Choose to Lose: Simple, Satisfying Ways to Slim Down

Think cutting calories has to hurt? Not with these stealthy substitutions! Here are five ways to trim calories and fat while boosting nutrition — but without making big sacrifices.

Savvy switch: Nonfat cappuccino for whole-milk latte
Vital stats: 16-ounce skim-milk cappuccino 100 calories, 0 g fat; 16-ounce whole-milk latte 260 calories, 14 g fat
Benefit: You’ll lose a lot of sneaky calories — 160 per serving — and all that artery-clogging fat. For a one-a-day latte addict, that saves you more than 1,000 calories a week!
Savvy switch: Bison for beef
Vital stats: 3.5-ounce serving bison 143 calories, 28.44 g protein, 2.42 g fat, 3.42 mg iron; 3.5-ounce serving beef 219 calories, 33 g protein, 9.5 g fat, 4.5 g iron
Benefit: Give in to your red-meat craving and save a hefty amount of fat and calories. (In fact, bison has fewer calories and less fat per serving than skinless chicken breast!) Look for it at specialty butchers and grocers like Whole Foods and Wild Oats or from online sellers. Savvy switch: Dark chocolate for milk chocolate
Vital stats: 1 ounce of dark chocolate 136 calories, 8.51 g fat; 1 ounce of milk chocolate 153 calories, 8.6 g fat
Benefits: You’ll shave off 17 calories per ounce by choosing the dark stuff and garner the antioxidant benefits of its higher cocoa content, which include decreasing LDL (bad) cholesterol, reducing the risk of blood clots and improving mood by elevating serotonin levels in the brain.

Savvy switch: Light ice cream for premium ice cream
Vital stats: 1/2 cup premium vanilla ice cream 150 calories, 10 g fat, 150 mg calcium; 1/2 cup light premium vanilla ice cream 100 calories, 3.5 g fat, 100 mg calcium
Benefit: Thanks to a manufacturing process that pumps more air into light ice cream, you’ll cut about a third of the calories and half of the fat (most of it the unhealthy saturated kind), regardless of which light flavor you choose. You’ll still get a healthy dose of calcium, which may help ease PMS and prevents bone loss.

Tags: blood clots, Boost, Caffè breve, Chocolate, Desserts, Food and drink, Health/Medical/Pharmaceuticals, Hospitality/Recreation, Hot chocolate, Ice cream, Italian cuisine, manufacturing process, Milk, online sellers