Foods with shocking high cals

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Replies

  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    dfwesq wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    LadyLilion wrote: »
    Anything sold in a restaurant, especially fast food. Yes, I know that I should expect it. But how the heck do you make a chicken sandwich or a salad have 1,000 calories?

    Biggest one lately though, has been money mustard salad dressing. At home I always buy the light versions. I love it. It's the only one I ever order if I'm out and I never, EVER would have thought it was so fattening. It's higher than Ranch! I blew an entire dinner I thought I'd done very well on one night when I got home and entered the darn dressing.

    Interesting. I find fast food much easier to do on a calorie budget than sit down restaurant food. The key is to get the "small" of everything (and get diet soda or water to drink). I can get a fast food burger for about 400 calories, but a sit down restaurant burger is going to be 800 calories minimum because of the huge fancy bun and all of the high-cal extras they put on to make it "fancy".

    I only eat half of a sit down restaurant burger per meal.

    I typically have 2-3 bites of "the whole thing" then pick up a knife and fork and eat the rest bunless (which has the added benefit of eliminating as much of the mayo/sauce as sticks to the bun). I don't really like the idea of leftover burger, so I'd rather focus on the yummy middle part. If I don't finish it, no big deal.
    ...
    The only fast food burgers I eat any more are in kids' meals. (I order a kid's meal with fruit - I'm not running around stealing kids' hamburgers! :) ) And even those are pretty high. I only eat them on days when I exercise a lot.

    I almost never have fast food, because normally I prefer something else, but a regular hamburger at McD's (not something exclusive to a kid's meal) is 250 calories, which is no more than a burger I'd make at home (although mine would have better macros and come with more interesting vegetables as a side, for my taste). Even a larger burger, like a Double Cheeseburger (and this includes cheese, which of course adds cals and would be no lower at home) is only 430, and a Quarter Pounder 540 (not sure what causes the difference between these two). At a pub or some such, the burger is going to be no less, likely much more (because it will also have a high cal bun, probably higher cal, will be more likely to include a sauce with fat in it, unless you ask that it not, could have high cal additions like avocado or bacon, and will also have beef that is not lean, and the size of the burger will be larger).

    Agreed with Susan (I think she's the one who said it) that a good approach to the pub/local joint burger is to eat half and make it into two meals.
  • neekonico
    neekonico Posts: 18 Member
    Ranch dressing, bagels, granola bars, nutella
  • everher
    everher Posts: 909 Member
    katadx wrote: »
    I agree wholeheartedly on the ice cream. I SPLIT a malt with my dad and my half was (roughly) 560 calories. My sister had an entire one. I probably could've drank a whole one but I am aware of the calories. I am appalled at how many 'hidden calories' exist in this world. Since I don't want to ruin my family's enjoyment of food, (even though calorie awareness doesn't ruin mine) I refrain from telling them about how many calories are in things. I'm the only one that reads labels and counts. I feel bad about not making them aware (and they don't ask and don't care either) when I see them eat over 2000 in one sitting. Anyone else experience this? I think pizza places are some of the biggest offenders because serving sizes are so ambiguous there.

    Don't feel bad. If they cared about calories that would be one thing, but if they don't they don't and that's okay.
  • kamarismom
    kamarismom Posts: 50 Member
    pdmccone wrote: »
    If you want a excellent tortilla that is low calorie, carb and high fiber I would recommend Ole Xtreme Wellness Tortilla. They are I think 10 inch and 50 calories, 11 dietary fiber, soft and taste excellent.

    I use these tortillas for everything. I love them.
  • SunnyDayzMomma
    SunnyDayzMomma Posts: 114 Member
    Nuts, avacado, cheese, peanut butter, banana. Certain breads. I bake my own bread now so I can actually eat it when I want it instead of having to plan my whole day around it.
  • SunnyDayzMomma
    SunnyDayzMomma Posts: 114 Member
    pdmccone wrote: »
    If you want a excellent tortilla that is low calorie, carb and high fiber I would recommend Ole Xtreme Wellness Tortilla. They are I think 10 inch and 50 calories, 11 dietary fiber, soft and taste excellent.

    Sigh.

    Not in Canada from what I see.

    Tortilla's I'm having are 180 cals and I'd love to try a lower cal version that tastes good.

    Dempsters has a lower calorie tortilla. I think they're 80 for a smaller one, not the big ones. Not as good as the ones described above, but still better than 180 for a big one. :neutral:
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,341 Member
    pdmccone wrote: »
    If you want a excellent tortilla that is low calorie, carb and high fiber I would recommend Ole Xtreme Wellness Tortilla. They are I think 10 inch and 50 calories, 11 dietary fiber, soft and taste excellent.

    Sigh.

    Not in Canada from what I see.

    Tortilla's I'm having are 180 cals and I'd love to try a lower cal version that tastes good.

    Dempsters has a lower calorie tortilla. I think they're 80 for a smaller one, not the big ones. Not as good as the ones described above, but still better than 180 for a big one. :neutral:

    Totally read that as Dumpsters.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    Trail mix, granola, various other "health foods."
  • mskimee
    mskimee Posts: 228 Member
    Fruit juices!! And Skinny Latte's can still be a few hundred in some cases. Goes to show you can't assume a food/drink is low just cos they tell you it's low. I've had to start pre-checking my order before I place it, just so i don't accidentally screw up my day with a "skinny" drink.
  • mkdm291
    mkdm291 Posts: 139 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    bandbmc wrote: »
    One banana. 100 calories. When my daily allowance is 1200, that is painful...

    I have bananas everyday in my smoothies but no longer have whole bananas - I use either a half or a third depending on how big it is. I store the unused banana cut side down on a small lid.

    We think alike! I also put 1/2 in my shake... I give the rest to my son.
  • abbynormalartist
    abbynormalartist Posts: 318 Member
    Slice of bakery cake from a grocery store - 750 calories. Didn't realize until after I ate it :(
  • abbynormalartist
    abbynormalartist Posts: 318 Member
    Granola! The brand I have is 220 calories for 1/2 a cup! I ended up adding 1/8 of a cup to my yogurt, still more calories than I would have liked.

    I used to add granola to my yogurt because I liked the crunch. Now I use a small bit of cereal (cheerios and fiber one are my favorites).
  • conniehv40
    conniehv40 Posts: 442 Member
    Until I started adding foods on this app, I had no idea pasta had so many calories and salads in restaurants!! Opened my eyes!
  • LadyLilion
    LadyLilion Posts: 276 Member
    edited June 2017
    Nuts, avacado, cheese, peanut butter, banana. Certain breads. I bake my own bread now so I can actually eat it when I want it instead of having to plan my whole day around it.

    Baking your own bread - how does that differ from store bought? I mean, I bake and I've baked bread - I love it. But I can't get my calories per slice down any lower than store bought and it tastes so darn much better I want it more! What do you do differently?

    I think the number of calories in FLOUR is just shocking! 455 calories a CUP. THAT is why pastries of all descriptions are so fattening. (BTW - MFP's database is so wrong it's crazy. They show Aldi flour - which is still just flour - at 845 per cup. Can't something be done about that?)
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited June 2017
    LadyLilion wrote: »
    I think the number of calories in FLOUR is just shocking! 455 calories a CUP. THAT is why pastries of all descriptions are so fattening. (BTW - MFP's database is so wrong it's crazy. They show Aldi flour - which is still just flour - at 845 per cup. Can't something be done about that?)

    Pastries tend to get about half their calories from carbs (flour plus sugar) and half from fat (often butter -- butter has about 1600+ calories per cup). The combination leads to something that is quite calorie dense for how light it often seems. Plus, something that may well be delicious and desirable in larger portions than is wise! ;-)
  • newheavensearth
    newheavensearth Posts: 870 Member
    I found a red velvet whoopie pie in a bodega that was 590 calories for the whole thing.That was right up there with Little Debbie Cakes. And I used to eat those 2 at a time. Over half my day's calories in a snack. No wonder I was huge.
  • princess0lexi
    princess0lexi Posts: 3,938 Member
    LadyLilion wrote: »
    ice cream can have a lot of calories for half a cup and i think some of ben and jerrys are shocking for half a cup.

    I think it's shocking that anyone considers half a cup of ice cream to be an adequate serving size! :'(

    i know right
  • delimanager640
    delimanager640 Posts: 12 Member
    I really miss buffalo wings
  • princess0lexi
    princess0lexi Posts: 3,938 Member
    dried fruit.
  • ogtmama
    ogtmama Posts: 1,403 Member
    LadyLilion wrote: »
    ice cream can have a lot of calories for half a cup and i think some of ben and jerrys are shocking for half a cup.

    I think it's shocking that anyone considers half a cup of ice cream to be an adequate serving size! :'(

    i know right

    My Ben and Jerry 's lists a serving size of half a cup! I'm glad the laws around nutritional info are changing.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    Margaritas. :(
  • mkdm291
    mkdm291 Posts: 139 Member
    Also.. wine. Ok, not shocking. Just....... SO SAD! :'(
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    I really think a half cup serving is quite sensible for ice cream. Now, if I eat it out of a pint I'll eat more, which is why that's not a good idea, and it might look tiny in a giant bowl, but if I use a small bowl and eat attentively, it's a really nice post dinner treat, and not unsatisfyingly small. Also, since I always read labels I always knew a serving size was supposed to be a quarter of a pint.
  • EHollander89
    EHollander89 Posts: 169 Member
    I agree on bananas, avocados, grapes, milk shake (even plain vanilla!), muffins or the lemon bread from Starbucks (so tasty!)

    The muffins and lemon bread are no longer in my diet, but the plain milkshake makes it in occasionally. I also love Oreos and am actually pretty good at rationing them out so I only eat 2 at a time. I recently bought the lemon ones and the new blueberry pie ones. They were on sale, so I had to try the new blueberry pie ones, right?
  • Italiana_xx79
    Italiana_xx79 Posts: 594 Member
    Nyquil!! I was really sick last Thanksgiving and didn't eat much but I was using almost a full bottle of dayquil and nyquil a day (total, not each) and if I can remember correctly, there was about 400+ calories in a bottle!! I now only take the pills if I need to
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    I really think a half cup serving is quite sensible for ice cream. Now, if I eat it out of a pint I'll eat more, which is why that's not a good idea, and it might look tiny in a giant bowl, but if I use a small bowl and eat attentively, it's a really nice post dinner treat, and not unsatisfyingly small. Also, since I always read labels I always knew a serving size was supposed to be a quarter of a pint.

    I use a ramekin for ice cream. Then a half-cup serving is positively overflowing out of the "bowl". Psychology for the win! :smiley:

    I use this "trick" too! Same amount of ice cream, but it's so much happier to look at.
  • Matiara
    Matiara Posts: 377 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    I really think a half cup serving is quite sensible for ice cream. Now, if I eat it out of a pint I'll eat more, which is why that's not a good idea, and it might look tiny in a giant bowl, but if I use a small bowl and eat attentively, it's a really nice post dinner treat, and not unsatisfyingly small. Also, since I always read labels I always knew a serving size was supposed to be a quarter of a pint.

    I use a ramekin for ice cream. Then a half-cup serving is positively overflowing out of the "bowl". Psychology for the win! :smiley:

    Using a ramekin is exactly what I do. Ice cream was one of the foods I was pleasantly surprised with when I started weighing instead of using measuring cups. 85-95 grams, which is the typical serving size of the brands that I eat, is way more than a half cup measure. For me, it's a satisfying portion.

  • JeepHair77
    JeepHair77 Posts: 1,291 Member
    I really miss buffalo wings

    Hooters recently started doing smoked buffalo wings - they're half the calories, and they are incredibly good - way better than the fried ones.
  • Matiara
    Matiara Posts: 377 Member
    Nothing surprised me negatively. I've been aware of serving sizes and calorie counts since I was a teenager. I just ignored them and ate what I felt like. :smile:

    As I said above, I found in weighing ice cream that a serving is more than a 1/2 cup measure. With peanut butter, I discovered that I had actually been overestimating the servings. I put more on my PB&J sandwiches now, but I can only handle 16-20 grams. A full 32 gram serving is way too much for me at one sitting.

    I eat many a restaurant cheeseburger and most of them clock in at under 600 calories. I'm thinking it's because I don't eat mayonnaise or sauce/dressings on burgers.
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