10 Easy Tips To Cut Calories

Let's be honest — dieting is hard.

When dieting, it can, at times feel like you’re doing everything in your power to lose weight, but getting absolutely nowhere. It seems like results should be happening — you eat healthily, follow all the traditional dieting advice, such as not eating after 6pm, cutting carbs in the evening, eating a good breakfast, and choosing low-fat foods, but still, those scales don’t budge.

If you're following all the advice, what's the problem? Are you doing something wrong?

No.

The trouble is, however, that a lot of traditional dieting tips on cutting calories simply don’t work. Why is that?

Take choosing low-fat foods for instance. A lot of the time, low-fat foods are no lower in calories than the regular version, as the manufacturers simply add more sugar to make up for the lack of fat.

Not eating any carbs in the evening is another good example of a traditional dieting tip that doesn't actually end up working very well.

Not to mention the fact that cutting carbs is actually futile, and really serves no purpose in terms of fat loss.

So, what can you do know? Well, luckily for you, your dieting journey doesn't have to end here. With that in mind, here are 10 tips to cut calories that may well be new to you. The first section revolves around the psychology of dieting, and the second section discusses healthy food swaps.

Well, are you ready to dive in? Let's take a look at some dieting tips that will actually get that big scary number on the scale to change — and these tips aren't even that difficult to implement into your lifestyle!

1. Eat Every Meal at a Table

This means not eating in front of a screen. When you have the TV on, or are staring at your laptop over a meal, you’re not really concentrating on what you’re eating. This leads to one thing – over-eating. 

2. Keep a Food Diary

Accountability and forgetfulness are two huge reasons why people over-eat. Keeping a food diary, it does two things. Firstly, you’re less likely to eat something not diet-friendly if you know you have to write it down later, and secondly, it enables you to look back at the end of each week and see where you could improve.

3. Be Mindful of What You’re Eating

Every time you take a bite of food, think about exactly what it tastes like. Try to savor each mouthful, and chew your food slowly. Just like eating at a table, this makes you slow down, and appreciate your food more.

See Also: Twenty Secrets You Should Know To Cut 500 Calories A Day

4. Look at every food you eat, and ask – “Does this fit my goals?”

There’s nothing wrong with having the odd high-calorie meal, or eating food that some would deem “junk” but it’s important to make sure that everything you eat has a purpose and place within your diet. If, for instance, you’re debating whether to have a piece of cake, be honest with yourself, and ask if it fits with your plan?

If you’ve been doing really well, and weight loss is occurring at a rapid rate, then a small piece is well-warranted. If, however, you know you’ve been slacking, and need to exercise some discipline, then perhaps it’s time to implement some self-control.

Focus On Foods

Once you have the psychological dieting tips and tricks down, it’s time to focus on what choices you can make to cut calories. The key is not to look to cut calories from every single meal, as very low-calorie diets can be detrimental to health and wellbeing. By making small changes though, you can gradually cut calories, enabling steady, consistent progress, while still feeling fit, strong and healthy.

5. Switch Your Fruit

There’s no doubt that fruit is a pretty healthy food – it’s packed with vitamins and minerals, and delivers a hefty does of fibre. However, some fruits can be higher in calories.

While this isn’t an issue on its own, the calories can quickly add up, especially if you’re eating a few pieces every day. For that reason, it makes sense to change to lower-calorie fruits, such as blackberries, raspberries, kiwis, plums, watermelon and strawberries.

6. Look to Diet Drinks

Diet drinks often get a bad rap, but in moderation they can be a dieting godsend. Often when you feel hungry, you’re actually just thirsty. Sometimes water just doesn’t cut it though, and the sweetness of a diet drink can cut through your cravings, and help you keep going when things get tough, without reaching for the biscuit tin.

7. Swap Grains for Veggies

Like fruit, grains such as rice, pasta and cereals can be part of a weight loss diet, but you’ll feel fuller and eat fewer calories by swapping them for veg. You needn’t completely eradicate grains and starches, but try cutting your serving sizes in half, and replacing that lose half with green vegetables such as broccoli, spinach and asparagus.

8.Stop Cooking in Oil

Healthy fats like olive oil, coconut oil, nut oils and even grass-fed butter play an important role in any diet, as fats are needed for hormone production and cell function. But if you’re cooking every meal in oil, the calories quickly add up. Try using a little less oil, grilling or roasting meat instead of frying it, or even using oil from a spray can so that you use less.

9. Skip Breakfast

Skipping breakfast is often cited as cardinal sin number one when dieting, as proponents of breakfast claim that it boosts your metabolism. This claim is false, however.

If your typical breakfast of cereals, toast and juice contains 600 calories (which it could easily, especially if you have butter, jam or honey on your toast, and a sugary cereal) you may eat another 200 to 300 at lunch, but that’s still a saving of 300 to 400 calories.

See Also: Easy Ways to Reduce Your Portions: Cut Calorie Intake and Lose Weight

10. Go Sugar-Free

The sugars in your coffee and tea, fizzy drinks and alcohol, as well as any sugar you add to the food you eat is a surefire way for your calorie intake to soar. Either get rid of sugar completely, cut down your serving sizes, or switch to an artificial sweetener to save calories and drop pounds.
 

Start using all the psychological tactics straight away, and implement one of two of the food-focused tips, gradually adding an extra one here and there if you find you’re still at a plateau.