We'll me and my "not hubby" have been battling how to lose the extra pounds. We are trying to work out more and change our diets. We even try going to the gym together to be each others coaches to encourage each other to keep going. We also go on family hiking trips and jog together sometimes. Our teen is lucky as he can eat whatever he wants and still remains a stick! I digress...
One thing that has been helping tremendously in shedding the pounds is learning how to make our favorite usually fatty comfort foods healthier!
We've learned what to cut out of our diet and what to cut back on. Here are 10 tips on how to make your foods and meals healthier!
1. So I love to bake! Like I'm addicted to bake goods! That's my downfall. I've learned that when a baking recipe calls for 1/4 or 1/2 of the butter or oil I can replace it with unsweetened applesauce. Keep in mind that applesauce is a better replacement for oil than it is for butter.
2. We've cut back on SUGAR! I love anything with sugar since I have a sweet tooth. Try to cut your sugar intake. Sugar packs on the calories quickly. One tablespoon of sugar equals 48 calories. So if you have a recipe that calls for One tablespoon of sugar try using One tablespoon of confectioners' sugar instead of regular sugar. One tablespoon of confectioners' sugar only equals 29 calories.
3. Being a native New Yorker I love to make my New York style cheesecake. When you're making yummy Cheese Cakes use reduced-fat cream cheese instead of regular. Same great taste half the calories.
4. I love chicken and hamburgers. We over ate when we made these. So we invested in a food scale so that we can weigh our meats to get a feel for what typical serving sizes are. I actually have one from Weight Watchers that works great! You should check out the great scales they have to offer at www.weightwatchers.com
5. Cut back on FAT! Even though we love fat because it has the most flavor on meats, give up the fat and skinned chicken and use the leanest cuts of meat: skinless poultry, white meat poultry, or beef with "loin" or "round" in the name.
6. Cut back the SALT! Salt is deadly. And we tend to love it in our family. We used to put salt on our fries, popcorn, everything! We've been very adamant to watch how many high-sodium foods we're eating including anything canned, packaged mixes, tortillas, breads, olives, cheese, salsa and seasoning mixes.
7. When we have our Mexican burrito dinner night we now use 8 or 6 inch flour tortillas instead of 10 inch tortillas. The 10 inch tortillas can have 213 calories before any fillings are even added.
9. When cooking or making our own salad dressings we use healthier oils like extra virgin olive oil in place of our typical oils we usually used.
And a bonus tip:
The battle still continues to lose weight, since it get's harder to do when you get older, But we know we are on the right track! I hope these tips will do the same for you and your family! Or at the very least help you cook your favorite foods healthier.
10. And last but not least Don't fry your foods! I love fried chicken, but try baking or grilling your chicken instead of packing on the calories by frying them! I think breaded baked chicken tastes just as good as fried chicken!
And a bonus tip:
We love to eat Weight Watchers Smart Ones when we're on the go! Weight Watchers Smart Ones offers a variety of healthier meal options for all 3 meals of the day and also offers desserts and snacks! You can snag a coupon for $1 off the purchase of any 5 Weight Watchers Smart Ones products here!
By doing these tips I have shared with you we have changed our eating habits and how we cook our favorite foods. We have become more healthier and have lost some weight in the process.
The battle still continues to lose weight, since it get's harder to do when you get older, But we know we are on the right track! I hope these tips will do the same for you and your family! Or at the very least help you cook your favorite foods healthier.
Thanks for letting me share these tips with you and thank you for following my blog!
“I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and WeightWatchers SmartOnes blogging program, making me eligible to get a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”
