If you are trying to lose weight, apart from following an exercise program, it is also important to reduce your daily intake of calories, so that you burn more calories than you consume. You need to burn 3,500 calories in order to lose one pound. Therefore, you can easily lose a pound in two weeks, by cutting down 200 - 250 calories a day. Given below are some great ideas on how to cut calories from your daily diet:

Fresh fruit

It is important to drink at least 12 to 16 glasses of water a day. This will help in keeping you full for a longer period of time. Drinking a lot of water and losing weight go hand in hand. You should also replace sodas, juices and other beverages with water. One cup of orange juice contains approximately 110 calories. It is much better to eat a medium orange in that case, which contains only 60 calories.

In case you are used to consuming dairy products like milk, cheese, and the likes, go in for the skimmed variety. You will still be able to drink your morning coffee with milk, but it will be lighter and will help you cut down by about 20 calories. By replacing 2 tablespoons of regular cream cheese with light cream cheese, you could cut down on 40 calories.

Replace mayonnaise in sandwiches, with mustard, which is less fattening, but adds taste and flavor to sandwiches, still keeping them lighter and healthier. Alternatively, you could also choose low fat mayonnaise, which could help you save 50 calories per spoon.

Meat lovers do not have to give up meat when they are on a diet, as it contains a lot of protein. However, while you can still have a burger occasionally, eliminate the order of French fries with it and choose a healthy salad instead. Also, by replacing regular bacon, (250 calories in two slices), with Canadian bacon (90 calories in two slices), you can still enjoy your meat and save yourself 160 calories.

Fresh fruit is one of the healthiest choices for weight watchers, as it is low in calories, nutritious and can satisfy sweet cravings. Instead of going in for fruit-flavored low-fat yogurt (230 calories), try a cup of plain low fat yogurt and add some chopped fresh fruit to it (180 calories).

Cut down on your consumption of salt and sauces and season your food with herbs instead. Replacing a tablespoon of butter in your food with herbs can help you save 100 calories.

Chocoholics, do not need to stay away from their favorite food, but should choose carefully. A regular bar of chocolate contains 225 calories. However a cup of chocolate milk has only 160 calories and fat-free chocolate pudding contains 85 calories.