When it comes to weight loss, don’t discount the small things. Though drastic measures may be tempting in moments of desperation, lasting weight loss can be yours with a few tweaks here and there. Don’t get me wrong–weight loss almost always requires due diligence and ongoing commitment. But! With these three strategies for easy weight loss, you can lose pounds without too much heartache. Small changes really can deliver big results!

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A Refresher on Calories

Remember that to lose one pound of weight in one week, you must create a calorie deficit of roughly 500 calories per day. That is to say, you must be eating 500 calories LESS THAN what you need to maintain your weight. So, if you hold your own at 2200 calories, you would need to consume about 1700 calories per day to lose one pound over the course of a week.

While you can certainly track your calories throughout the day and follow a specific calorie plan appropriate for your weight loss goals, you can also come at it from the other direction and cut calories from what you typically eat. This works especially well if you have been maintaining your weight for the past couple months or so. After all, if your weight is steady, this means you have been eating the right amount of calories to match your body’s needs.

Easy Ways to Cut Back

Whenever looking for calories to cut, I like to start with the easy targets–calories that won’t be sorely missed. Here are a few ideas that you can try today!

Don’t Drink Your Calories

Choose your beverages wisely. Liquid calories can add up fast without filling you up. Common culprits are regular soda, energy drinks, juice, alcohol, and coffee drinks. Aside from milk and milk alternatives (are you getting your 3 servings per day?), try to limit the number of calories you’re drinking.

While you certainly don’t have to eliminate all of your favorite drinks, most of the above contain 150 calories or more in a typical serving. Cutting out just one (or two!) would get you well on your way to that 500 calorie target.

Lose Weight One Tablespoon at a Time

Look out for added fats. Just one tablespoon of fat contains 90-110 calories and those tablespoons add up fast! Not sure where those extra fat servings are sneaking in? Salads are a not-so-obvious offender here. Though the innocent greens are low-calorie and rich in nutrients, they become quite the calorie bomb once hosed down with salad dressing, whether you go for creamy Ranch or an olive oil vinaigrette. To cut down, order that dressing on the side and limit yourself to 2 tablespoons. You’ll likely save yourself at least 150 calories if not much more! (Many restaurant ladle on 1/2 cup of dressing–that’s 600 calories!)

Other added fats to watch are butter, oil, mayonnaise, sour cream, cheese (a medium-fat protein), nuts, and nut butters (high-fat proteins)–just to name a few. One trick to try: make a point to skip 3 tablespoons of fat per day. This might be some of the oil you cook with, the mayo on your sandwich, the butter on your toast, or the sour cream on that baked potato. Though the difference in volume is minimal (remember–we’re talking tablespoons!), you’ll save around 300 calories!

Don’t Come Hungry

Another super easy way to cut calories is to start every meal with a fruit and/or vegetable serving. Studies have shown that people who begin their meals with a veggie-loaded, broth-based soup or a salad splashed with low-calorie dressing eat 15% fewer calories over the course of their meal compared with those who don’t. Eating an apple before meals has been shown to have similar benefits.

Why? Not only do you begin to physically fill up your stomach with lower calorie foods, but your brain also has more time to recognize that food is going down the hatch and that your hunger is being satisfied. Remember, it takes about 20 minutes for the ole’ noodle to register that satisfaction, so beginning with a low-calorie starter will ultimately help you to eat fewer calories without eating less!

Painless Weight Loss

By following these tips, you’ll easily create that 500 calorie deficit without even breaking a sweat (though exercise would be a good idea, too!). Before you know it, you’ll start to see that scale go down 1-2 pounds per week with just a few simple tweaks. No complicated meal plans or restrictive food lists required! With these three strategies for easy weight loss in your pocket, you’ll see that small changes really can deliver big results. You can do this!

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Welcome back to The Diet Oracle! In the last post, we spent some time discussing how to create an effective goal that was S.M.A.R.T.–that is, Smart, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound. Today I want to share with you the next vital step toward making your weight loss goal a reality–formulating a solid action plan.

Though the diet industry would have you believe that there is some magical secret to shedding pounds, it still comes down to calories in versus calories out. That is, your weight is a balance between the calories (or energy) you consume from food and the calories you burn through basic metabolism, digestion, and physical activity. When those two sides of the equation are equal, your body is in equilibrium and your weight will remain stable. If, however, you’re wanting to lose weight, you must take in fewer calories than you are burning to create a calorie deficit. This forces the body to tap into your various forms of stored energy and ultimately shed pounds. While there are certainly more details to flesh out, energy balance is still the name of the game when it comes to weight loss.

So knowing you’ve got to create a calorie deficit to see that number on the scale go down, let’s talk about an action plan to make that happen. If your weight is (generally speaking) a balancing act between the calories you get from food and the calories you burn, altering one or both sides of the energy equation is the key to losing weight. Eat less, move more–right? You’ve got to change the way you eat and the way you move in order to change your body. For most people, this means making healthier food choices, reducing portion sizes, and cutting back on junk food and calorie-laden drinks. It also means getting active, increasing both the time you devote to exercise as well as incidental activity throughout the day. How you choose to alter your own energy balance is entirely up to you!

There are as many ways to create a calorie deficit as there are people. From cookie cutter calorie plans and macronutrient manipulation to intermittent fasting and good ole’ fashion portion control, the choices are nearly endless. The idea that there is only ONE right way to lose weight is utter nonsense. To the contrary, your weight loss success will largely depend on your ability to find a plan that works for YOU–one that you can stick with for the long haul and perhaps even enjoy. As long as you pick a plan that consistently creates a calorie deficit, you will lose weight.

Now that we’ve got the physics of weight loss out of the way, it’s time to make it real. In upcoming posts, we’ll be looking at a couple all-too-familiar scenarios and really dig into different strategies for creating that calorie deficit all the while promoting good eating habits and of course, good nutrition!

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