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The Most Common Calorie Cuts--Do They Make a Difference?

Posted Mon, Aug 10, 2009, 5:28 pm PDT

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Do you ever wonder if little switches in your diet actually make a big difference? We often reach for the sugar substitute, forgo cheese on our burgers, and get the dressing on the side. But how big of an impact do these changes make over the course of a year? Yes, we KNOW that nobody eats the exact same thing every day, but we're trying to make a point here, people! That being said, check out if your diet swaps are worth it. Hungry Girl's got the scoop...

Trade Your Vanilla Lattes for Skinny Vanilla Lattes? WORTH IT!

Starbucks Vanilla Latte, 2% milk, Grande - 250 calories and 6g fat
Starbucks Skinny Vanilla Latte, Grande - 130 calories and 0g fat

If you drink a Starbucks Vanilla Latte every day, simply switching to the Skinny version would add up to 12.5 pounds of weight loss over a year. We think THAT is worth making the switch.

Real Sugar Packets in Your Coffee or a Sugar Substitutes? DEPENDS

If you just have one cup of regular coffee with one sugar packet in the morning, it's not really worth changing over to a calorie-free sweetener. That sugar packet only has 15 calories. But if you put three packets in each coffee cup or you drink sugar-sweetened coffee all day long, the switch is worth it.

Ditch Regular Soda for Diet Soda? DO IT!

Coca-Cola Classic, 1 can - 143 calories and 0g fat
Coke Zero, 1 can - 0 calories and 0g fat

Kicking a daily habit of a can of sugary soda could easily shave off 15 pounds in a year! TOO MUCH SUGAR, PEOPLE! We know plenty of soda-drinkers will never make the switch to diet soda, but ANY no-calorie substitute will do the trick. So try unsweetened iced tea, Vitaminwater10, sugar-free drinks... or even better, WATER.

Change Your Cheeseburgers to Hamburgers? NOT SO MUCH

McDonald's Cheeseburger - 300 calories and 12g fat
McDonald's Hamburger - 250 calories and 9g fat

Our calculations predict 5 pounds saved for skipping the cheese on a basic fast-food-style burger. However, leaving the average cheese slices off regular full-sized burgers would save around 8 pounds a year. We know you're not eating burgers every day (right???), but this could go either way. Sure, it could subtract a few pounds, but if you LOVE cheese, it's probably not that worth it... because if you're really that calorie-concerned, you're better off not eating burgers in the first place.

Give Up Regular Potato Chips for Baked Potato Chips? BAKE IT UP!

Lay's Classic, 1.125-oz. bag - 230 calories and 15g fat
Baked! Lay's Original, 1.125-oz. bag - 130 calories and 2g fat

Going from regular chips to baked chips could potentially take 10 pounds off in a year without you doing anything but eating a small bag of less-greasy chips each day in place of regular ones. If you're the type who snarfs a bag of crisps with lunch or as a snack, we think it's worth the swap since you're still getting a nice salty crunch.

Nix half the dressing served with your salad? YOU BET...

Ranch dressing, 2 oz. - 145 calories and 15g fat
Ranch dressing, 1 oz. - 72 calories and 7.5g fat

If you order salad at a restaurant, even if you're smart enough to order the dressing on the side, pouring that whole tub of dressing on top of your greens won't do you any favors. Use half the amount (do you REALLY need all that goo?), and you could lose up to 7 pounds in a year. But an even better choice? Go for the light or reduced-fat dressings... and leave some of that giant tub over, too.

And check out these smart options for ready-made breakfasts on the go.

LOOK! IT'S HUNGRY GIRL'S NEW BOOK!

Hungry Girl 200 Under 200: 200 Recipes Under 200 Calories is packed with TWO HUNDRED easy and delicious recipes, each with less than 200 calories a serving! Check it out RIGHT NOW!!

For a daily dose of guilt-free tips, tricks, food finds, recipes and more, visit hungry-girl.com and sign up for free daily emails!

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406 Comments

1. Posted by Keli on Tue, Aug 11, 2009, 7:10 am PDT

Try to go for salad dressings that are not cream based.. they're better for you and have less calories, too.
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2. Posted by apmainacgncu on Tue, Aug 11, 2009, 8:23 am PDT

I agree... shouldn't be "Mac"king out on burgers.... but order a cheesburger kids meal with a diet coke for the SAME calories as just a Mac........ WOW!!! I wouldn't do this everyday... but once in awhile... OOOOH yea!!!!!
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3. Posted by La Gata on Tue, Aug 11, 2009, 9:40 am PDT

Speaking of McDonald's calories - you're better off going with the cheeseburger - the McChicken sandwich comes with over a hundred more calories...
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4. Posted by jaymz on Tue, Aug 11, 2009, 12:49 pm PDT

McDonalds is full of crap no matter what you order. I"m not denying that fries every now and then are excellent but I would definitely steer away from any of the chicken, especially nuggets, everything you could imagine from a chicken is in there, well apart from wholesome meat. lol There's a reson fast food is cheap, besides it's not very nutritional, its made cheaply. Burgers are still made from injected cows who are treated horribly at slaughter houses. I don't foresee eating that anytime in the future personally I'd rather kill off my craving for a jucy burger other ways...Bocas, Black bean burgers...etc!
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5. Posted by gen.prushinski on Tue, Aug 11, 2009, 9:00 pm PDT

about the mcChicken.....it doesnt if u get it grilled and withought mayo! those are the only reasons its so high in calorie!! (if if u really want to be good, take off half the bun 2!)
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6. Posted by Carol T on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 11:11 am PDT

I always thought the skinnylattes were worth it!!!!
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7. Posted by Sommer on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 11:14 am PDT

jaymz, don't use this as a forum to spout off your PETA propaganda, we don't want to hear it.
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8. Posted by jpremo87@sbcglobal.net on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 11:15 am PDT

u could have all of that stuff just exercise for 1 hour each day.
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9. Posted by Erica on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 11:16 am PDT

great article! GREAT cook books! LOVE them both!
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10. Posted by studentofeverything on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 11:18 am PDT

when dieting, don't forget the fiber! according to weight-watchers, calories and fat content are significant factors but so is fiber. the more fiber, the better. you can have more calories if you diminish the fat or increase the fiber--or both
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11. Posted by pframeoutpost@flash.net on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 11:20 am PDT

to Jammz: right on girl...!. All of the fast foods offered, with few exceptions, are junk, with no nutrition. If everyone would investigate they would not think "food" when they see those outhouses of poison. One should drop in at the grocery store and pick up an apple and/or a banana, or a bag of carrots. Much more filling and has nutrition and no fats. One serious fact, when our fast food chains move into a new country.... the national health of that country declines. That's a fact!
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12. Posted by japheth0401@sbcglobal.net on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 11:31 am PDT

As far as making the switch from natural sugars to man made artificial sweetners. Or drinking any soda what so ever. Hungrygirl needs to do some food fact nutritional searching. Man made artificial sweetners are much harder for the body to break down. When the body can't break down calories it doesn't matter if it's 1 cal or 100 cal it goes directly to your fat cells. Now let's talk about sodas. Sodas of any kind contain carbination. Otherwise they wouldn't be considered soda. Carbonation is horrible for teh metabolism. The bubbles get in the blood stream slowing down the bodies metabolism making it harder to lose weight. Also tjhe amount of sodium in ALL soda is exrtremely high causing bloating and empty caloric intake. Healthiest recommendation, switch to honey over sugar/sugar subs and cut the soda completely. Without soda in your diet your going to see a 10 to 15 lb wgt reduction in a month to a month in a half.
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13. Posted by tom on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 11:32 am PDT

It is a good idea to save calories anywhere you can,such as only putting butter( or substitute) on one side of your bread. When folded you never know the difference. That being said.The charts say 3500 calories equals one pound. In my weight loss, I have found that it takes about 17,000 calories to loose a pound. I wish somebody would actually check out these calculations. I don't think the published figures are correct, which would throw off all of the figures in the artical. I keep a log of everything I eat, and have a wearable calculator, to tell how many calories I burn a day. My average is about 900 calories less eaten than burned,every day. After 25 years of this, I should not be here, but here I am, and still too heavy, but making progress.
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14. Posted by Lee on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 11:34 am PDT

One great thing about McDonalds is their nutrition calculator which lets you customize sandwiches down to the component. For example, guess which part of the Mushroom & Cheese Third Pound Angus burgers has the most sodium? it's the bun! The bun has 270 calories and 660 mg of sodium. But the beef patty has 320 calories only 320 mg of sodium. Of course there's 23g of fat, so the beef isn't totally innocent, but the food culprits are not always what you think they are. The other angus burgers are sodium and fat bombs due to the addition of bacon and processed cheese.
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15. Posted by japheth0401@sbcglobal.net on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 11:36 am PDT

To gen.prushinski HAHAHA i'm so sorry your so deluded. I used to work at a McDonalds the grilled chicken is actually worse fro you than the fried. They inject that chicken with SO much fat to make it juicy and "flavorful" the caloric and fat content is higher than the fried chickens lol.
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16. Posted by myrddyn on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 11:39 am PDT

it's not always the creamy dressing you have to avoid -- it's the fat. if you look at the bottles in the market, you will see vurtually the same calories between oil/vinegar vs creamy dressings. it will vary more between companies than it does between the two types.
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17. Posted by Carol K on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 11:42 am PDT

Anybody ever hear of WATER. Diet soda is poison.
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18. Posted by colleenfarrell@sbcglobal.net on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 11:42 am PDT

I order the dressing on the side and then dip my fork in the dressing and then spear the veggies. I get the same satisfaction and when I am done I have used only a small fraction of that big cup of dressing.
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19. Posted by Ty on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 11:42 am PDT

I've been eating healthier, but truth is, I don't need to lose any weight. If I do, I'll be walking around looking like a swiffer stick. I want to tone up, but I am not sure if skipping out on a bagel or cheeseburger is necessary if I workout incessantly.
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20. Posted by fu_dittohead on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 11:47 am PDT

Less is more!
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21. Posted by jackie f on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 11:51 am PDT

when i eat at a fast food restaurant i only fill my drink half full, that way i am saving calories while not feeling deprived
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22. Posted by hex27@att.net on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 11:56 am PDT

nutrasweet and slenda are poison. skip the diet soda or any product that uses these chemicals.
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23. Posted by Celine on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 12:04 pm PDT

fast food isn't a requirement in life. just be smart and think before you eat.
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24. Posted by erinc622@att.net on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 12:04 pm PDT

to colleenfarrell: that is genius! I cant believe I never thought of that! I will never eat a salad the same again!!! :) thanx
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25. Posted by gumby@bellsouth.net on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 12:07 pm PDT

Less food, more activity. Just started walking 2 miles, some days 4 miles and lost 5 pounds.
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26. Posted by happyness101 on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 12:18 pm PDT

I am an emotional eater--I eat when I am bored, worried, happy, or whatever. Food is a tranquilizer for me. By having fruits and veggies around I get to eat but it still does not satisfy like an imported chocolate bar or french fries.
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27. Posted by nikki4th on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 12:22 pm PDT

With God's help I went from 305 lbs to 192 lbs (don't knock the God part, it was truly a miracle on the order of loaves & fishes). A couple things I did: * Anything with cheese (other than nonfat) and ground meat are off the menu permanently: pizza, hamburger, sausage, cheese itself * Drank a lot of diet soda. I know there are a lot of people who inveigh against it, but I suspect that's really more philosophical than fact-based. And at any rate, I'll take my chances with diet soda, splenda, and nutrasweet at the lighter weight, they were a big help. *Went low-fat generally. *Went high-fiber big time
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28. Posted by itsonlyme on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 12:26 pm PDT

You are what you eat. Common sense should guide you for most of the way thru any weight management program. One just has to decide which way he or she wants it.... if you are about losing weight, then skip the cheese and the crappy salad dressings. If you are only talking the talk, then indulge. The proof will be in the pudding as they say. For some, like myself, I have to lose the weight--which is excessive, by the way, or slowly lose my life. Its down to that.... the choice is mine,, just like it is yours. Good luck to all of those who choose to make the switch from poor choices to "the rest of our lives".....
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29. Posted by cooper_ray@sbcglobal.net on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 12:26 pm PDT

For the salad dressings: If you like flavor without the fat, go for the Fat Free Italian. All the flavor of Italian, and put on as much as you want. I wouldn't trust the restaurants though, buy your own and eat at home.
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30. Posted by lt_92464@att.net on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 12:30 pm PDT

gumby lost 5 pounds? How long did that take?
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