The warmer weather is so close you can actually taste it. And what exactly does that taste like, you ask? ICE CREAM! HG is here with frozen dessert info you need to know when going out for the creamy cold stuff...
Carvel 
Best Bets - Carvel's Thinny-Thin line has some awesome options; a 4-oz. serving of the No Fat Chocolate or No Fat Vanilla Ice Cream will only set you back 120 calories, and the No Sugar Added Vanilla has 130 calories and 3 grams of fat. Aside from the Thinny-Thin line, Carvel's regular No Fat Ice Cream has 160 calories, their No Sugar Added Vanilla has 180 calories and 4 fat grams, and their sherbet has 180 calories and 1.5 grams of fat (for a 4-oz. serving of each).
Better Beware - The nonfat and low-fat fountain drinks, novelties, and sundaes can contain up to 440 calories. The safest choices among those are the No Fat Miniature Sundae and No Fat Parfait (190 calories each), and the 98% Fat Free Flying Saucer (190 calories, 1.5g fat).
Ice Cream Shocker! Whatever you do, don't cave to Carvel's Peanut Butter Cup Dasher. It's crammed with 1,090 calories and 63 grams of fat!
Ben & Jerry's
Best Bets - We were pleasantly surprised to find that B&J's (the kings of over-the-top ice cream) has some GREAT guilt-free options. Their sorbet is fat-free with just 100 to 110 calories per half-cup serving, and it comes in awesome flavor combos like Mango Lime and Strawberry Kiwi. (Heads-up: The Jamaican Me Crazy Sorbet has 140 cals.) Their low-fat fro yo isn't bad either, with a half-cup serving of most flavors containing 130 to 160 calories and 1.5 to 2.5g fat.
Better Beware - Skip their no-sugar-added Vanilla Fudge Chip ice cream. Despite being sweetened with Splenda (which we love), it's loaded with fat; a half-cup packs in 180 calories and 13 fat grams!
Ice Cream Shocker! Those kooky guys have crafted an ice cream circus freak: the Vermonster! With 20 scoops of ice cream, hot fudge, banana, cookies, brownies, AND all of your favorite other toppings, we're estimating this one tips the scales with more than 7,000 calories and 400 fat grams!
Baskin Robbins
Best Bets - The absolute best option here is their Truly Free line of nonfat, no-sugar-added, soft-serve frozen yogurt. In addition to classic chocolate, strawberry and vanilla flavors, there's also Butter Pecan and Café Mocha. A half-cup serving has 80 to 90 calories and no fat (duh)...and some even pack in a gram of filling fiber, too! Their regular line of nonfat soft-serve yogurt is also a good choice. Those have 110 to 120 calories per half-cup serving. The no-sugar-added, low-fat ice cream isn't bad -- a 4-oz. scoop of each has 110 to 170 calories and 2 to 5 fat grams -- and the fruit flavors fall on the low side of that nutritional range. Their sherbets are a decent option; most clock in at 160 calories and 2 grams of fat per 4-oz. scoop (the crazier flavors pack in a little more).
Better Beware - Watch out for their ordinary frozen yogurt and ice cream labeled simply "Low Fat" -- 4 oz. of those contains 180 to 210 calories and 3.5 to 4g fat (but are still a much better choice than the full-fat versions).
Ice Cream Shocker! Yikes! The Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Sundae contains 1,400 calories and 90 grams of fat.... Eeeeks!
HG Heads-up! Baskin Robbins soft-serve ice cream is currently only available at limited locations, but they plan to make it available everywhere soon if people like it. Be sure to request it at your local BR if they don't currently carry it!
Dairy Queen
Best Bets - DQ can be a serious danger zone for calorie counters. Some stores stock the no-sugar-added, fat-free novelties DQ Fudge Bar and DQ Vanilla Orange Bar (50 - 60 calories). But if it's gotta be ice cream eaten with a spoon, stick with a small serving of their reduced fat soft-serve ice cream. Each half-cup serving has 140 to 150 calories and 5g fat.
Better Beware - Their No Sugar Added Dilly Bar (a chocolate-coated serving of their reduced fat ice cream) still has 190 calories and 13 grams of fat. Not terribly high in calories, but the fat count isn't exactly great.
Ice Cream Shocker! So many shockers, so little time. The worst offender here is their Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Blizzard. A small one clocks in with 720 calories and 28g fat, and a large one will cost you 1,320 calories and 52 fat grams!
Guilt-Free Guidelines!
*Fat-free is usually your best bet for a low-cal ice cream choice. Sugar-free and low-fat can still pack in tons of calories.
*Sorbets are typically fat-free, but sherbet can contain a few grams of the stuff. Both are usually relatively low in calories, though. The creamier it looks, the more fat it's likely carrying.
*Ounce for ounce, soft-serve ice cream will give you a bigger portion size than the hard stuff. But that's only cuz it weighs less. Go with whichever will satisfy you most: a bigger portion of a creamy confection or a smaller, denser one that takes longer to eat.
*Use your head before you use your mouth! If a light ice cream is full of decadent extras (brownies, fudge, cookies, etc.), then it's probably not as good an option as the plain or fruity light ones.
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