10 Easy Food Swaps to Lose Pounds Without Trying
And you can make those changes without ever feeling hungry or deprived, and without giving up any of your favorite foods. Just pick five of these simple swaps every day: each will save you 100 calories.
- Toast: Swap butter and jam for a teaspoon of honey
- Sandwiches: Swap egg mayo for wafer-thin ham and light cream cheese
- Fries: Swap a fast-food portion of fries for an oven-baked portion at home
- Soda: Swap an 8oz serving of cola for flavoured water
- Chocolate: Swap a standard mars bar for 3 squares of dark chocolate
- Alcohol: Swap a can of beer for a small glass of wine
- Burger: Swap a cheeseburger for a plain one
- Popcorn: Swap a small sweet bag of popcorn for a small salted one
- Dessert: Swap two scoops of ice-cream for two scoops of frozen yoghurt
- Coffee: Swap whole milk in your latte for skimmed
And if none of those work for you, try keeping a diet diary for a week and figure out where you could cut out 100 calories, five times a day. With just a few tweaks to your diet, you could be four stone lighter by this time next year.
Read More
- Healthy Choice Top Chef: Really Top Quality? (Diet Blog)
- Weight Watchers Smart Ones Satisfying Selections: Smart or Not? (Diet Blog)
- Meet Greg, 155 Pounds Down! (DailySpark)
- 2012 Super Bowl Commercial Winners: Oikos and Belvita [VIDEOS] (Diets in Review)
67 Comments
Add Your Comment
Created / Updated: November 15, 2011
I'd add one more...leave out the creamer and drink your coffee black.
ReplyA definite yes on that one. Maybe I'm weird, but milk or cream mixed together with coffee prior to ingestion do weird things to my stomach. Even sometimes drinking both at the same time. Besides, your coffee should taste good enough to consume on its own or you shouldn't be drinking that sort of coffee.
ReplyNo it's not weird, it happens to me to
ReplyI'm with you on the black cofffee thing, although i still do like my ocational cappo or mocha. :D My major no no in food is fried.
ReplySwapping is a good idea I think swapping sugary cereals for cereals with high fiber is a good way to go, more water instead of soda pop , chicken or fish over red meat fruits and veggies over chips or any processed foods if we look for a healthier way we will find it.
ReplyCool. This helps more if any of these are actually in your diet though :)
Replyhow about drinks, i know they are foods,but some drinks have tons of calories. sometimes more than some foods.
ReplyGreat point -- I did originally have full-sugar cola on the list, but I was going for swaps that were only 100 cals -- you'd save a good few more than that by switching a can of cola for a diet version!
Ali
ReplyOr water... it's calorie free...
ReplyEven better swap: 1 oz vodka mixed into a calorie free mixer instead of the beer.
ReplyOh no calories, they are like a bad dream
ReplyWhen I get a craving for ice cream, I go for low-fat yogurt (the non-frozen variety so I can still experience the creaminess). I swapped tea with no milk or sugar for soft drinks and have seen huge results.
ReplyGreat tip, Rosemary! :-) I like to freeze individual pots of chocolate mousse -- works similarly to ice-cream for me but for far fewer cals.
Ali
ReplyIt's harder when these are things you cut out years ago - and there are no longer any obvious ones in your diet to cut.
ReplySoozeequeue
I can't agree with you more. I haven't had a soda (diet or otherwise) in 5 years. I drink only water and hot tea (nothing added). I don't eat anything with sugar or sugar substitute. My diet is mainly vegan (no meat, no dairy, no eggs). I eat veggies, fruit and whole grains at every meal. I stuggle every day with my weight and the Dr. keeps telling me it's my age (43). I hate to read the ads that say if you stop drinking soda, eliminate salt, switch from whole milk to skim (blah, blah, blah) you will lose weigth so easily! So not true for some of us.
ReplyYeah, Tina, we are about the same age and I think the pre-menopausal hormones are very devious and hard to combat. However, I have heard losing weight once you get to menopause is much harder so I'm determined not to get to that part of my life with extra pounds. It does help motivate me to stay on track.
In my family, on my mom's side, it seems like the women are generally thin, then all gain weight right about menopause, and then drop it all right after. However I'm bucking that trend because being a fit and sexy 60 year old doesn't interest me as much as being fit and sexy at 45. Not to imply 60 year olds can't be sexy - I'd like to be at a good weight throughout.
ReplyI know what that feels like - No sugar, very low fat, high fiber, tons of fruits and vegetables - All they can say is "well you're getting older (I'm only 51). Just diagnosed with pre-diabetes and high cholesterol. All they can say is exercise is the key to lowering all my bad numbers and getting healthier.
ReplyWhile I agree with the underlying message, I would disagree about some of these being "simple swaps." Changing butter and jam to honey on your toast? That's a total transformation of both flavor and texture, and if those are the two reasons you're enjoying your breakfast, you might be better off with reduced-fat oleo and fruit spread.
ReplyI wouldn't recommend these rules to anyone without them first keeping a food diary. Otherwise, it would be too easy to treat these as risk tradeoffs - you'd feel good about having yoghurt instead of ice cream and so would make the scoops larger, or have a large glass of wine instead of a beer...
On slowing metabolism, nearly everyone can turn that around with exercise and eating a reasonable number of calories. Don't get caught in the starvation trap. Think about being the kind of woman that makes Kailash swoon.
ReplyI agree that it's important to keep the metabolism up, with exercise in particular. I've had my metabolism tested however, and was told that for my age, weight, etc it's on the high end.
So for women of a certain age, hormones (or the dwindling thereof) are sort of the mysterious x factor, at least they are to me. They are playing a role and I do wish I understood it better. It's odd, because biologically, women are better off carrying a little extra weight during their peak fertility years, and after that there is little reason for having extra fat. (my doctor told me that I was better hanging on to my 10 extra lbs back when I was trying to get pregnant - it increases the chance of fertility). Does anyone have a better handle on how hormones and weight loss connect?
ReplyThere's a lot on the topic. Here's a place to start (although it has a focus on obesity) - the book is available on Google books:
In Nutrition and Fitness: Mental Health, Aging, and the Implementation of a Healthy DIet and Physical Activity Lifestyle. A. P. Simopoulos, editor, World Review of Nutrition and Dietetics, Volume 95, Karger Publishers 2005.
Managing Obesity after Menopause: The Role of Physical Activity
Gail Dubnov and Elliot M. Berry
Dept of Human Nutrition and Metabolism, Braun School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School
Abstract: Obesity is an epidemic on a global scale [1], posing a major threat to human health and well-being as well as consuming a large part of health care costs. The health hazards associated with being overweight are numerous, including increased all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, cancer, and more. Post-menopausal women, deprived of the protective effects of endogenous estrogen together with negative environmental factors, have an increased tendency for gaining weight and its associated metabolic syndrome [2]. A major cause for the weight gain is lack of physical activity (PA). Additionally, PA is paramount in managing obesity and combating weight gain in the postmenopausal years [3-5].
ReplyWow. Ask and you shall receive. Thanks Quito, I'll start with that.
ReplyRead Gary Taubes' "Good Calories, Bad Calories" for the real inside scoop on nutrition and why we have the obesity epidemic.
ReplyDoes it have anything to do with hormones???
I think from reading your posts you and I already have pretty similar approaches about what to eat. But tell you what - if I PROMISE to check it out of the library, assuming they have it, would you promise to stop telling me to read it:)
ReplyTo warm you up on Gary Taubes, you can read his two New York Times articles: What If It's All Been A Big Fat Lie? and What’s Cholesterol Got to Do With It? (Google the titles - they're easily found).
GIven what you've said about yourself, I don't think you'll find your own situation affected by what he argues, but maybe not! In any case, his articles are well worth reading and thinking about.
ReplyThe award winning Soft Science on Dietary Fat is another excellent read.
ReplySoda: Swap an 8oz serving of cola for flavoured water
Better yet, just drink spring water with all the natural minerals it contains.
ReplyTrue, but all of these involve changes in taste and texture. Water does not taste like soda and yogurt--frozen or otherwise--does not taste like ice cream. And quite honestly, honey is probably a better choice than a reduced fat fake butter and a fruit spread. If you go with raw honey, it is minimally processed and so sweet, you will only use a little.
ReplySo what if water doesn't taste like soda? The idea is to change your physiological response to food. After enough time, you'll be craving water and won't understand how anyone can like soda!
ReplyNot a Dr. Phil fan, so I'm embarrassed to be repeating something he once said, but it is true -"to break a habit you need to replace it with a new habit". I think suggestions like these are good ones because they do offer an alternative to a bad habit. Like Fitness Fanatic, I think you can get used to anything if you repeat it frequently. I once thought I could NEVER be a breakfast eater and bit by bit I replaced my am coffee habit with a breakfast habit and won't go back. Thought I'd NEVER eat cereal especially the hot mushy stuff and now I start every morning with a bowl of an oatmeal/whole grain blend. No yogurt does not taste like ice cream. But after a couple of weeks of yogurt you do begin to like it for what it is, and kind of forget about the ice cream. I started throwing frozen berries in a blender and it comes out with a frozen sorbet texture, close enough for me to the sherbet I used to like.
If it is about the texture - and for some people it really is, I think it is important to try for similar textures in the replacement food. If it's about the flavor, same thing.
ReplyIt's not an issue of replacing a bad addiction with another addiction. I don't view eating healthy every day, eating breakfast every day as an "addiction", but just part of a natural rhythm to life.
ReplyBTW, the way I liven up the oats is to add feta and shredded Parmesan cheeses. It gives a nice balance of healthy carbs and fats while filling me up for at least 3.5 hours. I do use only 1/2 cup of oats for portion control.
Replyexactly. half a cup of oatmeal. My version is frequently Bob's Red Mill organic Museli - which is mostly oats, but several other whole grains as well, with some nuts and dried fruit. No sugar/sweetener or anything else. So I guess the nuts are serving essentially the same purpose as your cheese. But I do love the cheese, especially the parmesan, so tomorrow morning I think I'll try it your way.
ReplyBut I do have to reply to your statement that it's not about replacing a bad addiction... it's been proven that people are more successful at giving up one bad habit if they have another habit to replace it with, especially over the longer term. Lots of us have trouble just chucking away our bad habits cold turkey. Perhaps we could be "tougher" but what's the point, if we can just find a healthy substitute instead?
ReplyI wasn't trying to reply to you, Fitness_Fanatic, I was trying to reply to Brewer's blackbird. I know water doesn't taste like soda and I wasn't complaining. I like water--unflavored, though I do like plain carbonated water--as well as unsweetened, iced peppermint tea.
The attitude he/she expressed is what got to me, that because the result might not be identical to the result that is already liked, the old habit must be imitated with pale substitutes. That's just asking for trouble.
Replyi agree with soozeequeue. before i started to consciously change my eating habits, i thought i loved the taste, smell and texture of fatty, greasy and white-carb foods. now i am truly used to whole grains, lean protein, and crunchy vegetables. i realized that i never really liked soda (diet or otherwise) or pizza - so why eat them? the greasy odor of fast food restaurants (that smell that lingers on your clothes hours after you've left) also makes me want to hurl. it's gross. i also sincerely like drinking 10-12 glasses of water a day - sodas, iced teas, and fruit juice don't hydrate me the same way. if you keep on doing something, you WILL learn to like it in time.
Reply"You WILL learn to like it in time."
Yes, exactly the way we became addicted to fast food in the first place. The problem is, of course, that most people will not make the effort to relearn healthy eating, which becomes enjoyable once you have reset yourself. It's not struggling to eat what you hate, but rather reaching that place where "normal" food tastes, well, normal :-)
ReplyThat's the interesting thing about healthy eating, once you're doing it, it's as natural as breathing. It doesn't take a big struggle to do it. It just continues to happen like that next swig of mountain spring water. The nice thing about healthy eating is that it gives you more vitality so you can start to be more active in other areas of life instead of constantly obsessing about diet/exercise.*
*I'm a bit guilty of that.
ReplyWell, kudos to all of you who seem not to have a problem with what you eat/drink. For me, I can eat right, but I am stuck on the can (sugar filled cola) and I can't seem to get rid of it. I have tried numerous times and I end up being cranky and irritable. I can't seem to put a finger on what exactly it is that I crave about it either. I have tried substituting with caffeine teas or coffee and I still have the "feeling" on wanting a can of soda. Is it the carbination? The sugar high? I truly want to rid the "need" of soda and would appreciate any helpful advice on achieving that goal.
ReplyI recommend to replace those sugars with fat. Like from nuts, peanut butter, cheese. Those will satiate without provoking an insulin response.
ReplyI found that to be true with many, many things. Most junk does not taste as good. What I had to do is take a long period with NOTHING junk food at all-- not little bits, but cold turkey.
I found when I was done that I didn't like half of the junk I used to eat. Have you realized how nasty Oreos really, really are?
But it wasn't with everything. I still LOVE icecream, and pizza... and I allow myself that in moderation.
It might not be the approach for everyone, but personally, I couldn't go from old habits to moderation, straight. Craved too much, etc. Had to cut it off, and reintroduce later.
ReplyGood point. When I was weaning myself off of crap, I would imagine the taste of the junk food - the oreo, muffin, pizza, whatever - and that would be enough to convince me that I didn't want it.
You know, this is something that has come easier to me with age. Maybe it's having more money, or having less time, or getting used to better food. Hum.
ReplyHeather, I had to do the same thing initially when I was losing weight. I couldn't just eat 2 cookies and be done with it...I was way too tempted to eat the whole box. I had to completely cut out all the tempting stuff from my diet for a long time and then slowly reintroduce them back. I will admit though, I have lost my taste for most of that stuff entirely. I never crave most of it anymore...now I crave things like fresh watermelon or a nice crispy apple.
ReplyI think aiming for 90-10 as a balance (90% healthy food, 10% stuff that is not as healthy but that you can't live without) is a good idea. I have in the past eaten absolutely "clean" and it was soooo boring. I can't live without a single condiment and without cheese forever, for example (yes, cottage cheese is technically cheese and I love it, but it doesn't deal with that gouda craving...). I love to cook and love to eat good food, and my whole wheat pasta tossed with fresh tomatoes and no parmesan was killing me. I know that tomato sauce from the jar and parmesan aren't the healthiest foods, but aiming for that perfection was just going to make me binge eventually.
ReplyTo warm you up on Gary Taubes, you can read his two New York Times articles:
What If It's All Been A Big Fat Lie? (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F04E2D61F3EF934A35754C0A9649C8B63&sec=health) and What’s Cholesterol Got to Do With It? ( href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/opinion/27taubes.html)
GIven what you've said about yourself, I don't think you'll find your own situation affected by what he argues, but maybe not! In any case, his articles are well worth reading and thinking about.
Reply