Spring break is in sight, and for those of us fortunate enough to escape the Midwest icebox, it means shaping up for swimsuit season. Dropping those winter pounds essentially means burning more calories during the day.
While hopping on the treadmill is a good step, this doesn’t just mean eating fewer calories than the machine at the gym says you burned. Making responsible changes to the way you eat is essential and easy. It’s the little things that count.
So if you’re looking to feel better and live more energetically, here’s some food for thought:
Cut out costly extras. At Panera, a baguette on the side of your meal adds 180 calories and 36 grams of carbs, and those cookies in front of the register range from 380 to 460 calories each. At Five Guys, split that bag of fries with a friend. Save 290 calories at Chipotle by getting a Burrito Bowl instead. Get a “skinny” sandwich at Potbelly instead of an original and cut 100 calories.
The skinny option also works at Starbucks. While the difference between drinking a glass of 2percent milk and a glass of skim milk feels like going from delicious cream to water, the taste change is much less noticeable in a latte – while this only saves about 60 calories (not to mention all the fat), think of it as five extra minutes on the treadmill. Skinny versions use skim milk as well as sugar-free syrup.
Keep in mind most of us have a concept of portion size that is much larger than necessary. Try eating half a sandwich at Panera and saving the rest for later. For breakfast, eat your Cocoa Puffs out of a smaller bowl. Many health-conscious types advocate five small meals a day instead of three large ones because you’re more likely to eat less when you know it won’t be long until you’re going to eat again.
For snacks and dessert, go for the fruit. Fruits are carbs, but they’re still good for you. For example, apples have a lot of fiber, which makes your body work harder than when it’s digesting a bagel. A recent article in Time about Weight Watchers showed the program equates eating a whole barrel of apples with eating a slice of apple pie.
