38 Tips to Easily Cut Sneaky, Empty Calories Without the Hassle

If you’re looking to slim down or get healthy, cutting empty calories is the quickest way to jump-start your efforts.

When we talk about empty calories, we mean soda, desserts, doughnuts, chips—stuff that you eat and drink that provides calories with little long-term satisfaction and few nutrients. You don’t need to start cooking every meal from scratch to cut down on empty calories. But you do want your food to be filled with something other than calories—like hunger-busting and health-boosting fiber, muscle-friendly protein, and micronutrients that come from plants that your body runs on.

The good news is that replacing unhealthy calories with healthy ones doesn’t have to be a difficult process.

As Kim Yawitz, a registered dietitian and gym owner in St. Louis, Mo., points out, studies have shown that fad diets and drastic calorie deficits don’t work for weight loss—at least not if you want to keep it off. It’s more effective and more sustainable to make small changes to your everyday routines and eating habits. “It might not seem like using less salad dressing or drinking one less soda would put a dent in your weight loss goal, but these little tweaks add up when performed consistently,” says Yawitz.

Plus, making smaller everyday changes often means still enjoying what you love in moderation and with modifications—and intention. (So, yes, there’s a pizza tip on this list).

“Mindless eating or snacking throughout the day might not seem harmful, but if you’re not watching the amount, you might unknowingly be eating hundreds of extra calories each day and stalling your weight loss,” says registered dietitian nutritionist and personal trainer Lara Clevenger, MSH, RDN, CPT, stressing that a cookie here, a piece of candy there, a soda with lunch—they all add up.

So, start with these tips from Yawitz, Clevenger, Leslie Bonci, R.D. (sports dietician for the Kansas City Chiefs), and more experts.

1. Eat bigger meals

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“Americans eat around 400 to 500 calories daily from snack foods, on average, and most of these calories come from convenience foods and sweets. Eating three to four balanced meals daily will help satisfy you, reducing the urge to fill up on empty snack calories,” says Yawitz. That’s why Yawitz recommends that most men start with two palm-sized portions of protein, two fist-sized servings of veggies, one-to-two cupped handfuls of healthy carbs, and two thumb-sized portions of healthy fat at each meal. “You can add a bit more food if you’re highly active or eat slightly fewer carbs or fats if you’re less active,” she said.

2. Make condiment swaps

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Michelle Routhenstein, MS, RD, CDE, CDN, a preventive cardiology dietitian at EntirelyNourished.com, advised substituting high-calorie condiments, such as mayo or creamy dressings,

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