How Many Calories Are You Really Eating?

Calories: A Numbers Lesson

You try to eat right, but the number on the scale keeps creeping up. Sound familiar? According to a new survey by the International Food Information Council Foundation, we eat a lot more than we should. Of 1,000 Americans polled -- about half of them women -- 43 percent couldn't even guess how many calories they should consume in a day.

"So many women are eating on the run," says Barbara J. Rolls, PhD, a professor of nutrition at Pennsylvania State University and author of The Volumetrics Eating Plan. We're not paying attention to supersized portions in restaurants, and we have no idea of the calories when we don't make the food ourselves.

The happy news is that your diet doesn't require a complete overhaul. Our advice: Instead of counting foods out, just start counting -- first by calculating how many calories you need, then by indulging in the dishes mentioned in this story. And remember, the more you exercise, the more you can eat! Read on for more indispensable stay-slim solutions.

100 calories

• 18 roasted peanuts
• 4 Hershey's Kisses
• A salad with 2 cups greens, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, 1/2 cup sliced carrots and 2 tablespoons fat-free Italian dressing
• 6-ounce glass orange juice
• 10 Lay's classic potato chips
• 18 Rold Gold Fat-Free Tiny Twists pretzels
• 10 large shrimp with 2 tablespoons cocktail sauce
• 3 cups air-popped popcorn
• 1 ounce Kraft string cheese
• 2 slices bacon

250 calories

• 6-ounce baked potato with 3 tablespoons sour cream and 1 tablespoon chopped chives
• 1 McDonald's small french fries
• 3 ounces broiled salmon and 3 ounces mashed sweet potato
• 1 McDonald's hamburger
• 1 regular-size Nestle Crunch bar
• 1 cup Cheerios and 1 cup sliced strawberries in 8 ounces fat-free milk
• 1/2 cup hummus and 12 baby carrots
• 1 slice Pizza Hut medium hand-tossed style pepperoni pizza
• 1 cup Haagen-Dazs Orchard Peach fat-free sorbet

400 calories

• 1 Taco Bell Beef Chalupa Supreme
• 1 serving (9 ounces) Amy's macaroni and cheese
• 1 McDonald's Quarter Pounder (no cheese)
• 1 Wendy's Caesar Chicken Salad with croutons and Caesar dressing
• 1 Subway 6-inch turkey breast sandwich on a wheat roll with turkey, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and 1 tablespoon light mayonnaise
• 3 pancakes with 2 tablespoons maple syrup and 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 Starbucks Grande Mocha Frappuccino (no whipped cream)
• 1 cup spaghetti with 1/2 cup marinara sauce
• 14 onion rings
• 4-ounce piece cheesecake with 3 tablespoons whipped cream
• 1 cup meat-and-bean chili with 1/4 cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese