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Tuesday, April 5, 2011

HEALTHY LIVING WITH JANICE--PAINLESS TRICKS FOR CUTTING CALORIES



Did you make a New Year’s resolution to lose weight? It’s the most common resolution people make at the beginning of a new year. It’s also the most common that resolution long given up by this time of year. Health editor Janice Kerr is here today with some tips for helping you get back on track and shed those unwanted pounds. -- AP

Thanks, Anastasia! Losing weight is hard. There probably isn’t anyone reading this blog who hasn’t been on the weight loss merry-go-round and fallen off too many times. One of the reasons we can’t stick to our diets is that we set the bar too high. And we expect results too quickly. The best weight loss -- the kind that stays off -- are the pounds that are shed gradually.

So here’s a trick to try: lower your expectations, and you may find you actually shed more weight and keep it off. Instead of cutting 500 - 1000 calories a day, try cutting 100 - 300. You’re less likely to feel as though you’re starving yourself and will be less tempted to cheat.

A pound of body fat is approximately 3500 calories. If you cut 500 calories a day from your diet, you’ll lose about a pound a week. But cutting 500 calories a day is hard for many people. That’s why their diets fail. Cutting 250 calories a day is a lot easier. It will take you twice as long to lose that pound, but isn’t it better to lose a pound every two weeks than not at all?

Here are a few examples of how you can cut 100 - 200 calories without feeling any pain:
  • Leave the pizza crust on your plate.

  • Make your morning eggs with egg whites only.

  • Eat one slice of toast instead of two with those morning eggs.

  • Make your sandwiches from bagel thins instead of whole bagels.

  • Leave the slice of cheese off your sandwich or burger.

  • Use mustard instead of mayonnaise on your sandwiches.

  • Drink flavored seltzer water instead of soda.

  • Use salad dressing spritzers instead of drowning your salad in dressing.


Great tips, Janice! This makes dieting sound almost painless. Readers, do you have any dieting tips that have worked for you? Let’s hear them. -- AP

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