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10 easy ways to slash 300 calories a day

Drink your beer. Eat your pizza. You won't suspect a thing.

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Want to cut calories without giving up the foods you love? Armed with crucial information and simple substitutions, you can slash your daily intake—and never feel like you're depriving yourself.

Each of the following tips saves at least 50 calories; choose any six to cut 300 calories from your diet, daily. Space them throughout your day, and you won't suspect a thing.

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Steer clear of high-ABV beer

Want beer without the belly? Generally speaking, beers with lower alcohol content, or alcohol by volume (ABV), have fewer calories than those with higher ABVs. For example, a 12-ounce bottle of Molson XXX has a 7.3 percent ABV and around 200 calories. A 12-ounce serving of Guinness, with a 4.2Show More

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Use less cheese, please

A single 1-ounce piece of Swiss, provolone, muenster or American deli cheese has around 100 calories. Instead of two or three slices on your sandwich, cut back to one or two. You'll get the same flavor for a fraction of the calories.

Related: 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese is about 220 calories.Show More

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Choose fruit carefully

Whether you're trying to watch your weight or just want to hit the recommended daily serving, eating fruit is a good idea. But if you'd like to slash calories, pay attention to the type and size of fruit you choose. Here's why:

  • A small orange has about 45 calories, compared to 120 calories in a
  • Show More
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Be egg-cellent

Instead of a three-egg omelet or three scrambled eggs, which clock in around 220 calories for the eggs alone, try this: keep one whole egg, and substitute the other two for egg whites. You'll save at least 100 calories.

Egg whites are usually good swaps in basic baking, too. Look for recipes thatShow More

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Say no to mayo

Mayonnaise, that omnipresent sandwich spread and salad filler, has around 90 calories per tablespoon, thanks mostly to its oil and egg content. Instead of slathering a glob of it on your sandwich, try a tablespoon of Dijon mustard (10-15 calories), hummus (25 calories), mashed avocado (23 calories)Show More

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Pick pizza wisely

All pizzas are not created equal. A slice from a chain restaurant may be thicker or thinner, smaller or larger, and made with slightly different ingredients than one from the mom-and-pop place around the corner. Still, no matter what style (deep dish, thin crust, etc.) or brand you prefer,Show More

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Pull back on peanut butter

Packed with protein, eminently affordable and available dang near everywhere, there's a reason peanut butter is a fixture in American pantries. That said, it's also calorie-dense, packing around 190 in just two tablespoons. Almond, cashew and sunflower spreads all have similar calorie counts.Show More

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Let your French fries fly

This one's easy. A single McDonald's French fry is 5 calories. Give 10 to a friend and it's 50 calories off your tally. While calorie counts vary, removing 10 fries from any restaurant order will net double-digit—and sometimes triple-digit—calorie savings.

Better yet, get a smaller size to beginShow More

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Make your salad dressing more efficient

A typical salad dressing serving size is 2 tablespoons. For ranch, French and blue cheese dressing, that comes out to around 140 or 150 calories. To knock that number down, try one of three things:

  • Make your own dressing.
  • Choose a naturally lighter dressing, like Italian (80-90 calories) or honey
  • Show More
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Ease up on avocado

Everybody loves avocado, right? The emerald fruit—yes, it's a fruit—is chock full of fiber, potassium, folate, vitamin K and healthy monounsaturated fats. It's also calorie-dense, thanks to that high fat content; one persea americana has between 230 and 290 calories. So, instead of using half anShow More

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