A pricey (calorie wise) lesson learned

My roommate and I went to IHOP for 50 cent pancakes...I had scrambled eggs as well...When I logged them I was SHOCKED. They are Twice the calories as regular large eggs are and more than the 1.5 pancakes I ate!...I researched and learned they put pancake batter in them...*sigh* never again.
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Replies

  • FaylinaMeir
    FaylinaMeir Posts: 661 Member
    not to mention all the hydrogenated soy bean oil and such they use. Ihop is so so bad. A lot of times it would be healthier to go eat a burger at mcdonalds. seriously :laugh:
  • ObtainingBalance
    ObtainingBalance Posts: 1,446 Member
    I hate how most restaurant foods have high calorie items... like order a meal and then go home to log and realize it's friggin' 1,000 + calories. It's disappointing, but at least you'll be more careful next time!
  • Peanutmanak47
    Peanutmanak47 Posts: 75 Member
    A ****ty as it sounds you have to do your research before you actually go. My fiance and I went to chili's the other week and we looked at their nutrition menu before we went and were shocked at how bad everything thing was. Only a handful of items were some decent. Just a burger and fries and you were down like 1600 calories.

    Most big chain restaurants have nutrition menu's on their sites.
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    I search the websites of the restaurants before I go..this way I can decide on what I can order to make it fit in my day or if it will be my treat meal for the week.
    I love ihop pancakes so I just order a full stack and make it my treat for the week.
  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
    Learn to log before going, especially at places like Ihop you can look up the nutritional information first, and make it fit into your day.

    I just looked at their website and could get 2 eggs & 2 pancakes w/bacon and be at 680 calories, that's easily worked into my day and if it doesn't fit and I still want it I make that choice

    ETA: If you are going out to eat, be responsible but pick what you enjoy. Eat it, log it, and move on from it. No guilt, no regrets, it's 1 meal.
  • kmbrooks15
    kmbrooks15 Posts: 941 Member
    All restaurants with more than a certain number of locations (can't remember the magic number, but most of your chain restaurants are well over it) are now required by law to provide nutritional information on all their foods. It really does make eating out easier. If you know where you're going ahead of time, you can research it and plan for it.

    I enjoy eating at Applebee's because they have a low calorie menu (all items are under 550 calories). They also have dessert shooters that come in at about 300 calories if you opt for dessert. We were at Olive Garden the other night and I was delighted to see a low-cal menu until I realized the prices for those items were considerably more than everything else.
  • stephe1987
    stephe1987 Posts: 406 Member
    Just don't plan to eat anything else that day, or only eat light snacks. Do an extra or longer workout to burn extra calories. If you know you're going to go out, remember that you'll be eating an insanely high number of calories and plan accordingly.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    IHOP adds pancake better to a lot of their egg/omlette combos to make them fuller and fluffier- which is why I was alwasy flabergasted when I couldn't finish a 4 egg omlette- but I can eat 6 eggs at a pop- it just didn't make sense.

    now I ask them to make JUST eggs- no filler.
    Just don't plan to eat anything else that day, or only eat light snacks. /quote]
    this is a dangerous game- and I don't recommend it really:
    planning ahead is different than making up in terms of mental comittment- by not eating after you wind up "punishing yourself" and it becomes a dangerous slope. If you can do it without feeling guilty- by all means go ahead- but it's a slipper slope to "punishing" and having to deal with fall out.

    Planning ahead to spoil yourself so you eat light all day to me is signifciantly different- either you go into it saying "eff it" or you just really bank extra calories to eat guilt free.
    I do that frequently- but it's never a punishment- and my relationship with food stays in tact.
  • Born_2_Lose
    Born_2_Lose Posts: 59 Member
    Really? They put pancake batter in the scrambled eggs? Wow
  • successgal1
    successgal1 Posts: 996 Member
    Had this happen yesterday. Ran out of my home prepared frozen lunches and decided to get the honey mustard chicken salad at pdq. Then found their website which listed it at over 800 calories and 70 grams of fat. Fortunately I didn't do too much damage since I was in a calorie deficit from exercise before bed the night before. But, pdq just lost a customer.

    Just finished making another 21 days of frozen lunches. If I'm going to add calories to my day I'd rather it be in the form of chocolate instead of from a chain that markets itself as being a healthier fast food alternative.
  • Born_2_Lose
    Born_2_Lose Posts: 59 Member
    Logging before going out to eat is REALLY helpful!
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    Really? They put pancake batter in the scrambled eggs? Wow

    That seems so weird.
  • TheVirgoddess
    TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
    Really? They put pancake batter in the scrambled eggs? Wow

    Yeah, I'm still stuck right here. It sounds so beyond gross.

    But like everyone else has said, I pre-log all food I don't cook myself to make sure I don't have that freak out moment.
  • Josalinn
    Josalinn Posts: 1,066 Member
    Really? They put pancake batter in the scrambled eggs? Wow

    Yeah, I'm still stuck right here. It sounds so beyond gross.

    But like everyone else has said, I pre-log all food I don't cook myself to make sure I don't have that freak out moment.

    :sick: :sick: :sick: :sick: :sick: :sick: Yeah...eeeewwwww and why? and what drunk college kid came up with this idea?

    But you learned...serveal...things and are better for it. :flowerforyou:
  • Baconist
    Baconist Posts: 74 Member
    I am definitely glad I had planned a lightish dinner...all I had to do was tweak it a bit bring down the salt (a huge issue for me) and the carb count.

    I will definitely look at calories before going out, but wow, I would not have expected that. Even knowing better since I am still amazed/appalled at what they put high fructose corn syrup into.
  • Baconist
    Baconist Posts: 74 Member
    Supposedly it makes them lighter and fluffier...I use water or sometimes milk for my scrambled eggs at home, makes them light and fluffy with out doubling the calorie count.
  • laineybz
    laineybz Posts: 704 Member
    I visited iHop when i was in Florida. I checked out their menu beforehand and was shocked at some of the calories! I opted for one of the lighter options, scrambled egg whites, cup of fruit, a piece of toast and turkey bacon. Enjoyed it!
  • aharper84
    aharper84 Posts: 67 Member
    Really? They put pancake batter in the scrambled eggs? Wow

    Yeah, I'm still stuck right here. It sounds so beyond gross.

    But like everyone else has said, I pre-log all food I don't cook myself to make sure I don't have that freak out moment.

    :sick: :sick: :sick: :sick: :sick: :sick: Yeah...eeeewwwww and why? and what drunk college kid came up with this idea?

    But you learned...serveal...things and are better for it. :flowerforyou:


    It's to make the eggs fluffier. It's basically the same idea as adding milk or cream. Sometimes, I cook breakfast for supper, and I mix my eggs in the batter that is left over from the pancakes.
  • JazzFischer1989
    JazzFischer1989 Posts: 531 Member
    That sounds delicious though
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    Really? They put pancake batter in the scrambled eggs? Wow

    Yeah, I'm still stuck right here. It sounds so beyond gross.

    But like everyone else has said, I pre-log all food I don't cook myself to make sure I don't have that freak out moment.

    Exactly. Kind of makes me glad there isn't an IHOP around here.
  • socajam
    socajam Posts: 2,530 Member
    not to mention all the hydrogenated soy bean oil and such they use. Ihop is so so bad. A lot of times it would be healthier to go eat a burger at mcdonalds. seriously :laugh:

    Just soy oil is bad enough, hydrogenated the oil and that is a recipe for death.
  • parkscs
    parkscs Posts: 1,639 Member
    Light and fluffy scrambled eggs just doesn't sound right to me. If anything, I like them a bit runny. But either way, it's good to try and log things in advance when eating at restaurants, particularly if you suspect they are preparing it in a non-conventional fashion.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    That's why I stick to the 'light menu'. If something that you would think would be low calories isn't in it, it's probably a bad sign.
  • knoelledi
    knoelledi Posts: 91 Member
    Perkins is even worse. We travel some for business and look up a lot of our items prior to going. Our biggest issue is the sodium in everything. I know you can ask for no salt but there's no guarantee they will listen.
  • kirkor
    kirkor Posts: 2,530 Member
    Man that batter-in-the-eggs things could really screw up a Celiac :-/
  • _celesse
    _celesse Posts: 75 Member
    Yeah....honestly, I tend to wanna just make my own meals because even if I find something low-cal at a restaurant, it still ends up having damn near 1,000mg of sodium and that's just ridiculous. I don't know what's going on with these places and all the dang sodium and huge proportions and stuff, but it just re-enforces the fact I need to cook more for myself and leave those places for very rare dine-out occasions.
  • canadjineh
    canadjineh Posts: 5,396 Member
    Man that batter-in-the-eggs things could really screw up a Celiac :-/

    Been there, asked about that, now I never go near pancake houses with a 10 foot pole. Even if they say they have gluten free options... really?... with all that wheat flour in the kitchen. NO!

    BTW they 'say' it's to make the eggs light & fluffy, but wheat flour & water are wayyy cheaper than eggs. So you're paying IHOP egg prices for flour batter. They aren't stupid...
  • LeonCX
    LeonCX Posts: 862 Member
    Ever seen the calories for IHOP's big breakfast combo plate? Enough to sustain a football team.
  • BoatsnHose
    BoatsnHose Posts: 120 Member
    Had this happen yesterday. Ran out of my home prepared frozen lunches and decided to get the honey mustard chicken salad at pdq. Then found their website which listed it at over 800 calories and 70 grams of fat. Fortunately I didn't do too much damage since I was in a calorie deficit from exercise before bed the night before. But, pdq just lost a customer.

    Just finished making another 21 days of frozen lunches. If I'm going to add calories to my day I'd rather it be in the form of chocolate instead of from a chain that markets itself as being a healthier fast food alternative.

    No offense, but how many calories did you expect to be in a salad with fried chicken, cheese, and a creamy dressing?

    Refusing to go back to their restaurant seems silly.