Achieving a steady albeit modest calorie deficit every day is an excellent way to lose weight. Weight loss occurs successfully even with small calorie deficits as, often times, small calorie deficits are less challenging to maintain long term. Smaller calorie deficits are actually conducive to sustainable weight loss, and a good solution for anyone who finds it difficult to commit to an actual weight loss diet.
Eating even 100 calories less a day can represent a sustainable way to lose weight. But where do you even begin to cut down on calories so that you eat even just 100 calories less per day? The solution is to make small changes to how you eat, and cook, so that you bring down your daily number of calories without it feeling as if you are on a diet.
10 Tips to Cut 100 Calories a Day
1) Have unsweetened tea in the morning
For those of you who like drinking tea, having a cup un unsweetened tea in the morning is a sustainable way to cut down on your daily calorie intake without it affecting your eating habits too much. One cup of unsweetened orange juice at under 250 grams has over 110 calories so having unsweetened tea instead easily has you dropping 100 calories early in the morning.
If you usually have coffee with milk, cappuccino or a latte in the morning, you can drop, on average, about 45 to 90 calories from just the milk. Not to mention the fact that tea is hydrating which boosts wellbeing and contributes to good disposition. And because there are so many options, even if you’re not the biggest fan of drinking tea, there is a tea for you too that’ll get your excited to start the morning.
If you are looking to start your day strong, you can have green tea or black tea which have caffeine for that coffee-like stimulating effect. Alternatively you can have herbal teas with various health effects. For example, berry teas such as strawberry, raspberry, blueberry and rose hip tea are sources of antioxidants with anti-inflammatory effects. Dandelion root tea is pretty much a herbal coffee (dandelion coffee), without the acidity of actual coffee and with added hepatoprotective benefits.
Nettle tea and dandelion tea are diuretic and help you lose water weight. Linden flower tea as well as linden leaf tea have mild sedative action with anti-anxiety benefits which might just be what you are looking for even if it’s early in the morning.
Or just enjoy a tea for its flavor, and get benefits for health: raspberry fruit tea is fresh and tangy and has anti-aging benefits; hawthorn tea is mild tasting and lowers high blood pressure numbers and heart rate; orange peel tea with cinnamon and cinnamon tea are highly aromatic and good for bloating, indigestion, stomach cramps and stomach upset.
2) Switch from fried eggs to soft boiled, hard boiled or poached eggs
If you usually have fried eggs for breakfast in the morning, then simply changing up the way you cook your eggs can help you drop at least 100 calories, if not more. For example, instead of having fried eggs or sunny side up eggs, try soft boiled, hard boiled or poached eggs. By cutting down on just 1 tablespoon of oil that you use to fry two eggs you are dropping 124 to 130 calories. If you use more than that, then you will be cutting a lot more than 100 calories a day.
3) Bake your omelet
If you like eating omelet, then that’s really good news for your waistline. Whether you usually make your omelet from whole eggs or egg whites, switching how you cook it can have you eating at least 100 calories less a day. Instead of frying the omelet in a pan, bake it in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, without any added oil or grease. Just use a piece of baking paper or parchment paper to coat an oven safe dish and cook your omelet in the oven.
Whisk your eggs in a bowl the night before and season to your liking, then leave in the fridge overnight. In the morning when you wake up, head straight for the kitchen, turn on the oven, pour the eggs in an oven-safe dish, then take care of your usual morning routine until the eggs are done.
The taste is excellent, with baked egg flavors, but the energy value drops by over 100 calories. There are 124 to 130 calories in every tablespoon of oil – assuming you use just one tablespoon of oil to make an omelet, you will be eating 124 to 130 less calories a day; assuming you use two tablespoons of oil for your omelet, which is actually a reasonable amount, you will be cutting down on 248 to 260 calories.
4) Measure how much oil you use
While it’s not always possible, you only need to do this once a day to cut down on more than 100 calories. For example, at breakfast time: use 1 tablespoon less of oil for frying eggs, making an omelet or scrambled eggs and drop 124 to 130 calories instantly. When you make pasta or risotto or a stir fry or any other cooked meal, measure how much oil you normally use and, the next time, use 1 tablespoon less to cut down on more than 100 calories.
5) Skip on fruit juices
Fruit juices up daily calorie intake, and are not actually healthier than whole fruit. Just one standard glass of unsweetened fruit juice at less than 250 ml provides, on average, over 100 calories. So to cut down on 100 calories or more a day, just skip the fruit juice. In 35 days you will have lost more than 0.5 kilograms with just this one change.
Instead of fruit juice, have a glass of water. Instead of fruit juice, have a cup of tangy berry tea, either warm or chilled with ice cubes. Or a cup of dandelion root tea which is coffee-like. Instead of fruit juice, have a serving of actual fruit.
Whole fruit provide fiber which causes sugars in the fruit to be released gradually into the bloodstream – this prevents spikes in blood sugar, cravings and overeating. Whereas with fruit juices you often feel like having yet another glass – for example, fruit juices that are sweet make you more thirsty because of the sugars in them and cause you to want to have more juice; fruit juices that are tangy also make you want to have more juice to counteract the acidity, or stimulate your appetite.
6) Have naturally sparkling water instead of soda
So many dieticians and nutritionists nowadays recommend drinking zero-calorie diet soda and sugar-free soda instead of regular soda to lose weight. But this is not a healthy compromise – zero-calorie and sugar-free sodas are full of additives and preservatives, aside from unhealthy sugar substitutes. Instead of drinking any kind of soda, just have a nice big glass of naturally sparkling water.
One can of regular soda at 330 to 350 milliliters has an average of 130 to 140 calories, so you will be dropping more than just 100 calories. Naturally sparkling water is extremely hydrating, stops hunger and curbs cravings, and provides minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium for a feeling of well being. I recommend always getting your natural sparkling water in a glass bottle – the glass preserves the bubbles beautifully and will satisfy you just as much or more than the soda.
7) Grill, bake and boil meat, covered
When cooking meat of any kind, give up frying to cut down on more than 100 calories. Instead, rely on cooking methods that do not require the use of oil, butter or any kind of grease. Chicken breast is best eaten grilled – grilling keeps it juicy and tender and there is no need to marinate it or use any kind of fat.
Turkey breast can be thrown onto a hot non-stick pan as it is, covered with a lid and allowed to cook over medium-low to medium heat for 10-15 minutes on each side depending on thickness. Keeping the lid on (except for when you turn it) is what keeps the meat tender and ensures it cooks through while acquiring a savory golden brown roast on the sides.
For fish, bake in the oven covered. You can dress a whole fish in a generous layer of salt, then bake. You can also cook fish in a glass oven safe dish in a few inches of water, covered with an oven safe lid or plain aluminum foil. Or on top a bed of vegetables: tender green beans topped with salmon fillets, cooked in the oven covered makes for an exquisite meal.
Chicken drumsticks or chicken thighs are best cooked in a few inches of water, with the lid on, over medium-low heat until the meat just falls off. The food will turn out full of flavor, even when cooked plainly, and you will cut down on at least 100 calories per serving.
8) Have frozen fruit instead of baked goods
When you crave something sweet, don’t go straight for baked goods such as cookies, cake, pie, pastry, whether store-bought or home-made. None are low-calorie. Instead have a serving of frozen fruit. My absolute favorite are frozen red grapes, cut in half.
Wash, tap dry and cut in half ripe red grapes, then freeze in 100 grams servings – one serving has just 70 calories. You can do the same with mango, papaya, pineapple, honeydew melon, cantaloupe, blueberries, black grapes and any fruit you particularly like. Baked goods have, on average, 200 to 800 calories per serving, so you will be dropping a minimum of 100 calories by eating frozen fruit instead.
9) Choose fruit popsicles over other kinds of ice cream
If you crave ice cream, choose fruit popsicles which typically have 100 calories per serving, or less. By comparison, other kinds of ice cream have at least 200 t0 250 calories per serving, so you will be cutting down on 100 or more calories easily this way. A small frozen banana, mashed using a food processor, also counts as ice cream.
10) Choose fresh fruit over dried fruit
Instead of dried fruit, choose fresh fruit. A serving of dried fruit is usually just 30 grams which is not nearly enough for satisfaction. Chances are you’ll overeat, and dried fruit pack a lot of calories. There are easily 250 to 300 calories in 100 grams of unsweetened dried fruit, with a few exceptions.
Instead, eat a fresh fruit. Fresh fruit have a low to moderate calorie content and can be incorporated successfully in any diet, including weight loss diets. Fresh fruit have sugars and organic acids to satisfy cravings, and dietary fiber to satiate and curb hunger. Fresh fruit are also high in water to hydrate the body and bestow a feeling of well being that is conducive to satisfaction and helps curb appetite.
