Ridiculously easy ways to lose weight

Portion control

Portion control is the biggest key to success whether that is bulking up or trimming down. If you are bulking up – try to increase your protein and carb portions on your plate, if trimming down – do the exact opposite and keep your carbs and protein to just half your plate, filling the rest with non starchy salads and vegetables.

Smaller plate

If trimming down, use a smaller plate if you find portion control difficult, this way visually it will look like you have a decent serve on your plate.

More veg

Bulk up the vegetables wherever possible. Carb veggies (such as potatoes, pumpkin, corn) for athletes, or the non starchy ones for those watching your waistline.

So for example, if you crave a pizza make a homemade version and bulk up the topping with lots of vegetables such as capsicum, mushrooms, onion, or even baby spinach, cherry or semi dried tomatoes. Plus, bulk up your serve with a side salad.

Having Mexican for dinner? Bulk your tacos or burritos with more vegies than meat. Save money and calories by halving your mince in a meal and bulking it out with kidney beans and extra vegetables such as shredded zucchini and carrot.

Reduced fat

Keep the cream, just try reduced fat products when used in your cooking, ie. reduced fat cream and sour cream, cheese and milk. This will save you up to 50 per cent in extra calories and most people won’t even notice the difference to flavour.

Sautee or stir fry

Sautee’ and stir fry in water rather than oils and fats. Avoiding one tablespoon of oil in your cooking will save you lots of calories. Put your non stick pans, trays and baking paper to good use, this will enable you to avoid using your oils and fats when cooking and you won’t have to butter your pans if you are baking.

Change your gravy

Instead of making your gravy with pan juices which are full of fat replace the pan juices with a salt reduced stock. This will save you up to 240 calories or 1000 kilojoules.

Alternative to cream

As an alternative to cream you can thicken up evaporated milk with some cornflour.

For one cup of cream, replace with one cup of evaporated milk and one tablespoon of cornflour. This will save up to two thirds of your calorie kilojoule intake for this dish.

Halve your eggs

Halve your eggs to what the recipe suggests. If it asks for four eggs add in two whole eggs plus two egg whites. This will save you 120 calories or 500 kilojoules.

Alternative to coconut milk

Have you seen the low fat evaporated milk with a hint of coconut? Use this instead of your coconut milk and cream in Thai curries. This will save one third of your calorie or kilojoule intake.

Alternative to sour cream

Replace your sour cream in dishes with low fat natural yoghurt. Add it to your Mexican burritos, potatoes in their jackets and to you beef stroganoff. This will save you five times the calories or kilojoules.

Bottomless pies

Cutting your calorie intake when making a pie is easy. When cooking don’t add a bottom to your pie. Instead add filo pastry over the top and cook. This will save you at least 50 per cent extra calories or kilojoules.

Alternative to cheese

Halve the amount of cheese you sprinkle over the top of your casseroles and lasagnes. Sprinkle instead with some wholemeal bread crumbs, this way you will get the same crunch but with much less fat.

Alternative to butter in cakes

When baking muffins and cakes save on fat by replacing half a cup of butter in the recipe with half a cup of apple puree. This will save you five times the calorie or kilojoule intake of this dish, which we think is pretty impressive.