Episode 70 – Beginner’s Guide To Cutting Calories Quickly
Ohhh the age-old issue of reducing fat in your diet.
While fat isn’t the enemy (yes, you need fat in your diet), here are some easy and obvious ways to help you with your health and fitness. There are three basic ways to cutting calories quickly
- Be more conscious of what you eat
- Minimize the number of fatty foods that you eat.
- Reduce the frequency of fatty food options in your diet planning.
While it is hard to make good food choices all of the time, follow these principles below to make your health and fitness soar!
What’s the payoff?
Making good food choices around fat in your diet means that you can positively affect your cholesterol levels, blood triglyceride levels, weight, and overall body composition. Choosing foods low in fat also means you can cut down your risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and even some cancers.
Let’s start!
Cooking fats, oils
You can take in a lot of hidden fats when you don’t know how your meals are cooked. Cooking foods in oils, butter, or margarine can contribute substantial amounts of fat to your diet. If you need to use cooking oil then olive oil is a healthy choice. It is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids (good fats) and can lower the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease.
Another good idea is to cut down on the amount of oil you are using is you reduce the quantity of oil used. For example, if you were using 1 Tbsp. try and cut it down to ½ Tbsp.
Salad dressings
Remember that mayonnaise is quite fatty so if you want to use it in a salad dressing use a low fat version. Better dressing options are vinaigrettes or a wine reduction.
If you must have it, make sure the cook puts it on the side so you can add in the right quantity for you!
It is also easy to make your own dressing so that you know exactly what is in it. Use some extra virgin olive oil, flavored vinegar (balsamic or red wine vinegar) and add in spices or herbs like oregano or rosemary for flavor.
If you don’t want to add dressing at all you can use herbs and spices directly on your salad to ramp up the flavor. Try a pinch of chili flakes, rosemary, basil, spearmint, or any other aromatic herb or seasoning. If you are using a seasoning, choose a low or no salt blend.
Convenience foods and fast food
Avoid buying convenience foods or going out for fast food. These items are loaded with fat.
While, it can be hard to cook a complete healthy meal on busy nights, plan ahead by preparing at the start of the week. Cook more than you need and then freeze unused portions for later in the week. This will help you avoid resorting to convenience foods.
Want to know 4 other ways to cutting calories quickly? Read on below.
Desserts
It can be hard to avoid desserts all together so it is important to make good choices here to cut fat out of your diet. Try to avoid high fat desserts like pastries, donuts, muffins, and cakes. You also want to cut out desserts that have full fat cream like cheesecake.
If you do choose a high fat dessert, opt for a smaller portion. If you are at home you can cut a small piece. If you are at a restaurant, share a dessert with your dining partner or even a small group at your table.
Instead of high fat desserts, you could opt for fresh, canned, or packaged fruit. If you would like a little more variety, make a fruit salad. Instead of ice cream, choose sorbet or gelato as they are generally made with less sugar and fat.
Snacks
Snacks are not a bad thing but in order to cut out fat, you need to make wise snacking choices. Simply put potato chips, corn chips, milk chocolate, and cookies should be avoided. If you find it difficult to cut them out altogether, again simply limit the quantity that you consume. Keep in mind that snacks like potato chips and many other packaged snacks are also high in salt so they may negatively affect your blood pressure and heart health.
Meats
Avoid eating processed meats. Sausages and cured meats such as salami, bacon, and pepperoni are high in fat and should be avoided or eaten in moderation. It is better to eat pure cuts of meat without the skin.
You should also trim the fat off your meat or try to choose a leaner cut. Simply cut it off during mealtime. Better still, trim off the fat prior to cooking so it doesn’t contribute to the cooking oil.
Instead of putting crumbs or batter on your meat, season it with healthier options. Crumbs and batter tend to absorb more of the cooking oil than lean meat cuts meaning you’ll consume more fat in your diet. Instead, use spices and seasonings to flavor the meat.
Pay attention to how you cook your meat as well. It is better to have oven-roasted or grilled meat as opposed to fried. Steaming and braising can be better ways to prepare meats. Simply add flavorings and spices to taste.
Do not eat large quantities of meat. Eat a small portion and add more protein to your diet by eating lentils, chickpeas, and beans. They are all good options for protein and they do not have the fat that meat does.
Milk Products
For milk and dairy products, choose low fat or skim options. The same goes for cheese; you want low fat where possible and consume it in small amounts. Cottage cheese and ricotta cheese are good options for cheese lower in fat. Also, cheese in brine, such as feta is also a healthier option.
The Bottom Line
If you are looking at ways of cutting calories quickly, the ideas above will help you to be more aware of the foods you are choosing and the quantities that you consume.
The important thing is to cut out the bad fats that you can do without, eat the ones you can’t cut out in moderation, and pay attention to your portion sizes when you eat. All of these things will help you to reduce fat in your diet which will lead to an overall healthier lifestyle.
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Need extra help?
- My PURITY Protocol is an amazing resource packed with 6 secrets to detox your life and supercharge your energy. It’s my personal wellbeing philosophy. Check it out here.
- The First Five Fitness program is a complete 35 day guide to nutrition, mindset, and fitness for beginners and intermediates AND it only takes five minutes blocks to start. Click here for details.
- Don’t know what or how to cook and prepare food?! Check out My Meals & Recipes book here. It’s packed with loads of practical, healthy and simple to make breakfast, lunch, dinner options as well as snacks and drinks.
- Want live coaching? Click here to contact me. I look forward to working with you soon.
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You can listen to the audio at this link
Bibliography
- Burke, L. Deakin, V (2005) Clinical Sports Nutrition (2nd Ed.) McGraw-Hill
- Chek, P. (2009) How to Eat, Move and Be Healthy!
- Chopra, D. (1995) Boundless Energy: The complete Mind/Body Program for Overcoming Chronic Fatigue. Three Rivers Press
- Duhigg, C. (2012) The Power of Habit: Why we do what we do in life and business. Random House
- Kausman, R. (2004). If not dieting, then what? Allen & Unwin
- Levitin, D. (2014) The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload. Plume Printing
- Mahan, L. Escott-Stump, S. (2004) Krause’s Food, Nutrition & Diet Therapy (11th Ed.) Saunders
Chris Everingham lives and breathes health & fitness.
Hi, I’m Chris Everingham.
I’m sharing the holistic performance secrets that I both personally used to overcome racial scrutiny, escape poverty and depression, AND taught others so that they too could bring proven success and happiness into their lives.
Learn more about my time competing in international sports, in front of media and speaking with live audiences of thousands of people to discover my high performance secrets. Click here to grow your mindset, rewire your habits and transform your life.
