Every diet expert and nutritionist tells us that to lose weight we must eat fewer calories. Unfortunately they forget to tell us how to make our own low calorie meals, which leaves us to our own devices and that usually means attempts at low calorie meals without much success.

{By measuring your portions you can reduce 100-200 calories per meal.}

The trick is finding fairly simple methods to create low calorie meals at home. Let’s be honest; finding low calorie meals that satisfy your appetite at fast food restaurants is unlikely, leaving your kitchen as your weight loss salvation. The good news is that learning how to create low calorie meals for fat loss isn’t as difficult or as time-consuming as you’d think, so keep reading for 7 tips that will help you succeed!

Lower Calorie Substitutions

One of the best ways you can create low calorie meals is to substitute lower calorie ingredients wherever possible. Lower calorie substitutions let you enjoy foods you love without piling on calories and other messy things like fat and sodium. By using substitutions you don’t feel as though you’re giving up on what you love, but rather finding healthier ways to enjoy them.

Consider using Greek yogurt or low fat sour cream instead of mayonnaise and egg whites or egg substitutes instead of eggs. When it comes to baking, use applesauce or pureed fruit instead of oil or butter to moisten your muffins, cupcakes or breads. Use butter substitutes instead of real butter; they have far fewer calories while providing you with the same buttery flavor.

Measure Servings

Creating low calorie meals for fat loss means actually taking time to read those nutrition labels on the side panels of your food. In addition to telling you important information such as calorie count, fat, sodium, protein and fiber, nutrition labels also let you know exactly how much food will provide you with those nutrients in the proper amount.

If you don’t have one, invest in a kitchen scale so that you can always measure your food to make sure you’re getting the proper portion sizes. When you measure your servings you will reduce the number of calories you take in, which is the first step in losing weight.

Always Add A Vegetable

You don’t need me to tell you how important it is that you get enough vegetables (and fruit) in your diet, and if you want to create low calorie meals for fat loss you should always add a vegetable to your meal. Vegetables should be part of any low calorie meal because they are packed with water and fiber, which satisfies your appetite without piling on the calories.

{Satisfy your appetite with veggies to keep your calorie count low!}

When you create a low calorie meal make sure you add at least one vegetable to your plate. This will satisfy your hunger while provide you with plenty of vitamins and minerals to foster successful fat loss. In fact a 2009 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition indicates that eating more vegetables can reduce your risk of gaining weight. And when combined with an overall healthy diet, imagine the fat loss possibilities!

Pan Fry

Eating deep fried foods is not compatible with weight loss, nor is it healthy for your heart. But you can still enjoy the crispy goodness of fried food by simply pan-frying food once in while. The truth is that when you deep fry foods you’re adding plenty of calories from the oil because deep frying requires several quarts of oil.

Pan frying on the other hand requires just enough oil to coat the skillet so you get the same crispy breaded coating without adding hundreds of calories to your meal.

Go Natural

Although eating organic is a great way to enjoy a higher quality meal, that’s not exactly what I mean. Going natural simply means eating fewer processed foods in your diet. A good low calorie meal for fat loss should include mostly natural foods like meats, whole grains, fruits and vegetables. These foods will fill you up and provide you with tons of nutrients without adding unnecessary calories to your diet.

If you want to learn how to create low calorie meals for fat loss, use natural foods and avoid processed foods as often as possible.

Low Fat & Nonfat Cheese

Cheese is delicious and there’s no doubt about that. Even those with dairy sensitivities often risk it just to enjoy a slice (or 2 or 3) of their favorite cheese. Unfortunately cheese is a luxury that most of us with the goal of fat loss cannot afford. Cheese is filled with saturated fat and cholesterol, which contribute to fat gain rather than fat loss.

{Low fat cheese can satisfy a cheese craving with fewer calories.}

If you must have cheese on occasion but you want to create low calorie meals then your best bet is to opt for low fat and nonfat cheeses. Even when you do choose low fat or nonfat cheese for your low calorie meals, it should only be on occasion to keep your fat loss efforts on track.

Trim Your Meats

An essential part of creating low calorie meals for fat loss is lean proteins like turkey and chicken breasts, salmon, tuna and other types of fish. Lean cuts of meat have less fat, which can help you reduce you fat intake. However if you choose cuts of meat with more fat on them, make sure you trim as much fat as possible.

By trimming the fat you eliminate the possibility of that fat soaking into the meat during the cooking process. Another way you can trim the fat is to trim the skin from poultry prior to cooking. The skin is filled with fat and the only way to really make it palatable is to deep fry it, which isn’t ideal for fat loss. If you use meat with fat on it, create a low calorie meal by trimming all fat that is visible.

Other things you can do to create low calorie meals include;

• Bake or grill meats with lots of fat so it drips away
• Use herbs & spices to season instead of butter or cream
• Make a smaller portion of meat with a larger portion of vegetables

If you’re worried that creating low calorie meals for fat loss might be difficult because of your love of processed or deep-fried foods then you’re in need of some information on intermittent fasting. Get more information by reading our Eat Stop Eat review.