Minus One Plus One

How much is one gram of oats? or one gram of protein powder? or one gram of peanut butter?

Would you miss one gram of any of these things?

Here is my sneaky plan to cut calories without even noticing. Just measure 1 gram less than you normally do. Instead of 30g of oats, only have 29g. Put it in your food log as the whole 30g and think of it as one gram in the savings bank.

In one month you will have saved a whole serving of oats and in a year 365g without even noticing. Do it with all the foods you measure (not vegetables though because 1 g of lettuce isn't going to add up to much in 10 years!).

Now do one extra minute of cardio. In a month that is one extra 30 minute session. Or have the incline on the treadmill on 0.5%.

You might save/spend an extra 50 calories a day adding up to 18,250 calories a year which should be about 5 kilos of fat. Are you 5 kilos lighter than you were this time last year?

Drink an extra glass of water when you brush your teeth. Every time you come to a stop light when you are in the car or on the bus try contracting and holding your stomach muscles in. Bicep curl the shopping bags 10 times before you put them down when you get home. When you are waiting in a queue, clear you mind and take deep, slow breaths while thinking of your own positive mantra. Pay yourself by putting two dollars in an old fashioned piggy bank every time you work out and spend the money on a (non-food) treat every couple of months.

If you make tiny incremental efforts each and every day, they will eventually add up without you even noticing.