Simple Swaps to Cut 500 Calories

A healthy trade-off 

By Kimberly Goad and Su Reid-St. John


Our easy switches trim at least 500 calories (some trim even more)—just pick one a day and see what a big difference a few small changes can make.

Get a better buzz
Trade in your 20-ounce morning latte (290 calories) for a cup of black coffee with a splash of half-and-half (22 calories). Then skip the towering 24-ounce afternoon Frappuccino (330 calories), and have a 12-ounce iced coffee with a splash of skim and a couple of Hershey’s Kisses (93 calories)instead.That's 505 calories—gone!



Pop your own
A movie’s just not a movie without popcorn! But most large, buttery tubs from the concession stand boast a whopping 1,000-plus calories. Smuggle in your own (air- or microwave-popped, 94% fat-free) and save around 900 calories.

Have your cake and eat it, too


Craving something sweet? Treat yourself to a mini-cupcake instead of a ginormous one, and you can slash around 500 calories.

Fool yourself slim
Simply trade in your 12-inch dinner plate for a 10-inch one, and you’ll eat up to 22% fewer calories, research suggests. Do that for every meal of the day, and you’ll bank around 500 calories.

Skinnify your pizza pie

Choose a couple of slices of Domino’s thin-crust cheese pizza with veggies instead of two slices of their deep-dish double-cheese pizza with pepperoni, shredded Parmesan, and anchovies to net a500-plus calorie

savings.

Dips to Pick (and Skip!)

Condiments are huge summer fat traps, but you can sauce things up without doing damage.

Who hasn’t taken a healthy celery spear from the crudités plate and then plunged it into a vat of saturated fat (aka the accompanying dip)?

Condiments and dips are huge summer fat traps, for sure, but you can sauce things up without doing damage, says Keri Gans, RD, author of The Small Change Diet. Try her suggested swaps.

Skip: Sour cream–based veggie dip
Pick: Spinach hummus

Save: 53 calories per 2 tablespoons

Skip: Mexican layer dip

Pick: Salsa

Save: 50 calories per 2 tablespoons

Skip: Mayo

Pick: Horseradish mustard

Save: 150 calories per 2 tablespoons

Skip: Heavy salad dressing

(think Thousand Island)

Pick: A homemade version: 2 1/2 teaspoons plain, low-fat Greek yogurt, 1 1/2 teaspoons water,1 teaspoon ketchup, 1 teaspoon fat-free mayo, and a sprinkling of capers

Save: 132 calories per 2 tablespoons