Are Your Food Choices Poor? Bring in the Subs

Remember that to reduce your body weight by 20 pounds over a year, you need to reduce your eating (or increase your activity) by 191 calories a day. That’s 1,337 calories a week. The list below illustrates how you can make some small, mostly low-pain choices to help you reach that goal. Note, however, that some nutritionally beneficial substitutes shown below actually add calories. And it should go without saying--but it won’t--that it won’t do you any good to overeat in other ways while making any of these changes.

* Sub out those super-sized McDonald’s french fries with small fries, one day a week.

Super-size: 540 calories, 26 grams total fat (4.5 grams saturated)

Small: 210 calories, 10 grams total fat (1.5 grams saturated)

Reduction in calories/week: 330

Potential calorie reduction/year: 17,160

Potential weight loss/year: 4.9 pounds

* Switch from two packets of sugar in coffee every morning to two packets of Equal (aspartame).

Sugar: 31 calories

Equal: 8 calories

Reduction in calories/week: 161

Potential calorie reduction/year: 8,372

Potential weight loss/year: 2.4 pounds

Note that opinion on the safety of artificial sweeteners is split.

* Replace 2% milk with skim milk (two 8-ounce servings per day).

2% milk: 242 calories, 9 grams total fat (6 grams saturated)

Skim: 170 calories, 0.8 grams total fat (0.6 grams saturated)

Reduction in calories/week: 504

Potential calorie reduction/year: 26,208

Potential weight loss/year: 7.5 pounds

* Substitute 8 ounces of porterhouse steak with the same amount of broiled salmon, once a week.

8-ounce porterhouse steak: 586 calories, 46 grams total fat (18 grams saturated)

Salmon: 467 calories, 28 grams total fat (6 grams saturated)

Reduction in calories/week: 119

Potential calorie reduction/year: 6,188

Potential weight loss/year: 1.7 pounds

Note the huge reduction in total and saturated fat; recommended upper limit for total fat in a 2,200 calorie-a-day diet is 73 grams per day, including no more than 24 grams of saturated fat.

* Instead of two glasses of wine four times a week, only have one.

2 glasses of wine (8 ounces): 165 calories

1 glass of wine (4 ounces): 83 calories

Reduction in calories/week: 328

Potential calorie reduction/year: 17,056

Potential weight loss/year: 4.8 pounds

Note that two glasses of wine a night is a recommended maximum for men; only one glass of wine is recommended for women. It’s not advised that anyone who doesn’t currently drink alcohol begin drinking, or that anyone consuming one drink or less increase to two for health reasons. Heart benefits of alcohol don’t begin until age 45 for men and age 55 for women, according to the Dietary Guidelines.

* Trade your nightly bowl of nonfat ice cream for a small ice cream bar.

1 cup nonfat ice cream: 180 calories

1 small ice cream bar: 169 calories

Reduction in calories/week: 77

Potential calorie reduction/year: 4,004

Potential weight loss/year: 1 pound

* Instead of a bagel with cream cheese, eat a bagel with peanut butter, three times a week.

Bagel with 2 tablespoons cream cheese: 296 calories, 10 grams total fat (3 grams mono-unsaturated fatty acids), 2 grams protein

Bagel with 2 tablespoons peanut butter: 385 calories, 16 grams total fat (8 grams mono-unsaturated fatty acids), 8 grams protein

Increase in calories/week: 267

Potential calorie increase/year: 13,884

Potential weight increase/year: 4 pounds

* Replace two slices of cheese pizza (with onions, mushrooms and green peppers), with no-cheese pizza (same toppings), three times a week.

Regular pizza: 550 calories

No-cheese pizza: 314

Reduction in calories/week: 942

Potential calorie reduction/year: 48,984

Potential weight loss/year: 14 pounds

We know that giving up the cheese on pizza is asking a lot. Remove half the cheese, though, and you’ll get half the benefit.

* Replace a regular candy bar with a piece of fruit and a small serving of nuts, three times a week.

Milk chocolate candy bar: 220 calories, 13 grams total fat (4 grams mono-unsaturated fatty acids), 2 grams dietary fiber

Apple and 1 ounce of almonds: 251 calories, 15 grams total fat (9 grams mono-unsaturated fatty acids), 7 grams dietary fiber

Increase in calories/week: 93

Potential calorie increase/year: 4,836

Potential weight increase/year: 1.4 pounds

* Instead of a beef taco, have a bean burrito, once a week.

Beef taco: 342 calories, 22 grams fat, 2 grams dietary fiber

Bean burrito: 354 calories, 17 grams fat, 5 grams dietary fiber

Increase in calories/week: 12

Potential calorie increase/year: 624

Potential weight increase/year: 0.2 pounds

Again, your weight could go in the wrong direction even when you’re trying to do the right thing. But in choosing beans over beef, you do get less fat and more fiber.

* Replace two Oreos with two Fig Newtons, every day.

2 Oreos: 107 calories, 5 grams fat

2 Fig Newtons: 110 calories, 2.5 grams fat

Increase in calories/week: 21

Potential calorie increase/year: 1,092

Potential weight increase/year: 0.3 pounds

Sure, you might gain a little weight, but at least you get fruit in a Newton and a couple grams of fiber.

* Switch from regular tortilla chips to baked tortilla chips, once a week.

4 ounces regular tortilla chips: 600 calories

4 ounces baked tortilla chips: 440 calories

Reduction in calories/week: 160

Potential calorie reduction/year: 8,320

Potential weight reduction/year: 2.4 pounds

Sources: Angela Sabol and Elizabeth Bell (Pennsylvania State University); Idamarie Laquatra (Shape-Up America)