Foods you thought had fewer calories and discovered they didn't when you paid attention

mavers1

Today, I went to Wawa and grabbed the salad I normally grab, I looked at the back of dressing packet and saw that the dressing alone was 210 calories! Wow, what you eat when you're not paying attention.

Does anybody have any foods that surprised you once you started paying attention to what you were eating?

*modified the title as language was confusing or uncomfortable for others

DvlDwnInGA

Once I started weighing everything, I was shocked in a lot of ways.

corinic91

I was shocked what a serving of cereal was once I weighed it

segacs

The choice of wording in the thread of this title might be off. I didn't discover anything was "unhealthy". I did, however, discover that some foods were much more calorie-dense than I thought they were.

For instance, I used to order the rice instead of the fries as a side dish at a restaurant, thinking it was a "lighter" option until I realized how many calories were in a single serving of rice. Now I opt for steamed or grilled veggies.

I also didn't realize just how much peanut butter I was consuming at once. I weigh it out carefully now.

Phoenix_Down

segacs wrote: »

The choice of wording in the thread of this title might be off. I didn't discover anything was "unhealthy". I did, however, discover that some foods were much more calorie-dense than I thought they were.

For instance, I used to order the rice instead of the fries as a side dish at a restaurant, thinking it was a "lighter" option until I realized how many calories were in a single serving of rice. Now I opt for steamed or grilled veggies.

I also didn't realize just how much peanut butter I was consuming at once. I weigh it out carefully now.

^this is my feels, too.

I found healthier ways to fit foods I love into a balanced diet once I started tracking, that's for sure.

Peanut butter and avacado were my shockers. Also,just about anything from Dairy Queen haha. Have to really plan that one in

kxbrown27

I was a little shocked when I learned a label can say 0 trans fats even though hydrogenated oils are part of the ingredient list.

mavers1

Phoenix_Down wrote: »

segacs wrote: »

The choice of wording in the thread of this title might be off. I didn't discover anything was "unhealthy". I did, however, discover that some foods were much more calorie-dense than I thought they were.

For instance, I used to order the rice instead of the fries as a side dish at a restaurant, thinking it was a "lighter" option until I realized how many calories were in a single serving of rice. Now I opt for steamed or grilled veggies.

I also didn't realize just how much peanut butter I was consuming at once. I weigh it out carefully now.

^this is my feels, too.

I found healthier ways to fit foods I love into a balanced diet once I started tracking, that's for sure.

Peanut butter and avacado were my shockers. Also,just about anything from Dairy Queen haha. Have to really plan that one in

I say healthy because I associated salad/salad dressing with being healthy and I think that a 210 calorie salad dressing which 80% of is calories from fat hardly counts as such. Maybe that logic only functions for me.

Phoenix_Down

mavers1 wrote: »

Phoenix_Down wrote: »

segacs wrote: »

The choice of wording in the thread of this title might be off. I didn't discover anything was "unhealthy". I did, however, discover that some foods were much more calorie-dense than I thought they were.

For instance, I used to order the rice instead of the fries as a side dish at a restaurant, thinking it was a "lighter" option until I realized how many calories were in a single serving of rice. Now I opt for steamed or grilled veggies.

I also didn't realize just how much peanut butter I was consuming at once. I weigh it out carefully now.

^this is my feels, too.

I found healthier ways to fit foods I love into a balanced diet once I started tracking, that's for sure.

Peanut butter and avacado were my shockers. Also,just about anything from Dairy Queen haha. Have to really plan that one in

I say healthy because I associated salad/salad dressing with being healthy and I think that a 210 calorie salad dressing which 80% of is calories from fat hardly counts as such. Maybe that logic only functions for me.

It would entirely depend on the rest of your day on whether or not those things would fit into your diet healthfully.

Assuming you're meeting your bodies required nutrients, there's nothing wrong with it. Now, when one is trying to limit calories for weight loss, there are things that should be portioned or cut back on, for sure. I occasionally get regular ranch but I actually love balsamic vinegar dressing, so I use that, for example. But it doesn't make the ranch unhealthy.

seltzermint555

I've never really been that into milkshakes, thankfully. But that's the biggest shocker for me that most of them, even small ones, have at least 600 and sometimes well over 1,000 calories. I guess in my mind, being almost totally ignorant of calories in beverages for so many years...I would have guessed that a medium fountain Coke had like 200-ish cal (pretty close to correct) and a shake, 300? 400? Not 970 or whatever!

Also, cheese. I don't mind "using" calories on mayo for a sandwich oddly enough but I almost never put cheese on anything anymore, such as burgers, salads, etc. And I now use it VERY sparingly on Italian, Mexican and/or Tex Mex recipes I make at home. It used to be such a staple, I barely even considered that it had calories (!!!) and I'd cover almost everything in shredded cheddar or mozzarella. Not anymore!

funsteps

The calories in fancy coffee drinks really shocked me. I didn't think they were healthy, but I didn't think that some of them had 500-600+ calories in them. Even just adding cream and sugar to coffee adds a ton of calories. I've switched from lattes to iced coffee with sugar free flavoring... My new daily Starbucks order is only 5 calories.

clyn27

I was making my boyfriend a breakfast sammy this morning and was shocked that the brown and serve sausage patties were 220 calories for one patty. I will be buying turkey brown and serve from now on thank you very much. I was also shocked that dunkin donuts reduced fat blueberry muffin had almost 500 calories in it. Once you start paying better attention to the amount of calories that are in some of the things you used to eat you become instantly disgusted with that food!

kimny72

I don't think there was anything I thought of as "low-cal" that wasn't, but was shocked at just how many calories the stuff I "treated" myself with had! Some have already been mentioned, like flavored coffee drinks and milkshakes. Fried chicken sandwiches. Cheese-stuffed anything. Cheesecake. I knew they were splurges, I just had no idea how much!

CObluegrass

when I added up my typical Panda Express lunch, I about fell on the floor. "but it's chicken, rice and veggies!"

nicsflyingcircus

mavers1 wrote: »

Phoenix_Down wrote: »

segacs wrote: »

The choice of wording in the thread of this title might be off. I didn't discover anything was "unhealthy". I did, however, discover that some foods were much more calorie-dense than I thought they were.

For instance, I used to order the rice instead of the fries as a side dish at a restaurant, thinking it was a "lighter" option until I realized how many calories were in a single serving of rice. Now I opt for steamed or grilled veggies.

I also didn't realize just how much peanut butter I was consuming at once. I weigh it out carefully now.

^this is my feels, too.

I found healthier ways to fit foods I love into a balanced diet once I started tracking, that's for sure.

Peanut butter and avacado were my shockers. Also,just about anything from Dairy Queen haha. Have to really plan that one in

I say healthy because I associated salad/salad dressing with being healthy and I think that a 210 calorie salad dressing which 80% of is calories from fat hardly counts as such. Maybe that logic only functions for me.

For me, so long as the dressing didn't have a bunch of added sugar and the salad didn't have croutons, that would fit my macros fine. Especially if there was also grilled chicken on it. Woo!

dawn0293

I was shocked how many calories are in pasta. I used to eat it all the time. I knew homemade mac and cheese was not the best calorie option out there but I had no idea that those plates of whole grain spaghetti with a little sauce were doing me in like they were.

Abby2205

funsteps wrote: »

Even just adding cream and sugar to coffee adds a ton of calories.

Tim Hortons extra large double double is 320 calories. It's not two sugar packets and two creamer cups. They meter in the amount to match the size so all sizes taste the same. And they use 18% cream. My sister told me and added in horror "I was drinking two or three of these a day!" Now another family member works there and says that double-double is far and away the most popular coffee order.

lemurcat12

mavers1 wrote: »

Phoenix_Down wrote: »

segacs wrote: »

The choice of wording in the thread of this title might be off. I didn't discover anything was "unhealthy". I did, however, discover that some foods were much more calorie-dense than I thought they were.

For instance, I used to order the rice instead of the fries as a side dish at a restaurant, thinking it was a "lighter" option until I realized how many calories were in a single serving of rice. Now I opt for steamed or grilled veggies.

I also didn't realize just how much peanut butter I was consuming at once. I weigh it out carefully now.

^this is my feels, too.

I found healthier ways to fit foods I love into a balanced diet once I started tracking, that's for sure.

Peanut butter and avacado were my shockers. Also,just about anything from Dairy Queen haha. Have to really plan that one in

I say healthy because I associated salad/salad dressing with being healthy and I think that a 210 calorie salad dressing which 80% of is calories from fat hardly counts as such. Maybe that logic only functions for me.

For me it would depend on the size of the salad and what was in the salad dressing. I generally don't make dressings that have 210 calories, because I don't find that an especially satisfying way to use up calories, but a standard vinaigrette would be about half oil, half vinegar, I believe, so for 2 TBSP (those packages are often more, I think), that would be about 110 calories from the oil (and a few from the vinegar and whatever else you add). I don't consider olive oil at all unhealthy. Similarly, if you add something like blue cheese that would jack the calories up quickly, but I don't consider that unhealthy (and even think it adds to the satiation factor, unlike the dressing). Walnuts also add both to the calories and arguably the healthiness of a salad, as does avocado.

In particular, I'd avoid assuming that fat=unhealthy.

paulaviki

I love the salads from Pret a Manger here in the UK. I am still shocked about this, but they display the calories for them in the shop, only these calories don't include the tub of dressing in the salad. They also don't tell you that's the calories minus the dressing, which I think is another 100-200 on its own. To me they should display the calories including dressing! Grrr!

lemurcat12

I go to Pret reasonably often and don't care that they don't include the dressing, since (here, anyway) they are mix and match, but I do wish they had a lower calorie dressing option (they did for a while here, and got rid of it). If I make my own I make a heavily vinegar based option (just mustard, red wine vinegar, and some herbs can be perfectly good, or use a small amount of oil), so it bugs me to blow so many calories on a dressing. I either pick one I like without dressing or try to remember to bring some of my own.

adge1475

Oh god, I'm gonna sound so basic, but anything from Starbucks. When I started, I figured, hey, it's basically just coffee, right?
Puh-lease, I coulda been going to Dairy Queen and getting a large blizzard for some of the stuff they have on their menu.

pepperdove

I work at Starbucks, and I will tell you that any of our foods are pretty much going to kill your diet for the day. It's brutal.

Alatariel75

I have to say Sushi. For a long while, Weight Watchers was touting it as the miracle alternative to fast food when really, calorie for calorie, what I will devour in a sushi lunch is more calories than what I'd eat at McDonalds.

TheVirgoddess

Muffins. The calorie count in them makes me sad.

MamaRiss

This question has been posed before, and I seem to have a new answer every time I see it. This time, I had no idea that the chicken and cheese slider at White Castle, was more than double the calories of a standard beef slider. I about cried when I logged that meal. And that's when I started prelogging before heading out to a restaurant

Alatariel75

TheVirgoddess wrote: »

Muffins. The calorie count in them makes me sad.

OMG, it's like being made in a muffin tin magically doubles the calories, isn't it? Blows my mind.

Phoebeg1723

I'm a big carb craver. I love breads and pastas so it shocked me to see just how small say a 100cal portion was... And gave me my lightbulb moment as to where I was going wrong lol

BodyByButter

Snapeas. Delicious, but same calories as chips.

Alatariel75

The calories in pasta messed with my head too. Back when Weight Watchers had the "Fat & Fibre" program, the 'rules' were - less than 20g fat a day, more than 20g fibre, be sensible with sugar. On those rules, pasta was my best friend!! No wonder I wasn't losing haahaa. These days pasta is practically a side dish, small servie of it with a lot of veg and sauce.

seltzermint555

I am a big fan of Steak N Shake when it comes to fast food diner stuff...used to get the Frisco Melt, no fries & water to drink. Then I realized it's 750 cal, and 53g fat (although I don't make a point to eat low fat that is a lot).

I still opt for no fries and water to drink when I go there...but getting a double steakburger no cheese (390 cal, 21g fat) or if I'm hungrier even a triple (510 cal, 30g fat) is just as good and just as greasy-indulgent and satisfying to me. So I can get a double, plus cottage cheese with pineapple and it's still not even remotely close to the Frisco Melt calories.

tomatoey

seltzermint wrote: »

I've never really been that into milkshakes, thankfully. But that's the biggest shocker for me that most of them, even small ones, have at least 600 and sometimes well over 1,000 calories. I guess in my mind, being almost totally ignorant of calories in beverages for so many years...I would have guessed that a medium fountain Coke had like 200-ish cal (pretty close to correct) and a shake, 300? 400? Not 970 or whatever!

Also, cheese. I don't mind "using" calories on mayo for a sandwich oddly enough but I almost never put cheese on anything anymore, such as burgers, salads, etc. And I now use it VERY sparingly on Italian, Mexican and/or Tex Mex recipes I make at home. It used to be such a staple, I barely even considered that it had calories (!!!) and I'd cover almost everything in shredded cheddar or mozzarella. Not anymore!

I think a lot of people eat more cheese than they think they do, and have no idea what it costs them calorically. The first time I saw what it was worth, I blanched.

Nuts, avocado, peanut butter surprised me ("healthy, what!!!").

Of the stuff I used to like that is kind of not great value, which shouldn't have been a surprise but was (just high, high, high numbers, all 1000+)
- Poutine
- Fish and chips
- Jerk chicken
- Indian food
- Burritos (at the place I used to like)

lepnat

How small a serving size is for your typical salty snacks (Wheat Thins, Ritz Crackers, Goldish, etc). Even the Reduced Fat sizes are less than a handful for over 100 calories.