12 Months of Fitness: Challenge #6 – Cut Out 100 Calories a Day

Are you ready for your next 12 Months of Fitness (#12MoF) challenge? Check out the introduction to 12 Months of Fitness here. My testers have been tackling this challenge since mid-March and are sharing their experiences with cutting 100 calories a day from their diets.

Are you ready for your next 12 Months of Fitness (#12MoF) challenge? Check out the introduction to 12 Months of Fitness here.
My testers have been tackling this challenge since mid-March and are
sharing their experiences with cutting 100 calories a day from their diets.

12 Months of Fitness: Challenge #6 – Cut Out 100 Calories a Day

For the next month, your goal is to cut out 100
calories a day from your diet. When I started my fitness/weight loss journey,
the thought of eating healthy all the time and dropping junk food cold turkey
was nearly crippling for me.  So to start taking control of my caloric
intake, I began very simply – by cutting out 100 calories a day. That made the
concept of controlling my diet easier for me. And the best news? If all you do
is cut out 100 calories a day – you’ll lose up to 10 in one year!

Suggestions for accomplishing this are:

• Watch your portion sizes. Switching from a
  regular cheeseburger to a kid’s one cuts out those 100 calories (and then
  some). You still get a yummy meal AND get to eat the whole thing but without
  the extra calories you’d normally consume.
• Switch out fruit-flavored yogurts for plain,
  non-fat ones and add your own berries. The fruit-filled ones have TONS of
  refined sugars and up to 220 calories (the plain, non-fat yogurts are generally
  100 calories).
• Swap out butter for
  nonstick cooking spray while cooking in pans. One tablespoon of butter has 100 calories, while
  cooking spray has zero.
• Try out open faced sandwiches. Nix that top
  piece of bread and save yourself around 100 calories each time. Top with
  lettuce if you feel the need to have a top “slice”.
• Lose the skins. Drop the skins while eating
  chicken and save yourself a buttload of calories each time!
• Drop soda. Cut out one regular soda a day
  and save yourself anywhere from 100 to 200 calories! If you are feeling a jones
  for one, try a flavored water, diet soda, or mini can instead.
• Drink a different milk. Instead of whole
  milk, try out 1% or fat-free milk in your morning cereal for a savings of
  around 100 calories.
• Eat off a smaller plate at dinner. We tend
  to fill up our entire plate when we eat and then chow down. If you fill up a
  smaller plate and eat that – you’re still saving yourself at least 100 calories
  each time!

And to help you stay motivated, here's how it's working out for our #12MoF testers (you can meet them over on our Facebook page!):

"I LOVE soda and used
to drink way more than anyone should, but I kicked the habit by switching to
seltzer water (club soda). I either get the lemon-lime flavor or get plain
seltzer and add fresh lemon. Honestly, it took a few days to get used to it …
at first I hated it, but I kept sipping because a friend had done the switch
herself and told me it would take a few days. She was SO right… after 3 or 4
days, I LOVED my seltzer, and it actually tasted like Sierra Mist or Sprite to
me! Now when I have "real" lemon-lime soda, it tastes nowhere near as
good as my seltzer!" {Elizabeth}

"This
was the first challenge that I didn't even give somewhat a shot. My husband and
I have been struggling with our mismatched schedules, which lead to a lot of
eating out this month. My biggest personal challenge was dealing with that.
But, one change I made recently was cutting my daily cup of coffee. The sugar
and milk added up to about 120 calories a cup. Tea, with some honey came out to
six. I only drink coffee when I need the extra caffeine." {Ariella}

"To
cut 100 calories a day, I started eating open-faced sandwiches (no top bread)
and eating dinner on our smaller-sized plates. I also nixed soda altogether and
started drinking plain water with cucumbers added and flavored seltzer for that
extra kick I crave!" {Kaleena}

See? You CAN do it! Share your #12MoF struggles/triumphs with Tulle
Nation on Twitter, our Facebook page, or take photos on Instagram. Be sure to use the hastag #12MoF so we can all support you!