There are a lot of reasons and situations that can prevent you from losing weight.  Even if you think you are doing everything right, eating…exercising…when you step on the scale it does not acknowledge all the hard work and effort you are putting in.  For starters you may be looking better and losing inches, but that is because muscle weighs more than fat. Stick to your routine and possibly think of the following things that may help you to reach your weight loss goal.

YOU DON’T DRINK WATER

Besides keeping you hydrated, drinking water on the regular, according to recent studies, can aid with weight loss. Filling up on water before a meal helps encourage portion control, and eating foods that contain a lot of water (like fruits and veggies) will fill you up faster, causing you to eat less. A small study even found that drinking cool water can speed up metabolism and discourage cravings for sugary drinks like soda and juice. Now that’s a reason to stay hydrated!

YOU THINK WALKING YOUR DOG IS ENOUGH

A 15-minute stroll is better than nothing, but don’t expect to see dramatic weight-loss results. You’ve got to kick it up a notch and do at least 30 minutes a day of heart-pumping exercise. Big calorie and fat burners include running, spin class, interval training, hiking, and circuit training.

YOU OVEREAT HEALTHY FOODS

Nuts, avocados, whole wheat pasta, olive oil, and dark chocolate are all natural and healthy, but they aren’t void of calories. You still need to watch how much you eat of the good stuff. For example, avocado offers a ton of health benefits, but an entire fruit is over 200 calories. In my book “get fit Stay fit” there is a calorie chart that tracks all your favorite foods.

YOU ONLY DO CARDIO

If you live on the treadmill but never lift a pound, then you’re missing out on one of the most important pieces of the fitness puzzle. Not only does weight training prevent injury by strengthening your joints, but it also builds muscle mass and increases metabolic rate. Thanks to a revved-up metabolism, you’ll keep burning calories long after you’ve slipped off your sneakers.

YOU EXERCISE WITH AN EMPTY STOMACH

If you regularly exercise without eating first, you should reconsider: when you work out on an empty stomach the calories burned come from muscle, not fat. Since muscle burns more calories than fat, the more muscle mass you have, the better it is for weight loss. Not only will fueling your body help you avoid losing muscle, but also, you’ll have more energy to push yourself through your workout.

YOUR PARTNER ISN’T ON THE SAME HEALTHY ROAD

A partner who’s on a similar path can be a huge help to your weight-loss goals, but if your partner is not on board, then your relationship may be making you fat. You can’t expect to lose weight if your partner constantly suggests ordering takeout, wants to go out for ice cream, or encourages you to sleep in instead of hitting the gym! Communicating that you need their support in losing weight is a great first step in finding compromises for both of you. For starters, the next time you have dinner out, offer to split an appetizer or skip dessert.

YOU LEAVE OUT ENTIRE FOOD GROUPS

Giving up entire food groups can lead to a nutritional deficiency, not to mention trigger major cravings for whatever food has been cut. Rather than, say, eliminating all carbohydrates, focus on whole grains and remember to monitor portion control. Usually it’s the extra servings that add to your waistline, not the pasta itself.

YOU DON’T SLEEP ENOUGH

Making time for your workouts can mean less time for sleep, but it’s important to get enough sleep if you’re trying to lose weight. You need extra energy to keep up with your exercise routine, and skimping on sleep can affect your body’s ability to control its appetite: not enough shut-eye increases appetite-stimulating hormones.

YOU DON’T GET ENOUGH VEGGIES

Eating five to seven servings of fruits and veggies a day is important for everyone, but dieters who go heavy on the produce are more likely to lose and keep the weight off, since a diet full of plant-based foods offers a greater variety of nutrients with fewer calories and all that fiber keeps your body feeling fuller longer.

YOU EAT WHILE STANDING UP

Standing at the fridge or the counter to chow down isn’t saving time or energy and can lead to mindless eating. It’s best to designate time for snacking and meals that’s set apart from other activities.

YOU WEAR CLOTHES THAT ARE TOO BIG

Loose clothes are comfy, but they cover up the body and allow you to forget what you look like, which can work against your fitness motivation. Instead, opt for clothes that have a more fitted silhouette to help give you a sense of your body image. Or better yet, start the day in your gym outfit to inspire you to do something active.

YOU’RE ON A DIET. WELL, SORT OF . . .

Whatever diet you are on or your own diet-and-exercise plan, you can’t do it halfheartedly and expect to see results. Stay committed to your plan, or you’ll see the pounds stay on instead of dropping from the scale.

YOU’RE ADDICTED TO CONDIMENTS AND TOPPINGS

A salad is one of the healthiest meals you can have, but when you top it with bacon bits, goat cheese, nuts, dried fruits, and ranch dressing, you can double the calorie amount in a flash. Be aware of how many calories your favorite salad extras add on. For instance, 10 croutons is an easy 100 calories.

YOU DON’T EAT BREAKFAST

Skipping breakfast may seem like a great way to save calories, but your body will actually hold on to fat because it thinks it’s being starved. Keep in mind that people who eat breakfast regularly lose more weight, so make sure to eat breakfast each morning to jump-start your metabolism. Don’t just grab anything: include protein to give yourself sustainable energy and fiber to fill you up for hours.

YOU DON’T PRACTICE PORTION CONTROL

When it comes to a balanced diet, portion control is one of the keys to success. Keep measuring cups and spoons on hand to make sure your serving sizes are appropriate, and learn how to give your body the “I’m full” signal in order to help you drop the fork when the time is right and move on with your day.

YOU EAT WITHOUT THINKING

Aligning mealtime with a screen like your computer or the TV can hurt your weight-loss goals. Designating a special time for meals without distractions will help you connect to your food and, as a result, eat less. Sometimes you don’t even realize how much you’re eating when your mind is somewhere else.

YOU DON’T CUT YOUR FOOD

Cutting your dinner can be helpful for your overeating woes. Cutting food into tiny pieces may seem slightly childish, but studies show that humans find smaller portions more satisfying and, as a result, are satisfied with less.

YOU STILL DRINK SODA

Soda offers literally no nutritional benefits, and continuing to drink the beverage is sabotaging your weight-loss goals, even if you only drink diet. Individuals who drink two diet sodas a day or more had waistlines that were 500 percent larger than the nondrinkers

YOU DON’T EAT ENOUGH

Don’t starve yourself to save calories for later. It’ll not only mess up your metabolism, and by dinnertime, that famished feeling will likely cause you to eat more than you would if you weren’t starving. Not only is starving yourself not sustainable for continued weight loss, but also, limiting yourself to too-small portions can lead to excess snacking between mealtimes.

YOU DON’T LEAVE TIME FOR FUN

Since stress is shown to cause weight gain  by triggering the body to eat more, especially foods high in sugar and fat, make sure you give yourself time to relax and unwind. And it’s an added bonus that so many fun activities (like dancing, hiking, and shopping) are already natural calorie-burners!

YOU OVERINDULGE IN LOW-FAT FOODS

Going for foods with a lower calorie count can be deceiving, since many times they’re filled with extra sodium, sugar, or chemical additives to make up for the ingredients the company has removed or decreased. Not only are these light versions less nutritious, but they also end up tasting “lighter,” leading you to eat more. You’ll probably end up consuming more calories than you would if you just ate a regular-sized portion of the real thing.

YOU DON’T KEEP A FOOD JOURNAL

Writing down what you eat is an essential way to monitor daily caloric intake. Don’t think it’s worth the effort? A study from the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics surveyed 123 women and found that those who were the most successful at losing weight monitored their food intake by keeping a journal.

YOU’RE ALWAYS DINING OUT

Hitting your favorite restaurant is a great way to unwind, but you’re more likely to indulge in a huge meal complete with appetizers, drinks, fried foods, and dessert. Calorie counts are also a mystery, since many foods aren’t labeled. If you don’t want to give up your nights out, then split a meal with a friend, order healthy options like salads and grilled chicken, and sip water instead of wine.

YOU NEVER INDULGE

In an otherwise healthy diet, eating a few French fries or a piece of chocolate cake isn’t going to ruin your weight-loss goals. A study found that it isn’t necessary to up workout intensity the day after a piece of cake and that a daily variance of as much as 600 calories won’t reflect on your waistline, as long as you maintain a healthy diet in the long run.

YOU EAT THE WRONG POST-WORKOUT SNACKS

A post-workout snack is just that – a snack. And unless it’s mealtime, what you eat after an average workout should be around 150 calories. Since healthy foods like trail mix can be high in calories, measure out a serving instead of mindlessly chomping straight out of the bag. If you’re looking for some ideas, there are lots of calorie ideas in my books and other articles here on my website.

I know you want to get in shape and look great. Whatever your fitness goal…to slim down…gain muscle…tone your arms or flatten your tummy…I’m here to help you accomplish your goals and to improve your fitness level. If you have enjoyed this article and the many other free features on my site, and would like some more comprehensive information such as fitness books and CD’s to aid you in achieving your health and fitness goals, please visit my ONLINE STORE where you will find innovative natural health and beauty products to help you become the BEST YOU CAN BE !

The following article is a small excerpt from one of my books.I hope you’ll want to learn more and let me help you to get into the best shape of your life.

Are you fat because you overeat or do you overeat because you are fat?

For most of the last century, the cause of obesity has been based on the first law of thermodynamics, which dictates that energy can neither be created nor destroyed. This means that calorie intake minus calorie expenditure equals calories stored. Consuming more calories than you can burn off will result in the excess being deposited as fat. The simple solution is to eat less or exercise more.
The problem is that this advice doesn’t work, for most people over the long term. More people than ever before are obese, despite the focus on calorie balance by the government, nutrition organizations and the food industry.

But what if you confused cause and effect? What if it’s not overeating that causes you to get fat, but the process of getting fatter that causes us to overeat?

The more calories you lock away in fat tissue, the fewer there are circulating in the bloodstream to satisfy your body’s requirements. If you look at it this way, it’s a distribution problem.  You have an abundance of calories, but they’re in the wrong place. As a result, your body needs to increase its intake. You get hungrier because you’re getting fatter. When fat cells suck up too much fuel, calories from food promote the growth of fat tissue instead of serving the energy needs of your body, provoking overeating in all but the most disciplined individuals.

According to this view, factors in the environment have triggered fat cells in your body to take in and store excessive amounts of glucose and other calorie-rich compounds. Since fewer calories are available to fuel metabolism,your brain tells your body to increase calorie intake (you feel hungry) and save energy (your metabolism slows down). Eating more solves this problem temporarily but also accelerates weight gain. Cutting calories reverses the weight gain for a short while, making you think you have control over your body’s weight, but predictably increases hunger and slows metabolism even more.

Consider a fever analogy. A cold bath will lower your body temperature temporarily, but will also set off biological responses like shivering and constriction of blood vessels that work to heat your body up again. The conventional view of obesity as a problem of calorie balance is like saying fever as a problem of heat balance; technically not wrong, but not very helpful, because it ignores the apparent underlying biological driver of weight gain.

This is why diets that rely on consciously reducing calories don’t usually work. Only one in six overweight and obese adults in a nationwide survey reports ever having maintained a 10 percent weight loss for at least a year. In studies, when lean and obese research subjects were underfed in order to make them lose 10 to 20 percent of their weight, their hunger increased and metabolism plummeted. Overfeeding sped up metabolism.

For both over and under eating, these responses tend to push weight back to where it started prompting some obesity researchers to think in terms of a body weight that seems to be predetermined by your genes.

If basic biological responses push back against changes in body weight, and your set points are predetermined, then why have obesity rates risen almost three times what they were in the 1960s? More importantly what can you do about it?

As it turns out, many biological factors affect the storage of calories in fat cells, including genetics, levels of physical activity, sleep and stress. But one has an indisputably dominant role…the hormone insulin. It’s known that excess insulin treatment for diabetes causes weight gain, and insulin deficiency causes weight loss. And of everything you eat, highly refined and rapidly digestible carbohydrates produce the most insulin.

The increasing amount and processing of carbohydrates in the diets has increased insulin levels, put fat cells into storage overdrive and caused obesity-promoting biological responses in a large number of people. Like an infection that raises your body temperatures set point, high consumption of refined carbohydrates chips, crackers, cakes, soft drinks, sugary breakfast cereals and even white rice and bread has increased body weights.

One reason we consume so many refined carbohydrates today is because they have been added to processed foods in place of fats which have been the main target of calorie reduction efforts since the 1970s. Fat has about twice the calories of carbohydrates, but low-fat diets are the least effective in accomplishing your weight loss goals.

A recent study examined 21 overweight and obese young adults after they had lost 10 to 15 percent of their body weight, on diets ranging from low fat to low carbohydrate diets. Consuming the same number of calories on each diet, subjects burned about 325 more calories per day on the low carbohydrate diets than on the low fat diets which amounts to the energy expended in an hour of moderately intense physical activity.

A poor quality diet could result in obesity even when it was low in calories. Rats fed a diet with rapidly digesting (called high “glycemic index”) carbohydrate gained 71 percent more fat than their counterparts, who ate more calories over all, though in the form of slowly digesting carbohydrate.

These ideas aren’t entirely new. The notion that we overeat because we’re getting fat has been around for at least a century. In 1908, a German internist named Gustav von Bergmann dismissed the energy-balance view of obesity, and hypothesized that it was instead caused by a metabolic disorder that he called “lipophilia,” or “love of fat.”

But such theories have been generally ignored, perhaps because they challenge entrenched cultural attitudes. The popular emphasis on calorie balance reinforces the belief that we have conscious control over our weight, and that obesity represents a personal failure because of ignorance or inadequate willpower.

The food industry makes enormous profits from highly processed products derived from corn, wheat and rice and invokes calorie balance as its first line of defense. If all calories are the same, then there are no bad foods, and sugary beverages, junk foods and the like are fine in moderation. It’s simply a question of portion control. The fact that this rarely works is taken as evidence that obese people lack willpower, not that the idea itself might be wrong.

Existing research cannot provide a definitive test of this hypothesis however two recent studies have reported substantial benefits associated with the reduction of rapidly digestible carbohydrate compared with conventional diets. We need to invest much more in this research. With the annual economic burden of diabetes (just one obesity-related complication) predicted to approach half a trillion dollars by 2020, a few billion dollars for state-of-the-art nutrition research would make a good investment.

If this hypothesis turns out to be correct, it will have immediate implications for public health. It would mean that the decade’s long focus on calorie restriction was destined to fail for most people. Information about calorie content would remain relevant, not as a strategy for weight loss, but rather to help people avoid eating too much highly processed food loaded with rapidly digesting carbohydrates. But obesity treatment would more appropriately focus on diet quality rather than calorie quantity.

People in the modern food environment seem to have greater control over what they eat than how much. With reduced consumption of refined grains, concentrated sugar and potato products and a few other sensible lifestyle choices, your internal body weight control system should be able to do the rest. Eventually, YOU could bring your body weight set point back to a pre-epidemic level. Addressing the underlying biological drive to overeat may make a far more practical and effective solution to obesity than counting calories.

In my books and specifically “Get FIT STAY FIT” I talk more in depth on set points and the glycemic index with a list of the foods and their values to help you better choose a more balanced and nutrition meal plan.

I know you want to get in shape and look great.  Whatever your fitness goal…to slim down…gain muscle…tone your arms or flatten your tummy…I’m here to help you accomplish your goals and to improve your fitness level. If you have enjoyed this article and the many other free features on my site, and would like some more comprehensive information such as fitness books and CD’s to aid you in achieving your health and fitness goals, please visit my ONLINE STORE where you will find innovative natural health and beauty products to help you become the BEST YOU CAN BE !

The following article is a small excerpt from one of my books.I hope you’ll want to learn more and let me help you to get into the best shape of your life.

The obesity epidemic is a result of lifestyle changes brought on by the easy availability of food, inexpensive unhealthy convenience foods and government subsidized foods, as well as a decrease in physical activity.

Obesity Rates on Developed Countries around the World

The United States leads the way in obesity percentage with more than a third of the population considered obese. Canada is also at the top and a large portion of European countries show surprising growing numbers.  France and a handful of its neighbors maintain decent rates, while Japan is the lowest.

Percentage of Obese Population by Country

“…Americans are at the forefront of technological progress and also at the forefront of one of present-day civilization’s major afflictions–being overweight”.

The overweight rates in America have also grown, with overweight and obese people projected to be 74% of the population in 2020.

Overweight Rates per Country

Obesity has a severe economic and personal impact on individuals and affects how much money you make and your healthcare costs while it shortens your life.

“Take this method, make it your own, and show the world how to reverse the pattern of excess weight and obesity.”

Get started today by calculating your True Weight!

The Best Weight Calculator for You

Whether your weight loss goal is to shed belly fat or lower your risk of heart disease, a few at home calculations can help keep you healthy and on track

Unless you drop serious cash on futuristic weight loss equipment, don’t expect your bathroom scale to give you meaningful numbers. Interpretation is up to you. Luckily, body weight and calorie calculators can add context to those digits, taking into account factors like your age, gender, height, body fat positioning, and activity level to help you determine if your weight is a risk to your overall health.

While crunching numbers doesn’t replace a visit to your doctor, it can help you determine a strategy and help you chart your progress along the way.  Weight loss calculators aren’t always perfect but they can be useful for tracking over time, and they are slightly more interactive than your bathroom scale.

It’s tough to decide which at-home test you can trust to tell you if you’re fit or not. On my site there are many useful calculators that can actually help you track your progress as you lose weight.

To determine if your weight is “normal”, the body mass index (BMI) is a tried-and-true weight metric. Invented in the late 1800s, the formula uses weight and height to calculate a number that indicates if you are underweight, normal, overweight, or obese. While this formula is a fairly reliable indicator of obesity and health risks, it doesn’t measure your percentage of body fat.

Going one step further, an “ideal weight” or “healthy weight” calculator, can tell you what a healthy weight range is for your height.

Plug your weight and height into an online calculator and you’ll get a number indicating whether you’re underweight (below 18.5), normal (18.5 to 24.9), overweight (25 to 29.9), or obese (30 and above). These standards were set in 1985 by the National Institutes of Health Consensus Panel, which concluded that the BMI was an appropriate measurement of obesity. For all you math geeks, the formula is Weight (in pounds) / [Height (in inches)]² x 703.In my books I go into more detail on this matter with easy to read charts.

How can knowing your BMI help you manage your weight?  For average to overweight individuals who want to lose weight, BMI can be used as a motivation tracking tool to see changes over time. For example, BMI can be used to set a weight loss goal like, “My goal is to be in the ‘normal’ weight category by such and such a date.

Since BMI uses total body weight, rather than estimates of fat and lean body mass separately, it does not discriminate between the overweight and the athletic or more muscular body types.  It also does not take into account age, gender, or muscle mass. It would not be a useful tool for heavy-muscled athletes, the elderly, pregnant women, or teenagers. According to a recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, researchers found that BMI also fails to predict health risks for individuals who fall in the “skinny fat” category, those who have a normal, healthy BMI and likely appear thin but have a high percentage of body fat.

The waist-to-hip ratio measures where your body stores fat. The ratio compares the circumference of your waist with that of your hips.

You can calculate at home by measuring your waist and hip circumferences and dividing the numbers. Wrap a tape measure around the smallest section of your natural waist, usually just above the belly button, and record the number. Then measure your hips around the widest part of your bottom. Finally, divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement. For example, if your waist is 30 inches and your hips are 29, the ratio is 1.03. According to the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases, women with waist-to-hip ratios of more than 0.8 are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and certain cancers because of their fat distribution. And men with waist-to-hip ratios of more than 1.0 are at increased health risk for the same reason.

This test can help you determine if you’re an apple or a pear shape. A ratio of 0.8 or above indicates that you are an apple shape. A ratio of under 0.8 means you are a pear shape. Previous research suggested that those with central obesity (apple shape) were 3 times more likely to suffer from heart disease than those with more generally distributed fat.

How accurate is it? Current research suggests that you’re better off sticking with BMI. A new study published in the British medical journal The Lancet studied 220,000 people over almost 10 years and found that your risk for cardiovascular disease is not increased by carrying fat around your waist as opposed to on your hips and thighs. Carrying excess weight anywhere puts you at greater risk for heart disease, the researchers concluded.

The body adiposity index (BAI) is a new test proposed as an alternative to calculating your BMI.The BAI can be used to find your percentage of body fat.

To calculate it yourself, first convert your measurements into metric numbers. Here’s how: Hip circumference (in inches) x 2.5 = hip circumference in centimeters. Height (in inches) x 0.025 = height in meters. Then plug your metric measurements into the BAI formula: [(Hip circumference in centimeters) / (Height in meters x square root of height in meters)] – 18.

For example, if you’re a 150-pound woman with 30-inch hips and you’re 5’5″, the math would look like this:

Hips: 30 x 2.5 = 75 cm
Height: 65 x 0.025 = 1.625 m
[75 / (1.625 x 1.275)] – 18 = approximately18% body fat

American Council on Exercise says an “acceptable” range for body fat for women is 25 to 31%, and for men 18 to 25%. You’re considered obese if your body fat is 32% or greater for women, and 26% or greater for men.

If you don’t want to pick up a calculator, let my online calculator do the math for you. Click on this link

You can also try a new feature included on many new bathroom scales, Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) technology. BIA is a common way to estimate your percentage of body fat. The device, which starts at around $100, sends a mild electric current up through one foot to the waist, then down the other leg to measure your percentage of body fat.

The BAI is more accurate than the BMI because it takes into account body fat without factoring in weight. This method has promise as it takes into account many factors: gender, age, height, weight, and hip circumference.

How accurate is it? This new test has been checked against a Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) machine, which is regarded as one of the most accurate ways to calculate body fat, and the BAI numbers were proven to be accurate, at least in Hispanic and African American populations. More research needs to be done with other ethnicities before it’s widely considered a valid measure of body fat.  Until this method has been scientifically determined by the medical community to be an accurate body composition assessment, you should stick with the more common methods such as BMI, body fat analysis, and waist-to-hip ratio.

And in terms of the BIA scale, the device reportedly is very sensitive to hydration (dehydration can cause it to overestimate the percentage of body fat), which can affect its accuracy.

To determine how many calories you need, the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), also known as Resting Metabolic Rate, calculator measures the number of calories your body would burn if you sat still all day and didn’t eat anything.

Once you know how fast or slow your body converts fuel into energy, you can use that information to determine the number of calories you need to consume to lose, gain, or maintain your weight based on your daily activity levels. Don’t worry if your metabolism needs a boost. Cardiovascular exercise can increase your BMR, improve your fitness, and make your body a more efficient calorie burner.

The formula used to calculate your BMR takes into account your weight, height, age, and gender. The Harris-Benedict equation is the most widely used formula for BMR. I go into great detail on this formula and how to calculate and to use in my book ‘Get fit Stay fit’ but for ease a quick reference you can check out the math by using one of my on line calculators.

Or try a more simple formula for quickly determining how many calories to eat on any given day to maintain your current weight: On days when you’re taking it easy and not exercising, multiply your weight (in pounds) by 15 and subtract 500 from that number. And on days that you’re active, use the same calculation, but multiply your weight by 18.

How it can help you manage your weight: The number you get from the equation gives you the total number of calories you need to eat to maintain your current weight. To lose weight, shave off 500 calories daily to lose 1 pound per week, or 300 calories daily to lose 2 pounds in a month. Modifying calories according to activity levels is a good health habit. It helps you to realize that on low-activity days, fewer calories are needed to maintain your weight.  It emphasizes the calories in/calories out formula.

Take these equations with a grain of salt. They are just guides to help you reach your fitness goals. It’s hard to predict activity levels, and if you’re planning your caloric needs for the day and things go sideways, you may be eating too much or too little.

I know you want to get in shape and look great.  Whatever your fitness goal…to slim down…gain muscle…tone your arms or flatten your tummy…I’m here to help you accomplish your goals and to improve your fitness level. If you have enjoyed this article and the many other free features on my site, and would like some more comprehensive information such as fitness books and CD’s to aid you in achieving your health and fitness goals, please visit my ONLINE STORE where you will find innovative natural health and beauty products to help you become the BEST YOU CAN BE !

The following article is a small excerpt from one of my books. I hope you’ll want to learn more and let me help you to get into the best shape of your life.

Major, life-altering changes, are brought about not by dieting, but by making simple small changes. Here are seven simple trades that  will save you at least 700 calories. Do this once a day and you could lose 73 pounds in a year, minimum!

So look in the mirror. Do you look exactly the way you’d like? !

Burger Swap

Eat This!
McDonald’s Big Mac
540 calories
29 g fat (10 g saturated)
1,040 mg sodium

Not That!
Sonic Supersonic Double Cheeseburger (w/mayo)
1,270 calories
87 g fat (34 g saturated)
1,500 mg sodium

Savings: 730 calories
While these are both double-patty burgers with cheese, Sonic’s version weighs in nearly twice as heavy. That might sound like a bargain until you realize that it contains far more than twice as many calories. The Big Mac relies on thinner cuts of beef and uses far less sauce, making it a reasonable way to fill your double-burger craving. New research shows that your weight is determined by more than just which foods you put in your mouth—how you eat plays an important role too.

Asian Swap

Eat This!
Panda Express Broccoli Beef (with a side of mixed veggies)
165 calories
4.5 g fat (1 g saturated)
970 mg sodium

Not That!
P.F. Chang’s Beef with Broccoli
870 calories
36 g fat (12 g saturated)
4,719 mg sodium

Savings: 705 calories
P.F. Chang’s lets the sodium-saturated sauces rain down upon most of its dishes. This is one of the worst. It contains more than two days’ worth of the salty stuff—not to mention eight times the fat of Panda Express’ version.

Health Myth: Sea salt is not lower in sodium than table salt, nor is it more natural or healthier.

Salad Swap

Eat This!
California Pizza Kitchen Chinese Chicken Salad
617 calories
1 g saturated fat
2,532 mg sodium

Not That!
Applebee’s Oriental Grilled Chicken Salad
1,290 calories
79 g fat (12g saturated, 2.5 g trans)
2,290 mg sodium

Savings: 723 calories
California Pizza Kitchen’s salad menu is, for the most part, a dangerous spot, but the Chinese Chicken option steers clear of trouble with a nutrient-rich blend of cabbage, lettuce, carrots, scallions, and cilantro. Topped with grilled chicken, this veggie-heavy meal is far superior to Applebee’s version. The “Neighborhood Bar & Grill” tosses its lettuce with crispy noodles—read: dipped in fattening oil—that not only add in a deadly level of trans fats, but also deliver an extra 20 grams of carbohydrates. Just watch your sodium intake the rest of the day. CPK has never met a salt shaker it didn’t vigorously shake.

Seafood Swap

Eat This!
Olive Garden Parmesan Crusted Tilapia
590 calories
10 g saturated fat
910 mg sodium

Not That!
The Cheesecake Factory Herb Crusted Filet of Salmon
1,400 calories
48 g saturated fat
1,240 mg sodium

Savings: 810 calories
It’s tough to tell exactly where The Cheesecake Factory’s extra calories come from. The chain doesn’t provide ingredient lists. But this selection probably suffers from the same problems as the rest of the menu: excessive use of cheap oils and butter. Olive Garden bakes its crusted tilapia and plates the fish with vegetables, shaving nearly two days’ worth of saturated fat off the Factory’s numbers.

Appetizer Dip Swap

Eat This!
On the Border Guacamole with Chips
660 calories
23 g fat (5 g saturated)
680 mg sodium

Not That!
Chili’s Hot Spinach & Artichoke Dip
1,610 calories
103 g fat (42 g saturated)
1,610 mg sodium

Savings: 1,180 calories
Few appetizers work as hard as guacamole. The avocados from which it’s made are packed with hunger-blunting fiber and heart-healthy fats. Chili’s Spinach & Artichoke dip, on the other hand, consists of mostly cream, cheese, and butter. Don’t let the name fool you into thinking it’s healthy.

Pizza Swap

Eat This!
Pizza Hut Pepperoni Personal Pan Pizza
610 calories
26 g fat (10 g saturated)
1,410 mg sodium

Not That!
Uno Deep Dish Prima Pepperoni Pizza
1,830 calories
126 g fat (36 g saturated)
2,910 mg sodium

Savings: 1,220 calories
It’s not like Pizza Hut’s Personal Pan Pizzas are to be idolized, but compared to Uno’s deep-dish offerings, they’re paragons of nutrition. The big difference is in the depth of the crust. Pizza Hut’s is reasonable, whereas Uno’s can double as a mattress.

Taco Swap

Eat This!
Chipotle Crunchy Chicken Tacos
490 calories
21 g fat (8.5 g saturated)
1,050 mg sodium

Not That!
Chili’s Crispy Chicken Tacos (w/o the rice and beans side)
1,340 calories
71 g fat (20 g saturated)
3,120 mg sodium

Savings: 850 calories
It’s not hard to see the difference in these two Mexican dishes. Chipotle combines grilled chicken, fresh salsa, and a little cheese inside a corn shell. Simple. Chili’s, on the other hand, fries its chicken, doubles up on cheese, tosses in some bacon, and drizzles thick ranch dressing on top. That doesn’t do your body any favors.

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