Olive Garden/ Restaurants in General
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jofjltncb6 wrote: »Colorscheme wrote: »jofjltncb6 wrote: »Colorscheme wrote: »jofjltncb6 wrote: »
Not that poster, but I've only eaten at OG once in my 31 years of life and I don't have plans to ever go back there. The food isn't that great and it's more about quantity than quality. Now that I have a pasta machine, I make fresh pasta at home whenever.
I don't go out of my way to eat there personally, but it seems a little ridiculous to me to judge those who do. $3.7b annually is a lot of people, so yeah, a lot of people eat there...and not all of them overweight. And I'd assume these people are not inherently less foodie than others.
I didn't say that other people can't eat there. Nor do I really judge others for eating there. I just wasn't impressed with the food [hence why I said it wasn't that good] and now that I have a pasta machine I can make fresh pasta whenever I want.
My comment was more directed to the original comment someone else made about "people still eat at OG?" But since you took over for them in their absence, I replied to you.
Ah ok. I didn't realize that.
I agree with you that OG is popular. It does seem to be crowded all the time, same with The Cheesecake Factory.0 -
When I go to Olive Garden, I get the minestrone and order my breadsticks plain. They take a little longer, but come out hot from the oven. They will even bring you a little cup of their seasoning on the side. A couple of bowls of soup and a bresdstick or two makes for a filling, rather reasonable for eating out meal.
That works for me, because I am not a fan of their entrées. The soup tastes fresh and homemade.
I didn't know you could order plain breadsticks. My son and I are probably going to end up there this afternoon (it's my son's favorite restaurant - I'm not really a fan of Italian food myself) so this tip will come in handy. When I do eat there, I usually get the salmon or tilapia dishes.0 -
That's exactly the mind set to have! It's just one dayYep I usually do the same, but this was extremely last minute. Not too worried about it though, it's only one day.
I've gone to the restroom before ordering to check up calories , lol!
Ha I do this too. Maybe not as much anymore because most of my friends, and of course my fiance, know that I'm actively tracking/counting. Sometimes I just feel a little self-conscious about having to look things up and decide what's best, but I'm getting over it since I know it works the best for me.1 -
I'm going there for lunch today and I HAVE to plan ahead otherwise I will order the unhealthiest, cheesiest item from the menu. I plan on getting their "make your own pasta" with whole wheat linguine, marinara and grilled chicken. I will not eat a breadstick, but will get salad with no cheese1
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krishnap1104 wrote: »I'm going there for lunch today and I HAVE to plan ahead otherwise I will order the unhealthiest, cheesiest item from the menu. I plan on getting their "make your own pasta" with whole wheat linguine, marinara and grilled chicken. I will not eat a breadstick, but will get salad with no cheese
700ish calories?0 -
I walk into a restaurant with an agenda and my guard up! I order water and peruse the menu. When bread comes I show my Palm and say 'no bread please'. I order one lean protein food and 2 vegetables or whole fruit dishes. If there is a whole grain option I will get that. I refuse to give into any refined grain or fried option, even if I'm hungry and and my table mates are doing it. Most of the time I take half home. Dessert=never. I'm always surprised how satisfied I am at the end of the meal! This habit of mine has gotten me strange looks and comments and more than a few rolled eyes, but I'm so determined to get this weight off that I'm willing to keep it up. Actually, it's fun now and I know just what to order at my favorite places.4
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jofjltncb6 wrote: »
We used to eat there regularly years ago and then the quality took a nose dive so we stopped going.
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I eat the minestrone, salad (no dressing) and a couple breadsticks with some tea whenever I go there. I'm going there for lunch today and will do the unlimited soup, salad and breadsticks again. I have no problems sticking to my goals that way.
It helps that the minestrone is also my favorite item on their menu.1 -
olive garden has a 300 calorie kid's pasta meal. add a single non-heaping plate of salad for approximately 140 calories.1
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Went to Olive Garden unexpectedly for lunch today... I ate half of my pasta, salad and 1 breadstick (as well as a Dr. Pepper) and still ate 1000 calories
My meal on the regular menu was the same price as the "buy one take one" option and so I got that thinking the portions were half size but they were full size portions so I now have 1.5 full portions of pasta in my refrigerator!
I have always known restaurant portions were way too large but geez!! I didn't realize just how many calories it would be.
It isn't so much the portions as how they cook them. Lots of butter and oil.0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »I just assume a restaurant meal is going to put me over for the day. We prefer local mom & pop type places to chains so getting even a good estimate of calories is a crap shoot. But I look at some of these chains and wonder WTH are they putting in these dishes that make them so high calorie?
There is a brownie sundae at Miller's Ale House that is 2,400 calories, according to the menu.
I have no freaking clue how that's possible. It's a relatively normal-sized brownie with maybe a cup of vanilla ice cream and a reasonable amount of whipped cream and hot fudge. I'm rarely shocked over restaurant calorie counts, but I know the general number of calories in those foods and it just doesn't add up to 2,400 for the size! The brownie must be 90% lard!0 -
Last time I ate at Cheesecake Factory I thought the food should come out in a trough, the portions were so huge. And it was a salad!0
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jenovatrix wrote: »Last time I ate at Cheesecake Factory I thought the food should come out in a trough, the portions were so huge. And it was a salad!
Cheesecake Factory is not really a good example of most chain restaurants IMO... Never seen portions so big anywhere else. I guess it's one of the few places where I would actually be satisfied eaten half an entree, lol (even the lunch portion).0 -
Olive gardens nutrition info is skewered by their chefs. Even on the light menu, the meal comes out drenched in oil or butter. Make sure to say no added butter or oil0
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jenovatrix wrote: »Last time I ate at Cheesecake Factory I thought the food should come out in a trough, the portions were so huge. And it was a salad!
cheesecake factory has an entire menu of foods under 590 calories called the skinnylicious menu including burgers, fish and shrimp, tacos, salads, pasta and more. i really like one of the salads on the menu - i'd eat it even if i were underweight.
from the menu: SkinnyLicious® is our collection of fresh and delicious menu options with lower calories and signature rich taste. Choose from more than 50 dishes with 590 calories or less.0 -
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eveandqsmom wrote: »
Sports Authority went out of business.
And?0 -
Last time i went to OG the calories were on their menu itself! Same with red lobster! It shouldn't be a surprise at either of those...
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endlessfall16 wrote: »I have developed this perspective. It squares away all the concerns and fits my lifestyle.
I don't count calories at restaurants. I enjoy the meals fully, the more better, especially if someone else pays for it, or since I pay for it with my hard earned money. It's a great opportunity to charge up energy, ie load up as many calories as possible.
Then, I just eat light, spend less, in the next 12, 15, 24 hours, and move more, try to be more physically productive.
I figure big meals don't come by every day. They are still very few and far in between.
I feel the same. Restaurant meals don't come every day so they are not likely going to affect my weight loss by much. It's what I do every day that does. Though I do try to track calories (or guestimate if info is not available) for record keeping, but seeing a 1500 calorie meal does not discourage me from eating as much of it as I feel like.
I order to my preferences not to my calorie allowance. Knowing how many calories is in certain meals is useful info though. The other day I was invited to a Spanish restaurant and ordered what I wanted. When I tracked it, my main meal turned out to be about 500 calories (plus 200 or so in tapas, mostly grilled veggies because I love them). I was pleasantly surprised because the whole thing had just about as many calories as I eat for my main meal while on a diet and I loved every bite of it. Knowing which of your favorite dishes you can order more often is good knowledge, especially when you don't feel like having something in particular, so you will have safer choices to fall on. It should not be binding, though, to where you don't allow yourself other things you like that are higher in calories.0 -
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becca1380461 wrote: »Last time i went to OG the calories were on their menu itself! Same with red lobster! It shouldn't be a surprise at either of those...
That will be because of you local, state or (in my case) provincial legislation. Up here, that only applies in Ontario. Does not apply in BC where I live.0 -
I'm on a board at work that supplies lunch, but I never know what I'm getting until I show up. I know, I could bring my own lunch, but I have not yet overcome my ultimate weakness of free food. It always kills my calories for the day. I ate 1,000 calories: 2 pieces of a Quizno's sub (so only 2/3 of one sandwich), a cookie, and a small glass of Coke.
The cookie wasn't even good.
That's what kills me about restaurants. I don't mind it if it's GOOD, but if it's just mediocre it's not worth it.0 -
[1] The 1 good thing about those chain restaurants is that the calorie count will be online. (And maybe not having to parallel park). Sometimes they will also be on the menu itself, or there will even be a lower calorie menu section.
[2] Restaurant salad is often not a great idea if working with a calorie limit - way too much variation. I generally consider steak to be the best option. The number of calories is reasonable and known, with the restaurant not adding extra sugar/fat for flavor (because they don't need to).0 -
Colorscheme wrote: »jofjltncb6 wrote: »
Not that poster, but I've only eaten at OG once in my 31 years of life and I don't have plans to ever go back there. The food isn't that great and it's more about quantity than quality. Now that I have a pasta machine, I make fresh pasta at home whenever.
I went to an Olive Garden a few times with my Dad when there was one in between us. Since I only like to eat out when the food is better than I can make at home, I stopped going.
My new favorite restaurant is an upscale Italian restaurant that clearly makes the pasta fresh - OMG, I never knew raviolis could taste like that! Their portions are smaller and prices higher, and it's definitely worth it for special occasions.
I'd be afraid to own a pasta maker, lol. I left my bread maker behind in a move. I was completely incapable of moderating freshly baked bread.
I made potato gnocchi from scratch within the last few years - it was really yummy! But very labor intensive. And caloric in the quantity I wanted to eat.1
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