By now, we all know that burning calories is super important when losing or maintaining weight.  Exercising burns calories, so if you just polished off an entire pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream or ate a deep-fried twinkie, you can hit the gym to burn them off your hips (well ... not really since we all know you cannot spot reduce fat, right?).

Here's a breakdown of how many calories you burn doing 30 minutes of each exercise.  How much you weigh will alter the amount of calories you burn, so I've included different weights.  Choose the one that's closest to your weight, or check out this calculator for more exact amounts.

Casual walking (30 min):
120 lb — 108 calories
135 lb — 122 calories
150 lb — 136 calories
165 lb — 149 calories
180 lb — 163 calories
195 lb — 176 calories

Brisk walking (12 min miles):
120 lb — 244 calories
135 lb — 275 calories
150 lb — 306 calories
165 lb — 336 calories
180 lb — 367 calories
195 lb — 387 calories

Jogging (10 min miles):
120 lb — 272 calories
135 lb — 306 calories
150 lb — 340 calories
165 lb — 374 calories
180 lb — 408 calories
195 lb — 430 calories

Running (9 min miles):
120 lb — 299 calories
135 lb — 336 calories
150 lb — 374 calories
165 lb — 411 calories
180 lb — 449 calories
195 lb — 486 calories

Moderate biking (30 min):
120 lb — 163 calories
135 lb — 183 calories
150 lb — 204 calories
165 lb — 224 calories
180 lb — 244 calories
195 lb — 258 calories

Intense swimming (30 min):
120 lb — 217 calories
135 lb — 244 calories
150 lb — 272 calories
165 lb — 299 calories
180 lb — 326 calories
195 lb — 344 calories

Moderate hiking (30 min):
120 lb — 136 calories
135 lb — 153 calories
150 lb — 170 calories
165 lb — 187 calories
180 lb — 204 calories
195 lb — 221 calories

Moderate volleyball (30 min):
120 lb — 136 calories
135 lb — 153 calories
150 lb — 170 calories
165 lb — 187 calories
180 lb — 204 calories
195 lb — 221 calories

Moderate tennis (30 min):
120 lb — 163 calories
135 lb — 183 calories
150 lb — 204 calories
165 lb — 224 calories
180 lb — 244 calories
195 lb — 258 calories

Moderate muscle conditioning (yoga, Pilates, lifting weights, strength training exercises):
120 lb — 136 calories
135 lb — 153 calories
150 lb — 170 calories
165 lb — 187 calories
180 lb — 204 calories
195 lb — 221 calories

Source.

Let's start with the moral of the tale, seeing is believing.  If you could see the quantities of food you were consuming you would probably stop before you overindulged.  Especially when you consider the fact that the stomach takes about 20 minutes of eating to register a sense of feeling full.

A recent study, published in the journal Perceptual and Motor Skills, illustrates this point brilliantly.  A group of 52 graduate students (17 men and 35 women) were told they were being treated to "all you can eat chicken wings" while watching the Super Bowl.  The waitresses were instructed to clear the dirty plates from only half of the tables.  And ... you guessed it;  the folks at the tables that were cleared regularly ate more.  On an average grad students at the clean tables ate 28% more wings than the grad students sitting at tables littered with chicken wing remains.  So, I repeat once again, seeing is believing.

Fit's Tip:  Don't eat directly from the bag of chips.  Place a reasonable size portion in a bowl and snack from that.  When the bowl is empty you know you have consumed a serving, instead of accidentally finishing off the entire bag.

Source.

Who didn't fall in love with Oreos as a kid?  They are a symbol of childhood foods, along with Wonder Bread.  Unfortunately, they are just a memory for me now;  I waved bye-bye to all that unhealthy food of my childhood.

Now, that is not to say I still don't get a hankering for an Oreo, but lucky for me (and you if you like an edible version of memory lane to satisfy your sweet tooth) there are Newman-O's, a healthier alternative.

While a cookie is still a cookie and not the most optimal food on the planet, these Newman-O's are slightly better for you and they taste just like Oreos.  I think I actually prefer the Newman-O creamy center since it doesn't taste fake like Oreos do.  Maybe because Oreos are made with high fructose corn syrup and artificial vanilla.  Newman-O's are made with organic sugar and contain no partially hydrogenated oils or trans fat.  Oreos have a little disclaimer on their website that says if a product has less than .5g of trans fat, they can write "0g trans fat" on their label.  How misleading is that?

Another great thing about Newman-O's is that they're made with organic unbleached flour.  Oreos are made with enriched wheat flour.  You know what that means?  It's highly processed, stripped of its nutrients, and then some of the nutrients are added back in, just so they can say it's "enriched".  I frown upon their sneaky ways.

Oreos may be less expensive than Newmnan-O's, but they're also made with cheaper, less-nourishing ingredients.  Want to see how they compare nutritionally?  Then

Oreos 1 oz (2.5 cookies):
134 calories,
5.8g total fat,
1.7g saturated fat,
0mg cholesterol,
159mg sodium,
20.9g carbs,
.8g fiber,
11.7g sugar,
1.7g protein

Newman-O's 1 oz (2 cookies):  160 calories,
4.5g total fat,
1.5g saturated fat,
mg cholesterol,
85mg sodium,
20g carbs,
1g fiber,
10g sugar,
2g protein

Fit's Tips:  There isn't a dramatic difference nutritionally, but there's a HUGE difference in their ingredients.  Now I'm not saying that Newman-O's are the healthiest thing on the planet, but at least it's good to know that there's a healthier alternative out there for the Oreo-lovers in all of us.

Source.

In many people's minds "DIET" is a four letter word, if you know what I mean.  So, instead of dieting, these folks just decide to eat "healthy".  Which I must say I commend.  However, if you are trying to lose weight you have to look at both the quality and the quantity of the food you are consuming.

For instance we all know that nuts are good for us, but if you are trying to lose weight you need to keep the portion small since they are high in fat.  One handful a day is plenty, and I have read that if you are trying to lose weight, to only eat nuts every other day.

With this in mind, I urge you to measure out your food for a while, to really become acquainted with portion sizes.  A serving of Kashi Go Lean is a cup;  so pour the cereal into a measuring cup before pouring it into a bowl.  Do the same with milk.  This way you know that you are eating the recommended serving size and how many calories you are consuming.  The same with pasta, and I might add, if you are shooting for both quality and quantity it should really be whole wheat pasta since it has so much beneficial fiber in it.

While you are pondering how you eat, remember to focus on all those fruits and veggies you can add into you diet not what you have to eliminate.

As a kid, I hate to admit it, but I grew up on junk food.  Maybe that's why I'm such a freak about it now — too many years of eating crap that make you feel like crap.

Nacho Cheese Doritos were one of my faves.  They were a typical afternoon snack when I came home from school — I used to LOVE licking the powdered cheese off my orange-stained fingers.  I've long since given those up, but they'll always be one of my fond childhood memories.

While at the health food store, I came upon Pico de Gallo Chips made by Garden of Eatin'.  They taste so much like Doritos, but the ingredients are much healthier.  Doritos have partially hydrogenated soybean and Cottenseed oil.  And nothing says junk food like artificial color — love that Yellow 6.  Yum.

Want to see how they compare nutritionally?  Then

Doritos 1 oz (about 11 chips):
140 calories,
8g total fat,
1.5g saturated fat,
0mg cholesterol,
180mg sodium,
17g carbs,
1g fiber,
1g sugar,
2g protein

Pico de Gallo 1 oz (about 7 chips):
140 calories,
7g total fat,
.5g saturated fat,
0mg cholesterol,
150mg sodium,
18g carbs,
3g fiber,
0g sugar,
2g protein

Pick them up if you are headed to a BBQ this weekend!!!