Now that summer has arrived and the weather is warmer, many of us prefer to swap those heavy burgers and fries for something a bit lighter. But, that doesn't mean you need to give up your favorite fast food joints. Here, we’ve listed the most calorific takeaways in several popular chains and suggested the lightest alternatives on each menu.

Burger King’s Double Whopper with Cheese has 930 calories. Throw in some medium fries (380 calories) and a regular Coke (290 calories) and your meal comes in at 1,600 calories. Considering the recommended daily allowance for a healthy diet is 2,000 calories for women and 2,500 for men, this fast food feast doesn’t leave much room for anything else.

To slash your calories, order the Grilled Chicken Garden Salad, which contains 340 calories (or 520 with dressing), instead. Without the fattening sauce, this salad will save you 590 calories and is simply made from romaine, green leaf and radicchio lettuce, sweetcorn, tomatoes, garlic croutons, and cheddar cheese.

Launched earlier this year, KFC’s Dirty Louisiana Burger contains 735 calories. And, that’s not surprising when you consider it contains a gut-busting mix of chicken fillet, a hash brown and two layers of cheese with mayo, BBQ sauce, Supercharger sauce and gherkins.

On the opposite end of the calorie scale you’ll find KFC's Veggie Rice Box, with just 307 calories. That’s a saving of 428. This Tex Mex rice bowl comes with a corn on the cob, lettuce, sweetcorn, tomatoes, bean salsa and a light garlic dressing.

Subway's standard 6-inch Chicken & Bacon Ranch Melt is their most fattening sub. With 590 calories, it's stuffed with cheddar cheese, crispy bacon, chicken, tomatoes, onion, green peppers and marinade.

To save yourself an impressive 480 calories, opt for the Turkey Breast Salad instead. This super-healthy option only contains 110 calories and includes lettuce, red onion, spinach, tomatoes, turkey and no dressing. Want extra toppings? Use Subway's handy calculator to tally up the calories in your favourite ingredients. 

McDonald’s famous Big Mac, with its two beef patties and extra layer of bread, has 540 calories. Add in some regular fries (340 calories) and a regular Coke (220 calories) and an entire meal quickly tops 1,000 calories.

At 350 calories, McDonald’s Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad is a far lighter option and contains 190 calories less than their signature burger. This leafy bowl of lettuce, baby kale and spinach is topped with black beans, carrots, roasted corn, tomatoes, peppers, cheddar and jack cheese, chili-lime tortilla strips, coriander, grilled chicken and Newman’s Own Southwest Dressing.

Chick-fil-A’s Smokehouse BBQ Bacon Sandwich is an indulgent mix of chicken breast, bacon hand-tossed in brown sugar, a sweetened bun, Colby-jack cheese and lettuce topped with BBQ sauce. At 500 calories, it’s not the worst offender on this list but there are still healthier options on the menu.

Swap it for the Grilled Market Salad, which contains just 330 calories and you’ll save yourself 170 calories. This far more nourishing option contains grilled chicken, lettuce, shredded cabbage carrots, crumbled blue cheese, red and green apples, strawberries and blueberries.

With a wide range of options for meats, fillings and toppings, the calories within a Chipotle Burrito can really vary. But, Chipotle’s nutrition calculator suggests a flour tortilla with chorizo, white or brown rice, lettuce, cheese, guacamole and sour cream is the most fattening combination with 1285 calories. 

For a healthier option, go for a Chicken Salad with romaine lettuce, fajita vegetables filling and the tomatillo red-chili salsa topping instead, which has a total of 225 calories. That's a massive saving of 1060 calories.

You’d need a big appetite to manage this gargantuan burger. With three-quarters of a pound of beef and three layers of cheese, this contains 1090 calories. Order some medium fries (420 calories) and a medium Coke (320 calories) and you’ll have consumed 1,830 in just one mega meal.

Save yourself 740 calories by ditching the burger and choosing the full-sized Power Mediterranean Salad instead. This nutrient-rich option is a healthy blend of sundried tomatoes, quinoa, feta cheese and hummus and contains just 350 calories (or 480 if you decide to add extra chicken).

High in flavour and high in fattening ingredients, this super-spicy burger has 1010 calories. The toasted bun is crammed with two 1/4lb burgers, jalapeño bacon, pepper jack cheese, tomatoes and lettuce and smothered in a fiery Tabasco sauce.

This simple and healthy salad has just 330 calories. Totally unadulterated, its only ingredients are grilled chicken, chopped tomatoes, red cabbage, shredded carrots and onion – with no dressing. That's 680 calories less than the FlameThrower GrillBurger.

Arby’s Triple Thick Brown Sugar Bacon Half Pound Club has 830 calories. This meaty feast consists of a buttery brioche bun stacked with sugar-coated bacon, roast turkey, smoked ham, Swiss cheese, creamy Dijon mustard, lettuce and tomato.

To save yourself 600 calories, choose Arby’s Roast Turkey Farmhouse Salad instead. This lighter lunch has just 230 calories and comes with roast turkey, peppers, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes and shredded cheddar cheese.

With 440 calories, Tim Horton's Ham & Swiss with lettuce, tomatoes and Tim's dressing is far from the most fattening item on this list. But, it's still the highest calorie sandwich on the menu at this popular Canadian fast food chain – and has only 20 less calories than their Maple Pecan Danish.

You could almost halve your intake by choosing the 229 calorie Grilled Chicken Salad instead, as long as you can resist any fattening salad dressings or condiments.

With 620 calories, Starbucks Lentils & Vegetable Protein Bowl with Brown Rice is the most calorific item on the menu but, packed with filling complex carbohydrates, root vegetables and 23 grams of protein, it should help you power through the day.

Grabbing a salad at Starbucks might seem like a healthy option, but they’re all pretty calorific – unless you opt for a side salad, which might still leave you feeling hungry. The Green Goddess Avocado Salad for example, has a whopping 620 calories. The Garden Greens & Shaved Parmesan Side Salad however, contains just 170 – that's 450 less than the lentil bowl.

Taco Bell proves salads aren't always as healthy as you may think. With 750 calories and 35 grams of fat, this Fiesta Steak Taco Salad is the most fattening item on the menu and consists of refried beans, rice, cheddar cheese, sour cream, salsa tomatoes, lettuce and steak inside a huge taco shell.

For a lighter bite you’d be far better off choosing items from Taco Bell’s Fresco menu, which only contains items with less than 8 grams of fat. The lowest calorie option is the Soft Taco with Shredded Chicken with only 140 calories: that’s 610 less than the Fiesta Taco Salad. Or, if you want to stick with salad, go for the Fresco Zesty Chicken Border Bowl which has 350 calories.