Vitamins + Sugar = ?

Adding vitamins to popular sugary drinks, from Vitamin Water to Coca-Cola is all the rage right now.

These drinks may even have a healthy-sounding name, but don't be fooled by the slick packaging. These drinks still aren't good for you or your weight. If you look closely at the nutrition facts, you'll quickly realize what you'll be getting: lots of sugar and calories that can cause weight gain.

Vitamin Water, for example, contains 13 grams of sugar per serving, 32.5 grams per bottle; and more than 100 calories per bottle, which actually contains 2.5 servings.

Additionally, the added "vitamins" offer no real benefit to you:

Because the sugar found in Vitaminwater or Coke is made from a refining (or purifying) process, it contains no nutrients or vitamins beneficial to our health. It instead acts only as a source of energy -- once anything with sugar is ingested, the sugar skips digestion by passing through the stomach wall and raising blood sugar levels. Since your body is programmed to keep its blood sugar at a certain level, the pancreas secretes insulin to balance everything out.

If you aren't exercising these calories off, you will gain weight from drinks with added sugars and calories.

The best choice for quenching your thirst still remains: pure, unadulterated water. Your body needs it to function, it can also facilitate weight loss and it contains no harmful additives. Getting the right nutrients in your body means eating a healthy diet full of delicious natural foods. A multivitamin should only be a supplement to your already healthy diet.

Lose weight the safe and sane way, and call us at 718-491-5525 for your first appointment at WeightLossNYC.

Source: HowStuffWorks.com

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Frequent dining out at restaurants can pack on the pounds and lead to obesity, but there is a way to counter the weight gain: mindful eating.

A study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior found in their six-week meditative study called "Mindful Restaurant Eating" that female participants actually lost weight when dining out.

Here are the facts from the study:

Overall, 35 perimenopausal women aged 40 to 59 years of age were studied. On average, the intervention group lost 1.7 kg (3.7 lbs) during six weeks while eating out one to two times a week. They also reduced their daily caloric intake by about 297 calories after completing the intervention...

Participants learned how to plan before dining out and calculate fat and protein counts in restaurant meals. They also did meditative exercises that focus on sight, smell and texture of food to enhance enjoyment and focus on hunger, satisfaction and what their triggers are.

What these meditative exercises involved were simply using sound judgment and being aware of your body in order to lose or maintain weight. No meditation is necessary, but if you pay attention to your hunger -- and eat to satisfy yourself, not out of boredom or emotion -- and be mindful of what you eat, you will be on your way to a trimmer you.

Learn how to lose weight the smart way. Make your first appointment with WeightLossNYC today. Call 718-491-5525!

Source: NYDailyNews.com

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Gallup’s annual Health and Healthcare survey shows that 52% of all U.S. adults who say they have succeeded at losing weight at some point in their lives said it was due to dietary changes more so than exercise.

How did they do it? Respondents who did lose weight said they altered their diet in the following ways:

1.) eat less
2.) count calories and watch portions
3.) eating more natural foods

The general nature of Americans’ responses -- eating less and working out -- shows that most people find weight-loss success by maintaining good overall health habits, not by relying on quick fixes -- 1% said they had gastric bypass and 4% said they used diet pills/drugs.

Other facts from the study showed that Americans in general still need to improve their diet and get more exercise to combat the high rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

The good news: Even modest weight loss (5% or 10% of total body weight) can improve a person's blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Call 718-491-5525 today to start a weight loss plan that works!

Source: Gallup

Image: Piyachok Thawornmat / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Children today are snacking more than ever, and they're snacking all day long on junk food, says a new study by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Childhood obesity is on the rise, and it's no surprise, considering that 27 percent of children's daily diets now consist of such junk food snacks as chips and candy.

Below are a few facts from the study:

Children--even some at a very young age--snack as frequently as three times a day.

Children eat three meals a day, but also snack on a lot of empty-calorie foods during the day.

Between 1977 and 2006, children's caloric intake from snacks increased by an average of 168 calories per day (up to 586 calories total).

They are more likely to drink fruit juice and other sugar-sweetened drinks than milk and are less likely to eat a fresh fruit or vegetable at snack time.

Eating habits start at a young age, which makes it important to establish healthy eating habits, including eating fresh, healthy foods at snack time instead of junk, early on. Parents also need to set a healthy example for children to model after to prevent childhood obesity and encourage a healthy lifestyle for the entire family.

Schedule your first appointment at WeightLossNYC today!

Source: UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health

Image: photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Source: Fitness Magazine

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Obesity specialists from the American Society of Bariatric Physicians (ASBP) are also calling out makers of the HCG weight loss drug and support the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) decision to remove these weight loss products from the market. The FDA states that there are no FDA-approved weight loss HCG products on the market, so there is no need to waste your money on them.

Obesity is a chronic disease which is best treated by a physician who specializes in weight loss and practices medicine based on sound scientific principles. Unfortunately, HCG does not live up to those standards. There is no scientific evidence that shows that HCG can help you lose weight in the long term, or that it is more effective than a restricted-calorie diet.

— ASBP Trustee Craig Primack, MD, in a press release by the American Society of Bariatric Physicians.

Don’t fall for gimmicks. Lose weight the safe and effective way—call us today!

Learn more about medical weight loss on our website.

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Thanksgiving could be a minefield for anyone trying to maintain a healthy diet, but a few helpful tips can hold you back from a dieting mistake. These are some of the foods you should skip in lieu of healthier Thanksgiving offerings.

Stuffing
They call it stuffing for a reason. This is one of the fattiest items on the Thanksgiving spread, so be sure to steer clear of this one.

Dark Meat
If you dine on turkey, opt for the white meat, which can save you 50 calories and 4 grams of fat.

Canned Cranberry Sauce
Although cranberries are natural, the added sugars can throw your healthy meal offtrack. Surprisingly, turkey gravy is a slightly healthier choice at 30 calories and 1.5 grams of fat per 1/4-cup serving.

Dinner Rolls
These are easy to keep eating and never stop, and pile on the calories and carbs. If you must, try one roll and go very easy on the butter (like a thin spread, not a pat) or try a dab of olive oil instead.

Pumpkin Pie
Just say no! A slice of pumpkin pie can add as much as 316 calories and 14 grams of fat to your meal.

A good rule of thumb: make choices at Thanksgiving based on what foods are closest to their natural state.

Source: EatingWell.com

Read more weight loss tips here or call to make an appointment with Dr. Aron for your first appointment.

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Did you know that a diet lower in calories could lengthen your life? That's what findings in a recent scientific study published in Molecular Cell say, which could completely change the way you look at what you eat daily.

"We are able to show that caloric restriction slows down aging by preventing an enzyme, peroxiredoxin, from being inactivated. This enzyme is also extremely important in counteracting damage to our genetic material," says Mikael Molin of the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology.

By gradually reducing the intake of sugar and proteins, without reducing vitamins and minerals, researchers have previously shown that monkeys can live several years longer than expected.

Other benefits from consuming fewer calories include slowing down the aging process as well as diseases such as cancer and type 2 diabetes. The earlier you reduce your caloric intake the greater the effect, researchers say.

Making such changes to your diet as reducing total calories should be done with the advice of a knowledgeable medical weight loss doctor, and Dr. Aron can help.

Source: Medical News Today

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You Are What You Eat…

Extreme Eating: Do you want some lard with that burger?
In some Chinese-American restaurants customers can choose a dish from column A and one from column B. These meals typically come with soup and an egg roll. The menu items below may lead customers to choose the road to heart attack, diabetes, stroke and/or obesity. They come with the proverbial over-sized salt shaker and a superabundance of fat.

While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not yet set a date for implementation of a new law which will require restaurant chains with 20 or more outlets to disclose calorie counts to customers, many chains’ websites already contain jaw-dropping nutritional facts.

Applebee’s New England fish and chips, as an example, packs almost an entire day’s calories in one fatty over-salted meal:

Calories: 1910
Fat: 137 grams, 12 grams saturated
Sodium: 1350

In addition to the high caloric content, this meal contains the fat equivalent of ¾ cup of mayonnaise and more than half a day’s sodium requirement.

Calorie Guidelines

Do you consider a tuna fish sandwich a typical light lunch? Think again when it comes to Quizno’s tuna melt sub. It weighs in with:

Calories: 1520
Saturated fat: 21 grams
Sodium: 2020 milligrams

A healthier option would be to share it with a friend (or two) and have an apple for dessert if half a sub isn’t satisfying. Ordering a plain tuna sandwich on sliced bread without the cheese would also greatly reduce calorie, fat and sodium content.

Another head spinner is Outback Steakhouse’s full rack of baby back ribs served with Aussie fries:

Calories: 1956
Fat: 133 grams, 56 grams saturated
Sodium: 2741 milligrams

The total fat is comparable to eating nearly a stick and a half of butter!

Sadly these examples are not isolated instances. Restaurants have found salt and fat to be inexpensive ways to make food tastier. Diners keep returning for more.

In the search for new and different enticements, the food industry seems to make many dishes and foods more fattening over time. Fried chicken morphs into KFC’s Double Down sandwich by adding two slices of bacon and two slices of cheese. Creative chefs roll chocolate covered pretzels in M&M’s, nuts and toffee chips, adding calories and fat. Cheesecake becomes gluttonous with the addition of Reese’s peanut butter cups, fudge cake and caramel as in the Cheesecake Factory’s Reese’s peanut butter cheese cake.

Start Losing Weight, Today

Choose your indulgences carefully and sparingly. Check restaurants’ websites ahead of time to select healthier options. Limit portions consumed. And find yourself en route to a healthier, slimmer you.

Sources:
Nutrition Chart, What's Cooking America
"Restaurants put obesity on the menu," Washington Post, 10.21.10, p.E1.

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Don't Judge a Box by its Cover

Nutritional labels on prepared foods are meant to guide consumers in making healthy choices. What has evolved in recent years are scores of empty and misleading claims requiring time and perhaps a college degree to decipher which foods really are “good for you.”

Common misleading food labeling includes empty claims that imply health benefits which have no backing. Among these are “Made with natural flavor,” “Doctor recommended,” and “Made with natural goodness.”

Some claims are accurate but don't give the consumer additional information such as pasta packages labeled “no cholesterol” — Plain pasta does not contain cholesterol! More misleading are labels such as on Edy's Dibs Bite Sized Snacks. They boast “0 grams of trans fat!” giving the impression that these chocolate covered morsels of ice cream are heart healthy when in fact a serving contains 16 grams of saturated fat. The Center for Science in the Public Interest recommends that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prohibit companies from boasting of “0 grams trans fat” on products with more than one gram of saturated food per serving.

Don't Believe the Hype

Many labels for fruit-flavored items suggest that products offer the health benefits of fresh fruit when in reality, real fruit is found in small quantities if at all. Gerber Graduates Juice Treats-marketed for preschoolers- depict six different fruits on the package. The product actually contains grape juice concentrate and less than two percent raspberry and apple juice concentrate. The main ingredients are corn syrup and sugar, 17 grams worth, or about four teaspoons of refined sugars per serving.

One of the most widely used claims capitalizes on the food pyramid's recommendation that “at least half of recommended total grain intake should be whole grains.”^[5] Bread, cereal, cracker and even cookie packages often feature their whole grain and high fiber content. Yet these products often have refined flour as the first ingredient and a minimal amount of whole grains. Furthermore, a number of products which claim to be good sources of fiber are peddling fiber not from traditional sources such as whole grains, beans, vegetables or fruit, but from “isolated fibers” made from chicory root or purified powders of polydextrose and other substances. Unlike traditional sources of fiber, isolated fibers have not been shown to lower blood sugar or cholesterol, two of the key benefits of eating fiber.^[3].

Kellogg’s Froot Loops cereal boxes tout “Good Source of FIBER & Made with WHOLE GRAIN.” (A green leaf adorns the ampersand further fostering the image of healthy food.) While Froot Loops boxes list whole grains among the first five ingredients, the first ingredient is sugar. Ditto for many cereals and cookies labeled “made with whole grains.“

While the Center for Science in the Public Interest continues to urge the FDA to crack down on false and misleading food labeling, consumers can take proactive steps towards better nutrition. Read labels discriminately. When faced with choices among products (such as different yogurts), compare the nutritional facts and choose products with less saturated and trans fats and sugar, fewer artificial ingredients, and more nutrients such as protein and vitamins.

Eat more foods without labels, the foods your great-grandparents would recognize. As food guru Michael Pollan says, “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

– Healthcare Author, Sima Michaels Dembo

References:

1. Center for the Science in the Public Interest, www.cspinet.org/new/200912291.html
2. Niman, Nicolette Hahn “Defending &rlquo;Foodies’: A Rancher Takes a Bite out of B.R. Myers,“ February 17, 2011, theatlantic.com/life/archive
3. Parker-Pope, Tara, “Six Meaningless Claims on Food Labels,“ New York Times, January 28, 2010.
4. Wikipedia, Nutritional Facts Label
5. DietaryGuidelines.com

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High Calorie Diet?

The International Food Information Council Foundation conducted an online survey between February 19 and March 11 called the "2009 Food & Health Survey, Consumer Attitudes toward Food, Nutrition & Health" to study how Americans are managing their weight.

• The survey found that 53 percent of American respondents are trying to lose weight, while 25 percent are trying to maintain weight. Seventy one percent were found to be changing the types of food they eat, 62 percent were engaging in physical activity, 44 percent were changing how often they eat and 19 percent were counting calories.
• Forty four percent did not experience results quickly, 43 percent reported a lack of willpower and 40 percent cited a lack of time when it came to making an effort to lose or maintain weight.

The survey also attributed problems with weight control to a general confusion about the relationship between calories and weight gain.

Only 30% believe that calories in general are what cause weight gain, while just 11% correctly estimated the number of calories a person of their age, weight and height should consume per day. Close to half (47%) overestimated, 16% underestimated and 26% didn’t even venture to guess. [1]

Next Steps

You can read more weight loss and obesity articles, or read Dr Aron’s Obesity FAQ

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Weight Loss NYC Diet Tips

Nothing is more important than your own resolve to achieve lasting weight loss success. Working with Dr. Aron and Weight Loss NYC staff provides you with the steady structure and guidance to define and develop your customized diet plan and your means to remain nutritionally strong in the process.

Fat Burner Burnout

Weight loss is achieved via the normal pathways your body uses to accomplish it. There is no secret formula or magic pill out there to "burn fat" — the only "fat burner" is … your own body!

Dr. Aron's Weight Loss NYC Diet Plan

Our medical weight loss program is the medically prescribed, FDA-approved weight loss program, with real medical science behind the results. Many people are not yet aware of the reality of bariatric medicine as the fundamental means for achieving non-surgical weight loss results. In fact, most surgeons recommend following a medically supervised weight loss program prior to surgery.

Proven Results. Guaranteed Weight Loss

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Exercising a few days a week does not guarantee weight loss, says the latest research. What sounds like frustrating news to those who are trying to lose weight -- and lose weight fast -- can actually help you.

What Exercise Can and Can't Do

The findings from The Mayo Clinic don't exactly tell you to stop sweating it out at the gym. They show that the exercise regimen in and of itself isn't as effective in losing weight as when it's combined with weight loss dietary changes.

"In theory, of course, it's possible that you can burn more calories than you eat," says Dr Susan Jebb, head of nutrition and health research at the Medical Research Council, and one of the government's go-to academics for advice on nutrition. "But you have to do an awful lot more exercise than most people realise. To burn off an extra 500 calories is typically an extra two hours of cycling. And that's about two doughnuts."

Next time you reach for that jelly doughnut, or chocolate cake, or extra large order of fries, think about how much time in the gym you will have to put in to shave off the fat.

One thing you need to look out for, though, is "compensation," or thinking you can give yourself permission to eat something bad because you had exercised. This can result in gaining back what weight you had lost.

The good news? You don't have to be in marathon-running shape to lose weight. In fact, the new research says that an intense workout at the gym can be less effective than gentle exercise. How so? Because moderate exercise, like walking, can help burn calories without a caloric compensation effect.

Source: Guardian News

Labels: appetite, calories, dieting, exercise, fast weight loss, weight gain, weight loss

Fast Weight Diet Program

Trimming the fat in one's diet can be a great way to lose weight,and for those with high LDL cholesterol, it can pack a double punch by lowering cholesterol as well. Sometimes one change yields a huge difference. One patient just cut the weekly block of cheddar cheese out of her diet. After two weeks, she was surprised and thrilled to find that her pants were looser.

In most cases, particularly when high cholesterol is an issue, bodily changes may take longer. The steps below provide guidelines of where to look for unnecessary fat within your diet. Many programs suggest making changes gradually so that they can become part of your lifestyle and not leave you feeling deprived and prone to binge-ing on "forbidden foods." Our fast weight loss program encourages you to take more serious steps forward.

— Dr. Aron, Weight Loss NYC

Here are some of Dr. Aron’s low fat diet tips:

• Don’t Be Chicken

  Stick with naturally lowfat chicken, turkey and fish. Limit red meat consumption to once a week or less. Trim all visible fat from meat. Remove the skin from poultry. Look up fat content in fish. While the fat in fish can be heart healthy omega 3s, if weight loss is the goal, choosing lower fat options can speed progress.

• No Day is Fry Day

  Baking, grilling, broiling and roasting meat/poultry/fish serve up less fat than pan or deep frying. Note that sauté means "fry" in French so don’t be fooled that sautéed foods are healthier than fried dishes when reading recipes and menus.

• Butter or Not

  Cut back on butter. Lowfat or fat free cream cheese is an option as are some of the butter alternatives on the market. Read the labels to make sure margarine is free of partially hydrogenated oils (transfats). When cooking, use cooking spray on pan surfaces. Sprays come in olive oil, butter and other varieties so you can choose what works best for dinner dishes, baking or the morning omelette.

• Moo-ve on over

  Switch to low or nonfat dairy products. Lower fat versions of mozzarella, cottage, feta or ricotta cheeses hardly taste different from their full fat cousins, if at all. For dessert, nonfat frozen yogurt, sherbet , sorbet or soft-serve ice cream are generally lower in fat than hard ice cream. Be sure to check nutritional labels though because some brands do have high fat content despite their "frozen yogurt" or "sorbet" label. Experiment with various low fat dairy products to see which suit your taste. Some brands of the same product taste and/or work better in recipes than others.

• Read the Labels

  Read nutritional labels and steer away from foods containing partially hydrogenated oil, palm oil, coconut oil or lard. These are notoriously high in bad cholesterol. Beware of store bought baked goods which often contain these ingredients. Look for low fat alternatives or bake your own using small amounts of unsaturated oils and fats (e.g., vegetable oil, lowfat yogurt).

• Be Fruitful

  The healthiest lowfat or nonfat dessert is fruit. Try new fruits in season. Combine them with Cool Whip topping and angel food cake (which are also lowfat) for special occasions. Other lowfat desserts to satisfy a sweet tooth include sugar free jellos and puddings, flavored lowfat/nonfat yogurts and frozen fruit bars (that don't contain cream). If overall healthy eating is a goal, steer clear of products containing artificial sweeteners.

• Salad Days

  Use salad dressings, homemade or store-bought, that contain olive oil or other unsaturated oils. Mix together with vinegar, lemon juice and/or mustard and fresh or dried herbs to taste. If the dressing has fat of any type, use it sparingly. Many a healthy vegetable salad has turned into a high fat sabotage due to liberal use of dressing.

• Dining Room

  Restaurant eating can pose special challenges since diners are not aware of all ingredients used. Some basic guidelines: order meat/fish/poultry that is grilled, roasted or baked. If choosing broiled meat, ask them to broil without oil. Request sauce and dressings on the side so that the amount consumed can be limited. Skip the butter on the bread. Ask for lowfat milk instead of cream for coffee. Stay away from soups unless the fat content is known; many restaurant soups contain high amounts of oil or cream.

Weight Loss Consultation

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Walk This Way

Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise research has shown Americans walking less than other nations studied with lower obesity rates. Their conclusions suggest we try to increase our walking in our daily routines, as USA today has prepared some handy tips.

Fewer than 5,000 steps a day is considered sedentary;
5,000 to 7,499, low active;
7,500 to 9,999, somewhat active;
10,000 or more active

2,000 steps is a mile

Their suggestions are in addition to decreasing caloric intake, to add 3 to 4 thousand steps per day. Excerpts from their chart include:

• Taking a good 20 minute walk at lunchtime can account for 2,000 steps per day
• Four laps around a sports track is one mile, or 2,000 steps.
• At work, consider walking to people near you to communicate, over email or phone. Small distances over the day can add up!
• Take 100 step walk breaks during the day; Try taking longer walks in your routine including longer route to restroom, and extended walking before shopping at a mall.

Am I overweight?

You can use our free online health risk assessment tool to see if you are in the normal weight range for your height; and learn other facts about health and wellness pertaining to even a modest (10%) amount of weight loss.

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Protein + Great Taste = Less Hungry

Strawberry Cheesecake protein bar only 140 calories?

It's great to know you have a new choice with new flavors - ask the front desk on your next visit for a variety box (shown) or buy any single flavor seven-pack for the same great tasty price.

New protein bars with satisfying flavor

Remember that proper nutrition and balance are crucial for your weight loss diet success.

Exclusively available at WeightLossNYC

Ask Dr. Aron if you have any questions about inclusion of any meal substitution supplements or to give us feedback on the items you like best.

Labels: 718-491-5525, appetite, blood sugar, calories, cravings, hunger, lose weight, nutrition facts, portion control, success

Plenty of misinformation abounds on how to attain a smaller waistline and sexy abs. Common tips to target this problem area fall short and are ineffective. By applying these realistic tips, though, you can improve your abs and midsection.

Crunches won't give you the abs of steel you desire because they only work the muscle hiding beneath the layer of fat. You cannot remove fat without weight loss surgery or going into caloric deficit, which is decreasing the amount of food you eat so that your body starts burning fat instead of calories.

Diet and exercise are vital. No matter the stomach-targeting exercise, if you consume too many calories you will gain weight. Do exercises that work your entire body for long periods of time so that your body goes into caloric deficit. This is the only way to lose the fat.

Gadgets and technology won't give you defined abs, only you can do it. Don't fall for the latest and greatest ab exercise product on the market. The results would be the same as doing crunches on your own, so they aren't necessary. Keep the above ideas in mind, while maintaining a healthy diet and aerobic exercise every day -- and you will see real results.

Source: familyhealthguide.co.uk

Labels: caloric deficit, calories, exercise, weight gain, weight loss, weight loss surgery

Organic cookies, gummy bears and ice cream can now be found at grocery stores everywhere. Eating healthy organic food is healthier for you, but organic junk food is where things get tricky. Many people trying to lose weight mistakenly think organic junk food is permissible -- even healthy -- but they are just as bad for you as traditional junk food.

Researchers in the Department of Psychology at University of Michigan found that when faced with an organic junk food item vs. a non-organic junk food item, consumers seemed to think the organic version had less calories and was less fattening even though that was not correct. There is also a misconception that "organic" equals "healthy," which isn't necessarily true.

This is important for those watching their weight, especially as consumer interest in organic food rises.

When grocery shopping, read the nutrition facts and ingredients and watch for the following things to make healthier choices (whether organic or not):

*How many calories does it have?
*How much saturated fat?
*How much sodium?
*How much cholesterol?
*How much sugar?

It's okay to occasionally indulge in an organic junk food item -- just exercise caution (and don't forget to do physical exercise, either!). Even though an organic snack is made with organic unbleached flour and organic sugar it still can make you gain weight, especially if those calories are not used up.

Source: Judgment and Decision Making, Vol. 5, No. 3, June 2010, pp. 144–150

Labels: appetite, calories, nutrition facts, organic, organic food, sodium, weight gain

When dining out, salads are the go-to menu option for those trying to lose weight. You think that fresh veggies are healthier and contain less calories than the other carby menu items. But sometimes, a salad is just as bad as anything else on the menu and here's why.

On a recent "Eat This, Not That!" segment on the "Today Show," Editor in Chief of Men's Health, David Zinczenko, showed us that many salads at popular chain restaurants are loaded in calories, fat and sodium, which could wreck anyone's weight loss plan.

Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad
1310 calories, 93 g fat, 1470 mg sodium
With not-so-great-for-you fried chicken, this salad has the same calories as a McDonald's Double Quarter Pounder, fries and a coke.

Wendy's BLT Cobb Salad and Ranch Dressing w/ croutons
760 calories, 51g fat, 2090 mg sodium
This salad is just as bad for you as 2 bacon cheeseburgers from Wendy's.

Quizno's Chicken Caesar Flatbread Salad
920 calories, 66 g fat, 2090 mg sodium
With more sodium than you need in a day (max is 2000 mg), this seemingly innocent salad is the equivalent of 3 White Castle bacon and cheese sliders plus 3 fried chicken rings!

TGI Friday's Santa Fe Chopped Salad
1800 calories
Need we say more? This meal contains as many calories as a Burger King Double Whopper, fries and chocolate shake.

California Pizza Kitchen Waldorf Chicken Salad w/ bleu cheese dressing
1570 calories, 30 g fat, 2082 mg sodium
This delicious and healthy-looking salad is just as fattening as a Wendy's 1/2 lb double cheeseburger, fries and medium frostie.

You can still dine out and even order a salad every now and then, just follow the tips below for guidance.

Fattening ingredients to avoid
Fried ingredients, tortilla chips, creamy dressing, cheese

Diet tricks
*Sometimes the portions are out of control. Just eat 1/3 of the meal once you've eaten enough healthy calories and take leftovers home.
*Ask for your dressing on side, then drizzle a small amount as needed.
*Choose oil and/or vinegar-based dressings. One tsp. of balsamic vinegar (not vinaigrette) can contain as little as 5 calories!

Source: "Today Show," msnbc.com

Labels: calories, portion control, self-control, success, weight gain