Why go on a specific diet when the first significant step in losing weight is to simply reduce the amount of what we eat and make better food choices?
Here I’ll explain how to cut 500 calories a day and why to do it .

Why is it important to learn to eat lighter?
For one reason: If the diet doesn’t teach us new habits, we are much more likely to gain weight.
But if, on the other hand, we review our cooking or food purchasing habits and try to improve them, the weight will drop and our health will benefit.

For example, here are some ways to cut 500 calories from our daily diet.

HOW TO CUT 500 CALORIES A DAY WITHOUT DIET

• Fat.

  Reduce your toppings to 2 teaspoons of oil or butter a day, eat no more than 5 or 6 walnuts or almonds or a tablespoon of seeds or more than two dark chocolate cubes. No sauces that contain oil. Reduce whole cheeses to 30 grams per day in total and parmesan on pasta to a teaspoon. Nothing pickles. Be aware that other fats are naturally found in eggs, meat, non-skim dairy products, but they provide you with other nutrients. Therefore it is easier to reduce condiments than not to deprive yourself of particular foods.

• Sugars.

  Do not sweeten the coffee and cut the portions of pasta, rice and bread in half, helping yourself with more vegetables and greens.
  Treat yourself to a “real” dessert only on Sundays and for the rest, try these light sweets .
  Or download my guide to desserts and low-calorie, low-sugar recipes: it’s free.
  This also applies to biscuits and snacks. If you love biscuits, I recommend Pavesini or a Fitness bar: you can take the whim but don’t exceed 100 calories. Or fruit yogurt and other creamy products on the market. If you add a teaspoon of honey to a jar of low-fat yogurt you reduce the sugars by 50%!
  Eat two 150g fruits a day.
  Don’t drink anything that contains sugar. If you love pizza, wraps or other doughs, treat yourself to one a week with very simple toppings.

• Alcohol.
  

  They are the most useless calories from a nutritional point of view and therefore safer to eliminate. Limit it to a beer or two a week, or half a glass of wine a day or a glass or two a week.

• Proteins.

  Prefer lean sources for protein. Chicken and turkey, defatted cooked ham or bresaola, veal, lean pork, fish, crustaceans, molluscs, eggs, legumes. Beware of products like soy, vegan burger, tempeh – they often have too much fat, so check the labels if you are vegan or go for these vegan options.

• Vegetables .

  Eat at least 4 servings of vegetables a day including vegetables.

If in addition to these tips we associate a little movement, for example an hour of walking, the weight drops without doing a specific regime, precisely because if we cut 500 calories a day we lose 2 kg a month without any effort.