Sunday, September 26, 2010

Some Of My Favorite Healthy Recipes

Hello ladies and gents! Thanks for stopping by my blog! Just want to quickly take this time out to thank all of you who follow "Confessions of a Fit Girl". I really enjoy sharing my love of fitness & nutrition with the online world, and you'll never really know how much it means to me that people are actually interested in what I have to say. I also really enjoy writing (I used to think I was going to be a writer one day) so this whole blogging experience so far has been a great way to get back to writing and hopefully sharpen my skills. So I say all that to say, whether you're reading my blog for the first time today or you've been following me for a while now, THANK YOU!!! :)

Now on to the subject of this post... A list of some of my favorite healthy recipes, courtesy of Hungry Girl, a.k.a - Lisa Lillien. Lisa Lillien, self-anointed "foodoligist", is a New York Times bestselling author and creator of the Hungry Girl brand. She is the founder of www.hungry-girl.com, a free daily email service that entertains and informs hungry people, like me, everywhere! If you've never heard of Hungry Girl, you'll have to go to the website and get hooked up, but in the mean time, check out my favorite Hungry Girl Recipes below. (Hungry Girl always likes to give the Weight Watcher points for all you Weight Watchers out there so I'll do the same. Even though I've never been on WW, I actually like seeing the point value as well, gives me an even better idea of how healthy the particular food is. WW's point value system is from 1-10, the lower the number the better.)


All of the following have been tried and proven by me (and of course the whole Hungry Girl crew) to be delicious so enjoy! :) 

Cinnamonlicious French Toast
French toast is one of those breakfasts you dream about.  It's decadent, delicious, warm, doughy, and just plain AWESOME!  It's also something you think you need to avoid if you're counting calories.  Wrong!  Hungry Girl has created a super-delicious and extremely guilt-free french toast. 

Ingredients:
3 slices Wonder Light White Bread
1/3 cup Egg Beaters, Original
1/2 oz. Torani Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup OR 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. cinnamon (divided)
1 packet SPLENDA

Directions:
Combine Egg Beaters with vanilla syrup (or extract) and half of the cinnamon. Use the egg mixture as an egg wash, and dip your bread into it. Cook in a pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
When both sides are brown, plate those suckers and sprinkle ‘em with Splenda and the remaining cinnamon. Feel free to serve it up with sugar-free maple syrup, sugar-free jelly, some fresh berries, and/or some Fat Free Cool Whip/Reddi-wip. (Of course your nutritionals will vary accordingly, but with such low calorie and fat counts, you can afford to splurge a little.)
 
Serving Size: Entire recipe
Calories: 170
Fat: 1g
Sodium: 545mg
Carbs: 31g
Fiber: 8g
Sugars: 2.5g
Protein: 14g
3 Points


Yummilicious Veggie Burger Wrap
I literally make this meal all the time! Great for lunch or dinner!

Ingredients:
1 medium low-fat flour tortilla (about 110 calories with at least 6g fiber)
1 veggie burger patty (veggie-based rather than the imitation-meat kind)
1 wedge of The Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss cheese
3 tablespoons chopped onions
1 tablespoon chopped onions
Optional condiments: ketchup, mustard, fat-free mayonnaise, salsa

Directions:
Microwave tortilla until slightly warm. Lay the tortilla out and spread the cheese wedge evenly on top of it.
In a pan sprayed with nonstick spray, cook the veggie patty over medium heat. (Refer to the package for exact cooking time.) Once patty is half-cooked, remove it from the pan and chop into bite-sized pieces. Place the onions and patty pieces in the pan and continue cooking for 1 minute. Then add mushrooms, stir, and cook for 2 additional minutes or until veggies are fully cooked. Remove pan from heat and allow to cool slightly.
Evenly spoon mixture into the center of the cheese-covered tortilla. If desired, top with guilt-free condiments.
Fold in the sides of the tortilla and roll it up. Place on a microwave-safe plate, seam-side down, and heat for 30 seconds.

Serving Size: 1 Wrap
Calories: 253

Fat: 6.5g
Sodium: 941mg
Carbs: 35g
Fiber: 13g
Sugars: 4g
Protein: 18g
5 Points


Lord of the Onion Rings
Who says you can't have onion rings while watching your diet? I love onion rings and this recipe is GREAT! Who would have ever thought of using Fiber One with onions?!? Well, Hungry Girl did and this lady has amazing taste buds because the combination works! You've gotta' check this one out! 

Ingredients:
1 large onion
1/2 cup Fiber One bran cereal (original)
1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute
1/4 tsp. garlic powder, or more to taste
1/8 tsp. onion powder, or more to taste
1/8 tsp. salt, or more to taste
Black pepper, to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Slice the ends off the onion and remove its outer layer. Cut onion into 1/2-inch-wide slices, and separate into rings. Set aside.

Using a blender or food processor, grind Fiber One to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Season the crumbs with spices and transfer to a plate.
Fill a small bowl with egg substitute. Prepare a baking sheet (or two, if you have a lot of rings) by spraying with nonstick spray. Set aside.

Pop-Up Tip! For this next step, try using tongs or a fork to dip the rings into the egg substitute and cereal crumbs -- it'll keep your fingers from getting eggy & crumb-covered. (Don't pierce the rings with the fork; just balance them on it.)


One at a time, dunk each ring in egg substitute, give it a shake to remove any excess, and then coat it in the seasoned crumbs. Evenly place rings on the baking sheet(s).
Bake in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes, carefully flipping rings over about halfway through. Enjoy! 


Serving Size: Entire recipe
Calories: 155

Fat: 1g
Sodium: 515mg
Carbs: 41g
Fiber: 16g
Sugars: 7g
Protein: 9g
2 Points


Cheesy Chicken Quesadilla
Another one of my favorite lunches/dinners. I can actually have Mexican food and still be in control of my diet! This simple recipe lets you make low cal quesadillas that could be easily mistaken for the fat-filled real thing. Try it out!

Ingredients:
1 La Tortilla Factory Low Carb, Low Fat Whole Wheat Tortilla
(small size)
1/4 cup shredded fat free cheddar cheese (or fat-free mozzarella, fat-free american, fat-free jack
2 oz. chicken breast, grilled and sliced
1 Tbsp. green onion, diced
1 Tbsp. salsa
1 tsp. light sour cream

Directions:
In a pan lightly spritzed with nonstick cooking spray, set down your tortilla. Spread the cheese, chicken and green onion evenly on top. Let set (cheese will just be beginning to melt), then fold over. Cook on medium heat for a minute or so, flipping quesadilla halfway in between. Slide your quesadilla onto a plate and serve with the salsa and sour cream. Enjoy!

Serving Size: 1 quesadilla
Calories: 155
Fat: 4g
Sodium: 680mg
Carbs: 15.5g
Fiber: 8.5g
Sugars: 1g
Protein: 22.5g


Wayne's Pumpkin Smash
With the Fall season here, I am sure to make this one: crustless, sugarless pumpkin pie! It's my substitute for the real thing. The crazy thing is, it really does taste just as good! This one actually wasn't created by Hungry Girl herself but by Wayne, an HG subscriber. 

Ingredients:One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin
One 12-oz. can evaporated fat-free milk
1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original)
3/4 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and mix thoroughly.
Place mixture in a baking dish (8" X 8" works well) sprayed lightly with nonstick spray, and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. (It will remain a little soft, like pie filling.)
Once ready to serve (it's delicious eaten hot or cold), cut into 9 pieces.
Serve and enjoy!

Makes 9 servings
Calories: 65
Fat: <0.5g
Sodium: 81mg
Carbs: 12g
Fiber: 1g
Sugars: 7g
Protein: 5g
1 point!


So that's it for now my friends, 5 awesome recipes for you to try. I'll be back with more but in the meantime be sure to check Hungry Girl out! What I love about her recipes are they are all quick and simple and you don't have to buy foods that you ordinarily wouldn't buy. While the recipes do call for certain brands at times, you know you can always substitute with a brand of your choice with the same nutrition values - if you are off a little just realize that will change the calories, fat, fiber... etc. and overall Weight Watchers point value, of course. These recipes prove that eating healthy and still enjoying the taste really is possible! It's all about experimenting and finding out what works!

All of these recipes came from Hungry Girl: Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

The Bodybugg: The World's Most Intelligent Calorie Management System

"What's That On Your Arm?"
The Bodybugg Personal Calorie Management System
If you have a Bodybugg you've probably heard that question more times than you can count. If you're thinking about purchasing a Bodybugg get ready because this is the question you'll hear whenever your Bodybugg is visible. And if you're reading this and have no idea what I'm talking about then keep reading! So what exactly is a "Bodybugg"? In short, my answer when anyone asks, is that it's a device that you wear that counts the calories that you burn throughout the day and by logging in the food you eat online, it can help you lose, maintain or gain weight. While that answer is true and gives the person who asked a basic understanding of what the Bodybugg does, the Bodybugg Calorie Management System is so much more than what I've just stated! It's a simple but powerful and effective tool that I would recommend for anyone who wants to keep track of the calories they are burning and taking in day to day. It truly is, in my opinion, the key to managing your weight for the rest of your life.


How It Works
So if you're one of the people who began reading this and had never heard of the Bodybugg before, I'm sure you're thinking, "Okay... so how does it work?" Well, let's get down to the facts! Combined with a user-friendly web-based program, the Bodybugg makes it easy to manage the calories you consume and burn so that you can stay in control of your weight. The system uses specialized sensors to monitor calories burned with over 90% accuracy. Calorie consumption is monitored through a web-based program which comes with a free 6 month subscription (after the initial 6 months the online subscription renewal fees are: $9.95 for month to month, $49.95 for 6 months or $79.95 for 12 months). This subscription also includes a free phone coaching session with a certified Bodybugg coach to help you get started - so no worries about possibly "doing it wrong". The Bodybugg tracks your steps throughout the day with a built-in pedometer. It runs on a rechargeable battery and is both PC and Mac compatible.

The Bodybugg system uses a patented process to measure calorie burn. The process is based on:
  • Motion: The armband contains an accelerometer that measures motion from multiple perspectives.
  • Steps: The accelerometer counts steps by measuring the distinct patterns created by running or walking.
  • Galvanic skin response: When you sweat, your skin becomes more electrically conductive. This measurement helps the device understand how active you are.
  • Skin temperature: There’s an electronic thermometer inside your armband that monitors how hot you are.
  • Heat flux: When you move, your muscles produce heat. Your armband measures the heat that’s flowing from your body into the environment.
Digital Display
After you upload data from the Bodybugg armband to your computer, you can use the web-based application to see how many calories you’ve burned throughout the day or during specific activities. The Bodybugg will actually calculate your calorie burn per minute! After you enter the foods you eat, you’ll be able to see how you’re doing towards your goals. You set your own goals and time frames. The software is completely flexible to your needs. If you want to know how many calories you've burned, or how many steps you have taken without plugging into a computer, the Digital Display will provide real-time results. The Digital Display device is sold separately but is the perfect companion to the armband and I definitely think it's worth the extra money to just go ahead and get both from the jump. To see more on exactly how this whole system works, check this video out now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EovR--qx-wI&feature=player_embedded


My Review...  
The Pros
Bodybugg Personal Online Food Journal
This product, in my opinion, is a winner. The pros far out weight any con you could think of! If you are even somewhat concerned about calorie consumption this is the product for you! Before buying my Bodybugg I tried keeping a food journal of my own but it never seemed to work, I either became unmotivated and annoyed with writing all my meals down throughout the day or became frustrated with trying to calculate the calories myself, but with the Bodybugg all this is done for you! You just log into the online management system with your account username & password, then start looking through the Bodybugg's database for the foods that you've eaten throughout the day. You now have your very own online food journal! The Bodybugg's database is huge so you're almost guaranteed to find the foods you are eating in there. So what if something you've eaten happens to not be in the database? No problem! The Bodybugg allows you to keep your own custom foods lists and add in new foods by putting in the nutrition facts from the nutrition label or if cooking from scratch, inputting the ingredients and building your own food meal/recipe. Another big plus about this is that the Bodybugg stores all the information you input for as long as you have a subscription so you can always go back to any particular week or day to see to see what you ate and your amount of activity and calories burned. So let's say you remembered that 2 weeks ago you lost 3 pounds in one week - that's pretty awesome, so you might want to try eating and doing the same things that you did that week to possibly get the same results this week.

Another pro is that now I can finally see exactly how many calories I'm burning in my workouts!!! This is a major plus for an exercise junkie like myself! And if you are trying to lose weight, calories in vs. calories out is an essential part of any program. Just by wearing this little device you can see not only how many calories are being burned while exercising by throughout the day and then can evaluate exactly how many calories you taken in and help you decide whether it's okay to eat more or less for the rest of the day.

The big pro is that through the Bodybugg's online food journal and calorie tracking, you can actually set goals and use this system to lose weight! When you first get the Bodybugg and log in for the first time, you are asked to create a program to either lose, gain or maintain your weight, giving the program a set date when you want to achieve your personal goal. The system will then calculate how many calories you need to eat and burn each day in order to lose or gain the necessary weight you need to meet your goal on time. This is the perfect weight management tool!

To read reviews on the Bodybugg click here.

The Cons
To be honest, there really aren't many cons that I can think of, in fact I only have 2. The first obvious con is the price. While I personally don't put a price limit on my fitness and nutrition wants (if I see it and I think it will be beneficial for my health, I'm getting it), there are products that I have to save up for and this would definitely be one of them. You can only buy the Bodybugg through either 24 Hour Fitness or the Apex Fitness website. The price of the system is regularly $249 but there is an online price of $175. The Digital Display is regularly $99 but the online sale price is $74. So all together, even using both sale prices, the complete Bodybugg System with Digital Device is $249. It's all definitely worth the money but it's not cheap, no getting around that.
 

The other con is that the only way that the Bodybugg really works as a way of losing weight is counting every single calorie and being super exact on everything that you log in your online food journal. That means measuring all of your food (if not already prepackaged). So buying a food scale if you don't already have one is essential. I had never weighed my food before so I bought a food scale shortly after buying my Bodybugg and I now I actually enjoy weighing my food but it can be somewhat of a pain/annoyance. With the Bodybugg you are truly counting calories and if you're not up for that it will be hard for you to meet goals and get the results you're really after.



So in conclusion, I think the Bodybugg is a great addition to have in your weight management arsenal! Even if you don't plan on using it as a way of losing weight it's a fantastic way to keep track of the calories you're taking in vs. the calories you're burning and that's what successful weight management is all about! The Bodybugg lives up to its name and I definitely recommend it!

If you're already a Bodybugg user and would like to connect to other BB users for support and encouragement, check out these 2 Facebook pages: Body Bugg Users Unite and the official Bodybugg System page.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Drinks Count Too! / 20 Worst Drinks In America 2010

When it comes to calories and calorie counting, a lot of people make the mistake of only counting the "food" that they eat, meaning the solids, but in reality your drinks are food, too, and do count in your overall diet. If you're making an effort to eat healthier in order to lose weight and you're not seeing any results or maybe the results you're seeing aren't taking effect as fast as you think they should, you may want to look at the liquids you're consuming. Drinks have calories, too! Some of them more than others. For example, there are 150 calories in every 12 ounce can of Pepsi, that's an extra 150 calories you're adding to your calorie intake for the day, and that's only 1 can! Most people who are soda drinkers have 2 or more cans a day, do you know how many extra calories that can lead to? A LOT! That's just one example, but there are many more. The most important thing is to stay informed! Below is a list of the 20 Worst Drinks In America for 2010. Check it out!


20 Worst Drinks In America 2010


20. Worst Water
Snapple Agave Melon Antioxidant Water
(1 bottle, 20 fl oz)
150 calories / 0 g fat / 33 g sugars  
Sugar Equivalent: 2 Good Humor Chocolate Éclair Bars

While “Worst Water” may sound like an oxymoron, the devious minds in the bottled beverage industry have even found a way to besmirch the sterling reputation of the world’s most essential compound. Sure, you may get a few extra vitamins, but ultimately, you’re paying a premium price for gussied-up sugar water. Next time you buy a bottle of water, check the recipe: You want two parts hydrogen, one part oxygen, and very little else.




19. Worst Bottled Tea
SoBe Green Tea
(1 bottle, 20 fl oz)
240 calories / 0 g fat / 61 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 4 slices Sara Lee Cherry Pie

Leave it to SoBe to take an otherwise healthy bottle of tea and inject it with enough sugar to turn it into dessert. The Pepsi owned company’s flagship line, composed of 11 flavors with names like “Nirvana” and “Cranberry Grapefruit Elixir,” is marketed to give consumers the impression that it can cleanse the body, mind, and spirit. Don’t be fooled. Just like this bottle of green tea, all of these beverages are made with two primary ingredients: water and sugar.




18. Worst Energy Drink
Rockstar Energy Drink
(1 can, 16 fl oz)
280 calories / 0 g fat / 62 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 6 Krispy Kreme Original
Glazed Doughnuts

None of the energy provided by these full-sugar drinks could ever justify the caloric load, but Rockstar’s take is especially frightening. One can provides nearly as much sugar as half a box of Nilla Wafers. In fact, it has 60 more calories than the same amount of Red Bull and 80 more than a can of Monster. If you’re going to guzzle, better choose one of the low-cal options.



17. Worst Bottled Coffee
Starbucks Vanilla Frappuccino
(1 bottle, 13.7 fl oz)
290 calories / 4.5 g fat (2.5 g saturated) / 45 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 32 Nilla Wafers

With an unreasonable number of calorie landmines
peppered across Starbucks’ in-store menu, you’d think the
company would want to use its grocery line to restore faith in
its ability to provide caffeine without testing the limits of your
belt buckle. Guess not. This drink has been on our radar for
years, and we still haven’t managed to find a bottled coffee
with more sugar. Consider this—along with Starbucks’
miniature Espresso and Cream Doubleshot—your worst
option for a morning pickup.




16. Worst Soda
Sunkist
(1 bottle, 20 fl oz)
320 calories / 0 g fat / 84 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 6 Breyers Oreo Ice Cream Sandwiches

Wait... but aren’t all sodas equally terrible? It’s true they all
earn 100 percent of their calories from sugar, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still varying levels of atrocity. Despite the perception of healthfulness, fruity sodas tend to carry more sugar than their cola counterparts, and none make that more apparent than the tooth-achingly sweet Sunkist. But what seals the orange soda’s fate on our list of worsts is its reliance on the artificial colors yellow 6 and red 40—two chemicals that may be linked to behavioral and concentration problems in children.



15. Worst Beer
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot
(1 bottle, 12 fl oz)
330 calories / 0 g fat / 32.1 g carbohydrates / 9.6% alcohol
Carbohydrate Equivalent: 12-pack of Michelob Ultra

Most beers carry fewer than 175 calories, but even your average extra-heady brew rarely eclipses 250. That makes Sierra’s Bigfoot the undisputed beast of the beer jungle. Granted, the alcohol itself
provides most of the calories, but it’s the extra heft of carbohydrates that helps stuff nearly 2,000 calories into each six-pack. For comparison, Budweiser has 10.6 grams of carbs, Blue Moon has 13, and Guinness Draught has 10. Let’s hope the appearance of this gutinducing guzzler in your fridge is as rare as encounters with the fabled beast himself.





14. Worst Kids' Drink
Tropicana Tropical Fruit Fury Twister

(1 bottle, 20 fl oz)

340 calories / 0 g fat / 60 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: Two 7-ounce canisters Reddi-wip

Don’t let Tropicana’s reputation for unadulterated OJ lead you to believe that the company is capable of doing no wrong. As a Pepsi subsidiary, it’s inevitable that they’ll occasionally delve into soda-like territory. The Twister line is just that: a drink with 10 percent juice and 90 percent sugar laced with a glut of artificial flavors and coloring. You could actually save 200 calories by choosing a can of Pepsi instead.



13. Worst Functional Beverage
Arizona Rx Energy
(1 can, 23 fl oz)
345 calories / 0 g fat / 83 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 6 Cinnamon Roll Pop-Tarts

Obviously Arizona took great pains in making sure this can came out looking like something you’d find in a pharmacy. But if your pharmacist ever tries to sell you this much sugar, he should have his license revoked. And if it’s energy you’re after, this isn’t your best vehicle. Caffeine is the only compound in the bottle that’s been proven to provide energy, and the amount found within is about what you'd get from a weak cup of coffee.







12. Worst Juice Imposter
Arizona Kiwi Strawberry
(1 can, 23 fl oz)
345 calories / 0 g fat / 81 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 7 bowls of Froot Loops

The twisted minds at the Arizona factory outdid themselves with this nefarious concoction, a can the size of a bazooka loaded with enough of the sweet stuff to blast your belly with 42 sugar
cubes. The most disturbing part isn’t that it masks itself as some sort of healthy juice product (after all, hundreds of products are guilty of the same crime), but that this behemoth serving size costs just $.99, making its contents some of the cheapest calories we’ve ever stumbled across.



11. Worst Espresso Drink
Starbucks Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha with Whipped Cream
(venti, 20 fl oz)
660 calories / 22 g fat (15 g saturated) / 95 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 8½ scoops Edy’s Slow Churned Rich and Creamy Coffee Ice Cream

Hopefully this will dispel any lingering fragments of the
“health halo” that still exists in coffee shops—that misguided belief that espresso-based beverages can’t do much damage. In this 20-ounce cup, Starbucks manages to pack in more calories and saturated fat than two slices of deepdish sausage and pepperoni pizza from Domino’s. That makes it the equivalent of dinner and dessert disguised as a cup of coffee. If you want a treat, look to Starbucks’ supply of sugar-free syrups; if you want a caffeine buzz, stick to the regular joe, an Americano, or a cappuccino.



10. Worst Lemonade
Auntie Anne’s Wild Cherry Lemonade Mixer
(32 fl oz)
470 calories / 0 g fat / 110 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 11 bowls of Cookie Crisp cereal

There is no such thing as healthy lemonade, but Auntie’s line of Lemonade Mixers takes the concept of hyper-sweetened juice and stretches it to dangerous new levels. See, sugar digests faster than good-for-you nutrients like protein and fiber, which means it’s in your blood almost immediately after you swallow it. Drinking the 3 or 4 days’ worth of added sugar found here jacks your blood sugar and results in strain to your kidneys, the creation of new fat molecules, and the desire to eat more. Ouch!




9. Worst Hot Chocolate
Starbucks White Hot Chocolate with
Whipped Cream
(venti, 20 fl oz)
520 calories / 16 g fat (11 g saturated) / 75 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 9 Strawberry Rice Krispie Treats

See that stack of Rice Krispie Treats? It’s just three treats shy of two full boxes. Unless you were a contestant on Fear Factor—and there was a sizeable monetary prize on the line—you’d never even consider noshing down that much sugar at once. But here’s what’s interesting: While that stack is the sugar
counterpart to this atrocity from Starbucks, it still has 40 percent less saturated fat. Makes us wonder what’s going on in the hot chocolate. Stick to beverages with single-flavor profiles instead of pile-on recipes like this and you’ll fare better every time.



8. Worst Frozen Coffee Drink
Dairy Queen Caramel MooLatte
(24 fl oz)
870 calories / 24 g fat (19 g saturated, 1 g trans /
112 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 12 Dunkin’ Donuts Bavarian Kreme Doughnuts

Coffee-dessert hybrids are among the worst breed of beverages. This one delivers 1 gram of fat and 4.6 grams of sugar in every ounce, making even Starbucks’ over-the-top line of Frappuccinos look like decent options. Maybe that’s why DQ decided to give it a name that alludes to the animal it promises to turn you into. If you can bring yourself to skip DQ and head to a coffee shop instead, order a large iced latte with a couple shots of flavored syrup and
save some 600 calories. But if you’re stuck where you are, you’re better off pairing a small treat with a regular cup of joe.



7. Worst Margarita
Traditional Red Lobster Lobsterita
(24 fl oz)
890 calories / 0 g fat / 183 g carbohydrates
Carbohydrate Equivalent: 7 Almond Joy candy bars

Of all the egregious beverages we’ve analyzed, the Lobsterita surprised us the most. The nation’s biggest fish purveyor is one of the few big players in the restaurant biz to provide its customers with a wide selection of truly healthy food options. We would hope they’d do the same with the beverages, but obviously not. Drink one of these every Friday night and you’ll put on more than a pound of flab each month. Downgrade to a regular margarita on the rocks and pocket the remaining 640 calories.




6. Worst Float
Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream Soda,
vanilla ice cream and cola
(large, 28.6 fl oz)
960 calories / 40 g fat (25 g saturated, 1.5 g trans) / 136 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 9.7 Fudgsicle fudge bars

Done right, an ice cream float can be a decent route to indulgence. Go to A&W and you’ll land a medium for fewer than 400 calories. Order it with diet soda and you’ve dropped below 200 calories. So why can’t Baskin-Robbins make even a small float with fewer than 470 calories? Because apparently the chain approaches the art of beverage-crafting as a challenge to squeeze in as much fat and sugar as possible. Whatever you order, plan on splitting it with a friend.




5. Worst Frozen Fruit Drink
Krispy Kreme Lemon Sherbet Chiller
(20 fl oz)
980 calories / 40 g fat (36 g saturated) /
115 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 16 medium-size
chocolate eclairs

Imagine taking a regular can of soda, pouring in 18 extra teaspoons of sugar, and then swirling in half a cup of heavy cream. Nutritionally speaking, that’s exactly what this is, which is how it manages to marry nearly 2 days’ worth of saturated fat
with enough sugar to leave you with a serious sucrose hangover. Do your heart a favor and avoid any of Krispy Kreme’s “Kremey” beverages. The basic Chillers aren’t the safest of sippables either, but they’ll save you up to 880 calories.



4. Worst Frozen Mocha
Così Double Oh! Arctic Mocha
(gigante, 23 fl oz)
1,210 calories / 19 g fat (10 g saturated) /
240 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 41 Oreo Cookies

A frozen mocha will never be a stellar option, but we’ve still never come across anything that competes with this cookie-coffee milkshake hybrid from Così. Essentially it’s a mocha Blizzard made with Oreo cookies and topped with whipped cream and an oversize Oreo. The result is a beverage with more calories than two Big Macs and more sugar than any other drink in America.




3. Worst Drive-Thru Shake
McDonald’s Triple Thick Chocolate Shake
 
(large, 32 fl oz)
1,160 calories / 27 g fat (16 g saturated, 2 g trans) / 168 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 13 McDonald’s Baked Hot
Apple Pies

There are very few milk shakes in America worthy of your hard-earned calories, but few will punish you as thoroughly as this Mickey D’s drive-thru disaster. Not only does it have more than half your day’s caloric and saturated fat allotment and
more sugar than you’d find in Willy Wonka’s candy lab, but Ronald even finds a way to sneak in a full day of cholesterol spiking trans fat. The scariest part about this drink is that it’s most likely America’s most popular milk shake.



2. Worst Smoothie
Smoothie King Peanut Power Plus Grape
(large, 40 fl oz)
1,498 calories / 44 g fat (8 g saturated) / 214 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 20 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

If Smoothie King wants someone to blame for landing this high on our worst beverages roundup (and truth be told, its entire menu is riddle with contenders), the chain should point the smoothie straw at whichever executive came up with the cup-sizing structure. Sending someone out the door with a 40-ounce cup should be a criminal offense. Who really needs a third of a gallon of sweetened peanut butter blended with grape juice, milk, and bananas? Sugar-and-fat-loaded smoothies
like this should be served from 12-ounce cups, not mini kegs.

 



1. Worst Beverage in America
Cold Stone PB&C (Gotta Have It size, 24 fl oz)
2,010 calories / 131 g fat (68 g saturated) /
153 g sugars
Sugar Equivalent: 30 Chewy Chips Ahoy Cookies

In terms of saturated fat, drinking this Cold Stone catastrophe is like slurping up 68 strips of bacon. Health experts recommend capping your saturated fat intake at about 20 grams per day, yet this beverage packs more than three times that into a cup the size of a Chipotle burrito. But here’s what’s worse: No regular shake at Cold Stone, no matter what the size, has fewer than 1,000 calories! If you must drink your ice cream, make it one of the creamery’s “Sinless” options. Otherwise you’d better plan on buying some bigger pants on the way home.




So that's it, America's 20 worst drinks. Are you guilty of consuming one or more of these? Did some take you by surprise? If so, now ya' know, so choose wisely! This list was created by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding, the creators of the "Eat This, Not That!" book series, from their recent book, "Drink This, Not That!" For more "Drink This, Not That!" info. and tips, check out this link from Men'sHealth.com. Happy drinking!
 
And have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!!!