Rules of Thumb for Low Cal Eating

Following are some general guidelines that I find it useful to follow in order to eat low(er) calorie:

Avoid:

Full-fat Dairy (cheese, sour cream, whole milk, etc.)

White Rice

White Bread

Nuts - these can be healthy but they add a lot of calories

Egg Yolks

When eating out, choosing vegetarian dishes is often a great way to cut down on calories. Also, making swaps and asking for substitutions is often easily accommodated while eating out:

Ask for no cheese

Ask for a lighter (vinaigrette-style) dressing instead of creamy, and ask for it on the side

order a salad, and request that chicken or shrimp be added

order a bowl of soup and a whole wheat roll instead of a big entree

order corn instead of flour tortillas

order egg whites instead of whole eggs - especially when ordering an omelette at brunch

Obviously, you also want to avoid anything fried at all, and stick to low-fat proteins such as turkey, chicken, seafood and tofu.