Easy ways to ditch those calories!

Let’s face it – there are some pretty harsh diets out there and anyone who’s ever tried swapping chocolate for cabbage soup (as if!) will know they’re pretty much impossible to stick to.

The good news? To lose 1lb a week, you just need to create a negative calorie balance of 500 a day. It might sound like a lot, but as our easy diet swaps show, there are plenty of small changes you won’t even notice that will soon get you slinky-dress ready – and without giving up your treats!

 
1 Beware the liquid calories
Who can resist that early morning takeaway coffee? You don’t need to give it up completely though – the trick is just to tweak your choice. A large latte made with whole milk is 288 calories, but choose a medium one made with skimmed milk and it‘s only 102 calories – easy!
Saving: 186 Calories

2  Swap your cereal
You might think museli is the diet option, but it is surprisingly dense in calories – so a quick change here can make a big difference! 
Swap six tablespoons of museli at 330 calories for six tablespoons of branflakes at just 155 calories!
Saving: 175 Calories

3 Downsize your sweet treats
If that mid-afternoon sugar fix is your downfall, why not talk to the girls in your office about making them less, erm, damaging to the hips? A jaffa cake has only 46 calories – compared to 140 in a single Mr Kipling Viennese Whirl!
Saving: 94 Calories

4 Choose the best snack
If savoury snacks are your downfall, then try ditching the crisps (a normal 34.5g bag typically has 180 calories) and go for a bag of Metcalf’s Skinny Topcorn at only 115!
Saving: 65 Calories

5 Choose a low-cal lunch!

Make your own lunch and you’ll have more money to put towards those W-day shoes you’ve set your heart on – plus some small changes can reduce calories without compromising on flavour! Swap a teaspoon of regular mayo (80 calories) for a teaspoon of half-fat (35 calories) and swap a large white roll (200 calories) for a yummy wholemeal pitta (130 calories).
Saving: 115 Calories

6 Treat yourself

No bride-to-be wants to miss out on lunch with the bridesmaids. If you want a treat, then head to Pizza Express. Their new Leggera pizzas come with salad in the middle, are endorsed by Weight Watchers and are only 500 calories – compared to a classic American Hot at 803. They even do a mini chocolate fudge cake for 251 calories, compared to the regular size with cream at 501, so you don't even have to miss out on pudding!
Saving: 551 Calories

7 Fruit swap
Yes, we all know fruit is healthy, but some fruits are more calorie-laden than others! A 300g pot of exotic fruit salad has around 130 calories, compared to 50 for a small Gala apple. Plus, you’ll be saving money!
Saving: 80 Calories

8 Perfect pasta

When it comes to dinner time, comforting pasta can be hard to resist – especially in the winter! Swap tagliatelle with a creamy carbonara sauce at a whopping 1,020 calories for just as tasty tagliatelle with a tomato sauce at only 400 calories!
Saving: 620 Calories

9 Find a healthy pudding option
There’s no need to cut out pudding altogether (after all, life’s too short!). Swap a 100g scoop of Ben & Jerry’s Cookie Dough ice cream, which comes in at a calorific 270 calories, for 100g of their Cherry Garcia Frozen Yoghurt – only 150 calories – so yummy it even has chunks of dark chocolate in it!

Saving: 120 Calories

10 Alcohol swap
Finally, a swap that’s really a treat! Instead of having a large 250ml glass of wine that contains around a whopping 344 calories, treat yourself to a 120ml glass of champagne, which surprisingly has only 89 calories. Well, you are planning a wedding after all!
Saving: 94 Calories