Weight loss doesn’t have to be complicated or difficult. Cut out just 500 calories a day through a combination of diet and exercise and you will lose a pound a week. By going the slow and steady route with weight loss you will be much more likely to keep the weight off long-term and will be helping to ensure that you keep your body healthy and strong.

Does cutting 500 calories a day sound like a lot of calories? You’ll probably be surprised by how easy it really is and how little you will miss those calories. To get you started here are 10 easy ways to cut 100 calories. Do several of these a day, add some light to moderate exercise and before you know it you will be sporting your dream body.

• Skip the croutons on your salad
• Cut out 1 tablespoon of butter or margarine per day
• Opt for mustard on your sandwich rather than mayonnaise
• Choose tuna packed in water instead of tuna packed in oil
• Leave 3 or 4 bites of food on your plate at your meals
• Opt for fruit pies instead of cream pies for desserts
• Use cooking spray instead of butter margarine to keep your food from sticking to pots and pans
• Switch to skim or 1% milk
• Get your coffee with non-fat milk and use a sugar substitute to sweeten it
• Choose broth based soups like chicken noodle or minestrone instead of cream based soups

These are just 10 quick ideas for cutting 100 calories to get you started. Use your imagination and make little changes like these in your diet to see a big difference in your body. Pay attention to your beverages as well since they can contain a ton of hidden calories that you don’t normally think about.

The best part about losing weight this way is that you aren’t sacrificing much and you won’t be left feeling deprived. That’s the best way to lose weight since it is something you can keep up for the long haul and will mean more lasting weight loss results.

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Scales have a funny way of destroying diets. You know how it goes. You follow your diet perfectly, get all the exercise you were supposed to and step on the scale expecting to see the numbers drop. Surprise! Not only may the numbers on the scale not have gone down, but they may actually have gone up!

To say the least this can be one of the most frustrating things about dieting and for a lot of people it can make them give up on their diet and exercise programs all together. After all, it’s hard to stay motivated to exercise and eat right when you aren’t seeing the results that you expect.

So much emphasis is put on how much you weigh when it comes to dieting and exercise that it is no wonder you would think that a scale is the best way to judge your progress. In actuality, though, scales are a really poor reflection of whether or not your program is working.

Your weight can fluctuate from day to day depending on a number of factors like the foods you have eaten, whether you are retaining water or not and hormonal fluctuations. Not only that, but because muscle is denser by volume than fat you can be building muscle and getting thinner without seeing a noticeable change in the numbers on the scale.

So if scales are out, how do you judge how well your diet or exercise program is working? The answer lies in a simple measuring tape. By taking your measurements at the beginning of a weight loss program you can judge your progress by inches that you have lost rather than by pounds. There is nothing quite as motivating as seeing your body shrink by inches as you progress on your diet plan. And after all, isn’t the goal of a diet to become slimmer - not to weigh less?

A standard flexible measuring tape like those used for sewing is perfect for taking your measurements. When you are starting your weight loss program you will want to take measurements from various parts of your body including your arms, chest, waist, hips and thighs as well as any other areas that you would like to see shrinking.

Write down all your starting measurements on a piece of paper or in a journal. Then, once a week or so take your measurements again and compare them to your starting numbers. Keep a running total of the number of inches lost over the course of your diet or exercise program.

Actually seeing yourself shrinking is highly motivational and will help you to stick with your program and follow through to the end. Before you know it you will have the body you always wanted and will be able to wear whatever clothes you want. Not only that but you will feel great and have tons of energy as well.

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