Through my ups and downs of weight loss, here are some things that have worked for me.
Sugar Free= I can still eat what I want
Regular syrup: 220 calories (1/4c) . . . Sugar Free (1/4c)=30 (the best sugar free syrup is Cracker Barrel Vermont sugar free syrup which only has 6 calories for 1/4c!! You can ask for it at Cracker Barrel and save yourself almost 200 calories!!
Regular Jam: 50 calories (1 tbsp). . . Sugar Free Jam 10 (1 tbsp) I myself can not tell the difference, but it could be that I have been dieting for awhile and forgotten the sweet taste of sugar!
Butter Up!
Not sure how many calories are in butter, but on my toast I always use I can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray which has no calories. Be careful on their butter products. They have calories, only the spray is free. I have also tried another brand of butter spray, and I think that I Can't Believe It's Not Butter is the best.
The "best" light ranch
I have tried almost every brand of light ranch dressing, and my personal favorite is the Lite House Light Ranch. Also, take a look at the Hidden Valley Ranch dip mixes. If you add fat free sour cream to it, it tastes great and is still low in calories.
Yogurts are not all created equal
I have found that the lowest calorie yogurt on the market is Dannon Light and Fit yogurt. You get 6 oz for 80 calories. Most are 100 calories for 6 0z.
Cottage Cheese
If you look through the cottage cheese section, I have found that Viva Fat Free Cottage Cheese is the lowest in calories at 70 calories for 1/2c. Most are 90 or even 110 calories and still say they are low in fat.
TV Dinners
I always stayed with Weight Watchers, Healthy Choice, and Lean Cuisine TV Dinners thinking (as their name implies) that they were better for you and lower in calories. When Banquet was on sale for $88 cents each, I decided to compare the labels. I was astonished! There are some TV Dinners in Banquet, Stouffer's, and Michelina's that do not advertise as being low in calories but are still lower in calories than some of the healthy products. If you are tight on cash, do your homework on the nutrition labels.
Soup
One thing that I have found, is that Progressive Soup in general is 200 calories lower than most other soups with the same portion size. I personally do not like their low calorie soups, but you can still get a decent soup in the regular size.
Bread, Bagels, and English Muffins
I love bread, bagels, and English Muffins but at times can not justify the calories. I found products at Walmart that are English Muffins, Bagels, and whole wheat bread that is slightly smaller than their regular alternatives. It cuts some of the calories almost in half and I still feel like I am having a piece of toast or a bagel in the morning. The alternative bagel is 110 calories and an Einstein Brother's Bagel is around 300 calories (I think). You can also find bread that is only 45 calories a slice rather than 90 calories a slice. Sara Lee delightfully Wheat (not made out of real whole wheat even though it is advertised as such) and Arrow Head Wheat Bread are ones that I have liked.
Anyways, I hope you guys can benefit from some products that I have come to love. You'd be suprised how a few calories here and there can really add up!
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You are so right about the little things adding up quickly. I love the Butter spray also, sometimes I just need that little bit of flavor and it does the trick.
ReplyDeleteLove it! I'm excited to test those out. I love Ranch, but so high in calories and some of the light ones make me want to gag. I'll have to try the one you suggested. The other ones look really good too. I always knew you were a fitness expert!
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