If your goal is to lose weight rapidly, then it’s crucial to control your calories. The success of your weight loss journey depends on your ability to cut calories on a daily basis. Luckily, it’s not difficult to cut calories from your daily meals!

Try these easy strategies to cut calories, one meal at a time:

1. Avoid high-calorie salad dressings and toppings. Salad dressings and extra toppings can add 200 or more calories to your meal!

• Once you add dressing, croutons, bacon, and other toppings, you sabotage what could be a healthy, low-calorie, side dish or meal.

2. Watch your coffee additions. Similar to salads, your coffee can have hidden calories in it. Do you add creamer, whipped cream, or other toppings to your coffee?

• You can reduce hundreds of calories by eliminating sugar and other “extras” in your coffee. You may want to try low-calorie flavorings or stick to simple black coffee with no sugar.

3. Limit cocktails. Alcohol has a high number of calories, and juices or other additives can make it even higher. You don’t want these empty calories if you’re trying to lose weight fast!

4. Consider miniature desserts. It’s hard to avoid craving sweets when you’re on a diet. Luckily, miniature desserts can let you indulge in the sweetness without a high number of calories. Naturally, it’s important to eat them in moderation.

5. Count your servings before you eat. It’s important to read labels on products and be aware of the serving size.

• By counting the number of items in a serving, you can control your calories. This is easier with items such as crackers or other solid foods. For other foods, measure out an approximate serving size as noted on the label.

6. Beware of too much pasta. Pasta can be part of a healthy diet, but if it’s part of every meal, then the calories add up quickly.

• Did you know the typical serving size of pasta in restaurants has more than 1,000 calories? Your home-cooked version can also be high in calories. If you love pasta and can’t avoid it, then consider limiting the portion sizes.

7. Be careful with healthy snacks. Healthy treats can still be loaded with calories. It’s important to remember that even healthy foods need to be eaten in moderation.

• If you’re eating processed or packaged foods that claim to be healthy, you may have to deal with a separate issue. These foods may not be as healthy as they claim, and they may have a great deal of calories.

8. Skip the clean plate club. Your parents may have taught you that it’s healthy to be part of the clean plate club and eat everything in front of you. However, if you’re on a diet, you don’t have to eat your entire plate of food.

• It’s more important to pay attention to your body and stop eating when you feel full. As an adult, you shouldn’t feel forced to eat everything on a dish.

You can lose weight and have a healthier diet by watching your calories. Cutting calories doesn’t have to be a difficult or annoying process. Eliminate the highest-calorie culprits and enjoy most items in moderation and you’ll see the pounds start to disappear.