In yesterday’s blog I talked about keeping a food diary to find all those hidden calories. Today I want to share with you simple ways you can cut a ton of extra calories from your diet each day. You probably don’t even realize how many calories you are consuming with wasted calories. Here are some simple ways you can do this:

~Replace full fat milk or cream with low fat milk in your coffee.

~Replace full fat milk with low fat milk in your cereal.

~Replace mayonnaise with mustard on your sandwich.

~Go with plain nonfat yogurt instead of the flavored yogurt cups, dress it up with a tsp of pure maple syrup, and top it with fresh fruit. And a bonus is that the plain nonfat yogurt comes in a bigger tub and and saves you money!

~If you want soup, use one that has a broth as the main ingredient and skip the creamed soups.

~Replace sour cream with Greek yogurt in dips. This is my favorite party trick!

~Use avocado and/or salsa to top your tacos and burritos instead of sour cream.

~Instead of pasta or rice as a side, replace it with a vegetable.

~Before you sit down to eat your meal drink a full glass of water. This will help to fill your stomach so you eat less.

~Start every lunch and dinner with a salad with oil and vinegar. This will also help you fill up.

~Did you know that most of the time our bodies confuse thirst for hunger? Next time you are feeling like you are hungry and need a snack, try drinking some water instead and see how you feel.

Lastly, here are a few more tricks for date night. Going to the movies can be fun (although I would much rather watch a movie from my couch in my PJ’s with my pillow and blanket), but it can also be a very calorie filled night out (and not to mention expensive)! And if you know me, if there’s one thing I’m good at (besides cutting calories!), it’s saving money. So you know I smuggle whatever I can into the movies! So first thing, bring your own air popped popcorn! The popcorn they sell is full of butter and lots of calories and totally unhealthy. Air popped popcorn is way better for you and has so little calories! Also, bring in other healthy snacks that you like, such as pretzels, so you aren’t tempted to buy candy. I’ve even brought in my own water! Next up is the ice cream parlor! When getting ice cream, get a sorbet instead. It’s less calories, and you can still have a refreshing treat!

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