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Ever heard of the Mindless Margin? It is a term coined by the weight loss guru Brian Wansink PhD, in his popular book, Mindless Eating. Dr. Wansink runs Cornell’s Food & Brand Lab and has conducted an incredible amount of research on eating behavior. Through his research, he has uncovered a powerful concept, which he calls the “Mindless Margin.” He describes it as a “zone in which we can either slightly overeat or slightly undereat without being aware of it.” The idea is that most individuals would not know if they ate 200 calories too many, or 200 calories too few in a day, relative to what their body actually needs. Unfortunately, most of us tend to err on the 200 calories too many, side of the equation.
Let’s investigate what that means physiologically. So if one were to consume an extra 200 calories per day for a week that would translate into 1,400 calories. Okay, well that doesn’t sound too bad… But, how about over the course of a year? That daily intake of 200 calories (that we don’t even notice) becomes a whopping 73,000 calories per year! When you account for the fact that 3,500 calories equate to approximately one pound, that is an extra 20 pounds per year!
Of course, the chemistry works in reverse as well. This is where we can take advantage of the Mindless Margin. If your weight is currently stable, then removing 200 calories per day could equal a weight loss of 20 pounds per year. Of course, this is only true if you have 20 pounds to lose. Regardless, this is an important equation to understand if you are trying to lose any amount of weight. Below I have listed several pain-free ways to cut out 200 calories in a day.
1. Kick the soda habit. One can of Coke contains 140 calories. If you drink more than one can per day, that is more than 200 calories coming from only sugar. Soda contains absolutely no nutritional value.
2. Skip the cream and sugar in your coffee. One sugar packet plus 2 tablespoons of half & half add 55 calories to your coffee. If you have a couple coffees in a day and perhaps pour more than 2 TBSP of creamer per cup, the total is quickly adding up to 200.
3. Avoid mayonnaise and food items containing it like potato, tuna, and chicken salads. 2 tablespoons of mayo = 200 calories.
4. Choose salsa over creamy dips. Two tablespoons of salsa contain a meager 15 calories while two tablespoons of artichoke dip contain 100 calories on average. And lets be serious, who eat 2 tablespoons of artichoke dip? It’s humanly impossible.
5. Ask for your salad or sandwich without the cheese. 2oz of cheese contain on average 200 calories.
6. Instead of salad dressing, try juice from half a lemon mixed with half a tablespoon of olive oil. This combination only adds 60calories to your salad, while enhancing the natural flavors of the vegetables instead of masking them. Popular dressings (including many vinaigrettes) tack on well over 100 calories per serving.
7. Cut down on portion size. Research shows that most of us tend to eat about 30% more than we actually need to feel full. Using a smaller plate can help to control portion size and also leave you feeling like you ate more than you actually did.
8. Avoid the breadbasket and olive oil at dinner. A bread roll is going to cost you between 100 and 200 calories and a single tablespoon of olive oil contains 120 calories. That’s more than 200 calories before you have even had your starter!
9. Choose a green salad or broth-based soup for a starter. Not only will you save a lot of calories by not choosing a heavier option, but also, a healthy starter will reduce your hunger and help to keep you from polishing off the potatoes that accompany your main course.
10. Skip the wine with dinner. I cannot claim to do this myself… but if you don’t mind to give it up, two (5oz) glasses of wine tally up to more than 200 calories.
Let’s investigate what that means physiologically. So if one were to consume an extra 200 calories per day for a week that would translate into 1,400 calories. Okay, well that doesn’t sound too bad… But, how about over the course of a year? That daily intake of 200 calories (that we don’t even notice) becomes a whopping 73,000 calories per year! When you account for the fact that 3,500 calories equate to approximately one pound, that is an extra 20 pounds per year!
Of course, the chemistry works in reverse as well. This is where we can take advantage of the Mindless Margin. If your weight is currently stable, then removing 200 calories per day could equal a weight loss of 20 pounds per year. Of course, this is only true if you have 20 pounds to lose. Regardless, this is an important equation to understand if you are trying to lose any amount of weight. Below I have listed several pain-free ways to cut out 200 calories in a day.
1. Kick the soda habit. One can of Coke contains 140 calories. If you drink more than one can per day, that is more than 200 calories coming from only sugar. Soda contains absolutely no nutritional value.
2. Skip the cream and sugar in your coffee. One sugar packet plus 2 tablespoons of half & half add 55 calories to your coffee. If you have a couple coffees in a day and perhaps pour more than 2 TBSP of creamer per cup, the total is quickly adding up to 200.
3. Avoid mayonnaise and food items containing it like potato, tuna, and chicken salads. 2 tablespoons of mayo = 200 calories.
4. Choose salsa over creamy dips. Two tablespoons of salsa contain a meager 15 calories while two tablespoons of artichoke dip contain 100 calories on average. And lets be serious, who eat 2 tablespoons of artichoke dip? It’s humanly impossible.
5. Ask for your salad or sandwich without the cheese. 2oz of cheese contain on average 200 calories.
6. Instead of salad dressing, try juice from half a lemon mixed with half a tablespoon of olive oil. This combination only adds 60calories to your salad, while enhancing the natural flavors of the vegetables instead of masking them. Popular dressings (including many vinaigrettes) tack on well over 100 calories per serving.
7. Cut down on portion size. Research shows that most of us tend to eat about 30% more than we actually need to feel full. Using a smaller plate can help to control portion size and also leave you feeling like you ate more than you actually did.
8. Avoid the breadbasket and olive oil at dinner. A bread roll is going to cost you between 100 and 200 calories and a single tablespoon of olive oil contains 120 calories. That’s more than 200 calories before you have even had your starter!
9. Choose a green salad or broth-based soup for a starter. Not only will you save a lot of calories by not choosing a heavier option, but also, a healthy starter will reduce your hunger and help to keep you from polishing off the potatoes that accompany your main course.
10. Skip the wine with dinner. I cannot claim to do this myself… but if you don’t mind to give it up, two (5oz) glasses of wine tally up to more than 200 calories.