by Paul Dexter, copyright dextertraining.com

Most people are not aware of how many calories are in what they eat. Portion control is important, but even small portions can be very high in calories.

Below are some common examples of what we all have eaten on many occasions. I am sure that the amount of calories that are in these meals will surprise you.

When reading these examples, remember that the average person needs only 2,000 calories per day to maintain their weight. Anything over that will be stored as fat.

The Movie example:

Medium popcorn = 900 calories / with butter = 1,200 calories

2 handfuls of m+m’s = 250 calories

2 handfuls of sour patch kids = 250 calories

8 sticks of twizzlers = 500 calories

Total = 2,200 calories

• as you can see that is not a lot of food, but extremely high in calories – especially for just 1 meal.

 

The Restaurant example:

Chinese food

Pork fried rice = 1 srvg. = 1,600 calories

Sweet and Sour chicken = 2,400 calories

Egg roll = 800 calories

Total = 4,800 calories

Chili’s/ Fridays

Chicken Fingers = 1,800 calories

Side French Fries = 550 calories

Boneless Buffalo wings = 1,300 calories

Classic Nachos = 1,500 calories

Dessert (chocolate chip paradise pie) = 1,600 calories

Total = 5,250 – 6,550 calories

 

The Night Out example

1 Soda = 250 calories

1 Beer = 150-300 calories

1 Long Island Iced Tea = 750 calories

1 Frozen Drink (mudslide, daiquiri, etc.) = 1,100 calories

1 shot = 100 calories

1 glass of wine = 200 calories

1 vodka or rum with soda or juice = 250-350 calories

1 cosmo/ martini/ margarita = 300-400 calories

The average person consumes between 3-6 drinks = 500-2,000 calories from alcohol alone.

Did you know?

• Chicken Caesar Salad (with only 2 tbsp. of dressing) has more calories than a Bacon Cheeseburger.
• Dunkin Donuts Bagels have more calories than their Donuts.
• Dunkin Donuts Reduced Carb Bagels have more calories than their regular Bagels.
• Dunkin Donuts Reduced Fat Muffin is still 400 calories (opposed to 470 in the regular).
• 100 calories for each munchkin.
• Average pizza slice is 300-500 calories.

We all enjoy having fun, and eating good food. What we all have to remember is that just because things look small in size, it doesn’t mean that it is small in calories. While portion size is important, you should try to educate yourself making wise choices. As you can see from the examples above, it isn’t too hard to put on weight seeing how the calories can quickly add up. Being calorie conscious will prevent that weight from sneaking up on you.

I know it would be great if we could all just eat what we wanted and never gained weight, but we can’t. The only thing we can do is lead an active lifestyle, burning off extra calories, and make wise food choices. Cheating occasionally is o.k., but doing it too often will lead to an increase in bodyfat.