How To Eat Your Favorite Foods And Still Lose Weight

According to UPMC nutritionist Madelyn Fernstrom, it is possible to eat pizza and burgers and keep your waistline.

Fernstrom said, “Because we eat to the bottom of the portion, no matter how much food is there, we’re going to eat it. If we start with a smaller amount it's really going to help.”

One of Fernstrom’s suggestions, “When you go to any fast- food restaurant choose a kids meal because it gives you a little of everything.”

Channel 11’s Stacia Erdos found you can bite into your favorite foods while saving hundreds of calories.

At Burger King, a Whopper with cheese weighs in at 800 calories. Instead go for the Whopper Jr. with cheese at 430 calories. You save 370 calories.

Having breakfast at McDonalds? Skip the sausage McMuffin at 450 calories and have the egg McMuffin at 300. You save 150 calories.

If you love the crispy chicken at McDonalds what's your best bet? The Crispy Chicken Premium sandwich has 500 calories, the McChicken, 360 calories. Your best bet is the new Crispy Chicken Honey Mustard Snack Wrap at 320 calories.

If you want dessert, try a McDonald’s vanilla cone. It contains 150 calories compared to the small vanilla shake which has 420 calories. You save 170 calories.

At Panera’s you can have the smokehouse turkey panini on artisan bread but it will cost you 700 calories.

A better choice might be the smoked turkey breast on sourdough with 440 calories.

If you just have to have the panini, get a half of sandwich and pair it with a low fat soup or order half of a salad for about the same calories.

The Dairy Queen caramel Moulatte has 630 calories. The same size Caramel Frappucino at Starbucks has 200 calories less, and the Caramel light Frappuccino with no whipped cream is only 180 calories.

At Eat ‘N Park, the grilled chicken dinner with cole slaw and fries has about 756 calories.

You can save 243 calories by getting a baked potato instead of fries and a salad with fat-free dressing instead.

If pizza is your poison Fernstrom said, “Don't get a stuffed crust, don't get a thick crust don't, get a pan pizza. Get used to eating a thinner crust. That's really going to save you a lot of calories.”

How much?

One piece of pepperoni pan pizza is 280 calories. Thin crust has 200 calories. You save 80 calories.

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