Trying to lose weight? Here are tips on how to cut calories at lunch and dinner to help you achieve your weight-loss goal.
1. Cut back on portion sizes of rice, pasta, or noodles by 1/4 cup. Calories saved: 50
2. Choose a baked potato topped with hot and spicy salsa instead of 2 tablespoons of sour cream. Calories saved: 50
3. Make your burgers with 4 ounces of ground turkey instead of 1/4 pound of ground beef. Calories saved: 50
4. Eat an ear of fresh corn-on-the-cob instead of a cup of kernels from a can. Calories saved: 60
5. Forget broccoli-cheddar soup, and have a cup of minestrone instead. Calories saved: 60
6. Swap the Swiss on your sandwich for 1 ounce of fat-free American, or better yet, skip the cheese altogether. Calories saved: 60
7. Wraps? Try 2 corn tortillas instead of 1 flour tortilla. Calories saved: 75
8. Enjoy “light” dressing on your dinner salad instead of 2 tablespoons of full-fat dressing. Calories saved: 70
9. Have your sandwich in a small, whole-wheat pita, rather than on 2 slices of whole-grain bread. Calories saved: 85
10. Subs for lunch? Substitute 2 tablespoons of light mayo for 2 tablespoons of the high-fat version, or better yet, try mustard. Calories saved: 100
11. When sautéing veggies, replace butter or oil with cooking spray. Two quick spritzes of a butter-flavored cooking spray have about 5 calories, compared to 2 teaspoons of oil, which have about 85. Calories saved: 80
12. Ditch 1 piece of bread on your sandwiches; try an open-faced sandwich for a change. Calories saved: 80
13. Try a recipe for vegetable lasagna instead of the traditional meat lasagna. Calories saved: 50 per serving
14. Enjoy 3/4 cup steamed brown rice as a healthy alternative to the same amount of oily, fried rice. Calories saved: 50
15. If you must have French fries, have 4 ounces of steak fries (they absorb less oil) instead of shoestring fries. Calories saved: 50
16. Buy tuna packed in water instead of oil. A 3-ounce serving of chunk white tuna in oil has 160 calories, while tuna packed in water has about 110. Calories saved: 50
17. Serving chicken? Swap chicken breast with skin for a roasted, skinless chicken breast. Calories saved: 50
