Subway Salad

Jcorn7
Jcorn7 Posts: 25 Member
edited January 2019 in Food and Nutrition
Hello, I was wondering if for dinner every night, I should eat a Subway salad consisting of double chicken breast, spinach, cucumber, bell pepper, tomato and some cheese. No dressing at all and no croutons. A bag of apples on the side with water and/or green tea. I also go to the gym 6 times a week for 1.5 hours each day doing cardio and lifting. The salad would be my meal after the gym. Would this be healthy and help in my weight loss goals? Thank you.
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Replies

  • autumnblade75
    autumnblade75 Posts: 1,661 Member
    I'd suggest adding dressing - you need fat to absorb nutrients. I wouldn't trust that the cheese has enough. And make sure you get enough calories the rest of the day to add up to your MFP assigned goal. Including at least a portion of your exercise calories.
  • Panini911
    Panini911 Posts: 2,325 Member
    edited January 2019
    I hate salad so i'd not eat that.

    to lose weight you need to eat at a calorie deficit (eat less than your body uses) over time. A salad CAN get you over those calories depending on the salad and EVERYTHING ELSE you ate that day. no bonus points or bonus calories for eating a salad ;)

    Their website says the salad is 150 calories. then you double the chicken so that's possibly an extra 80-100. then add the vinaigrette. the cheese is listed around 40-60 calories depending which one and how much. if you put a lot then that number can easily go up. So you are at around 150+80+50= 280 (then add vinegrette). still low for most dinners.

    and the apple slices (real apple correct?) is likely 80-100 calories. maybe 120 if they give a large portion.

    but it alll depends what you eat the rest of the day, and what you should be eating for a reasonable calorie deficit. one meal is one small part of the bigger picture.
  • kenyonhaff
    kenyonhaff Posts: 1,377 Member
    Jcorn7 wrote: »
    Hello, I was wondering if for dinner every night, I should eat a Subway salad consisting of double chicken breast, spinach, cucumber, bell pepper, tomato and some cheese. No dressing at all and no croutons. A bag of apples on the side with water and/or green tea. I also go to the gym 6 times a week for 1.5 hours each day doing cardio and lifting. The salad would be my meal after the gym. Would this be healthy and help in my weight loss goals? Thank you.

    How does this fit in with your overall calorie allotment? If you're doing 1.5 hours at the gym including cardio, a 500 calorie meal may not be enough...unless you've been eating quite a bit during breakfast and lunch perhaps.

    Also, there's something to be said about learning to feed yourself. Picking the same meal essentially day in day out does nothing to teach you how to figure out flexibly what works for you. It's undeniably easier to default to the same thing so you don't have to think...but between boredom, the human tendency to rebel, and having to cope with changes...everything will fall apart if you don't find a way to mix it up.
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,733 Member
    kenyonhaff wrote: »
    Jcorn7 wrote: »
    Hello, I was wondering if for dinner every night, I should eat a Subway salad consisting of double chicken breast, spinach, cucumber, bell pepper, tomato and some cheese. No dressing at all and no croutons. A bag of apples on the side with water and/or green tea. I also go to the gym 6 times a week for 1.5 hours each day doing cardio and lifting. The salad would be my meal after the gym. Would this be healthy and help in my weight loss goals? Thank you.

    How does this fit in with your overall calorie allotment? If you're doing 1.5 hours at the gym including cardio, a 500 calorie meal may not be enough...unless you've been eating quite a bit during breakfast and lunch perhaps.

    Also, there's something to be said about learning to feed yourself. Picking the same meal essentially day in day out does nothing to teach you how to figure out flexibly what works for you. It's undeniably easier to default to the same thing so you don't have to think...but between boredom, the human tendency to rebel, and having to cope with changes...everything will fall apart if you don't find a way to mix it up.

    But...what if eating the same meal every day IS what works for that person? Not everybody feels the need to mix things up. Sorry, the whole things aren't sustainable has become a HUGE pet peeve. Are they not still feeding themselves if they like eating the same foods?

    Having said that, I like Subway salads and recently had one after stopping salads for a long period of time but, damn, they went up in price! And no way I personally could eat it without dressing.

    I think it's a good option for dinner but definitely make sure you're hitting your calorie goal with the rest of your meals.
  • Jcorn7
    Jcorn7 Posts: 25 Member
    Thanks for all the answers. I've been eating the same things everyday for over a month, and I've lost 20 pounds. Eating the same everyday seems to be working for me. I've tried the Subway salad before, and I would get bored of them. But this time around, I have newfound willpower. Haven't touched any sweets or chips since I stopped mid December.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    I'd suggest adding dressing - you need fat to absorb nutrients. I wouldn't trust that the cheese has enough. And make sure you get enough calories the rest of the day to add up to your MFP assigned goal. Including at least a portion of your exercise calories.

    This^

    Dietary fat won't make you fat. Just measure your dressing and log it.
    Jcorn7 wrote: »
    Thanks for all the answers. I've been eating the same things everyday for over a month, and I've lost 20 pounds. Eating the same everyday seems to be working for me. I've tried the Subway salad before, and I would get bored of them. But this time around, I have newfound willpower. Haven't touched any sweets or chips since I stopped mid December.

    Willpower is a fleeting thing. Besides, when you get to goal a smaller you is going to require (somewhat) fewer calories forever. Instead of just focusing on getting the weight off, look for some things you can change forever too.

    I still eat chocolate, I love light salted popcorn. It's not about eliminating short term, it's about finding a balance for all foods .........LONG term.
  • Jcorn7
    Jcorn7 Posts: 25 Member
    Interesting. I guess I had the misconception that any dressing on salad was bad and unhealthy. I was just reading that asking for vinegar with no oil was a healthy option for dressing.
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    It's not bad or unhealthy; that's an attitude left over from the 80s and 90s with the "Fats are evil" dogma. Too much dressing can add more calories than you bargained on, so asking for dressing on the side so you can control how much you get is often wise. In general, a tablespoon of (non-diet) dressing is 80 calories, though there can be some variation. But we're talking, "some are 70, some are 90" variation, not "it can range from 20 to 500".
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,733 Member
    Bolthouse Farms makes some really good lower calorie dressings but you should still get some fat in your diet.

    When I get a salad from Subway, I'll usually use the sweet onion teriyaki sauce as a dressing and do the spearing the salad/dipping into dressing things so to use less.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Jcorn7 wrote: »
    Interesting. I guess I had the misconception that any dressing on salad was bad and unhealthy. I was just reading that asking for vinegar with no oil was a healthy option for dressing.

    Vinegar with no oil is a *low calorie* dressing. Fat isn't bad for you or unhealthy, it's just calorie-dense. You actually require fat to live and the fat in oil does help you absorb some of the nutrients in salad.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    glassyo wrote: »
    Bolthouse Farms makes some really good lower calorie dressings but you should still get some fat in your diet.

    When I get a salad from Subway, I'll usually use the sweet onion teriyaki sauce as a dressing and do the spearing the salad/dipping into dressing things so to use less.

    I made some taco salads this last week with the Bolthouse Ranch, that and the Cilantro Avocado are my favourites. A naked Subway salad brought home might be in my future now...
  • Noreenmarie1234
    Noreenmarie1234 Posts: 7,492 Member
    Jcorn7 wrote: »
    Interesting. I guess I had the misconception that any dressing on salad was bad and unhealthy. I was just reading that asking for vinegar with no oil was a healthy option for dressing.

    Vinegar with no oil is a *low calorie* dressing. Fat isn't bad for you or unhealthy, it's just calorie-dense. You actually require fat to live and the fat in oil does help you absorb some of the nutrients in salad.
    Jcorn7 wrote: »
    Interesting. I guess I had the misconception that any dressing on salad was bad and unhealthy. I was just reading that asking for vinegar with no oil was a healthy option for dressing.

    My subway has fat free italian, ranch and balsamic all at 25-35 calories per packet.
  • WilmaValley
    WilmaValley Posts: 1,092 Member
    Great discussion and ideas!!!
  • AmyC2288
    AmyC2288 Posts: 386 Member
    Just a suggestion but salsa is very low calorie and a nice substitute for dressing! I would think Subway would have salsa!
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    AmyC2288 wrote: »
    Just a suggestion but salsa is very low calorie and a nice substitute for dressing! I would think Subway would have salsa!

    I do not believe that Subway has salsa.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    AmyC2288 wrote: »
    Just a suggestion but salsa is very low calorie and a nice substitute for dressing! I would think Subway would have salsa!

    I do not believe that Subway has salsa.

    Not in any I've been to in CA.
  • AmyC2288
    AmyC2288 Posts: 386 Member
    AmyC2288 wrote: »
    Just a suggestion but salsa is very low calorie and a nice substitute for dressing! I would think Subway would have salsa!

    I do not believe that Subway has salsa.

    Not in any I've been to in CA.

    Meh...they totally should!

    OP- if you aren't eating in store and can take home...maybe add some salsa if you have some. A dry salad is a sad salad. :)
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    Jcorn7 wrote: »
    Hello, I was wondering if for dinner every night, I should eat a Subway salad consisting of double chicken breast, spinach, cucumber, bell pepper, tomato and some cheese. No dressing at all and no croutons. A bag of apples on the side with water and/or green tea. I also go to the gym 6 times a week for 1.5 hours each day doing cardio and lifting. The salad would be my meal after the gym. Would this be healthy and help in my weight loss goals? Thank you.

    What else are you eating in a normal day? Or is this intended to be your only meal?
  • Noreenmarie1234
    Noreenmarie1234 Posts: 7,492 Member
    AmyC2288 wrote: »
    Just a suggestion but salsa is very low calorie and a nice substitute for dressing! I would think Subway would have salsa!

    or the 25 calorie dressing packs that come with the salad.
  • HeliumIsNoble
    HeliumIsNoble Posts: 1,213 Member
    edited January 2019
    I can't imagine how you'd financially afford it every day.

    It sounds healthy enough and a lot more nutritious than many other meals. However, if you are literally eating the same set of meals day-in, day-out, I would be concerned about the scope for a nutritional deficiency of some sort.

    This is obviously a completely worst-case scenario, but if your overall meal plan today isn't meeting your needs in any individual micronutrient, and you eat exactly the same every day, there isn't any chance that the difference will be made up on a subsequent day. If you're doing this long-term, that would really matter.
    The most important thing is to check if your salad has a good sense of humor.
    Many thin, attractive people are pictured eating salads that are clearly hilarious.

    You win the internet today.
  • suziecue25
    suziecue25 Posts: 289 Member
    Eat whatever you like but personally I believe that variety is the spice of life.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    AmyC2288 wrote: »
    AmyC2288 wrote: »
    Just a suggestion but salsa is very low calorie and a nice substitute for dressing! I would think Subway would have salsa!

    I do not believe that Subway has salsa.

    Not in any I've been to in CA.

    Meh...they totally should!

    OP- if you aren't eating in store and can take home...maybe add some salsa if you have some. A dry salad is a sad salad. :)

    They should! Could go well with their breakfast stuff as well.
  • magnusthenerd
    magnusthenerd Posts: 1,207 Member
    suziecue25 wrote: »
    Eat whatever you like but personally I believe that variety is the spice of life.

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