Once you get on track with healthy eating habits and a workout routine there are still many things to learn about keeping these good habits. While it is important to maintain this healthier lifestyle, you don't want to lose the rest of your own lifestyle.
Instead of changing your entire life around for your healthier goals, it may be easier to make minor changes here and there instead. A good way to start is by making better food choices rather than trying to subject yourself to a strict diet.
While baking cakes or cupcakes here's a few calorie shortcuts:
- Top it off with fresh fruit instead of frosting
- Reduce fat either by replacing half the butter or oil with canola oil, or replacing half the butter or oil with unsweetened applesauce (then subtract a spoonful of sugar from your recipe)
Daily Cooking Tips
- Cook your vegetables in a lightly oiled pan with a few tablespoons of low sodium chicken broth (which adds great flavor)
- Replace that baked potato with brown rice
- Keep fruits, vegetables, whole wheat pasta, and reduced fat milk and cheeses on hand
You can still control the healthiness of what you eat even if you don't cook. Here's some tips for eating out and shopping for pre-made snacks:
- When at a restaurant, ask for half of your dinner to be put in a take-out box before they bring your plate to the table
- Order a soup along with an appetizer for your meal
- When shopping for energy bars, look for one that: doesn't have sugar listed as one of the first couple ingredients, has 3 or more grams of fiber, is less than 200 calories
By making small changes little by little we can shave off many calories that won't be missed. Who said you have to be on a diet to lose weight and be healthy?
