Real men order salad
I have written this post to show you how, by making a few simple substitutions at the coffee shop or pub, you can save yourself from gaining some unwanted pounds.
Here are two typical scenarios:
A morning stop at the coffee shop:
| Food item | Calories | Substitute with | Calories |
| Grande Vanilla latte with whole milk | 290 | Grande latte with 2% milk and 1 tsp sugar | 205 |
| Pumpkin scone | 480 | Yogurt parfait or spinach feta wrap | 300 |
| Total: | 770 | Total: | 505 |
These values were calculated from the nutrition info provided by Starbucks.
This substitution five times per week equals 1325 calories per week, or 68,900 calories per year. At 3500 calories per pound, this is equal to about 20 pounds of fat in one year.
A night at the pub:
| Food item | Calories | Substitute with: | Calories |
| ½ order of chicken wings (6 pc.) | 330 | No appetizer | 0 |
| Burger with bacon and cheese | 550 | Plain burger | 400 |
| Side of french fries | 390 | Side green salad | 5 |
| Mayo for dipping (2 tbsp) | 200 | Oil and vinegar dressing (1 tbsp) | 75 |
| 2 (14 oz) pints of beer | 330 | 2 (14 oz) pints of beer | 330 |
| Total: | 2000 | Total: | 810 |
This substitution once per week equals 1190 calories per week, or 61,880 calories per year. At 3500 calories per pound, this is equal to about 18 pounds of fat in one year. Of course guys, you may have to put up with some crude remarks from your buddies when you order a salad instead of fries, but hey, they won’t be laughing two years down the road when you are the only one that hasn’t gained weight.
Written by Deanna Ibbitson, M.Sc., CPT
Contact Deanna for personalized nutrition consultation and personal training in Vancouver, B.C.
Posted on March 21, 2012, in Diets & Weight Loss, Healthy eating and tagged food, health, nutrition. Bookmark the permalink. 7 Comments.
Great post!
Thank you!
I totally agree ; eating healthy is good for both genders – even if it’s not ” manly ” enough !
So true!
I don’t think many people realize that lattes (and many of the coffee drinks) pack lots of calories. I just drink plain coffee and only every once in a while treat myself to a mocha. I still get the caffeine without the calories
Especially if they are topped with whipped cream.
Thanks for working these numbers out! Look at the difference with a few smart substitutions…brilliant:)