Calorie Control Basics

Tip 1: Control your hunger
Reaching your Calorie Target means success. Feeling a little hungry is okay. In fact, it's good not to feel full all of the time. However, letting yourself get too hungry and then eating too much too fast is one of the most common ways to go over your Calorie Target.

Try these tips for controlling and preventing hunger:

First of all, if you think you're hungry, try drinking some water – you may just be thirsty. Then wait ten minutes to see if your hunger is for real.
If you're still hungry after ten minutes, and it's not time for a main meal, eat some fruit, vegetables, or other low-calorie snack.
High-fiber foods help you curb hunger and feel fuller for longer. Try eating more fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain breads and cereals. Check the fiber content of foods.
Protein also helps you to curb hunger and feel fuller for longer. Try lean meats, low- or non-fat dairy products, beans, legumes, and raw or dry-roasted nuts.
Space out your meals and snacks so that you've always got some "fuel" in your system.

Tip 2: Eat a good breakfast
Eating a decent breakfast is one of the best ways to control hunger. People who eat a good breakfast tend to eat fewer calories during the course of the day.

Tips for eating breakfast include:

If you can't eat first thing in the morning, don't! Wait an hour or two and then have a good breakfast.
Space your breakfast out if it suits you better. Start with a low-fat yogurt, then an hour or so later, have a bowl of cereal.
If you can't eat before work, keep breakfast foods at work and have breakfast there.
Include fresh fruit or vegetables and low-fat protein (e.g. yogurt, milk, lean meats) and plenty of fiber (e.g. whole-grain cereal or breads) to keep you feeling full for longer.
Skip the fruit juice as it's high in calories and does nothing to fill you up. Have real fruit instead.

Tip 3: Reduce your portion sizes
The bigger your portion, the more calories you're getting. So if you can reduce some of your portion sizes, you can save on calories. What are your portion sizes like?

To cut down you can:

Use smaller serving bowls – you'll be surprised how filling a small bowl to the brim with cereal is more satisfying (and contains less calories) than half-filling a large bowl.
Weigh and measure your foods so you know exactly what portion size (and therefore exactly how many calories) you're getting. Don't always trust the stated package size – it's often underweight.
Ask for child-sized or appetizer-sized portions at restaurants.
Stop eating when you’re full. Sometimes you can’t control the portion size that you are served, especially when eating out. However, you can stop eating when you are full and thereby eat a smaller portion.
Start small - when having a meal or snack, serve yourself slightly less than a regular portion. You can always eat more if you’re still hungry.
Don't be tempted to buy extra food simply to take advantage of “free” offers, such as "Buy one, get one free" or "Free Brownie When You Buy 3." You don’t really need those extra calories!
Avoid buffets - the greater the variety of foods offered, the more you are likely to eat.

Tip 4: Substitute
Focus on those most likely to help you reach your Calorie Target.
By now you probably know which of your most regular foods are high in unnecessary calories. What substitutions can you make that will lower your calorie intake? For example:

Replace full-fat milk, yogurt and cheese with low-fat versions.
Drink low-calorie or zero-calorie sodas (or better yet, water).
When baking, use apple-sauce or prune puree instead of butter to keep cakes moist.
When cooking use 1Tbs parmesan cheese to replace 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese for flavor.
Use brown rice instead of white rice - it will fill you up more.
Bake and grill meats and vegetables instead of frying them.

Tip 5: Reduce your snack calories
Do many of your calories come from snacks? Snacking itself can be quite helpful for controlling hunger and keeping your blood-sugar levels balanced. The problem is that many popular snacks are high in calories. If you are getting too many calories from snacks try some of these tips:

Remember to record ALL your snacks, no matter how small. Even a handful of peanuts counts!
Bag your snacks into 100 calorie portions so you can easily keep track of your calorie intake from snacks.
Keep a stash of low-calorie snacks on hand, for example: Fresh fruit, fresh vegetables (dip in low-fat salsa if you want a zingier taste), low-fat yogurt, rice-crackers, sugar-free Jello cups, sushi roll, whole-wheat crackers with low-fat spread.
When you're craving a high-calorie snack, find a similar alternative that is lower in calories. For example substitute salted or flavored rice-crackers for chips.
If you can afford the calories, a few nuts (not roasted or salted) or dried fruits make a filling and healthy snack.

Tip 6: Count beverages!
An 8 oz. glass of orange juice has 112 calories, a regular latte about 200 calories, and a can of soda 140 calories, so it's easy to see how changing your beverage choices can help you save on calories. For example:

Drink water whenever you can – it fills you up, is good for you, and has zero calories.
Replace regular soda with calorie-free or low-calorie soda.
Avoid drinking orange juice with breakfast – have a fresh orange instead.
Black coffee and black tea contain almost no calories. If you drink milky, sugary tea or coffee, try making the switch.
Lattes and cappuccinos are high in calories because of their high milk content. Ask for them with low-fat or soy milk. Or even try weaker black coffee with just a little hot milk in it.
Alcohol is high in calories. Try reducing your alcohol intake and see how many calories you can save.
If it's difficult for you to cut high-calorie beverages out altogether, try having smaller portion sizes.

Tip 7: Take care when eating out
Calorie counting is not an exact science
People's bodies vary, the calories from one supposedly identical food to the next can change, and calories burned through exercise in particular can be difficult to calculate.

Yet tracking your calories remains the most reliable and scientific way to control weight and the only way that really works long term.

When you eat out it's harder to control calories as you have less control over how the food is prepared. If you are eating out, keep these tips in mind for reducing and controlling calories:

If you know the restaurant serves over-sized portions:
Ask for smaller or child-size portions
Order an appetizer as an entree
Share a main with another person
Ask for a doggie bag at the start of the meal. As soon as you're full, stop eating, and pack the rest away.
Be aware that many "grilled" dishes are often basted with fats or oils. Ask for food to be grilled without fat or oil.
Order salads without dressing, or with the salad dressing in a separate container on the side.
Ask for a pitcher of water as a thirst quencher. Beer, wine and fruit juice can add excessive calories to a meal.

Tip 8: Read the nutrition facts panel
A great habit to help you track your calorie intake is reading the nutrition facts panel. All packaged foods in the US require a nutrition facts panel that states the serving size, calorie content, and other nutritional information. When reading the information:

First read the serving size. A package or bottle often contains two or more serving sizes, and the nutritional information is per serving size, NOT per whole package or bottle
Read the calorie content per serving size and multiply it by however many servings you intend to have
Think about the number of calories in relation to your daily intake - is the food a good choice based on the number of calories?

What will you do to reduce your calorie intake?