Learn about Chevy's new hybrid from AutoblogGreen!

6 steps for slashing calories

Posted: Jul 1st 2008 7:30AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Food and Nutrition, Healthy Habits, Diet and Weight Loss

Reader's Digest calls it the "American Paradox," the curious way the proportion of fat in the American diet is going down while the numbers on our American scales are going up. The explanation: While the percentage of fat in our diets may be dropping, the amount of fat we consume as a nation is going up because we're eating larger portions of everything.

All is not lost, though. Here are six steps for slashing some calories from your diet. Calories, after all, are the golden ticket for weight loss.

Keep food off the table. Serve your food onto plates right from the stove or kitchen counter. No serving platters, no extra calories.

Don't eat from packages. It's too easy to lose track of how much you've consumed when you keep grabbing from a bag. Try portioning out crackers, pretzels, and other snacks on a plate and you'll have a clear sense of what you're eating.

Downsize your dishes. Smaller plates and bowls make portions seem larger.

Take it slow. Put your fork down after each bite, sip slowly from your drink, and when you're done with your food, wait 20 minutes -- this is how long it takes for the brain's appetite-control center to register that there's food in the stomach.

Work for your food. Eat foods that require some effort. Peel an orange or crack open crabs and your eating pattern will slow down.

Socialize outside the kitchen. You won't be so tempted to nibble if you congregate in the living room.

Related Headlines

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)



That's Fit Features





How many calories burned? What is my BMI?
More weight loss tools!


Features
AOL Health Bloggers (58)
Ask Fitz! (79)
Ask Laura! (27)
ATIO: Summer Quick Fix Challenge (6)
ATIO: Wednesday Weigh-In (4)
ATIO: Weekly Weight-loss Results (4)
Celebrity Fitzness Report (43)
Daily Fit Tip (429)
Diet Derailers (6)
Fit Beauty (92)
Fit Factor (98)
Fit Gadgets (32)
Fit Kicks Videos (9)
Fit Links (100)
Fit Mama (10)
Fit Pregnancy (22)
Fitku (14)
FitSpirit (46)
FitTV (8)
Fitzness Fiends (52)
Gut Busters (4)
Healthy Handful (11)
How Many Calories? (108)
Jogging for Normal People (18)
Jumpstart Your Fitness (89)
Life Fit Chat with Laura Lewis (106)
Life Fit with Laura Lewis (57)
Meet the Bloggers (20)
One Small Step (7)
Podcasts (43)
Recipe Rehab (23)
Retro Review (3)
Road To Fitville (16)
Stress Less (37)
Taking Off Ten (12)
That's Fit In The Field (4)
The 5 (42)
The Daily Turn On! (114)
The Good, The Fat and The Hungry (13)
Tuck It In (17)
Walking the Walk (2)
We Love To Gawk At Fit Celebs (71)
We Love To Gawk At Fit Celebs Weekly Roundup (37)
Week In Review (64)
Working In the Workouts (55)
Workplace Fitness (90)
You Are What You Eat (68)
Your Turn (40)
Healthy Living
Alternative Therapies (303)
Book Reviews (99)
Celebrities (947)
Cellulite (236)
Diet and Weight Loss (2544)
Eco-Travel (81)
Emotional Health (1299)
Fit Fashion (90)
Fitness (3872)
Food and Nutrition (4595)
General Health (5569)
Giveaways (10)
Health and Technology (673)
Health in the Media (1287)
HealthWatch (468)
Healthy Aging (757)
Healthy Events (164)
Healthy Habits (2157)
Healthy Home (459)
Healthy Kids (1610)
Healthy Places (251)
Healthy Products (963)
Healthy Recipes (354)
Healthy Relationships (312)
Men's Health (1539)
Natural Beauty (231)
Natural Products (243)
Obesity (320)
Organic (222)
Spirituality and Inspiration (288)
Stress Reduction (547)
Sustainable Community (242)
Vegetarian (307)
Vitamins and Supplements (283)
Women's Health (2097)
Work/Home Balance (198)

RESOURCES

Powered by Blogsmith

Daily Fit Tip

Endurance athletes are some of the most disciplined, dedicated people. Tap into that mojo by...

 

Featured Stories

Sponsored Links

Most Commented On (60 days)

Recent Comments


Aches, pains? Find out what your symptoms mean:

Sites We Love

Other Weblogs Inc. Network blogs you might be interested in: