Cutting Out Hidden Calories

With Spring Break and SXSW officially over, next on the list for Austinites is City Council elections… but that’s for a different blog. I’m thinking about swimsuit season, which seems to sneak up sooner each year.

But there are only so many hours in the day to spend puffing away at the gym, especially if you’re also tackling a full work and home schedule. Here are some easy ways to cut out excess calories without too much hassle. Heed this advice and you could say goodbye to as many as 500 calories from your daily diet without even noticing. And because 1 lb = 3,500 calories, that could mean as much as a pound a week!

1) Hiding your veggies: 360 calories saved. Get in loads of fiber and vitamins by sneaking in some pureed cauliflower, squash or carrots to your breads or casseroles. Try this recipe for Summer Squash Bread. You can also sneak a handful of fresh spinach into your smoothies– it will change the color but not the taste.

2) Substitute with plain yogurt: 175 calories saved. Yogurt is full of calcium and protein and comes at a smaller caloric price than fatty sour cream, buttermilk and mayonnaise. Get a low fat, Greek style plain yogurt for a low cal sour cream substitute in your favorite tomato soup.

3) Bump up the balsamic: 200 calories saved. Adding more vinegar than fatty oil to your salads bumps up the flavor for fewer calories.

4) Use smaller dishes. It makes sense that a smaller plate gets filled up faster, thus giving you the illusion that you’re eating more than you actually are. Since you often don’t realize you’re full until after you’ve finished a meal, starting with less food means you’ll be less likely to overeat.

5) Learn the restaurant lingo. When you’re ordering a salad or anything else that could potentially be drenched in fatty dressing, request that it comes on the side. That way you’ll get to be the judge.

For the entire calorie saving list, click here.