Trim 100 Calories

By Nikki Goldbeck, CDNAs a nutritionist

I have seen or heard just about everything as far as diets are concerned. I am constantly amazed by the schemes and expenses people put themselves through. In the name of weight loss, we eat some pretty awful-tasting foods, forgo getting together with friends if food is involved, or take the joy out of eating through monotonous, limited or complicated food plans.

I admit, when you stick with it, many of these diets bring the desired weight loss. People have lost hundreds of pounds using some of these methods. Unfortunately, it’s often the same 10 pounds over and over again!

No matter what the theme, many diets have one thing in common: restrictions. There are rigid rules about foods to avoid. As I explain to my clients, if you could restrict the cookies, cake, ice cream, processed foods, hidden fats and such on your own, you wouldn’t need to buy into these plans. For some reason, people are willing to avoid these foods when they’re a part of some scientific-sounding plan. But as with most diets, willpower usually wanes. Soon enough, you’re back on the roller coaster.

Make a commitment now to lose weight without the “magic bullet” that diet books promise. You need to do it in a manner that will have lasting effects and won’t restrict your life.

Here’s my proposal: It takes an excess of about 3,500 calories to gain a pound (or 35,000 calories to put on that familiar 10 pounds a year). Divide that into smaller bites, and 100 calories more or less a day can translate to about 10 pounds a year. This means losing 10 pounds can be as easy as eating 100 calories less each day for a year!

Just one dietary change may be all it takes. Each of the following changes will decrease your daily calorie intake by about 100. Please note that these figures are approximate. You can use the nutrition information on food tables and labels for more ideas.

Obviously, you can mix and match or try a couple (or more) if your goal exceeds 10 pounds. Be prepared for slow weight loss. Because losing weight at a gradual pace (1/2 to 2 pounds per week) is generally considered the best way to achieve long-term success, this is also the sensible way to achieve meaningful results.

A Plateful of Pasta
The recommended serving size on the box for pasta is 2 ounces, which is 1/2 cup cooked. The typical restaurant portion is easily four times this size. Leave just one cup on the plate (or take home leftovers).

Note: One cup cooked pasta is about the size of a tennis ball.

Resize Your Cereal
The amount of cereal eaten by adults is often twice the serving size listed on the box. Check the amount you’re pouring in relation to the serving size noted on the box.

Less Bread
Use only one slice on your sandwich. Replace the top layer of bread with lettuce.

Less Spread
Reduce the amount of butter you use by one tablespoon (and don’t replace it with the latest restaurant trend: dipping bread in olive oil).

The YoChee Way
In dips and toppings, replace 1/4 cup sour cream or whipped cream with YoChee. YoChee is a creamy, nonfat food that substitutes for butter, mayonnaise and sour cream. You make YoChee yourself by draining nonfat yogurt in a simple straining device.

Twofers
Replace two glasses of orange juice (8 ounces each) with two oranges.
Replace two slices of bread with two rice cakes.
Replace two fried chicken breasts with two broiled chicken breasts.
Replace two cups of cooked carrots with two cups of cooked cauliflower.

Dress It, Don’t Drown It
Reduce the amount of dressing on salads by about two tablespoons — use just enough to coat the salad. When dining out, request the dressing on the side.

Modify the Mayo
For every two tablespoons of mayonnaise, replace one with a tablespoon of YoChee.

The Perilous Peanut
Cut back two tablespoons of peanuts or a tablespoonful of peanut butter.

Control Popcorn Portions
Popcorn can be a great diet snack — but not if you eat the whole bag. Depending on the way it’s popped and topped, a cup can vary from 30 to 100 calories. So measure your choice accordingly. One cup of popcorn is about equal in size to a baseball.

Count Your Cookies
A single medium-sized cookie can easily have about 100 calories. Instead, try spreading a crisp cracker with a thin coat of jam instead.

The Chocolate Cheat
If chocolate is your downfall, make it go further by mixing a spoonful of chocolate chips into a bowl of mini-shredded wheat, Rice Krispies or puffed cereal. You’ll probably save 100 calories over a real chocolate indulgence.

Downsize
If you’ve been drinking a supersize 20-ounce container of soda, switch to the 12-ounce size.

Rethink Your Drink
Replace an 8-ounce glass of soda with seltzer (flavored with fruit essence if you like) or unsweetened iced tea.

Not So Sweet and Light
If you take your coffee (or tea) with sugar (16 calories per teaspoon) and cream (40 calories per two tablespoons), cut one cup of coffee to be halfway to your 100-calorie goal.

Heed the Limit
If you drink alcohol, limit your daily consumption to one drink for women and two drinks for men. A typical 5-ounce glass of wine has 100 calories; a 12-ounce serving of beer has 150 calories; and 1 1/2 ounces of distilled spirits contains 100 calories.

Lasting Last Bite(s)
Do you waste it or “waist” it?

Bite No. 1: One tablespoon of raisins left in the box — 27 caloriesBite
No. 2: Two spoonfuls of flavored (nonfat) yogurt left in the container — 20 caloriesBite
No. 3: Three mini rice cakes left in the bag — 25 caloriesBite
No. 4: One-fourth cup of apple juice left in the jar — 30 calories

Only four little “tastes” will net you more than 100 extra calories.