Killer desserts

The dessert buffet knows your name, and it just keeps calling.

It's that time of year when everywhere you turn there are luscious sweets — candy at your doorstep, cookies at the office, brownies at parties, pies and cakes a la mode in restaurants.

Unfortunately, desserts add a wallop to your waistline. The calories and fat in homemade treats will vary with the recipe, but a comparison of chain restaurant desserts offers some clues: A plate of Ruby Tuesday's Tall Cake has 632 calories and 40 grams of fat — more fat and calories than a Big Mac. It's only a small dent compared to the chain's brownie (999 calories) and candy bar ice cream pie (827 calories). Ruby Tuesday's Low-Carb Lava Cake might sound like a dieter's delight, but it's 632 calories.

At Denny's, a serving of carrot cake is 799 calories, and a piece of cheesecake is 580 calories. The restaurant's hot fudge brownie a la mode is 997 calories, half the calories the average adult is supposed to eat in a day.

Those who choose to drink their dessert aren't exempt: A 16-ounce Wendy's Frosty has 430 calories. The same size Oreo McFlurry has 820 calories. All of these are quite a chunk of the 2,000 calories the average adult is supposed to eat in a day.

"If you gain a few pounds every year during the holidays, most of the time you won't lose it all," said Rachael Cox, a dietitian with the Utah Department of Health. "After a few years, you'll end up with an extra 10 or 15 pounds and wonder where it came from."

She said a strict diet during the holidays can backfire and lead to binging. "It's better to maintain and not gain. If you've had 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables for the day, and a small portion of meat, with light versions of starches, you won't gain weight if you have a half a brownie. It's about just having a tiny bit, you don't have to cut out all sweets completely."

"Desserts can fit into an overall healthy diet when used in small portions and balanced with healthy foods," said Melanie Douglass, a dietitian, personal trainer and author of a new weight-loss book called "Losing It! 5 Keys to Successful Weight Loss That Work" (Deseret Book, $14.95).

"Portion" is a key word. If you order a cake or brownie in a restaurant, it's likely to be big enough to make even the Pillsbury Dough Boy blush.

The reason for these large portions? When diners shell out $6 or $7 for a dessert, they want to feel like they're getting their money's worth.