nuts and sweet potato are all great toppings - but just not all at once - instead of making a heaping salad choose just one of the above 3 and add more veggies like carrots, cucumber, celery and pepper. Absolutely skip all together bacon bits, cheeses, croutons and creamy dressings. All of these add 100’s of calories and make that salad often times worse than the burger you really wanted. Keep salad simple and clean with veggie, lean proteins and little fruit and you can’t go wrong!

Switch out your condiments. People can’t believe how many calories just simple mayo on a sandwich can add - just one tablespoon is about 100 calories. Dressing on a salad also packs on the calories - add a normal amount of Ranch - and you add an easy 150 calories to your day without even thinking. These calories add up and are easy to switch out with little thought, taste and missing. Add hummus instead to a sandwich, peanut butter dip instead of butter to an english muffin, a balsamic dressing instead of ranch, skim milk instead of cream. All of these little trade outs really do add up and certainly don’t add on - which equals success.