Fast food. Whatever you choose, get the smallest size of it. A regular McDonald's hamburger is a good source of protein with less than 300 calories; a Quarter Pounder with Cheese is 530. At Taco Bell or other fast-food Mexican chains, go for a regular bean burrito rather than the "works" with meat, cheese, beans, rice and sour cream.

Coffee shop. A nonfat latte or cappuccino is actually a great choice because it provides protein and calcium. A tall latte at Starbucks made with nonfat milk has only 120 calories with 12 grams protein, 17 grams carbohydrate and 0.5 gram fat. A grande bumps the calories to 160, with 15 grams protein, 23 grams carbohydrate and 1 gram fat. A muffin or bagel is fine, but these products often suffer from portion distortion. I personally save or give away half of the muffin to prevent myself from falling into a 500-plus-calorie trap.

Starbucks uses different bakeries across the country so the numbers vary by region. For example, the Low-Fat Cranberry Peach Muffin sold in the Los Angeles area has 360 calories while the Low-Fat Cranberry Orange Muffin sold in New York has only 240 calories. For specific nutritional information, call Starbucks at 888-23-LATTE.     

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