Sneaky Calories: Why You Eat More Than You Think You Do
Sneaky Calories: Why You Eat More Than You Think You Do: Weβre not always aware of everything we eat, and those extra calories can really add up.
Iβll never forget a client I had years ago. He brought in a βperfectβ food diary. He followed his meal plan to the letter, and every calorie (or so he thought) was accounted for. But his weight just wasnβt moving the way heβd hoped. As we talked, I noticed that he kept popping breath mints in his mouth. When he started unwrapping his second roll of mints, I just had to ask βexactly how many mints was he eating every day? βThese little things? β I donβt knowβ¦ maybe 5 or 6 rolls.β Who knew that βthose little thingsβ added up to more than 300 extra calories a day?
Sometimes the extra calories are so obvious, you wonder how people donβt notice them. I had a roommate in college who was always dieting (and never losing), and I used to get really amused watching her weigh out the one ounce of cheese she allowed herself for a snack. She always cut too much. Sheβd weigh the block of cheese, then cut off a little bitβ¦.and eat it. Sheβd do this over and over, until sheβd whittled a two-ounce piece of cheese down to one. Completely oblivious, she had no idea sheβd eaten twice as much as she was supposed to.
Those who keep food records usually do a pretty good job β at least when it comes to noting what they eat at their meals and snacks. But when I instruct people on how to keep an accurate food record, I make it really clearβ¦. other than water, anything that passes your lips gets written down, no matter how insignificant it may seem or how small. Because those extra little things can really add up. Donβt believe me? Here are some real life examples β¦ courtesy of my clients.
β’ Free sample of a burrito at the grocery store: 100 calories
β’ Crusts cut off while making sonβs peanut butter and jelly sandwich: 75 calories
β’ Six steak fries eaten absentmindedly from friendβs plate over lunch: 120 calories
β’ Last few spoons of mashed potatoes from dinner (not enough to put away for tomorrow): 110 calories
β’ Three bites of dough while baking chocolate chip cookies: 150 calories
β’ Β½ piece of garlic toast and Β½ cup of spaghetti left on childβs plate: 200 calories
β’ Few bites of leftover chow mein, eaten while standing up at the sink: 90 calories
β’ Six vodka and cranberry juices every night after work (okay, this client knew he was drinking a few caloriesβ¦ but he couldnβt believe that liquids could add up to 1200 extra calories)
That dash of cream in your coffee, the candy you filched from a co-workerβs desk, a few handfuls of your dateβs buttered popcorn β it all adds up. Take a look back over your last few days β have a few extra calories have sneaked up on you?
Written by Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD. Susan is a paid consultant for Herbalife.
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