Like many of us, you probably started off 2012 aiming to drop a few pounds. If you’re having trouble with that resolution, it may be simpler than you think.
No, there’s no magic way to lose a substantial amount of weight without restricting calories and exercising, but there are a host of strategies that can help you steadily drop pounds without actually going on a diet at all.
Sound too good to be true? It’s not. Here are 10 smart strategies to live healthier – and weigh less – by tweaking your food choices and lifestyle just a little. In fact, the changes are so easy and painless you may not even notice a big difference in how and what you are eating until your scales show you are dropping excess weight.
“For example, cutting back on just 100 calories per day can help you lose 10 pounds by the end of the year,” nutrition expert and registered dietician Marisa Moore, RD, Spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, tells Synergy.
1. Easy ways to cut 100 calories: - Use skim versus whole milk (save 70 calories per cup).
- Skip the croutons on your salad.
- Opt for mustard instead of mayo on your sandwich.
- Trade one cup of ice cream for a half cup topped with berries.
- Skip the breadbasket at dinner.
2. Put down your fork or spoon between bites. “This slows down the eating process and may help you eat fewer calories,” Moore explains.
3. Try these easy and healthy substitutions for less healthy ingredients when you cook.
- "Have a vegetarian meal at least once each week where eggs or beans are your key protein source,” suggests registered dietician and certified wellness coach Julie Schwartz, MS, owner of Nutriwell Coaching (http://www.nutriwellcoaching.com).
- Use cottage cheese on a baked potato – it melts just like higher calorie mozzarella cheese.
- Add hunger-fighting fiber to your diet by using at least half whole wheat flour in a recipe instead of the white variety when baking muffins, biscuits, breads, pancakes, or pizza crust.
- Season with lower fat condiments when possible. The fat is reduced but texture enhancing sugar is added as in fat free.
- Applesauce and dried plum puree can be used to replace 1/2 to 1/3 of the fat in many baked goods.
 4. Chew your food thoroughly. “A recent study showed that people who chewed their food 40 times per bite ate fewer calories compared to those who chewed just 15 times,” Moore says.
5. Use smaller bowls and plates. “An eight to nine inch plate that is filled half way with colorful and delicious food choices is a great way to watch portions,” Schwartz tells Synergy.
6. Live a colorful life! Schwartz says to reach for a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables. They are loaded with health building phytochemicals and other nutrients and are low in calories, too.
7. Drink water before a meal. “This has been shown to be effective in helping with weight loss, especially among overweight individuals. This simple action is not only hydrating, but it may help you take in fewer calories,” Moore explains.
8. Eat your fruit – don’t drink it. Eating whole fruit saves calories. A case in point: one orange has only 65 calories and 3.5g fiber while one cup of orange juice contains 112 calories and only 0.5g fiber. “Research shows that liquid carbohydrates just aren’t as filling as solids and they often leave you wanting more. Whole fruit provides fiber and satisfies in a way that fruit juice cannot,” Moore says.
9. A small amount of protein will help your meal and snack last longer to keep hunger at bay. So what's a small amount? Schwartz says to aim for two to four ounces at a meal; to keep fat (especially the saturated kind found in meat) at a healthy level, consume a total of no more than 6 to 8 ounces of animal protein per day.
10. Don’t eat in a rush – enjoy your meals! “Take 15 to 20 minutes to taste and really savor your food,” says Schwartz. Slowing down your meals can help you eat only until your hunger is satisfied and prevent mindlessly stuffing on excess helpings.
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