When you’re trying to lose weight, calorie counting is a great way to do it. But even so, it can feel daunting to figure out where you can cut cals in your diet. That’s why we like these switches – ways to cut calories without any of the effort. 

Skip the butter 

It’s delicious, but you don’t need to add butter to everything. Sometimes it’s completely masked by other flavors, and it’s in these cases you should consider skipping it. A tbsp of butter is 100 calories, which is a significant saving if you’re not tasting it. 

…Or find an alternative 

Ok, so sometimes butter is needed. Sandwiches, for example, are pretty dry without it, but you could use mashed avocado for a creamy alternative. 

The calories in avocado can be high depending on how much you use, but avocados have other great things going for them, making them a perfect alternative to butter. 

  • High in omega 3 
  • High in monounsaturated fatty acids (that’s the good kind) 
  • High in potassium 
  • Shown to lower cholesterol levels

You could also go for hummus, coconut oil, or nut butter, but be sure to check the calories and keep an eye on how much you use. 

Change up the takeout coffees 

If you’re a Starbucks or Dunkin’ fan, your daily caffeine fix can come with a huge calorie price tag. We’re not saying you should stop grabbing takeout coffees, rather be mindful of what you’re ordering. 

A Starbucks grande cinnamon dolce latte is 340 calories. You could lower the calories by switching to a smaller size (a tall is 270 calories), or go for one of Starbucks’ 200 calories or less choices: a tall skinny vanilla latte is 100 calories (and a grande is 190 calories). 

…And reduce your liquid calories 

Put down the fruit juices and smoothies – they’re full of sugar and high in calories. If you love a glass of OJ, eat an actual orange instead for the added fiber bonus. Cut down on alcohol too, as it’s generally very high in calories. 

You know soda isn’t the greatest choice, but sometimes it’s hard to beat. We get it. But one 12oz can of Coca-Cola is 140 calories, so keep them as the occasional treat, or switch to Coke Zero, which is (as you may have guessed), 0 calories. Does it taste the same? No, not really, but it’s still crisp and refreshing, and if you can get used to it as an alternative you could potentially save hundreds of calories a day (depending on how much Coke you drink). 

Spray your oil 

Oil is very high in calories, so you’re probably already aware that you should use it sparingly. Still, sometimes you do need oil when cooking. Spray oil, also called cooking spray, is really low in calories (Pam is ‘0 calories’ per ¼ second spray, although obviously if you spray more than that the calories are going to go up) and it’s an easy way to control how much oil you use. 

Make your own sauces 

Jarred sauces are super easy, but they can be high in calories. Prego roasted garlic and herb sauce is 70 calories per ½ cup, which feels like a lot when you could make a simple sauce with the same ingredients (tomato paste, diced tomatoes, onions, garlic, basil) with fewer calories.  

Spotlight vegetables 

You don’t need to replace spaghetti with zoodles (that’s noodle-shaped zucchini) or to start grating cauliflower to use in place of rice – although if you do want to do that, go for it.  

No, we’re just recommending that you start filling half your plate with vegetables before you add anything else. That’s it! This small change can make a big difference to the calories on your plate, as you cut down on the how much starchy carbs you have.  

Keep easy-serve bags of vegetables in the freezer which you can use to easily bulk out meals.