Skinning trimmings

Sneaky ways to shave 400, 1250 or 2000 kilojoules from your daily diet this season

Trying to slim down but don’t want to give up your morning mocha and banana bread? Relax. Too much deprivation is bad – cutting more than 2000 kilojoules a day can slow your metabolism and trigger cravings intense enough to sabotage even the most valiant weight-loss efforts.

So, the only question is: how fast do you want to lose the weight? Whether your goal is to shed half a kilo a week (the amount you can lose if you cut 2000kJ) or half a kilo a month (if you cut 400kJ), we’ve got the tricks you need to bid adieu to your extra weight – not your favourite brekkie.

TO LOSE Half a kilo a week
CUT OUT 2000 kilojoules a day
Manage the menu

“Many restaurant meals contain up to 56g of added oil (2070kJ),” says Anita Jones of the US’s Healthy Dining Program, which analyses restaurant food. Dietitian Zoe Prohasky advises: “Ask for your meal to be oil-free, and don’t even go near garlic bread, which has a whole meal’s worth of kilojoules.” Go for grilled or steamed lean protein (like fish or chicken), or ask for a half portion.

Lighten up happy hour

If it tastes sweet or has a salty rim, it’s usually bad news – and not just on the hangover front. Most cocktails have 60 to 150ml of liquor. Add 150ml of sugary syrups or mixers like cola and you can down more than 2900kJ in just one drink. Stay away from Margaritaville (and below 500kJ) by pairing vodka with diet mixers. Or go for a bottle of light beer for 439kJ.

Don’t dress salad

It doesn’t take a genius to realise that creamy and oily salad dressings should be limited. But most restaurant salads are pre-dressed with six to 10 tablespoons of dressing, which have up to 290kJ per tablespoon, and 7g to 10g of fat. Order the dressing on the side and dip into it sparingly with your fork between bites – this will help you cut down to about two tablespoons.

Careful with that coffee

If you have four regular coffees a day, you’re drinking a litre of milk, which is around 2670kJ. “Have skim milk, which actually gives you more calcium than full-fat,” says Prohasky. “And if you’re on your third coffee of the day, choose a flat white, short or long black.”

TO LOSE Half a kilo every 2 weeks
CUT OUT 1250 kilojoules a day
Be tricky in the kitchen

To save 480kJ, swap one tablespoon of oil for cooking spray. Saute vegies in stock rather than a tablespoon of butter to trim 420kJ more. “Choose recipes that contain mainly vegetables and lean protein,” says Dr Jane Bowen, research dietitian at CSIRO Human Nutrition in Adelaide.

Switch plates

The bigger the bowl, the more you’re likely to eat, says research in The Journal of the American Medical Association. Downsize your ice-cream bowl and serve meals on a 23cm plate, not a 28cm one. “An entree-sized plate of pasta versus a main size will save you about 1600kJ,” says nutrition expert Sharon Natoli.

Skip the sweet swill

“One of the easiest ways to uncover hidden kilojoules is to look at your beverage consumption,” says Cynthia Sass, co-author of Your Diet is Driving Me Crazy. A 600ml bottle of cola has 1110kJ – almost as much as a meal. Ditch fruit juices too, and get your nutrients from whole fruit instead – 250ml of orange juice has about 513kJ. And an orange? About 296kJ.

Pare down PMS picks

Nothing cuts it like a scoop or three of Connoisseur Cookie Cream Commotion at your more “fragile” times of the month. If you can’t live without it (and why should you?), simply mix a couple of tablespoons of the good stuff into a cup of a lower-fat version and you’ll save yourself around 1000kJ. Or try Gelativo: 125ml has zero fat and a slim 391kJ.

TO LOSE Half a kilo per month
CUT OUT 400 kilojoules a day
Before dinner, eat up

Eating low-kilojoule, fibre-rich foods before a meal (think fruit and vegies) can help reduce your kilojoule intake. A study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that women who ate a 420kJ salad before their meal consumed 12 per cent less overall (salad included) than those who skipped the leafy appetiser. So get chopping those tomatoes!

Spritz your vino

Mix 90ml of soda water with 90ml of wine and your drink will only contain about 260kJ. After two drinks, the benefits have doubled. Research shows that moderate drinking (one drink daily for women) may increase levels of leptin, a natural hormone that curbs appetite for sweet things.

Turn off the TV

An Entourage marathon can be as tempting as tiramisu, but researchers from Georgia State Uni found that people ate up to 546kJ more on days when they ate in front of the TV. “This is unconscious eating, where you may not be hungry, but you’re eating out of habit,” says Prohasky.

Lock up your lollies
A study in the International Journal of Obesity found that office workers who kept lollies within reach in a clear dish ate three times as much as those who kept them further away in an opaque container. That’s a 630kJ difference. As well as hiding your Fantales stash, choose smarter snacks: “Eating a small packet of sultanas instead of two sweet biscuits will save you 500kJ” says Natoli.

 

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