5 Simple Ways to Cut Calories

Posted by Lori Shemek; February 7, 2014

Small changes are key to effective weight loss.  When you make simple changes, you will see a drop in weight!  It isn’t just the big changes you make..it is the small ones too that add up.

You can cut calories that will result in fat loss without counting foods, weighing foods, or measuring foods.

Use these 5 simple tips to cut calories:  

• Eat a medium orange instead of drinking fresh orange juice.  Juice is dense in the sugar fructose that immediately spikes your blood sugar and then soon will plummet.  This will lead not only to inflammation but hunger and cravings that encourage more calorie intake.  The fiber in the orange helps balance your blood sugar and create a feeling of fullness compared to simply drinking the juice.
• Leave Bites Behind.  Practice an easy way to reduce calorie intake..leave bites behind on your plate at every meal – every bite counts in terms of calories.  At the end of the day you can potentially cut a few hundred calories.  This practice also gives the brain time (about 15 min) to receive the message that we’ve had enough food.  What happens is that we keep eating and ingesting those calories before we get the message resulting in needless calories.
• Add Protein.  Adding protein (about the size and thickness of the palm of your hand) to every meal to balance blood sugar, maintain and add lean fat-burning muscle.  Muscle is metabolically active and burns calories even at rest.
• Make veggies the biggest portion of your meal.  Veggies take up a lot of room in your stomach (a good thing) so you eat less of the condensed caloric foods.  When you make veggies and protein the star of your meals you:  balance your blood sugar, increase your fiber intake (which will make you feel fuller) and increase your antioxidant intake – all of which lead to less cravings and inflammation.
• Drink a glass of water before each meal.  Water not only helps you feel fuller, it also boosts your metabolism by 3-5% after drinking it.  Remember too, that mild dehydration can cause hunger and cravings.

Bear in mind that cutting calories can involve creative substitutions or changes in portion sizes, too.  Small changes like these tips here will help create fat loss success!

To Your Health,
~Lori  

© 2014 DLS HealthWorks, LLC. 
Lori Shemek, PhD, Health and weight loss expert, is the best-selling author of ‘Fire-Up Your Fat Burn!