Cut 100 Calories a Day -- Lose 10 Pounds a Year

The No-Hunger Way to Cut 100s of Calories


Cut 100 Calories a Day -- Lose 10 Pounds a Year

Lose weight -- and keep it off -- with super-simple diet tweaks that trim 100, 250, even 500 calories a day.

The last thing you want to do right about now is go on a diet. (Okay, it's pretty much the last thing you want to do ever.) Luckily you can zap the bulge without resorting to rabbit food. The trick: Eat just a little less. Scientists at Harvard and Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge found that people who lowered their calorie intake lost an average of 13 pounds in six months no matter what kind of diet they were on. "This is the best weight-loss news in a long time," says Frank Sacks, MD, nutrition professor at Harvard School of Public Health and lead author of the study. "If you don't like what you're eating, you're not going to stick with it. These findings give you flexibility to trim a bit here and there and still enjoy your favorites."

In fact, by nixing just 100 calories a day, you'll lose more than 10 pounds a year. Up your cuts to 250 and you're down 26 pounds. Want to lose faster? Ditch 500 calories daily and you'll drop those pounds in half the time. We found 50 so-easy ways for you to trim a little but save a lot.

Cut 100 Calories at Breakfast

Use skim milk in place of flavored Coffee-mate in your two morning mugs.

Eat a bowl of high-fiber cereal and you'll consume fewer calories all day.

Order bacon, not sausage, with your eggs.

Choose a yeast doughnut instead of a denser cake one.

Cut 100 Calories at Lunch

Use 1 tablespoon of mayo and 1 tablespoon of low-fat cottage cheese to make tuna salad.

Put barbecue sauce, not honey mustard, on your chicken sandwich at Wendy's.

Top your burger with onions, lettuce, and tomato and skip the cheese.

Ask for the 12-ounce child-size soda instead of the 21-ounce medium at the drive-through.

Slim down your sandwich by using Arnold Select 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Thins instead of whole wheat bread.

Toss your salad with 1 tablespoon of dressing until every lettuce leaf is coated. You'll get away with using half the usual serving size. Try this trick at dinner too.

Skip the crackers and shredded cheese on your chili.

Cut 100 Calories at Dinner

Trade butter for a flavorful spread made with garlic, fresh rosemary, and light, trans fat-free margarine.

Making meatballs? Mix half the amount of ground beef the recipe calls for with half as much cooked brown rice.

Instead of two slices of medium pepperoni pan pizza, choose thin-crust.

When munching on chicken wings, don't toss the bones midway through. Seeing the evidence of your feast may help you eat less, studies show.

Cut 100 Calories from a Snack

Trade 1/2 cup of premium vanilla ice cream for 1/2 cup of Breyers Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream.

Ordering a cone? Make it the sugar, not the waffle, kind.

Munch on Pirate's Booty. In a study, switching to an air-puffed cheesy snack twice a day saved about 70 calories a pop.

Grab a Dannon Light & Fit yogurt, not a low-fat fruit blend.

Replace half the butter in cake, muffin, and brownie recipes with an equal amount of applesauce or mashed bananas. You'll save about 100 calories for every tablespoon you swap.

Indulge in a slice of angel food cake drizzled with chocolate syrup rather than three cookies.

Healthy Recipies

Pan Fried Garlic Steak and Potatoes Recipe

Ingredients

• 12 cloves garlic

• 1 lb. tiny new potatoes, scrubbed

• 4 6-oz. boneless beef ribeye or beef strip steaks

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil

• 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes

• Fresh oregano (optional)

Directions

1. Using the side of large chef knife smash garlic; discard skins. Halve any large potatoes. Place potatoes in microwave-safe bowl. Cover with vented plastic wrap; microcook on 100 percent power (high) 5 minutes. Stir in garlic. Cover; cook 5 minutes more or until tender, stirring once. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Season steak with salt and pepper. Cook steaks, half at a time, 8 minutes for ribeye or 4 minutes for strip (145 degrees F for medium-rare or 160 degrees F for medium), turning once. Keep steaks warm while cooking remaining steaks.

3. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to skillet. Add potatoes, garlic, and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes or until potatoes are golden and tomatoes begin to wilt, stirring occasionally. Serve potato mixture with steak. Top with fresh oregano. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts

• Servings Per Recipe 4 servings

• Calories 434,

• Total Fat (g) 20,

• Saturated Fat (g) 6,

• Cholesterol (mg) 99,

• Sodium (mg) 247,

• Carbohydrate (g) 25,

• Fiber (g) 3,

• Protein (g) 38,

• Vitamin C (DV%) 44,

• Calcium (DV%) 5,

• Iron (DV%) 26,

• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet