Tiny Bites Total Big Calories!

"I never eat between meals."

"I rarely have dessert."

"Almost everything I eat is low fat."

Do you ever hear (or perhaps say!) these comments, which are often followed by: "But, why am I still gaining weight?"

To answer that question we often have to zoom in closer and check those "tiny" bites of food we might overlook throughout our day. For instance:

Bite 1:

One-fourth cup of orange juice remains in the carton. You might as well finish it, right?

Calories: 26

Bite 2:

Two tablespoons of granola are left in the box. It's hardly worth returning to the cupboard. You add it to your serving of cereal.

Calories: 64

Bite 3:

You add two teaspoons powdered cream substitute in the coffee at work. Someone made really strong coffee today. Adding creamer is the only way you can stand the taste.

Calories: 20

Bite 4:

You take just a small "sample" of the cake in the break room. Well, maybe a second "sliver" would be O.K. too!

Calories: 73

Bite 5:

Oops! You forgot to ask them to leave the mayo off the hamburger this noon.

Calories: 100

Bite 6:

Add two mints. You also forgot to have them leave off the onion! Better have a mint or two for your breath, just in case.

Calories: 20

Bite 7:

You take a chocolate kiss from your coworker's candy jar. You have to crank out a big report this afternoon. This is for medicinal purposes only!

Calories: 25

Bite 8:

A second chocolate kiss from your coworker's candy jar. You finished the report -- what better way to celebrate? And besides, it's just a tiny piece of candy.

Calories: 25

Bite 9:

There you are with a handful of snack mix. The gang has gotten together for a quick drink after work to celebrate completing the report. You just order mineral water; but surely just a handful of mix can't have many calories.

Calories: 105

Bite 10:

Cheese on cracker at grocery store. After all, it's a small sample.

Calories: 55

Bite 11:

Two tablespoons macaroni and cheese. You're trying out a new recipe. You taste as you cook to get the seasonings just right.

Calories: 54

Bite 12:

One-fourth cup macaroni and cheese. Your new recipe tasted great; however, there's a small amount left over. It hardly seems worth the effort to refrigerate only a fourth cup. You don't want to toss it, so you eat it.

Calories: 108

The Grand Total "Extra" Calories For The Day: 675

If these extra calories are eaten daily, it might be possible to gain as much as a pound a week! On average, an additional 3,500 calories above your body's needs can lead to a weight gain of a pound.

If you've been adding "mystery" pounds, consider counting the calories in those "tiny" bites!

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