5 Easy Ways to Cut 500 Calories From Your Daily Diet

If you're trying to lose weight, you've probably been told to "eat less," but it can be hard to know what exactly that looks like. To make it easier, we've got tips on how to cut 500 calories a day from your diet to help you reach weight-loss success.

So, why 500 calories? Keep in mind that, in order to lose a pound of fat, you need to create a deficit of about 3,500 calories. To achieve this, you can bump up your exercise (i.e. expend more energy), eat a bit less (i.e. take in less energy) or do a combination of both.

If you can figure out how to cut 500 calories a day from your diet, you will create a deficit of 3,500 over the course of seven days, which should lead to a 1-pound weight loss per week. This pace is considered by experts to be both safe and sustainable, per the Mayo Clinic.

Another plus to the 500-calorie number: It's an approachable amount to cut from your diet each day without leaving you feeling hungry and deprived. Below are some easy swaps to get you started.

‌Calories cut:‌ 508

If you drink an 8-ounce glass of an orange juice drink at breakfast and a 20-ounce bottle of soda in the afternoon for a caffeine boost, you've just sipped away 500 calories.

Instead, try a glass of water with orange slices for added flavor in the a.m. and unsweetened flavored carbonated water in the afternoon.

‌Calories cut:‌ 547

A serving of eight chicken wings can have upwards of 800 calories (whoa).

Instead, get the same buffalo flavor without all of the calories by baking or grilling a 6-ounce chicken breast lightly brushed with a traditional hot sauce. You'll also drastically cut the saturated fat that comes from the skin of the chicken wing and the frying process.

‌Calories cut:‌ Up to 582 (across all three meals)

A July 2014 study in ‌Public Health Nutrition‌ found that when people cooked at home versus going out to eat, they consumed almost 200 fewer calories at each meal (along with less saturated fat and sodium).

If you typically grab breakfast on-the-go, sneak a quick lunch with coworkers near your office and/or grab dinner on the way home, you could be eating more calories than you think.

Instead, take some time to plan your meals in advance for the week, and give yourself the extra time in the morning to prep — that might mean setting the alarm a few minutes earlier, but hey, it's worth it!

‌Calories cut:‌ More than 600

When dining out or even selecting meat at the deli, keep in mind there are cuts of steak that are naturally fattier and typically come in larger servings.

A ribeye steak is the perfect example. You can find a 16-ounce ribeye on most steakhouse menus, and this hunk of meat alone can top 1,000 calories.

Instead, go for a top sirloin filet. A 6-ounce filet only has 372 calories (for reference, a serving size of red meat is 3 to 4 ounces).

‌Calories cut:‌ Up to 827

Skip the bread basket when you're out at a restaurant. A couple of slices of bread soaked in olive oil can near 1,000 calories, even before dinner has started.

Ask for a broth-based soup instead (e.g. vegetable or miso, etc.). Two cups of vegetable soup has just 167 calories.