Zotrim’s Step-by-Step Challenges for lasting weight loss!

Target your fat intake

Here is a list of 25 ways to keep your fat intake under control. Tick off those things you are already doing; if you get at least ten ticks you are already doing quite well.

Cross those you think will make the biggest difference to your fat intake and work on these first. And remember to take Zotrim to help you to eat less.

• Swap butter, hard margarine and soft margarine for low fat spreads and spread thinly, particularly if you enjoy bread.
• Measure out a daily allowance of your butter (if you must) or spread and keep it out of the fridge - you’ll know how much you’re eating and you’ll find you spread less when it is soft.
• Sometimes try to avoid using butter or margarine at all, e.g with baked beans on toast or even on sandwiches.
• Use skimmed or semi-skimmed milk - they are not only have less fat but contain more protein and calcium than whole milk.
• Grate cheese for sandwiches or toasted cheese – it goes further, so you use less.
• If you’re a mature cheese fan try to use less, alternatively try a fat-reduced cheese.
• Use low fat or reduced fat salad cream or mayonnaise when possible - compare the calories of these average portions:
  • Salad cream –70kcals
  • Reduced calorie salad cream – 39kcals
  • Mayonnaise – 207kcals
  • ‘Extra light’ mayonnaise – 20 kcals
• Make “creamy” sauces for pastas etc by gently melting low fat soft cheese.
• Instead of using cream use low fat plain yoghurt on fruit and with desserts.
• Cut down on crisps, chocolate, pastries and “rich” cakes and biscuits - grab a piece of fruit instead.
• Keep any crisps or chocolate in the home in a container on a high shelf – in other words, out of sight (and hopefully out of mind!).
• Eat fish more often - grill, microwave, steam or bake rather than fry in batter.
• Include a portion of oily fish every week, e.g. salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines, pilchards – they are good for you. If you use canned products drain off the oil or buy fish canned in water or tomato.
• Buy the leanest, affordable cuts of meat and trim off any visible fat (before or after cooking).
• Remove skin from chicken and turkey - they are low in fat especially if the skin is not eaten. Most of the fat is found underneath and comes off when the skin is removed.
• Choose alternative cooking methods to frying wherever possible.
• DO use stir-frying - it needs hardly any oil and is a really healthy way of cooking (and don’t forget to include healthy vegetables).
• Meat products such as sausages or beef burgers can be fatty so, if you must indulge grill them and keep eating them to a minimum.
• Meat pies, sausage rolls and pasties contain a lot of fat in the meat and pastry so limit intake of these foods as much as possible.
• Measure out oil when cooking rather than just pouring from the container.
• Use non-stick pans to cut down the need for oil (and make washing-up easier too).
• Flavour foods with low oil dressings, lemon or lime juice, balsamic vinegar, tomato ketchup or mustard.
• Boil potatoes instead of having chips or roast - if you must indulge occasionally the best chip choice is thick, oven chips (5 per cent sunflower oil).
• If you do eat a lot of junk/fast food try to keep intake to an absolute minimum. Limit to special occasions or when you really have no other choice.
• Remember to take your Zotrim to help you eat less of whatever you do eat.
• for more information go www.zotrim.com