Rethink Dessert

If you don't currently subscribe to Men's Health "Eat This, not That."� you should.� It is quite the eye opener.



Prior to my surgery, it was a rare thing for me to go out to dinner and NOT have dessert.� Obviously and for obvious reasons, most restaurants do not post the *cough, cough* nutritional value of their sweet treats.� Today's version of "Eat This, Not That" was all about this, so giving them full credit, let me share just a few of them with you.







Ah, summertime.� The time of Dairy Queen and ice cream and everyone loves a Blizzard.� Where else can you mix ice cream with your favorite candy?� Beware however, even if you are thinking of getting one as an occasional treat, because you will shoot your daily calorie intake through the roof with their large Raspberry Truffle Blizzard.� This gem will give you a whooping 1,140� calories.� Who would have thought?� Of course, a smaller size will give you less, but just be warned.



Every time we used to go to Red Lobster, I would partake of the Chocolate Wave cake as it was so delicious and moist and now I find out that every time I ate this baby:







I was partaking of 1,490 calories!� That is more calories in one dessert than I often eat in a day!� No thanks, would rather get more caloric bang for my buck with something healthier.



One would think that coffee would be fairly innocent but do not be fooled, peeps.� Starbucks has worked out how to have nice drinks that could put a diabetic into a coma, such as this offender:







This is 20 ounces of a salted caramel signature hot chocolate.� This warm up with raise up your waistline with an astounding 760 calories....IN A BEVERAGE! Insanity!



So watch what you are getting when your sweet tooth is playing up as mine often does.� I try to keep my fridge stocked with sugar free raspberry jello (totally yummy) and if I have to get dessert in a restaurant?� I a make sure there are plenty of people sitting with us, so I don't have more than a bite or two.�



Fruit is also a good sweet tooth satisfier.� Okay, yeah, it isn't chocolate, but tell yourself it is and maybe you can get away with it now and then and if you can't then do dark chocolate.� Funny enough,� not long after my surgery, I was noticing on a message board that WLS patients were shunning fruit.� When I questioned them and said I didn't want to give mine up, they said "That's fine...if you want to slow your weight loss."� Huh?� The thing is that there comes a point where it is not about weight loss but about health.� Fruit is good for you and if it causes me to not lose a few pounds, so be it.� My body needs it and heaven knows, it helps my colon issues.