Low Cal Meals at Wendy's

One of my favorite fast food places to get a salad right now is Wendy's.  They have several low-calorie versions as long as you order the half-size.  There new Berry Almond Chicken Salad is actually low-calorie even for the full-sized version.  Woohoo! 

I have included some other options as well for those of you that feel like you have to have a sandwich.  The baked potatoes are a good source of potassium, but just be careful what you pair them with to round out your meal.  I'm leading off with chicken nuggets just for grins.  That isn't very much food for the amount of calories.  If you want to fill up, then I strongly recommend one of the other options.

5 piece Chicken Nuggets    230
Honey Mustard    130
Mandarin Orange Cup    90
Total Calories    450
   
  
Grilled Chicken Go Wrap    260
Side Caesar Salad w/ Caesar Dressing & Croutons    250
Total Calories    510
   
      
Jr. Cheeseburger Deluxe (no bacon)    300
Garden Side Salad w/ Ancho Chipotle Ranch Dressing & Croutons    220
Total Calories    520
   
      
Ultimate Chicken Grill Sandwich    350
Mandarin Orange Cup    90
Total Calories    440
   
     
Ultimate Chicken Grill Sandwich (no bun)    180
Sour Cream & Chive Baked Potato    320
Total Calories    500
   
      
Spicy Chicken Sandwich (no bun, no mayo)    240
Garden Side Salad w/ Ranch Dressing (no croutons)    200
Total Calories    440
   
       
Crispy Chicken Sandwich (no bun)    230
Broccoli & Cheese Baked Potato    330
Total Calories    560
   
      
Half-sized Baja Salad    280
Tortilla Strips    80
Red Jalapeno Dressing    100
Total Calories    460
   
       
Half-sized BLT Cobb Salad with Chicken    240
Avocado Ranch Dressing    100
Jr. Original Chocolate Frosty    150
Total Calories    490
   
     
Half-sized Apple Pecan Chicken Salad    180
Roasted Pecans    110
Pomegranate Vinaigrette Dressing    60
Total Calories    350
   
      
Half-sized Spicy Chicken Caesar Salad    240
Croutons    80
Lemon Caesar Dressing    110
Total Calories    430


Full-sized Berry Almond Chicken Salad   270
Roasted Almonds   80
Fat-free Raspberry Vinaigrette 100
Total Calories    450

10 Ways to Eat 500 Calories or Less at Taco Bell

Beef Burrito Supreme    420
Iced Tea or Water    0
Total Calories    420
       
7 Layer Burrito    500
Iced Tea or Water    0
Total Calories    500

Fresco Burrito Supreme-Chicken  350
Iced Tea or Water  0
Total Calories    350

Fresco Burrito Supreme-Steak  340
Iced Tea or Water  0
Total Calories    340

Fresco Bean Burrito  350
Fresco Crunchy Taco  150
Iced Tea or Water 0
Total Calories    490
   
Bean Burrito    370
Iced Tea or Water    0
Total Calories    370

Nachos Supreme 440
Iced Tea or Water 0
Total Calories    440

2 Crunchy Tacos 340
Iced Tea or Water 0
Total Calories    340     
   
Crunchy Taco    170
Ranchero Chicken Soft Taco    270
Iced Tea or Water    0
Total Calories    440
        
Meximelt    280
Crunchy Taco    170
Iced Tea or Water    0
Total Calories    450
     

Smoothie or Watermelon?

I did a crazy thing today.  I power walked outside in the blazing heat and humidity for 45 minutes.  That's not the crazy part.  I was really jonesin' for a smoothie.  I contemplated how that would just undo the calories I was burning on my walk.  It was 3:30 in the afternoon.  I was due for a snack, and it sounded like a great reward.  The crazy part is that after seeing a huge smoothie sign outside of Scooter's Coffeehouse with my debit card in my pocket I resisted the temptation.  I opted to walk down to the grocery store instead.  I was tempted to get a gelato, but no!  I resisted again.  I walked straight towards the fruit and bought 2 cups of watermelon.  It was delicious!  I couldn't even wait until I got home.  I started eating it right away.  It was so refreshing.

So how many calories did that really save?  It was a lot of watermelon.  These facts are from www.calorieking.com.  Scooter's nutrition facts were not listed so I compared the watermelon (16.2 oz diced) to a 1-pint smoothie from Starbuck's.  The smoothie from Starbuck's is surpisingly high in fiber.  The watermelon is naturally high in sugar, but the smoothie is even worse.  Here's how it stacks up:

Compare Food Nutrition Facts

Beverages: Vivanno Smoothie, Strawberry, with No-Fat Milk

Nutrition Facts
Calories 280	(1170 kJ)  % Daily Value
Total Fat	1.5g	2%
Sat. Fat	1g	5%
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	5mg	2%
Sodium	110mg	5%
Total Carbs.	56g	19%
Dietary Fiber	7g	28%
Sugars	41g
Protein	15g
Calcium	100mg
Potassium

Fresh Fruits: Watermelon, raw

Nutrition Facts
Calories 138	(576 kJ)  % Daily Value
Total Fat	0.7g	1%
Sat. Fat	< 0.1g	< 1%
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg	0%
Sodium	5mg	< 1%
Total Carbs.	34.7g	12%
Dietary Fiber	1.8g	7%
Sugars	28.5g
Protein	2.8g
Calcium	32.1mg
Potassium	514.4mg

Low Calorie Options at Chick-Fil-A

Today I had the most delicious salad at Chick-Fil-A.  It was the Southwestern Char-grilled Chicken Salad.  I only used half the packet of dressing, because the packet is actually 2 servings.  It comes with a roasted corn and black bean salsa so half the packet of dressing is plenty.  The salad was very fresh.  The chicken was well-seasoned.  It was both healthy and filling.  I highly recommend it.  Here is the calorie info for a few great low-cal options at Chick-Fil-A:


Chargrilled Chicken & Fruit Salad    230
Harvest Nut Granola    60
Berry Balsamic Vinaigrette    70
Water or Iced Tea    0
Total Calories    360
   
       
Chargrilled Chicken Garden Salad    180
Garlic & Butter Croutons    60
Honey Roasted Sunflower Kernels    90
Buttermilk Ranch Dressing    160
Water or Iced Tea    0
Total Calories    490
   
      
Southwest Chargrilled Chicken Salad    240
Tortilla Strips    80
Spicy Dressing    140
Water or Iced Tea    0
Total Calories    460
   
  
Chargrilled Chicken Club Sandwich    410
BBQ or Honey Mustard Sauce    45
Water or Iced Tea    0
Total Calories    455
   
   

Chargrilled Chicken Sandwich    300
BBQ or Honey Mustard Sauce    45
Side Salad    70
Light Italian Dressing    15
Water or Iced Tea    0
Total Calories    430
   
      
Chicken Sandwich (no sauce)    430
Small Fruit Cup    50
Water or Iced Tea    0
Total Calories    480
   
   
Chick-fil-A   
Chicken Sandwich Deluxe (no sauce)    490
Water or Iced Tea    0
Total Calories    490
   
   
Chick-fil-A   
Spicy Chicken Sandwich (no sauce)    490
Water or Iced Tea    0
Total Calories    490
   
   
Chargrilled Chicken Cool Wrap (no dressing)    410
Light Italian Dressing    15
Small Fruit Cup    50
Water or Iced Tea    0
Total Calories    475
   
   
Chick-fil-A   
Chicken Caesar Cool Wrap (no dressing)    460
Light Italian Dressing    15
Water or Iced Tea    0
Total Calories    475
   
       
Spicy Chicken Cool Wrap (no dressing)    410
Spicy Dressing    140
Water or Iced Tea    0
Total Calories    550
   
      
Small Hearty Breast of Chicken Soup    140
Small Carrot & Raisin Salad    260
Water or Iced Tea    0
Total Calories    400
   
      
Large Hearty Breast of Chicken Soup    220
Side Salad    70
Buttermilk Ranch Dressing    160
Water or Iced Tea    0
Total Calories    450
   
      
Small Hearty Breast of Chicken Soup    140
Side Salad    70
Berry Balsamic Vinaigrette    70
Medium Fruit Cup    70
Water or Iced Tea    0
Total Calories    350

What Would Tosh Say?

Forgive me for double dipping on this picture, but I can't help myself.  One of my guilty pleasures is watching Tosh.O.  I know the show is a bit crass and over the top.  It's like a train wreck, in that I can't look away.  One of my favorite parts of the show is when he makes as many jokes about a You Tube video as he can in one minute.  I'm dying to do that with this picture so here goes:

I can't believe this many people have lost their keys at once.

You always find them the last place you look.

It's New York City's Central Park "Pull your head out of your butt day!"

I didn't know the House of Representatives was meeting today.

What do politicians have in common?

Where should I go when I want to get away for awhile?

Help me!  I'm stuck!

I didn't know that mole was there.  I better get that checked.

Yoga class is getting a bit kinky for me.

When does this kind of flexibility ever come in handy?

Note to my husband, DON'T get any ideas.

Fat Burns in a Carbohydrate Fire

This is the funniest fitness picture I just found online.  It has nothing to do with this article, but I'd say it's an ice breaker.  I just hope none of these women are gassy.  I'm glad the class is outside.  Remind me to take my Beano before yoga class next time.  Now that I have your attention we can move on.


Early on in my career as a personal trainer I heard another trainer with more training and experience say that "Fat burns in a carbohydrate fire.  Fat is the wood, but carbs are the kindling.  You can't build much of a fire without kindling."

I have always accepted this as the truth, but I never really had a scientific, physiological explanation for it until now.  This is a direct excerpt from the Lifestyle & Weight Management Consultant Manual from the American Council on Exercise:

"'Fat burns in the flame of glucose,' meaning that fat can only enter the mitochondrial energy pathways when there is enough of the end-product of glucose catabolism--pyruvic acid--along with oxygen, also present in the muscle cell.  One of the key physiological adaptations of improved aerobic fitness is an enhanced capacity to utilize stored fat for ATP production.  Functionally it means that the lactate threshold is not reached until a much higher absolute intensity (caloric expenditure) is reached.  This allows for more intense, as well as longer duration, aerobic exercise.  Thus more total calories can be expended during each exercise session."

While low-carb diets may be trendy, they are not necessarily heart healthy and may throw the body into a state of ketosis.  A no-carb diet is probably not feasible to maintain as a lifestyle change, and will not give you the proper fuel to workout and gain/maintain lean muscle mass.  No one wants to lose muscle.  It helps your basal metabolism.  If you are trying to lose fat then you still need carbs.  The ratios of the total calories you take in should be 40-60% Carbohydrates,  30% Protein, and 10-30% Fat. 

Carbohydrates are not just breads, cereals, sweets, and junk food.  There are some great carbs that should never be eliminated from your diet like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes.  Also, carbohydrates are essential to your recovery post-workout.  Research shows the perfect recovery ratio is 4:1 carbs to protein.  My recovery drink of choice is chocolate milk. Click on the link for why:

Got Chocolate Milk?

Tortilla Crusted Fish

When trying to eat healthy/low-calorie food it always helps to plan ahead.  It also helps to keep it simple and easy.  While it is better to stay away from over-processed foods there are always those nights when it's just easier to cook something for dinner from the frozen section.

That's what I did last night.  I baked a tortilla, chipotle, lime-crusted tilapia fillet from Cosco.  It was only 170 calories, and it was delicious.  I paired it with Green Giant Green Bean Casserole, 110 calories per serving.  The green bean casserole was not exactly the best choice when you consider it is smothered in some kind of over-processed sauce.  I also have mixed feelings about nuking vegetables in plastic.  I'm not sure if that plastic is BPA-free.  Blah, blah, blah.  It was tasty anyway.

For those of you that are feeling more adventurous about making your fish and green beans from scratch here are a couple of links to some recipes:

I Wish for Fish! by Hungry Girl

Creamy Mustard Tossed Green Beans