Cut Calories without Counting Them

Foods contain calories. And it doesn't take a rocket scientist to calculate that a Krispy Kreme doesn't quite cut it, calorie-wise (not to mention nutrient-wise), with a bowl of freshly steamed veggies and brown rice. We also know that most women just plain eat too many calories relative to their physical activity level, age, and body composition. But if the last thing you want to do is count calories, try managing them with these three easy tricks.

1. Go for high-volume foods. Foods with a high energy density have lots of calories in one serving and tend to contain less water. Low-energy-density foods, on the other hand, contain fewer calories and more water -- thus, they are high-volume foods. That's why you can eat two, three, or more servings of a high-volume food for the same calories of a minuscule serving of a high-energy-density food. We're talking volume, ladies: The bigger the food volume, the lower the energy density, the smaller the calorie count. A perfect example: raisins versus grapes. A 100-calorie serving of raisins fills 1/4 cup. A 100-calorie serving of grapes fills almost 2 cups.

   Instead of scarfing down a whole bowl of brown rice, which has a high energy density (more calories), opt for a bowl of vegetables combined with 1/2 cup of brown rice, which is much less energy dense (fewer calories). The vegetables and rice together will fill you up and satisfy you better than that bowl of rice alone (you don't get the surge in insulin levels, followed by plummeting blood sugar). A sliced apple with peanut butter has far less energy density than a bagel with cream cheese does.

2. Practice portion control. So many of my patients say, "But I'm eating healthy food and still can't remove the weight!" That's because they're eating too much healthy food. Pare down your portions! Most women can achieve excellent results simply by paying attention to their serving sizes every time they eat. This means you snackers and pickers out there, too. Bits of this and bites of that add up to portions. And at restaurants, when in doubt, halve the portion in front of you and pack it up or give the rest away.

3. Read food labels. Thirty grams of fat in 1 cup (1/2 pint) of Ben and Jerry's. Who knew? When you read food labels, you increase your awareness of calories, carbs, fats, and proteins -- and head for Smart Foods with low energy density and high volume, which fill you up instead of out.

Reprinted from Body-for-LIFE for Women: A Woman's Plan for Physical and Mental Transformation by Pamela Peeke, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.P. (April 2005; $26.95US/$38.95CAN; 1-57954-601-3) © 2005 Pamela Peeke, M.D. Permission granted by Rodale, Inc., Emmaus, PA 18098. Available wherever books are sold or directly from the publisher by calling (800) 848-4735 or visit their website at www.rodalestore.com

Author
Pamela Peeke, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.P., is a clinical assistant professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, a Pew Foundation scholar in nutrition and metabolism, an adjunct senior research fellow at the National Institutes of Health and the author of the bestselling book, Fight Fat after Forty. A regular contributor to Good Housekeeping, Dr. Peeke is frequently quoted in O magazine, Shape, Vogue, Fitness, Glamour, and Redbook. She is the chief medical correspondent for Discovery Health TV and the spokesperson for its National Body Challenge. She appears as an in-studio expert for CNN and the networks. She maintains her private practice in Bethesda, Maryland.