Here are 10 ways to burn 300 calories or more:

1. Perfect your jump shot – by tossing all your kids’ uneaten food in the trash. Besides, wouldn’t you rather splurge on a walnut-studded fudge brownie than cold, coagulated mac ‘n’ cheese?

2. Ax the Alfredo. Swap the creamy sauce on your tortellini (250 calories per quarter cup) for a simple marinara (70 calories). Better yet: Sub a cup of linguine for the tortellini and you will save 80 more calories.

3. Do not assume that all salads get a dietary green light. While they sound virtuous, some can really take a toll on your calorie tally. Consider that Taco Bell’s Taco Salad with salsa is 850 calories, while a Fiesta Beef Burrito contains a relatively sane 380. To be on the safe side, watch your portion sizes and avoid creamy, mayo-based dressings, croutons and high-fat meats like bacon.

4. Ease Up On Cheese. Sure, it is calcium-rich, but it is also high in calories (almost 150 calories for two die-size cubes). Leave it off your burger or burrito, or pick up a lower-fat version.

5. Realize that heroes are not always gallant – especially when a six-inch one with meatballs can contain a very ungentlemanly 530 calories. A better option: a veggie sub at 226 calories.

6. Stop eating off your boyfriend’s plate. Sadly, purloined French fries and onion rings have as many calories as the ones you order yourself.

7. Be fashionably late for your reservation. There will not be time to stand around at the bar and sip a pre-dinner glass of wine (74 calories for a 3.5-ounce glass of red) or nibble a bar snack (two handfuls of peanuts will cost you 170 calories). Besides, it will be so much easier to make a dramatic entrance.

8. Avoid disaster movies. I am not talking Titanic. I mean those blockbuster-size movie snacks, like the 5.3-ounce bag of peanut M&M’s that contains a catastrophic 766 calories, or the jumbo popcorn with butter that has 1,640. But since woman cannot live by cinematic eye candy alone, bring your own treats (a regular-size bag of peanut M&M’s is 250 calories; 11 cups of air-popped popcorn is just 336).

9. Take a commercial break. Those tantalizingly graphic ads are designed to give you the munchies for high-fat treats,” says Roxanne Moore, R.D., a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. Even if you have just eaten, you may find yourself craving a Wendy’s Big Bacon Classic after 20 minutes of “must-see TV.” Between shows, call a friend, apply an exfoliating mask to your face, or just pick up the remote and surf to your heart’s content.

10. Discover the joy of singlehood. Single servings, that is. Instead of letting a pint of Haagen-Dazs (nearly 1,200 calories) lure you to the freezer, buy a single serving (about 300 calories) when you get the urge to splurge. [via]