weight loss

If Friday night means heading to the nearest pub for a beer and a burger, you probably don't want to know that your simple order of a burger and fries can run you over 1,400 calories. That's a day's worth of calories in one meal, not even counting the added calories of a beer or dessert. You don't have to give up on your burger entirely — just follow these calorie-saving tips.

Make it a veggie patty (100) instead of beef (306):
Calories saved: 206

If going veggie doesn't do it for you, eat half the beef patty instead of the whole (306):
Calories saved: 153

Skip the cheese:
Calories saved: about 100 per slice

Can't enjoy your burger without cheese? Add a slice of provolone (98) instead of cheddar (113):
Calories saved: 15

Side salad with dressing (140) instead of fries (395) with ketchup (20):
Calories saved: 275 calories

Only eat half the bun instead of the whole (160):
Calories saved: 80

Two tomato slices (7) and mustard (5) instead of ketchup (20) and mayo (90):
Calories saved: 98

Sweet and creamy ice cream pints fly off the shelves in the Summer months, and while Ben & Jerry's is a popular brand, you might like the more basic yet scrumptious Häagen-Dazs flavors. Below shows what 100 calories of raspberry sorbet looks like, but chances are one little scoop just won't be enough. Check out the chart below to see how many calories are in your favorite flavors of ice cream, gelato, sorbet, and frozen yogurt, so you can arm yourself before polishing off an entire pint.

Don't see your favorite flavor? Keep reading to find out the calorie amounts of other ice cream flavors as well as gelato, sorbet, and frozen yogurt.

You were happily losing weight eating right and exercising, but with five more pounds left to go, the scale stopped budging. Find out what can cause weight loss to hit a wall and what you can do about it.

1. I'm all about breakfast, lunch, and dinner: When counting and restricting your calorie intake, it makes sense to eat fewer times a day. The problem with this is it can make blood sugar levels rise and fall like a roller coaster, which slows down metabolism. Keep that metabolism going strong by eating throughout the day, every few hours. Keep those three meals, but sprinkle 150-calorie snacks in between.
2. I'll just have a salad: Just as eating too many calories can cause you to hit a weight-loss wall (or even gain weight), not eating enough calories can also prevent you from slimming down. If your body senses that it's not getting enough, your metabolism will slow down and hold onto fat. So be sure not to skip meals or go below 1,200 calories a day.
3. I eat 1,200 calories a day, I think: If you've figured out a set number of daily calories with a nutritionist, you're one step closer to dropping pounds. It's easy to underestimate calorie amounts, or forget about those handfuls of M&M's you innocently grab off your co-worker's desk, both of which can contribute to going over your daily calorie limit without you even realizing it. Keep yourself honest by writing everything down in a food journal. We're talking every single sip, lick, and nibble you take. If you have a hard time not cheating, share your food journal with a friend.
4. Oh, let's try that new restaurant: Eating out while trying to lose weight is possible, but it's much harder. Since you're not preparing the food yourself, you really have no idea how many calories you're consuming, plus you tend to eat more than you would in your own kitchen. So keep the meals eaten out to a minimum of once a week, and follow these tips to save calories when you do dine out.
5. I'm heading out for another run: Yes, running is a wonderful workout that burns calories and strengthens your muscles, but doing the same exact workout every single time you exercise is a surefire way to hit a weight-loss plateau. Your muscles need to constantly be challenged in order to keep your metabolism from slowing down. You can keep running, just beef up the intensity and mix it up with hills and sprinting intervals. Also include other forms of cardio such as biking and swimming to work other parts of your body. It's also important to include strength training three times a week since lean muscle burns more calories than fat.

In order to lose a pound in seven days, you need to cut out or burn 3,500 calories in a week. That's 500 fewer calories per day. If you just can't squeeze in a workout, then here's how you can cut those calories out of your diet — a little bit at a time.

Please note that this is not a full day's meal plan, but rather examples of where you can cut calories in your daily diet.

Breakfast

• Choose vanilla Greek yogurt (120 calories) instead of blueberry-flavored (140 calories) to eat with your granola: save 20 calories.
• Top yogurt with half a cup of fresh berries (42 calories) instead of adding a quarter cup of raisins (108 calories): save 57 calories.

Breakfast calories saved: 77

Continue reading to find out how to cut the rest of your calories from lunch, dinner, and dessert.

If your insanely huge sweet tooth takes over your willpower, it can be hard to say no to dessert. Now you don't have to. Keep these calorie-saving tips in mind when it comes to indulging in sweets, and you can have your cake without looking like you do.

1. Order your ice cream in a bowl instead of a cone: A sugar cone is 45 calories and a waffle cone is 160. Aside from those calories saved, eating your ice cream with a spoon allows you to savor each bite instead of having to quickly inhale a melting cone to prevent dripping.
2. Skip the traditional sundae toppings: Whipped cream (53), nuts (210), hot fudge (48), and caramel (52) really add up. Instead, top your ice cream with a half cup of frozen raspberries for only 35 calories.
3. Choose sorbet instead of ice cream: A half-cup serving of strawberry ice cream will run you 240 calories. Go for the just-as-fruity but fewer-calorie sorbet for only 130 calories. Or whip up your own vegan ice cream made with bananas for 150 calories. But remember that just because it's lower in calories doesn't give you the green light to eat twice as much. Keep the serving size the same to truly save on calories.
4. Find healthier alternatives to your faves: A slice of New York-style cheesecake with strawberry topping is about 630 calories. You can get the same creamy fruitiness with a bowl of these strawberry banana creams — just 145 calories. If you can't pass on your favorite recipes, switch out the butter or oil for avocado or applesauce, or use mashed sweet potato to cut down on sugar.