10 ways to eat less calories without tracking calories
Tracking calories is a great way to learn about the energy content of food, and I encourage everybody to practice it at some point in their life.
However, there are many situations where tracking calories might not be appropriate for you.
Depending on your current eating patterns, I usually encourage habit changes before we go straight into tracking calories. This can often encourage weight loss without too much mental effort.
If you have been tracking your food for a very long time, taking a break from tracking your food can help you regain trust with your body’s hunger signals and put your portion sizing knowledge to the test.
If you eat out a lot, if other people often cook for you or if you have tried tracking calories in the past and become too frustrated by it, then it is probably not the most realistic weight loss strategy for you to adhere to.
You DO need to follow some sort of plan to lose weight, but the only way it will work is if you’re consistent.
My suggestion would be to start with these basic habits.
I’m joking. Drink them if you want, though!
Cut out alcohol
That is, if you want to lose weight. It’s empty calories and it often makes you hungrier. Try it for 28 days straight, or at least two weeks. I don’t usually tell people they need to cut things out, but trust me on this- you will feel AMAZING if you do this! If you must drink alcohol, any more than 1 per day will slow you down unless you are tracking calories to fit it in. Stick to red wine or plain spirits only.
2. Big ass salad every single day
All the fibre, all the volume, all the micronutrients, all the goodness that makes you feel full, nourished, and healthy.
Grab a huge bowl and fill with leafy greens (I love cos lettuce, baby kale or rocket), add some carbs (e.g. chickpeas, roast veggies, pasta) some protein (see my plant based recommendations here), some interesting add ins like seeds, capers, olives, roasted red peppers, sauerkraut, stir fried eggplant, mushrooms or onion, salt and pepper and a yummmy dressing (I am obsessed with tahini).
3. Protein every meal
Protein makes you feel FULL so make sure you are hitting 20+ grams of protein every time you have a meal. It also preserves muscle mass, meaning that you are more likely to lose fat and not muscle.
4. Water before and after every meal
Find the biggest glass you own and make it a goal to finish it before and after your meal. Sometimes we eat more than we need to because we’re thirsty, sometimes we’re still hungry after a meal also because we’re thirsty. Water also activates stretch receptors in the stomach to send a fullness signal to our brain. Herbal tea is good too.
5. 1 treat per day, 1 treat meal per week
Ever noticed how the more you deprive yourself of something, the more you want it? Stop depriving yourself! Have treats but in a controlled manner. Your treat per day can be something like an ice cream stick, a row of chocolate, a couple of biscuits, a small bowl of chips.
Have one meal a week where you might eat out with friends or a partner and genuinely treat yourself with whatever you truly feel like. A treat meal that genuinely makes you feel good, as opposed to a binge session eating takeaways in the car by yourself (just an example) will have a much more positive effect on your headspace while improving your relationship with food.
6. Designated snacks
Have snacks, but make them part of your routine. Sit down to enjoy them. Have them at the same time each day.
Try to have fruit or vegetables as part of your snacks.
Pair fruit/veg with a healthy fat for satiety. For example banana + peanut butter, grapes + cheese, celery + hummus, tomato + avocado, apple + almonds.
Snacks out of the bag should be portioned out onto a plate before you eat them!
7. Cook at home
You would be shocked at how big of a difference this one could make for you if you eat out a lot. Actually studies have shown that when people are given pizza from a restaurant, they will eat an average of 1500 calories in a single meal just to feel comfortably full. I know we’re not counting calories, but pizza isn’t even the exception here.
It’s easy to consume double or even triple the amount of calories in the same types of foods you could make at home, due to the cooking process of restaurant food.
Aside from your treat meal once a week if you choose, if you want to lose weight it’s much more ideal to cook at home.
If it makes it easier, I would suggest using a dinner prep service, such as HelloFresh or MyFoodBag to help you cook healthily at home.
8. Stick to the same meal times each day
You don’t need to eat exactly the same food every single day, but it’s a good idea to find an eating routine that works for you.
Set a two hour time bracket for each meal of the day and try to be consistent with it. The more consistent you are with your day to day routines, the easier it will be to find patterns that you might be able to adjust if you are not losing weight.
9. Watch out for oils and sauces
Fats are the most calorie dense macronutrient, and oil is pure fat. I would strongly suggest avoiding all deep fried food while you are trying to lose weight, and if you are cooking at home to use a non-stick pan for frying and either cooking spray or using a teaspoon to measure out oil when you bake things in the oven or make a salad.
You can still have oil and sauces in your diet but it’s super important to be mindful of whether you really need to use that much.
10. Off set social meals
If you know you have a big occasion like a party or a dinner, you should definitely enjoy yourself! But understand that it’s going to set you back slightly.
The best way to control the ‘damage’ is to eat really light during the day, or during the next day. Focus on eating only lean protein and vegetables for that one day, so that you can essentially save up the calories you would have used on carbs and fats.
The other option you can do, is just to relax and remember that one day of over eating isn’t going to be that bad in the long term. Be consistent the rest of the time, and your results will still come.
Thanks for reading!
Remember, the only way to lose weight is to be in a calorie deficit for a sustained period of time. You don’t have to follow these tips forever, just until you feel like you can take a break from fat loss.
If you are looking to lose weight and you are already following this sort of advice, it might be a good idea to consider tracking your calories for a short term.
Consider asking a professional like myself to guide you with the best way to do so!
