Skip the whip
Or at least size it down. Dessert-like coffee creations can contain as many
as 670 calories, with large sizes and options like whipped cream, whole milk,
and syrups.Craving whipped cream? Try it on a shot of espresso for a total of
just 30 calories. You save 640 calories!Count your chips (and crackers)
No, you can’t eat your snacks from a large bag or box because it’s waaaay too tempting to eat until the bag is empty. (Remember Oprah’s blue corn–tortilla chip confession?) A chip-bender to the bottom of a 9-ounce bag is 1,260 calories sans the dip. So stick to 1 serving, about 15 chips—that’s 140 calories—or pick up some 100-calorie snack packs and save 1,120 calories.
Serve and sit
Family-style meals, with platters and bowls of food on the table, invite people to go back for seconds and thirds. Cut hundreds of calories by filling plates before bringing them to the table; leave serving dishes in the kitchen, too.
Skinny up cocktails
Syrups, sour mix, sugary fruit juices, and creamy additions turn drinks into desserts: an indulgent Mudslide can have more than 800 calories. Order drinks mixed with club soda, tonic water, cranberry juice, or a squeeze of citrus; or try distilled liquors on the rocks. You’ll save up to 800 calories.
Eat less pasta
One cup of pasta is just 220 calories. But typical dinner portions at restaurants can be as much as 480% larger than that 1 cup, according to New York University research.That’s 1,056 calories. Even if you eat 2 whole cups of noodles, you’ll still save 616 calories.
Limit dinner guests
Eating with seven or more other guests can make you eat 96% more food, says Brian Wansink, PhD, author of Mindless Eating.That’s like doubling your dinner! Dine with fewer guests to save 500 or more calories.
Make mine a mini
Check out menus for small versions of great desserts, so you can dodge calories and end your meal on a sweet note.P.F. Chang’s Great Wall of Chocolate (designed for one diner!) is 1,440 calories.The Mini Great Wall? A chocolatey yet svelte 150 calories. You’ll save 1,290-calories.
Nix that smoothie a day
A large 32-ounce smoothie can have 800 or more calories. That really adds up if you’re having on-the-go breakfast several times a week.Instead, try a filling lower-calorie starter of oatmeal with brown sugar and banana slices, and a cup of black coffee. You’ll save 518 calories.
Beware the healthy-food trap
People let their guard down when the menu is full of healthy fare, underestimating calories by as much as 35%, research by the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab shows.You’re also more likely to order drinks, sides, and desserts with up to 131% more calories when you have a healthy entrée. Skip caloric sides—a cookie, chips—to save 500-plus calories.
Beware hidden oils
Ask to have your food cooked with a little stock instead of oil, or order steamed or poached entrées: you’ll save 124 calories per tablespoon of oil.Also, have the kitchen skip oils added at the last minute like basil oil or chive oil, and save another 40 calories per teaspoon.
Get enough sleep
A lack of shut-eye can make you snack, new research from the University of Chicago shows. People who got only 5 1/2 hours of sleep noshed more during the day.Snooze more and save about 1,087 calories.
Be the hostess with the mostest
Go grocery shopping for 1 hour, put away your groceries, spend 2 hours cooking a fabulous holiday feast, set the table, and serve.Then toast yourself for the awesome 640 calorie-burn. (A glass of Champagne is only about 106 calories, so you’re still ahead.
A 12-ounce soft drink has about 150 to 180 calories. If you down two or three a day, you’re getting lots of extra calories.Quench your thirst with water and save as many as 540 calories.
Post a Comment