This is a continuation of last week’s “10 Ways to Cut Down on Unnecessary Calories,” where we covered the all-natural sweeter, Stevia. Here are five more tips. Check back tomorrow for the remaining four!
Don’t get distracted
This one should be a no-brainer but I bet many of you still do this. Quit watching TV with the whole bag of popcorn on your lap. Seriously, stop it. How many of you actively recall reaching your greasy hand into the package and shoveling those munchies down your throat? Do you realize how many calories you ingested? A small order of buttered popcorn at the movie theater can contain 580 calories; a large order has as many as 1500. Take the extra minute to pour a reasonable serving into a bowl. It’s worth the regret you’ll save yourself.
Watch your fats
Peanut butter may be good for you, but there are still 200 calories in one tablespoon. First off, do you know how quickly a tablespoon goes down? And second, by one tablespoon, I really do mean one tablespoon. I do not mean half a jar of peanut butter balanced ever so carefully on one giant ladle. I’m a huge fan of good fats myself, but at nine calories per gram of fat, things like nuts, oils, avocados and cheeses should be consumed sensibly.
Also, if you notice that your grilled chicken breast is sitting in a soup of oil, take a napkin or two and blot it out. Same with pizza. It may not seem like it, but at the end of day, you’ll have saved calories. And the best part is that you can’t even taste the difference.
Keep a water bottle with you at all times
How much water do you really drink on a daily basis? I’m not talking about soda or juice. It’s time to ditch that Dr. Pepper and Gatorade that’s not so nice to your teeth and waistline and opt for the good ‘ol H?O. Sugar-sweetened soft drinks are associated with increased external eating and, ironically, consumption of diet sodas are correlated with increased BMI (Elfhag K et al., 2008). Huh? Turns out that that light soft drinks tend to be the go-to choice for heavier individuals attempting to shed pounds.
So keep a water bottle with you wherever you go, just as you clutch your Blackberry religiously in hand. Sip it through class, swig it down while you’re studying that gargantuan physiology textbook, and – of course – bring it with you to the gym. If you can’t stand the taste of plain water, try Stevia + lemon extract for an extra kick without all the sugar.
Cook your own food!
Really, it’s not that hard. The time investment is worth the pay-off, if you ask me. Especially for those of you living in Mirrielees or Rains, you’re not during yourselves a favor by living off of microwavable meals. You might mooch off of a friend’s meal plan here and there, but how long does that last?
Buy yourself a Costco membership or head to the Trader Joe’s over in Town & Country. Put on your chef’s hat, dice a few tomatoes and assemble your very own pasta dish! Or would you rather devour over a 1000 calories’ worth of spaghetti & meatballs at The Olive Garden? Even with just a handful of ingredients, you may surprise yourself with a spectacular dish. Invite some friends over for an evening and impress them with your hidden culinary skills.
Invest in your own blender
A blender does wonders to spice up your everyday eats. I use mine on a daily basis to make my own ice blended coffee. I don’t know about you, but something about spending $1.95 on a cup a’ joe every morning on a college budget doesn’t seem like the wisest way to spend my moolah. Besides, similar to the tip above, you can control exactly what and how much you toss into your blender.
You can also make smoothies. Oh, smoothies. The possibilities are endless. Ever tried tossing a handful of spinach into your morning blend? I’m not kidding – you can’t even taste the spinach. Check out www.greenmonstermovement.com for incredible lists of recipes that will make angels (and your taste buds) sing.
Don’t miss out on parts I and III either!
Sources
Elfhag K, Tynelius P, Rasmussem F. Sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened soft drinks in association to restrained, external and emotional eating. Physiol Behav 2007 Jun 8;91(2-3):191-5.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Stanford chapter.