•News Article

For:    February Issue

To:      Gulf Coast Womens News

By:     Linda K. Bowman, Ext. Agt. IV - Family & Consumer Sciences

Santa Rosa County Extension Service

Telephone: 850/623-3868 or 939-1259, ext. 1360

 

 

          “The Power of One Dietary Change in Losing Weight”

 

What do 10 pounds of fat look like?  For a rough estimate, imagine 40 sticks of butter or margarine or 10 1-pound cans of vegetable shortening.

 

Looks like a lot...yet how many of us add this much weight in a year without realizing it until our pants fit a little tighter or our belt runs out of notches?

 

It takes an excess of about 3,500 calories to gain a pound.  Break that into smaller bites and 100 extra calories a day can put on about 10 pounds a year.  The GOOD NEWS is LOSING 10 pounds can be as easy as eating 100 calories LESS each day for a year.

 

ONE dietary change may be all it takes.  Here are some simple changes, involving just ONE food; each will decrease your daily intake by about 100 calories.  The amounts of calories saved are approximate; check Nutrition Facts labels on specific foods for exact amounts.

 

Single Dietary Changes Equal to about 100 Calories

 

1.  Modify Your Milk

 

.Instead of drinking two cups of whole milk, switch to two cups of 1% lowfat milk or skim milk.  The nutrients are comparable.

 

2.  Modify Your May

 

Switch from two tablespoons of regular mayonnaise to two tablespoons of low-fat mayonnaise.

 

3.  Rethink Your Drink

 

Substitute a 12-ounce can of a diet soft drink at 0 calories for a similar amount of a regular soft drink at 150 calories.

 

4.  Downsize Your Drink

 

If you’ve been drinking a 20-ounce container of a regular soft drink, switch to a 12-ounce container size.

5.  “Dress,” Don’t “Drown” Your Salad

 

If you’ve been using 3 (or more!) tablespoons of dressing per two cups of salad, try cutting back to 1½ tablespoons of dressing or less.  Or experiment with some of the reduced calorie versions – even then, your salad will taste best if “dressed,” not “drowned.”

 

6.  Size up Your Cereal Bowl

 

A study found the amount of cereal eaten by adults was approximately twice the serving size listed on the box.  Check the portion size you’re pouring in relation to the size cited on the box; decide if you’re pouring more calories than desired.

 

7.  Watch Your Bread and Spread

 

Limit the amount of bread (or rolls) and spread eaten before the main course to one serving when dining out.  You always can eat more later if you’re still hungry!

 

8.  Count Your Cookies

 

A single medium-sized cookie easily can have about 100 calories.  Often we pop two or more into our mouths before we realize it.

 

9.  Top Your Potato with Fewer Calories

 

It’s easy to slather a couple of tablespoons of butter or margarine (200 calories/2 tablespoons) on a baked potato.  Try switching to sour cream; you can have as much as a fourth cup for 100 calories.

 

10.  Lessen Your Liquor

 

If you drink alcohol, limit your daily consumption to one drink for women and two drinks for men as recommended by the Dietary Guidelines.

 

11.  Be Size-wise with Fast Food

 

Try one or more of these strategies the next time you visit your favorite fast food restaurant and you easily can save 100 or more calories:

 

•                     Skip the mayonnaise when ordering your favorite fast food burger.

 

•                     Order the smallest size of fries or split them with a friend.

 

•                     Instead of fries, consider a side salad with a fat-free or reduced calorie dressing.

 

12.  Practice Portion Control with Popcorn

 

Popping microwave can be a daily occurrence in many workplaces and homes.  It’s easy to eat half a bag or more at a sitting.  While even TWO cups of the more buttery popcorn may weigh in at 100 calories or less, the entire package might yield 10 or more cups, or possibly over 500 calories!

 

For further information contact:  Linda Bowman, Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent, The University of Florida--Santa Rosa County Cooperative Extension Service--IFAS, at  (850)623-3868 or (850)939-1259, Ext. 1360 for south county residents, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays.  Hearing-impaired individuals may call Santa Rosa County Emergency Management Service at 983-5373 (TDD).

 

Extension Service programs are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap or national origin.  The use of trade names in this article is solely for the purpose of providing specific information.  It is not a guarantee, warranty, or endorsement of the product name(s) and does not signify that they are approved to the exclusion of others.