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"  This week on Drop 5 Lbs with Good Housekeeping \u2014 our new television show on the Cooking Channel \u2014 I&amp;#039;ll share tips for making some simple food swaps that will shave calories and help you lose weight. That&amp;#039;s the whole idea behind our column in the magazine, our popular book, and the show. But it&amp;#039;s a strategy that works. Once you make one do-able change successfully (say, switching from whole milk to 1%), you have the resolve to tackle other diet hurdles. The key is to pick the strategies that fit with the way you like to eat and live because those will make the most impact \u2014 and you&amp;#039;ll be able to stick with them. My personal diet-derailer: Dessert! This week, I participated in multiple celebrations for my sister&amp;#039;s birthday. I&amp;#039;m a pro at drizzling a spoonful of dressing on my salad and keeping tabs on portions of oversized pasta dishes but nothing speaks to me like a warm caramel banana bread pudding, an ice cream sundae (a huge hit with my eight-year-old son), or a chocolate souffl\u00E9. How do I indulge without putting on pounds? I fall back on the strategies outlined in our show. I take a tip from Ashley and ramp up my exercise routine to counterbalance some of those calories. (Here are some moves to get you started.) I also make small calorie-saving swaps like these: I skip the feta in my salad at lunch (75 calories saved), I drizzle zero-calorie balsamic vinegar instead of vinaigrette over my meal (86 calories saved), and for my afternoon snack, I use a teaspoon of peanut butter on an apple instead of a full tablespoon (63 calories saved). Those barely-noticeably swaps save me a total of 224 calories each day. Add to that the 250 calories I burn in the gym and I&amp;#039;ll never notice those extra treats. And speaking of treats, if you love dessert as much as I do, you have to try our triple-tested chocolate chip cookies that Melissa makes on this week&amp;#039;s show. At only 80 calories apiece, a cookie is the perfect way to cave into your sweet tooth cravings. Meanwhile, if you have any &amp;quot;you&amp;#039;d never guess it was low-cal&amp;quot; dessert recipes to share, post a link below. I&amp;#039;d also love to hear about your favorite ways to shave calories. And while you&amp;#039;re at it, if you have any questions you&amp;#039;d like me to answer in my ASK SAM column in the magazine, please ask away \u2014 diet-related or not. I may not be able to get to all of your questions but I&amp;#039;ll give it a shot! And I&amp;#039;m always interested to know what&amp;#039;s on your mind. Finally, if you&amp;#039;d like a behind-the-scenes look at the Good Housekeeping Research Institute, sign up for a free tour. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/diet-nutrition/a24043/drop-5-pounds-dessert/>