Posts tagged: Reducing Calorie Intake

Sauce Up Your Food

tabascoI love chicken wings. They’re great diet food as long as you fry them “naked” with no batter or crust. You can make a sauce that’s to your heat liking with just hot sauce, melted butter and a some cream. Or keep the calories down by sticking to hot sauce. Just dip the wings, don’t drench them. They’re easier to eat. Decadent, yet still reduced carb.

Discovering that hot sauces are low or no carb was a huge thing for me. It definitely is not all about the heat. There are an amazing variety of flavors from habanero to mustard. The Tabasco brands are a mainstay. But one of my current favorites is Wild Turkey hot sauce. Yes the bourbon is in it. I got it as a gift at Christmas and have to find more soon.

Keep a variety of hot sauces on hand and try it on anything and everything from eggs to veggies. It will spice up your diet in more ways than one.

TODAY: EXERCISE EXTRA TO MAKE UP FOR YESTERDAY!

Don’t Be Afraid to Snack

It’s the weekend and you’re in a different routine. I know we just started the year and a fresh look at our eating habits but don’t deny yourself a little snack from time to time. It may not only keep your hunger in-check between meals, but can reduce your desire to overeat at mealtime. Some research shows that snacking instead of just regular meals may lead to greater weight loss and keeps your metabolism from going into a survival mode that stores food (fat) the next time you eat. Of course don’t use that to justify chips, cookies and other low value foods. Try cheese, nuts or hard boiled eggs which are high in protein or raw veggies. Both will make you feel fuller than snacking on foods that are high in carbs and sugarĀ  calories.

TODAY: MAKE AN EXERCISE PLAN FOR THE COMING WEEK.

Breakfast May Be The Best Meal Of The day

British scientists have found that women who skipped breakfast ate more calories during the rest of the day and also had higher fasting levels of LDL (bad cholesterol) and total cholesterol compared with the women in the breakfast-eating group. The researchers found that skipping breakfast could lead to weight gain. So get your metabolism revved up and quell those hunger pangs early. Just make sure breakfast isn’t the famous British “bangers and mash”.

TODAY: EAT A SMALL PROTEIN FILLED BREAKFAST AND TAKE A WALK.

Before And After

I keep telling you that water is key to your diet and overall health. An easy way to train yourself to get what you need is to drink a glass of water before and after each meal. You’ll find that doing it that way will help you eat less and feel more full while giving you the hydration you need to flush proteins safely out of your system. When eating out you’ll also eliminate an expensive drink. Make sure you tell your waitress that you’re drinking the water for your diet so she doesn’t think you’re just being cheap.

TODAY: DRINK A GLASS OF WATER BEFORE AND AFTER EACH MEAL.

Eat For 20 Minutes

Okay… don’t eat the entire time. Just make sure that you stretch your meals out to at least 20 minutes. If you’re still hungry after finishing your meal, take a 20 minutes break. Sip a cup of coffee, relax, take your mind off eating. Then see if you are still hungry. You’ll probably find that you don’t need more calories. It takes that long for the “full” signal to get to your brain. The main thing is that you see the “stop” signal go on.

TODAY: SLOW YOUR MEALS DOWN.

Time To Purge The Pantry

Spring cleaning should not be limited to the closets. Hit the pantry and get rid of the high calorie winter snacks that you’ve been storing like a squirrel. You can’t eat ’em if you don’t have ’em. Grab a few bags, go to the park and… feed the squirrels.

TODAY: GET RID OF THOSE BAGS OF SNACKS.

Spread Yourself Thin

Jelly can be a source of hidden calories. Sure, you think it’s just a little dollop of goodness. It’s made from fruit, so how bad can it be? Well… most jelly os almost pure sugar and a tablespoon is a whopping 50 calories. But I found a great jelly that is actually low cal and sweet and even has fiber! At just 10 calories per tablespoon Polaner Sugar Free has now also added 3 grams of fiber to that. So if you’re following Atkins you actually get back 3 grams of carbs. So that can offset some of the carbs from a slice of whole grain toast.

I also like to skip the toast and just use a spoonful as a condiment with sausage, or ham and eggs. The berry ones are great with meats and I even skip the meat entirely and fry a couple of eggs hard and top them with some orange marmalade. I know… it’s odd, but it has a flavor a little like a crepe. So add a jar of the Polaner Sugar Free jelly to your pantry and have a guilt free treat.

TODAY: DO SOME STRETCHING EXERCISES.