#8: Cut Calories Without Even Realising
Cutting calories can be a bitch. And by ‘can be’, I mean it always is. Let’s face it, there’s nothing we crave more than that feeling of fullness that comes with a nice, warm meal.
The mind is quick to prompt you to eat more and more, especially when the food tastes good. Only problem is, we tend to underestimate the calories.
But you’ll be happy to know that a few lowkey hacks can help mitigate that feeling. Here are some ways you can cut calories without even knowing it.
1: Sugar-Free Teas And Coffees
Sugar does not only equal additional calories. It equals calories from refined, processed sugar (empty calories). And with one, two or even more teaspoons of sugar in your cuppa spread over the course of the day, the sugar adds up.
A good alternative to sugar is stevia. Or nothing, if you’re a real OG.
This strategy doesn’t stop at warm beverages, but rather, it can also be extended to other sugar-containing drinks. My advice? Cut them out. You don’t need them. I swear, you don’t. There is absolutely nothing to gain from drinking potions comprised of sugar, colouring and preservatives.
2: Cook At Home
Do you know what chefs really put in your meal when you dine out? Do you know what type of cooking oils they use, how much sugar they add, and what other things they put in that special sauce? No. So cook at home.
Cooking at home is the only way to have complete control over what goes into your plate. If you’re a big eater (like myself), you can load your plate with green veg up until your heart’s content.
If you chose to eat healthy, home-cooked foods from wholefood, plant-based sources at least 80 - 90 % of the time, that’s 17 - 19 pro-life meals out of 21 meals per week.
3: Fill Up On Vegetables
If you eat three times a day (and that’s a good number), make sure each plate has a mound of vegetables on it. Filling your plate up with lots of green veggies will dramatically reduce the caloric value of the meal. Start eating them first, and you’ll already be feeling quite full by the time you get to - what people have endeared to calling - the ‘good stuff’.
4: Drink Before You Eat
Ever heard of pre-drinks before the party? Well, why not extend it for dinner times to? You can do it every day so long as the drink is none other than water.
Drink 1 - 2 glasses of water before your meal. Why? Because it helps you feel full. Drinking water before your meal helps you decide if you are truly hungry or just dehydrated. You’d be surprised how often it’s the latter.
5: Eat Protein With Every Meal
Protein is the most important macronutrient (the other two being fats and carbs). We need around around 1 g protein for every kilogram of bodyweight, every single day.
So if you weigh 70 kg, you need around 70 g of protein per day. Especially if you’re working out or trying to lose weight. Divided between three meals, we’re talking 20 - 25 g protein per meal.
If you’re wondering what 25 g of protein looks like, then look no further (just at the image below).
Eating protein with every meal will help you feel full for extended periods. The very act of digesting protein is also a calorie-consuming act in itself. This is because of it’s ‘thermogenic’ effect.
Simple, yet effective tips. These five hacks can be used to get you to cut down calories without even realising!
