Eat This, Not That

Eat This, Not That

Replace the fattening foods with their slimming counterparts, and watch the pounds slide off.

Eat oatmeal, not muffins. The average bakery muffin contains 340 to 630 calories, and it's loaded with sugar and fats. A bowl of oatmeal, on the other hand, contains only 150 to 250 calories and keeps hunger at bay.

Use mustard, not mayonnaise. A tablespoon of mayo contains approximately 100 calories. The same amount of yellow mustard has only 10 calories—this condiment switch is a no-brainer.

Snack on air-popped popcorn, not potato chips. Air-popped popcorn contains only 30 calories per cup without butter, while a single serving of Ruffles regular potato chips has 190 calories.

Order open-faced, not regular, sandwiches. One of the easiest ways to cut back on carbs is to order your sandwiches open-faced. Depending on the type of bread used, you'll save 100 to 200 calories per meal.

Ask for a salad, not fries. French fries are one of the biggest diet saboteurs. At McDonald's, a side salad with low-fat balsamic vinaigrette and croutons has just 120 calories, while the supersize fries contain a shocking 610.6. Enjoy angel-food cake, not cheesecake or carrot cake. Who says you can't have your cake and lose weight, too? Angel-food cake has just 130 calories per slice. Compare that with a piece of carrot cake or cheesecake, either of which contains anywhere from 500 to 720 calories.