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If you’re on a diet or just want to adopt a healthier lifestyle, it’s important to get a sense of the number of calories you intake. I’m not suggesting you should count every single last calorie, but good estimations are vital to ensure you are sticking with your goals. To assist, the following web sites can provide you with tips on the number of calories in your favorite foods as well as the number of calories you burn performing certain activities.
(Disclaimer: I am neither a doctor nor a dietician. These web sites are for reference purposes only. I do not run these web sites and am not responsible for their content. If you are about to start a diet program and want expert opinions, consult your physician.)
Calories Burned and BMR Calculator
http://caloriesperhour.com/
This web site calculates how many calories you will burn performing an activity, such as exercising (walking, treadmill, basketball), staring at the television, or running errands (washing the car, folding clothes, or driving), among other activities.
After you visit this page, select your activity from the large list provided. Enter in the amount of time you plan on performing the activity. Then, enter some information about yourself, such as your weight, sex, age, and height. When done, press the “Calculate” button. You will see the approximate number of calories burned, as well as how many Cinnabon Caramel Pecanbons(c), Washington State Apples, or McDonald’s “Big Macs”(c) you would be burning by performing the activity.
You’re not limited to just one activity. Select another activity and its duration, and caloriesperhour.com will provide a cumulative total of the amount of calories burned performing all activities. When you are done, press the “Print” button and you can print out the results for handy reference.
I like this site. It’s easy to use, provides humor with its animated smiley-face buttons, and it also provides a few weight loss tips and help pages. And, this site is completely non-commercial, developed as a hobby from “a retired grandfather living in Vancouver, WA”. Good work – I hope this site stays online for years to come.
The Calorie Control Council
http://www.caloriecontrol.org/
This web site provides many articles, recipes, and advice on losing weight, but I’m going to concentrate on the “Calorie Calculator” link. From here, you can type in foods into a calorie counting search engine. I tried some fruits, such as “apple”, and saw that a 3-inch apple contains only half a gram of fat and 81 calories. Not bad! A cup of cantaloupe has only 57 calories, and a banana only 105.
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Of course, if all you ate were fruit, it would be easy to count calories. That’s why this calculator lets you type in all types of foods, including “pork”, “french fries”, “corned beef”, and a favorite food of summertime, “ice cream”.
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You won’t be able to find specific foods such as “Hershey Bars(c)” or “Whoppers(c)”, but this calculator does an excellent job at providing estimated number of calories for many popular food groups. If you pick up something at the store that doesn’t have the calories listed (such as fruit), or if you splurge one night going out to eat and feel guilty the next morning, this calculator is an excellent tool in providing calorie ballpark figures.
Fast Food
Due to popular demand, many restaurants, especially chains and fast-food outlets, now provide nutrition information on their web sites. Here are a few restaurants I found that provide a great deal of helpful information on their sites. Yes, you can occasionally go out to eat and remain on your diet, as long as you play it smart!
Arby’s
http://www.arbys.com/
You couldn’t ask for more. You’ll find the calories, fat, cholesterol, protein, and carbohydrates in virtually any of their items. Get nutritional information for everything from their light menu to their potato cakes to even a pack of seasoned croutons.
Burger King
http://burgerking.com/
Click on BK(sm) Food, then click the "Nutrition" link. You'll then be prompted with a step-by-step wizard asking for the type of food you want to check. Burger King lists the serving size, calories, saturated fat, protein content, and more.
Chick-Fil-A
http://www.chick-fil-a.com/
Great resource! Everything from calories to fat to sugars to sodium is provided. You can even look up the calories contained in dipping sauces and salad dressings.
McDonald’s
http://www.mcdonalds.com/
We couldn’t forget the arches now, could we? You’ll find nutrition information for everything from the chain’s popular sandwiches to their breakfast items to their salads. They even provide a PDF nutrition sheet you can download and print.
Wendys
http://www.wendys.com
Choose "The Menu" then "Nutritional Info". You'll then have options for "Build a Meal", "Ingredients", and "Nutrition Guide". I especially liked the "Build a Meal" option where I could quickly choose different side dishes to see the results (so maybe I don't see them again on my stomach!)
The web provides a bountiful number of resources to help in your dieting goals. Whether you’re looking for the number of calories in a fast-food sandwich, the nutrition information for your favorite fruits, or if you’re just curious about the number of calories you can lose by power walking, the above web sites can you help you find this “stuff” on the net!
This article is copyright 2002-2003 Andrew Malek of Envision Programming and may not be reproduced. All company names and web sites are copyrights or trademarks of their respective organizations.
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