When one plate having more calories than you consume in the whole day

Everyone likes to splurge a little when they go to a restaurant, but new research suggests some of those indulgences may be packing way more calories — and, if you aren’t careful, pounds — than you think (MSNBC).

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a research group that advocates good nutrition, highlighted menu items from popular chain restaurants that in some cases have as many calories in just one plateful as some people should eat in an entire day.

The research comes as Americans are eating out more and more, and experts are growing increasingly concerned about obesity-related health concerns. The Center for Science in the Public Interest is hoping that publicizing such nutritional information will prompt more companies to offer calorie counts and other nutrition data, so customers can better evaluate what they plan to eat.

"I would never dream of telling someone what to order in a restaurant, but people can't make informed choices without basic nutrition information," said Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy for the group.

The examples included Ruby Tuesday’s Colossal Burger, which weighs in at around 1,940 calories and includes 141 grams of fat. That doesn't even include the fries on the side. Another entree from Ruby Tuesday, the Fresh Chicken and Broccoli Pasta, has 2,060 calories and 128 grams of fat, thanks in part to a parmesan cream sauce and layer of melted cheese.

Other chains are serving up serious splurges as well. On The Border’s Double-Stacked Club Quesadilla has 1,860 calories and 52 grams of saturated fat, the study said.

Entrees aren't the only menu items that pose a serious hazard to your waistline. An order of Uno Chicago Grill’s Pizza Skins — a so-called appetizer — has about 2,050 calories and 48 grams of saturated fat, the study said. And for dessert, a slice of Chris’ Outrageous Chocolate Cake at The Cheesecake Factory has 1,380 calories and 33 grams of saturated fat.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that people eat between 1,600 and 2,800 calories per day, depending on age, gender and other factors. The USDA also recommends that people get between 53 and 93 grams of fat.

Of course, most restaurants also offer less bulge-inducing options. Richard Johnson, senior vice president for Ruby Tuesday, noted that his chain also features lower-calorie menu items, including grilled chicken, steamed vegetables, a salad bar and other healthier fare.

“We think it’s interesting that they chose two of the items on the menu that are probably the highest-calorie items,” he said of the Center for Science in the Public Interest report.

While massive calorie counts such as these can be shocking, there are some positive signs for people who are trying to watch their weight while eating out. Sue Moores, a registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, said she is seeing more healthy choices on menus. She also has noticed that some higher-end restaurants are scaling back portion sizes.

Video gaming with Wii burns significant number of calories, supports weight loss

A recent study has found that new gaming technology that requires user movement burns a significant number of calories in gaming enthusiasts. The study, conducted by researchers at the Liverpool John Moores University, concluded that regular users of the Nintendo Wii gaming system have a higher heart rate during interaction, increased physical activity and burn 40 percent more calories per week than do gamers using conventional pad-controlled systems.

The study, which found that the average UK gamer spends 12.2 hours per week playing video games, compared the energy expenditure in seven boys and five girls between the ages of 13 and 15 while playing on both traditional game-pad interfaced gaming consoles and the Nintendo Wii, a gaming system in which the user directs the game by moving a “remote” around in the air.

Although researchers found that the male group had, on average, higher rates of energy expenditure, they noted that both males and females had a 156 percent increase in energy expenditure over resting values during a fifteen minute Wii session. Over the same time period, users interacting with the traditional pad-controlled system only experienced a 60 percent increase in energy expenditure.

“Through our testing it is clear that the motion sensor controlled console can make an impact on a child’s heart rate, energy expenditure and the amount of calories burned,” said lead researcher, Professor Tim Cable. “Parents should encourage other physical activities and outdoor pursuits in order for their children to lead well-balanced lives,” added Cable.

5 Simple Eating Habits for Anyone to Lose Weight

By Noah Michael

Weight loss and weight gain are all about the little things we do, or don't do, every day. It is very hard not to gain weight if you work a desk job or lead a sedentary lifestyle. When you combine this daily inactivity with unhealthy eating habits it is virtually impossible not to go up in size. However, if you can learn some simple, daily good habits, you can improve your health dramatically.

1. Drink water instead of soda. Soft drinks are dead calories, they have no nutritional content and if you are in the habit of drinking sodas, they really add up fast. If you have a bottle of water instead of a soda just once a day you cut out enough calories to lose a pound every three weeks.

2. Eat often. One of the disorienting thing about starting up a healthy lifestyle is that you may actually be eating a lot more, or at least a lot more often. You should eat a small portion of food every 3 hours. This is a challenge for those who've become accustomed to working through lunch then coming home famished and wolfing down a big meal. The human body was built for survival and at any sign of lack of food or starvation means the body will hold onto its fat stores as if life itself hung in the balance, because, well, it did. Because of this, skipping meals will make it harder to lose weight. You need to fool your body into thinking starvation is the furthest

3. Never leave home without your veggies. There aren't always a lot of healthy eating options when you're out and about and since you should never go more than a few hours without eating, you should always bring a bag or container of vegetables. There is no reason anyone can't bring along a bag or carrot sticks. If you can substitute a serving of vegetables for a bag of chips or a candy bar just once a day then you will eliminate enough calories to lose another pound every three weeks.

4. Eat lots of chicken and fish. Learn to love it. Chicken and fish are both very low calorie and very high protein. If you can make chicken and fish the staples of your dinnertime fare you will lose an astonishing amount of calories over time. These lean meats are so low in calorie to begin with that most preparation methods and side-dishes still result in a fairly low calorie meal. Contrastingly if you prepare a meal with beef as the main course, every dash of olive oil and extra dinner roll is that much more likely to send your daily calories over the limit.

5. If you eat out, you can still make some healthy choices. Anyone who has been on a diet knows the dread of needing to eat at a fast-food or sit-down restaraunt due to a social event or even just because of a lack of other options. The dieter may end up feeling obligated to order something calorically ruinous. The slope is very slippery considering the mind-game most dieters are engaged in, trying to deny themselves their favorite foods. A birthday dinner with friends has surely been the end of many a promising diet. However, these days you really have a lot of options. We live in an age where Carls Jr. will wrap your burger or chicken sandwich in lettuce instead of bread and cheese. If you choose to eat at an establishment where the menu is not printed on the wall, you should absolutely not hesitate to ask how your meal is prepared. Even some minor adjustments to your meal (hold the cheese, please) can make a big difference in the long run.

Many More Great Weight Loss and Diet Tips at 101 Weight Loss Tips