Big Calorie Offenders

One of the keys to success is eating a 'clean' and nutritious healthy diet 80% of the time, whilst treating and rewarding yourself 20% of the time. The trouble is that many people often do this with the percentage figures the other way round. Below are some examples of 'popular' foods and treats and their calorie counts. By all means, if you exercise effectively and eat well nutritionally 80% of the time e.g. Monday to Friday, you can treat yourself on say a Saturday to a chocolate bar. However, bear in mind some of the below values next time you go shopping and/or for a meal:

Bar of 50g milk chocolate = 260 calories

Chocolate digestive biscuit = 85 calories

Fish and chips in batter from chip shop = 950 calories

Full English (1-2 rashes of Bacon, 2 sausages, 1 egg, black pudding, 1 slice of bread - all fried) = 1050 calories

Quarter pounder cheese burger = 515 calories

Slice of Chocolate fudge cake = 350 calories

Restaurant style Chicken Caesar salad = 530 calories

Pint of Lager = 165 calories

Large coffee shop Latte = 265 calories

Half a Pepperoni Pizza = 545 calories

2 scoops of Diary Ice Cream = 210 calories

Treating yourself occassionally is fine - it rewards you for all your hard work, stops you from totally depriving yourself and allows to to satisfy your taste buds for your favourite foods in moderation. Just remember, don't overdo it and treat the above foods as what they are: treats

The above values are from the book 'Cook Yourself Thin' (by H Eastwood et al and published by the Penguin Group in 2007). They are based on average portion sizes and could vary depending on the brand.

Keep up the great work,

Matt