Movie Treats Get a Thumbs Down!
Just when you thought the dreaded swimsuit season is as scary as summertime weight loss gets, there's yet another curve ball: The summer movie blockbuster season! Does this mean our diets go the way of the Titanic?
Portion Distortion
If portion control is the key to successful weight management, a ticket to Saturday's matinee could ruin your efforts.
While 2 cups constitute a single serving of most microwave popcorns, a small movie theater serving holds about 7 cups and approximately 500 calories.
Give in to a small price difference for a more-plentiful-portion and things have gone from bad to downright ugly! Buy that medium sized container instead of the small and you've doubled the calorie count.
Put that Popcorn into Perspective!
Ready for the grand prize in diet decimation? Go for your "money's worth" by ordering the large tub and you could down whopping 21 cups of popcorn! Do the math: If 7 cups equals 500 calories, then you're consuming 1,500 calories!
If you are to consume about 1,500 calories a day to consistently lose weight, you can blow your calorie count for the day on popcorn! Add on a silo-sized soda and you can double -- even triple -- those calories.
Chocolate Calls Your Name, Too?
I don't even need to mention those sweet treats lurking under the glass, do I? Just keep on walking. I know it's a difficult task to undertake after you've just watched dancing chocolate bars glide across the screen.
But movie size candy is completely out of proportion. And who can ever leave any M&Ms in the box ... regardless of how colossal it may be? Not this chocoholic!
Resort to Kramer-ing
My advice is to sneak in your own goodies from home (Refrain from pulling an actual Kramer, however. Café lattés are not easily smuggled as evidenced by the K-man's experience.).
Yes, I am a cinema-snack-sneaker. Sure, it's technically against the rules, but until theaters offer healthier fare for those of us battling the bulge, we've got to resort to concession connivance!
Continue to Part 2: Smart Snacks to Sneak >>
