manage your weight

Is It Coffee, A Frappuccino, A Coolatta, Or Dessert?

May 18, 2013 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN 2 Comments

When the weather heats up, the coffee drinks cool down. Unfortunately, some of those delicious iced and frozen coffee drinks – whether they’re from a coffee shop or from a can — can really bump up your calories and fat grams.

Keep in mind that you can always order plain old iced coffee or even an iced Americano (almost no calories for 16 ounces) and doctor it with non-caloric sweetener and skim milk. You’d even come out ahead if you use controlled amounts of sugar and a bit of half and half. Or have an iced brewed coffee with classic syrup: a 12 ounce cup has 60 calories.

Calories in Some Iced And Frozen Coffee Drinks

Note: all info (with the exception of Burger King) is for a 16 oz cup.

Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino with whipped cream, 16 oz. (grande): 400 calories, 15 g fat (9 g saturated), 64g carbohydrates.

Starbucks Mocha Light Frappuccino with nonfat milk, 16 oz. (grande): 130 calories, 0.5g fat, (0 g saturated), 28g carbohydrates.

Iced Caffe Latte with nonfat milk, 16 oz. (grande): 90 calories, 0g fat, 13g carbohydrates.

Dunkin’ Donuts Coffee Coolatta made with whole milk, 16 oz. (small): 240 calories, 4 g fat (2.5 g saturated), 50g carbohydrates

Dunkin’ Donuts Vanilla Bean Coolatta, 16 oz. (small): 420 calories, 6g fat (3.5g saturated), 92g carbohydrates

Dunkin’ Donuts Iced Latte made with skim milk, 16 oz. (small): 80 calories, 0g fat, 13g carbohydrates

Baskin Robbins Cappuchino Blast Mocha, 16oz (small): 400 calories, 13g fat (9g saturated), 65g carbohydrates

McDonald’s McCafé Iced Caramel Mocha, 16 oz. (medium) made with whole milk and whipped cream: 300 calories, 14g fat (8g saturated), 36g carbohydrates

Burger King: Iced Seattle’s Best Coffee Mocha, 22 oz. (medium): 260 calories, 3.5g fat (2.5g saturated), 54g carbohydrates

Ways To Shave Calories From Iced Coffee Drinks

Ditch the whipped cream.

Swap full fat or 2% milk for 1% or skim.

Watch the sugar: ask for one pump instead of two, ask for sugar free syrup, add non-calorie sweetener instead of sugar, or don’t sweeten at all.

Change the size of the drink that you order: instead of a venti or an extra large, order a grande or large – or drop down to a tall, medium, or even a small-sized drink.

If you have a two a day (or more) habit – like a coolata in the morning and a frappuccino in the afternoon – substitute a plain coffee or iced tea (easy on the milk and sugar), or even a latte with nonfat milk for one of those choices.

It’s Really True: Shopping When You’re Hungry Means More Calories In Your Cart

May 15, 2013 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

You’ve probably heard this before: “Don’t shop when you’re hungry.” But is it a myth or a fact?

Two experiments put this to the test. After not eating for 5 hours, 68 men and women were allowed to shop for food on two separate days in a simulated grocery store (a Cornell lab). Lower-calorie healthy options and higher-calorie junk foods were available to put in their carts.

Half of the participants were given a snack before shopping. Both groups picked a similar number of items, but the people who hadn’t had the snack and were shopping when they were hungry (they hadn’t eaten in at least 5 hours) picked food with the highest calorie counts.

In the second experiment the researchers followed 82 actual shoppers in a grocery store. They found that the people who were shopping at the time of day (4 to 7 PM) when they were most likely to be hungry ended up picking the higher calorie foods.

Science And Common Sense Advice

A cardiologist who wrote an editorial that accompanied the study which was published in JAMA, believes the scientific findings support the common-sense advice of “never go grocery shopping when you are hungry.” She added her personal note “and never with young children.” Both factors can lead to less wise food choices.

This study suggests that how hungry you are impacts the food you choose when you shop. “Hungry shoppers buy more calories.”

Short-term fasting – whether it comes from intentionally skipping a meal, or unintentionally because of a busy schedule, can lead people to make unhealthier food choices.

How To Save Calories

To save calories when you head to the grocery store, grab a snack before you shop, plan in advance, consider ordering online, or let a good old-fashioned shopping list be your guide.

When you’re really hungry, odds are you’re going to go for the high calorie stuff – which often equates to junk – rather than kale and celery.

Want To Decrease Your Dinner Calories? Change The Size Of Your Plate

May 13, 2013 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN 1 Comment

Does the size of your plate make a difference other than for convenience? You bet it does.Since 1960, the size of the average dinner plate has increased 36%. Today’s dinner plate measures 11 to 12 inches across — a few decades ago they were 7 to 9 inches. A European plate averages 9 inches and some restaurants use plates that are about 13 inches across.

We Feed Our Stomachs And Our Eyes

We eat most of what’s on our plate regardless of the size of the plate.

Six ounces of cooked rice with a little chili looks like a good-sized portion on an 8 inch plate. The same amount on a 12 inch plate would look paltry and most of us add more — increasing both the portion size and the calories.

When you switch to a smaller plate you eat a smaller serving. You eat, on average, 22% less when you switch from a 12 inch plate to a 10 inch plate.

Go Small – But Not Too Small

It sounds too good to be true, but using smaller dishes can also help you feel full even when you’re eating less. Studies show that people are more satisfied with less food when they’re served on 8 inch salad plates instead of on 12 inch dinner plates.

But — be careful not to go too small with your plate. With too little food you might end up going back for seconds. A plate 2 inches smaller than the one you normally use is probably about right.

Does The Thought Of A Buffet Send Your Inner Calorie Counter Into Panic Mode?

May 10, 2013 By Penny Klatell, PhD, RN Leave a Comment

Eating well and being “calorically observant” can be a challenge at parties, buffets, and events. Since wedding and graduation season is upon us, week 3 of the lose 5 pounds in 5 weeks challenge will focus on making good choices to save calories when choosing your food at these events – especially since so many of them are buffets where the array of food can be dazzling and too darn tempting.

The Allure And Terror Of The Buffet Table

It’s possible to keep calories under control at a buffet even with all of that tempting food staring you in the face. Whether it’s a fancy catered affair or pizza, wings, and cold cuts laid out on the kitchen table, why give yourself extra opportunities to shovel chips and dip or passed hors d’oeuvres into your mouth all night long? You’re human, so stay out of hand-to-mouth range, too. You’re far less likely to mindlessly eat if you have to leave a conversation and walk across the room to get to the food.

We Eat With Our Eyes

Keeping your back to the table is one of the easiest strategies to use. We often eat with out eyes – if we see something delicious, we want to eat it. So, don’t look at it. Keep your back to the tempting food as you’re having conversations or working the room. If you have a drink in your hand – it doesn’t matter what it is – your hands are full and it’s more difficult to grab food to eat.

Hors d’oeuvres can really sucker punch you, too. They’re small, but the calories really add up. Make up your mind how many you’ll eat ahead of time and stick to your plan or you’ll have shoved down a thousand calories before you know it. Pick the ones you love and avoid the ones you don’t. Why sacrifice your calories for something you don’t love? Try to keep a mental count because when you’re talking and drinking it’s far too easy to grab from each passing tray.

When it’s time to sit, choose a seat that puts your back to the buffet — preferably one that’s some distance away from it. How long can you sit and stare at those lavishly decorated cakes or the mounds of fried food without wanting to sample? Not having them in your line of sight helps to keep your mind – and your stomach – off of the food choices.

Distance helps, too. Having to get up and walk past lots people – many of whom you know – while balancing a plate filled to the brim, can serve as a “seconds” and “thirds” deterrent.

Before putting any food on your plate, just cruise the buffet line to eyeball all of the choices – a potential minefield of diet busters! What do you want to do? What’s going to energize you and not mess too badly with the calorie range that you want to maintain? Make up your mind, make your choice, and enjoy what you’ve decided to eat.