The Calorie Equation

"When I go on a diet, I feel so hungry!" Well then, you are on the wrong diet! The secret to healthy weight loss and weight maintenance is eating nutritious foods that enhance the feeling of satiety for the least amount of calories. How do you do that? Know your numbers. Calories count, so don't be misled by label claims of fat-free or sugar-free. These foods are not calorie free, but often nutrient free. In her book, Volumetrics, Barbara Rolls, Ph.D., endowed Guthrie Chair in Nutritional Sciences at The Pennsylvania State University and veteran nutrition researcher, tells us that the volume of food, not necessarily calories, helps us feel full. Therefore, select more high fiber, high water content foods and you can eat until satisfaction while gaining good nutrition. Click here for full article.

Additionally, Dr. Howard Shapiro, a private practice physician specializing in weight control for nearly 20 years, authored a book, Picture Perfect Weight Loss, which illustrates the same principle. Dr. Shapiro offers his patients Food Awareness Training to help them make better food choices and consequently lose weight. The first lesson of Food Awareness Training begins when a patient sees his/her food choices in terms of calories. When a patient visits his office, the nutritionist will set up actual food for visual demonstration. Dr. Shapiro notes that visual demonstrations have much greater impact on patient behavior, whereby they can make the right food choices by visualizing calorie equations.

Learn to indulge in colorful, flavorful foods without loads of calories with this picture lesson from Dr. Shapiro’s book (Shapiro, 2000). Click here for a handout demonstrating several calorie equations.

1 Raspberry Tart (440 calories) = 8 Cups of Raspberries with Whipped Topping (440 calories)
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Why are pastry desserts so high in calories? Lots of fat in the crust and sugar added to the fruit. Enjoy raspberries in their natural state—full of fruited sweetness and antioxidants. Fruit has a high water and fiber content which increases volume. As you can see, it’s virtually impossible to overeat.

Small Barbecue Plate (530 calories) = Large Barbecue Plate (530 calories)
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Picnic food is notoriously high in fat and salt. To keep the calories in check, you would have to limit yourself to ½ hot dog (no roll), a small piece of sausage, and a tiny scoop of macaroni salad. This little plate of food will certainly leave you drooling for more. Before you dig in, survey the options for lighter fare. Grilled shrimp, vegetables, corn without butter, and a large slice of sweet juicy watermelon will fill you up nicely—and take quite a while to eat. Less fat and more fiber equal lower calorie foods and more nutrition. If you are planning a picnic menu, keep these healthy and light offerings in mind for your calorie-conscious friends.

1 Fat-Free, Sugar-Free Muffin (720 calories) = 4 lb., 2 oz. Fruit and 2 Whole Wheat Rolls (720 calories)
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That’s a lot of calories ... 720 calories is just slightly lower than half the daily calorie needs of the average adult woman. How can a fat-free, sugar-free muffin have so many calories? Many of us are fooled by this claim. It’s best to pay attention to the label! The remaining main ingredient is refined flour—a refined carbohydrate with no fiber. The muffin is dense, and a hearty size. In contrast, the mound of watery-crisp fruit and whole wheat rolls are high in fiber, vitamins and minerals—and impossible to eat at one sitting. The result: you are full on fewer calories.

3-4 oz. Assorted Cookies (460 calories) = Healthy Meal (460 calories)
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You’re faced with the dilemma; do you skip dinner and go straight to dessert? If so, you would be missing out on vitamins and minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals, and even heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. This balanced meal, with protein and fiber (and even potatoes!) will keep you going a lot longer than the small pile of cookies.

1 Fat-Free Cookie (60 calories) = 1 Small Cantaloupe (60 calories)
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So, how many cookies will it take to fill you up? Even if this cookie is "fat-free" and contains "fruit," don’t be fooled. Consider going natural instead of processed—this whole cantaloupe is loaded with vitamins A and C, fiber and potassium—nd I bet you can’t eat the whole thing!

1 Egg Roll (400 calories) = Full Hearty Meal (400 calories)
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Do you think that all Chinese food is fattening? Think again. Yes, if you choose the deep-fried greasy appetizer. However for equal the calories, you can enjoy this entrée, brown rice, large bowl of soup and even a fortune cookie. These tasty Chinese items are absent the oil and breading for a more healthy option.

1 Medium Serving of French Fries (360 calories) = 4 Ears of Corn on the Cob (360 calories)
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What makes these two starchy vegetables so different in portion size for the calories? The answer: fat and fiber. Boiling, grilling or baking add no calories to the corn—but deep-fat frying a non-fat potato makes it a greasy pile of calories. For more taste and moisture, try spray margarines on your corn.

1 Bagel and Cream Cheese (650 calories) = Full Nutritious Breakfast (650 calories)
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Bagels have the same problem as the American waistlines—they keep growing and growing in size! The bagel is low in moisture and dense in calories, and adding a generous amount of cream cheese makes for a high-calorie breakfast. Rather, you can eat a full nutritious breakfast of light pancakes and syrup, vegetarian links, and sliced star fruit and persimmon.

1 Scone and 1 Tbsp. Butter (930 calories) = 14 Slices of Raisin Bread and 4 Tbsp. Low-Sugar Fruit Spread (930 calories)
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A tiny little scone is as dense as a stone! Full of sugar, fat and refined flour, you can handily eat half your daily calories in one sitting! Okay, so you wouldn’t eat a whole loaf of raisin bread in one sitting, but isn’t that the point?

1 Caesar Salad (560 calories) vs. Soup, Salad, Roll and Dessert (410 calories)
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What virtuous dieter doesn’t love a "salad"? Looks like a diet meal, but beware of the dressing and croutons. Compare what you thought was a good choice to this tasty, fiber-rich vegetarian meal that covers all the food groups. And you save 150 calories!

1 Chicken Nugget (80 calories) = 1¼ Cups Vegetable Lentil Soup (80 calories)
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One mouthful of chicken nugget (greasy-crisp) has the same calories as a whole bowl of vegetable lentil soup (watery-crisp). An alternate option to adding a small salad to a meal to make it seem larger is to add a low-calorie soup instead.

1½ Cups Lobster Bisque (450 calories) = Fish and Vegetable Dinner (450 calories)
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So, do you prefer fat or vegetables with your seafood? Bisques are made with cream and butter, and even when using low-calorie lobster, you get lots of calories in a little bowl—equal to this entire meal! The colorful addition of green beans, potatoes with skin, and tomato concasse add fiber, vitamins, and taste to this simple fish meal.

½ Cup Rich Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Ice Cream (300 calories) = 10 Tofutti Chocolate Fudge Treats (300 calories)
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One-half cup of this ice cream doesn’t go very far—and it is likely you will give yourself another scoop—or two! If you can’t contain yourself to a meager portion when it comes to frozen confections, try a low-calorie frozen pop—you can eat until your tongue freezes!

1 Croissant with 3 oz. Cheese (650 calories) = 5 Sandwiches (650 calories)
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If your stomach seems like a bottomless pit, try this trick—use low-fat cheese, low-calorie bread, and lettuce and tomato, and you can eat five sandwiches for the caloric price of one high-fat, high-cholesterol croissant and cheese sandwich.

5½ oz. Chex Mix^® (820 calories) = 10 oz. Loaf of Bread (820 calories)
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And you thought bread was fattening? Somehow, a few handfuls of the salty, crunchy Chex Mix^® doesn’t seem so bad ... but the hidden fat, which has more than double the calories of carbohydrate, really pumps up the calories!

Click here for a handout demonstrating several calorie equations.

For more Calorie Comparisons, click on the links below:

About 1/5 Bacon Cheeseburger (210 calories) = Whole Veggie Burger, Bun and Condiments (210 calories)

1 Slice Angel Food Cake and 1/3 Cup Raspberry Sauce (460 calories) = 2 qt. Mixed Berries and Large Dollop of Whipped Topping (460 calories)

1 Cup White Rice (220 calories) = 10 Cups Cauliflower Seasoned with Herbs and Grated Parmesan Cheese (220 calories)

1 Large Skim Café Latte, No Sugar (180 calories) vs. 1 Large Hazelnut Coffee with 2 Tsp. of Milk and Lo-Cal Sweetener (30 calories)

Drink and Nuts (740 calories) vs. Full Hearty Dinner (490 calories)

Article provided by Sharon Howard, R.D., August 2008.
Volumetrics, Rolls, Barabara, Ph.D., and Barnett, Robert. Harper Collins Publishers, New York, N.Y. 2000.
Volumetrics Eating Plan, Rolls, Barbara, Ph.D., Harper Collins Publishers, New York, N.Y. 2005.