low carb diet

1. Herbs

Fresh or dried, herbs could actually help you lose weight so, forget about those fattening salad dressings and sauces and try something that tastes just as good but has fewer calories. One clove of garlic can give your dish quite a makeover in the taste department and has only 4 calories which is exactly the number of calories 10 springs of fresh parsley have. A teaspoon of powdered paprika, curry or cinnamon has about 6 calories, while both fresh and dried dill weed has 0 calories.

2. Fruits

Fruits such as mandarins, apricots, oranges, cantaloupes, watermelons, lemons, peaches, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and a few others, definitely belong on the list of foods with least calories as they have something that nutritionists call “negative calorie count”. That means they have so little calories that the body actually ends up burning more than it gets!

3. Vegetables

You like the idea of eating foods with negative calorie count? Well, don’t worry because there are plenty of vegetables that will give your digestive system quite a workout and cause your body to burn more calories than you actually intake by eating these foods. Try carrots, cucumbers, turnips, broccoli, tomatoes, celery, radish, lettuce, cabbage, leek or spinach.

4. Coffee

Coffee isn’t exactly food but I just thought you’d like to know how surprisingly low in calories our favorite morning drink is. Yup, black coffee with no sugar, milk or cream has only 1 calorie and that’s something you definitely need to remember next time you sit down for a cup of this drink.

5. Fat Free Cheese Slices

Good, healthy diet involves more than just trying to cut down on calories, I’m sure you all know that. Right? The trick is to find foods with least calories than also happen to be palate pleasing and nutritious. Well, in that case, I suggest you opt for pre-sliced fat free cheeses that have between 20 and 40 calories per slice, depending on how big the slice is, of course.

6. Hard Boiled Egg Whites

Egg whites are, in my opinion, the tastiest part of the egg, especially if we’re talking about hard boiled eggs. But, guess what? Egg whites also happen to be one of those yummy foods with least calories too! Yup, one hard-boiled egg white has only 16 calories and that means you’re allowed to eat two or even three and still stay within the calorie range specified for a snack.

7. Beans and Lentils

Boiled beans have only 25 calories per serving (3.5 o.z) while lentils have 50. That means that, if you use your creativity and cooking skills to prepare these with some fresh or dried herbs mentioned above, you’ll have a great-tasting meal that also happens to be very low in calories. Now, isn’t that just perfect?

Combining weight loss with eating out can be tricky, but if you have a few tricks up your sleeve you’ll find it is possible to enjoy meals out without blowing the diet.

Choose From the Menu Before You Go. You may be determined to stick to your diet before you go, but once you arrive at the restaurant and mouth-watering aromas fill your nostrils, it’s tricky staying on track. One solution is to make up your mind on what you should eat before you go to the restaurant. It may seem that it’s hard, because you don’t know what they have on the menu, but you can generalize food as meat, salads, sweets and others to make it easier.

Don’t Go to the Restaurant Hungry. Some people practically starve themselves throughout the day so they can get away with eating more in the evening. The problem with denying yourself food all day long is that when you do start indulging, it is very hard to stop – your body just wants to eat as it thinks you’ll go without food for a long period again. When on a diet, the best solution is to always have a small snack – this way you’ll never feel very hungry, especially when you go to a restaurant.

Watch Those Drinks. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that liquid doesn’t count. Some drinks are absolutely loaded with calories. That nice creamy liqueur at the end of the evening is one of the worst culprits. If you are having soft drinks stick to diet varieties, or water. If you are having alcohol, don’t have too much – alcohol may not have a lot of calories itself, but it’s certainly effective at making your stomach better at processing the food you eat and storing more fat than usual.

Think twice before eating the dessert. You’re on a night out and you want to enjoy yourself, right? If you love dessert then of course you should have it. One of the best ways to deal with dessert is to outright deny it, but of course, that doesn’t work most of the times, so what you can do is compromise and only have a small portion– no more, no less. To make it easier, you should take a 5-10 minutes pause after eating the dessert – a lot of the times, the craving for more will go away by itself!

It is definitely possible to eat while still being on a diet, the most important thing is to always remember that you’re keeping to one. By following the above advice, you can easily have an enjoyable dieting experience, lose weight and eat well at the same time.

Chocolate with a Conscience
Top 4 ounces of sugar-free chocolate pudding (made with skim milk) with a 2 tablespoon dollup of fat-free whipped topping: 75 calories

Berry-riffic Boost
Mix 1/4 cup of low-fat vanilla yogurt with 1/2 a cup of blueberries and raspberries: 90 calories

Italian Delicacy
Chop an ounce of low-fat mozzarella cheese and 6 fresh basil leaves, then eat with a cup of cherry tomatoes: 100 calories

Filling and Fiber-Rich
Fill 5 ribs of celery with one tablespoon of peanut butter: 100 calories

Morning Perk
Enjoy an 8-ounce skim milk latte: 85 calories

Protein-Packed Pleasure
Wrap 1.5 ounces of low-sodium turkey deli meat around one small sliced apple: 100 calories

Movie Night Necessity
Sprinkle a tablespoon of parmesan cheese over 2 cups of air-popped popcorn: 85 calories

Midday Munchies
Top half a medium apple with a 1-ounce slice of low-fat extra sharp cheddar cheese: 90 calories

Sweet and Savory
Top 2 ounces of low-fat cottage cheese with one medium peach, sliced: 80 calories

Irresistible Luxury
Top 8 ounces of sugar-free hot chocolate with 2 tablespoons of fat-free whipped topping: 95 calories