PrintBy Shawn McKee
eDiets Contributor
The Tweak has always been about making weight loss a little more manageable. We know the undeniable truth of losing weight is that you must burn more calories than you consume — the caloric deficit, as it’s called.
Knowing your individual calorie needs is crucial to creating a healthy deficit. Cut your calories too dramatically and your body thinks it’s starving, thus storing fat and consuming muscle — the wrong kind of weight loss you want.
So, let’s make weight loss simple by cutting a few calories that you’ll hardly notice are gone. When you cut 100 calories here, 50 calories there, you end up losing weight without starving yourself or giving up the things you love. That’s the key to lasting weight loss — changes that you can stick to.
“I recommend eating smaller meals more often throughout the day,” says eDiets Director of Nutrition Services Pamela Ofstein. When wanting to lose weight, managing hunger is important to prevent overeating in the long run.
“Remember: Be sure you are consuming the right amount of calories your body needs,” says Pam. “Then spread those calories out over five or six meals throughout the day. This helps to keep your metabolism from slowing down and it keeps your blood sugars level.”
While many people will recommend not eating after a certain time, Pam says the real key is to eat the recommended number of calories for you and to spread them out. She tends to eat most of her calories earlier in the day because she is more active in the morning and needs the energy.
Skinny Sipping
If you start your day with a cup of coffee, it’s probably 5-15 calories, but add two sugar and a cream and you’re getting about 50 extra calories. Drink your coffee black and you’ll lose 5 pounds over the course of the year. Skip the chocolate-whipped-mocha-sugar-chinos from your favorite coffee chains; they can easily add several hundred calories to your day.
Have you given up soda yet? If you haven’t at least switched to diet, do it now. A 12-ounce can of Coke packs 140 calories and 39 grams of carbs. If you have one can a day, over the course of the year that adds up to more than 51,000 calories — that’s roughly 14 pounds! Try some green tea, flavored water or diet soda to save big.
Leaner Lunch
Do you pack your own lunch? It’s great if you do, but if you’re slathering mayo on your sandwich, you’re adding about 100 calories and 10 grams of fat to your sandwich per tablespoon. Switching to mustard — 10 to 20 calories per tablespoon — can cut 5 pounds worth of calories per year.
If you go out for lunch, ask for a to-go box immediately. When your food arrives, put half of it away. Most restaurants serve oversized portions that can easily split into two normal-sized meals. If it stays on your plate, you might just keep eating it. Take it off your plate to not only save the calories, but get two meals for the price of one!
A salad can be a healthy lunch, but beware the dressing! Order a low-fat version and order it on the side so you can control the amount that you use. Also, ask the waiter not to bring the complimentary bread; it’s hard not to snack on it when it’s right in front of you.
The Secret of Snacking
Snacks can be the secret weapon in your weight-loss arsenal. You will get hungry between meals; just make sure you have something healthy on-hand so you’re not grabbing an unhealthy treat from the vending machine. Pam recommends having snacks within reach (about 100 calories) to avoid temptation.
If you hit the vending machine for a candy bar, you’ll consume over 250 calories but get very little nutrition for your buck. Try a piece of fruit and a low-fat string cheese, a handful of nuts or any number of healthy snacks and save more than 100 calories. Making this switch once a day could save you the calorie equivalent of 10 pounds over the course of the year.
Skip the fruit juice and grab a piece of the real thing instead. You’ll get more fiber from a piece of fruit, plus save 40-50 calories. You’ll get better health benefits, avoid excess sugar and save yourself a few pounds over the course of the year.
Losing weight doesn’t have to mean starving yourself. It just means making better choices on a consistent basis.
“The closer you stay to your recommended daily calories, the better. If you stay pretty close to the guidelines, you will do fine and reach your goal. But like many of us, sometimes if we give ourselves a little more room, we run with it,” says Pam.
“Some of us need to be more strict and stick close to the calories recommended, while others can do just fine not stressing as much and getting as close as possible. Really, it all depends on the person. I like not to stress so there isn’t pressure, focusing on the positive changes and taking the time to change behavior.”
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