Take It or Leave It: An Idiot's Guide to Smart and Satisfying Choices

Did you know that a plain bagel has more calories than a chocolate glazed doughnut?

About twice as many, in fact. And its 53 grams of refined carbohydrates are not much better for your body than the doughnut's 12 grams of fat.

That does not even include cream cheese. While every brand's calorie count is different, you can easily validate this information by searching for "calorie count bagel" in the internet search engine of your choice. Compare this information with the results from "calorie count chocolate doughnut." I encourage you to do this. I DARE YOU. The proof will probably surprise you.

Do you usually choose the bagel or the doughnut? Why? If you absolutely love the taste of a bagel in the morning with your coffee, if it's one of your favorite parts of the day, by all means, enjoy that delicious bagel. Personally, I know many people who have chosen the bagel (when they wanted the doughnut) because they believed it was the "healthy" choice.

I think this is sad! I remember how angry I was when I found out that the average restaurant Caesar salad has close to 1,000 calories; that's practically two BigMacs. There are a lot of foods that seem like they should be healthy, when in reality are far from nutritious. This is why it is so important to take the time to learn what's lurking in your favorite beverages, snacks and entrees.

When I sign on with a client, my first assignment for them is always to start using a food journal. I have found that most people are unaware of the nutrition information in their daily diet, and this mistake will significantly detriment any exercise program. Fortunately, there are plenty of websites, books and phone applications that serve this exact function. My favorite is Myfitnesspal, which is an amazing website that also has one of the best iPhone apps I've ever used. The app is free, and it takes about thirty seconds to search for the calorie counts for a wide variety of foods, both homemade and restaurant recipes.You can even add these foods into your application's food journal. It will subtract this number from your allotted calorie count for that day, as well as its fat content, sodium content, and fiber content.

Take advantage of this wealth of information at your fingertips. There is no need for expensive nutritionists or even personal trainers (although they definitely do help). I found that after a few months of detective work, I got more comfortable with estimating calorie counts and also became more creative with my meal plans. Websites that contain calorie counts also often share low-calorie recipes as well.

I don't think it's necessary to count calories every day for the rest of your life. That sort of food-obsessive behavior is actually the opposite of what I'm endorsing. You will find that you will quickly get to a point where you can easily estimate your calorie count for the day. You know how many calories your sandwich had, because you remember the calorie counts for wheat bread, turkey, and mayonnaise. It's really pretty easy; you just have to roll up your sleeves and do some research.


As my father explained to me years ago, it's goes-inta's vs. goes-outa's.
If you ingest more calories than you expel, you will gain weight.
If you expel more calories than you ingest, you will lose weight.

Therefore, if you are hoping to be successful in any kind of wellness program, you need to learn what you are really eating. I promise, it's not as hard as you think it's going to be.

Once you've figured out this information, you are better-equipped to make the truly important choices in life: Do you want the extra piece of bread with dinner, or the extra piece of chocolate cake?

Or should you walk another thirty minutes...and eat both?