Choose a breakfast cereal that's not loaded with sugar and fat. You can eat two cups of cheerios for about the same calories as a 1/2 cup of granola, plus you'll get a lot more fat with the granola.

Instead of a muffin, choose a bagel, English muffin, or whole grain toast. Muffins are often mistaken for a "healthy" food, but one large muffin can have 300 to 500 calories with 10 to 15 grams of fat. If you're really craving the muffin, just eat the top.

Condiments are a calorie trap. Think of all the condiments you add to food without giving it much thought. Just a tablespoon of salad dressing, mayonnaise or butter adds 100 calories to whatever you're eating. Find condiments that are not fat-based to enhance the flavor of your food. Some ideas are salsa, flavored vinegars, mustard, ketchup or yogurt.

Replace your afternoon candy bar with fresh fruit. If instead of a candy bar you reach for a couple pieces of fruit, you'll save about 150 calories and 10 grams of fat. It may take some getting used to, but it's worth it. Fruit is sweet, refreshing, full of nutrients and has a lot less calories.

Stop picking. A little bite of this and a little bite of that can add up to more than a little bit of calories if you're not careful. Try not to pick at food while you're standing in front of the fridge, preparing dinner or sitting in front of the TV.

Be wary of reduced-fat foods. Fat free does not equal calorie free; in fact, oftentimes you're still getting a significant number of calories. Check out the food label, especially the calories and the serving size, to make sure you're not getting more calories than you bargained for.

Liquid calories add up faster than you may think...

Skip the soda. Regular soda is loaded with sugar, which is why one 12-ounce can has about 150 to 200 calories. If you drink three sodas a day or one supersize fast-food soda, you'll be drinking enough calories to replace a whole meal (without getting any of the nutritional value). Instead, try sipping on carbonated water with lemon or lime or drink sugar-free sodas. Also, don't forget good old-fashioned water to quench your thirst.

Replace your glass of juice with a piece of fruit. You'll save calories while getting more fiber to boot. An 8-ounce glass of orange juice has about 110 calories, whereas one orange only has 60 calories.

Use fat-free milk in your coffee. Coffee on its own is essentially calorie-free, but it's a different story when you start adding cream and sugar. You can easily add more than 60 calories to your morning coffee. This may not sound like a big deal, but if you have two cups a day, it adds up. The calorie pitfall can be even worse if you're choosing a coffee drink, such as a cappuccino, latte, or frappuccino, which each provide 100 to 300 calories. These drinks are usually made with whole milk unless you request otherwise. Next time, ask for your latte to be made with skim milk and you'll save about 80 calories.

Beware of happy hour. Cocktails will boost your calorie intake quickly if you're not careful. A 2.5-ounce martini has about 150 calories. A typical 12-ounce beer also has about 150 calories and a 4-ounce glass of wine has about 80 calories. Better calorie options are light beer (100 calories) or wine spritzers (half a glass of wine with club soda added-only 40 calories). Order mixed drinks with club soda or diet soda-juice, regular soda or tonic water will just add extra calories.

Bookmark:

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed