Give Up? I Don't Think So!
jenbusick
Posts: 528 Member
We have a GiGi's cupcakes nearby, and my family are always BEGGING to go. GiGi's doesn't publish nutrition information, but if you look at their cupcakes, it's a regular-size cupcake with about 1/2 c frosting piled on top. Estimating the calories based on Betty Crocker cake mix and frosting, that's 270 cal for the cupcake and 130 cal/2 tbsp of frosting, or 520 cal for 1/2 c frosting -- 790 calories for the whole cupcake. This is consistent with a figure I found online for similar fancy cupcakes from another bakery that were actually measured, so I think it must be pretty close.
Well, Valentine's day is coming up, yes? And not too long ago, just before I joined MFP, I bought a LivingSocial coupon for GiGi's that my family has been bugging me about. So today, as a Valentine treat, I stopped and used my coupon to bring home GiGi's cupcakes.
I was discussing the calorie count with my husband, and whether I could *ever* eat a cupcake that's half my daily calories by itself (or about three hours' worth of strenuous workout), and my ten-year-old said "Mom, if you're going to bring home GiGi's, I think you might as well just give it up!"
Especially since she and my husband were planning to make southern fried chicken for supper, with mashed potatoes and milk gravy!
Well!
Nothing like a challenge, right? I did fine with breakfast today (under 200 calories, my usual -- a Zone bar and coffee, which gets me going without messing up my kitchen); and lunch today was light (homemade chicken noodle soup with crackers, under 300 calories total) and I hadn't snacked, since I knew supper was going to be fried chicken, so I was in pretty good shape. For supper I put in all the recipes, measured all my servings (even my salad calories -- not many, since I discovered Bolthouse dressings thanks to this site!), and ate just one fried chicken leg (normally I'll have a thigh), which isn't too bad on calories. I kept my supper calories right around 700 (btw they make GOOD fried chicken. I have eaten VERY well today, nom nom nom).
And then I cut one of those salted caramel chocolate cupcakes in half, which makes it 390 calories (still more than Snickers bar, yowzah!). And guess what? It only put me 200 calories and change over for the day, which I will work off easily in my 50-minute evening workout.
I have eaten GiGi's cupcakes and not totally blown my calories for today! I will make 1360 net calories with ease! And I can have the other half for breakfast tomorrow, and be careful the rest of the day.
Before MFP, I would have just said "You know what? You are SO right. I might as well just hang it up today." And I probably would have had a couple of servings of mashed potatoes and extra gravy and a whole 800-calorie cupcake on top of it. And then hated myself when I weighed in in the morning. Not anymore! If the scale is up in the morning, I'll know it's fluid because I didn't blow my calories, and I won't sweat it.
And let me just say this: GiGi's salted caramel chocolate cupcakes are TOTALLY worth it. TOTALLY!
Happy Valentine's Day, y'all! And never give up!
Well, Valentine's day is coming up, yes? And not too long ago, just before I joined MFP, I bought a LivingSocial coupon for GiGi's that my family has been bugging me about. So today, as a Valentine treat, I stopped and used my coupon to bring home GiGi's cupcakes.
I was discussing the calorie count with my husband, and whether I could *ever* eat a cupcake that's half my daily calories by itself (or about three hours' worth of strenuous workout), and my ten-year-old said "Mom, if you're going to bring home GiGi's, I think you might as well just give it up!"
Especially since she and my husband were planning to make southern fried chicken for supper, with mashed potatoes and milk gravy!
Well!
Nothing like a challenge, right? I did fine with breakfast today (under 200 calories, my usual -- a Zone bar and coffee, which gets me going without messing up my kitchen); and lunch today was light (homemade chicken noodle soup with crackers, under 300 calories total) and I hadn't snacked, since I knew supper was going to be fried chicken, so I was in pretty good shape. For supper I put in all the recipes, measured all my servings (even my salad calories -- not many, since I discovered Bolthouse dressings thanks to this site!), and ate just one fried chicken leg (normally I'll have a thigh), which isn't too bad on calories. I kept my supper calories right around 700 (btw they make GOOD fried chicken. I have eaten VERY well today, nom nom nom).
And then I cut one of those salted caramel chocolate cupcakes in half, which makes it 390 calories (still more than Snickers bar, yowzah!). And guess what? It only put me 200 calories and change over for the day, which I will work off easily in my 50-minute evening workout.
I have eaten GiGi's cupcakes and not totally blown my calories for today! I will make 1360 net calories with ease! And I can have the other half for breakfast tomorrow, and be careful the rest of the day.
Before MFP, I would have just said "You know what? You are SO right. I might as well just hang it up today." And I probably would have had a couple of servings of mashed potatoes and extra gravy and a whole 800-calorie cupcake on top of it. And then hated myself when I weighed in in the morning. Not anymore! If the scale is up in the morning, I'll know it's fluid because I didn't blow my calories, and I won't sweat it.
And let me just say this: GiGi's salted caramel chocolate cupcakes are TOTALLY worth it. TOTALLY!
Happy Valentine's Day, y'all! And never give up!
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Replies
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Im getting GiGi's tomorrow, i loooooove them! Probably would be just as good with half the icing, but nonetheless amazing.0
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Im getting GiGi's tomorrow, i loooooove them! Probably would be just as good with half the icing, but nonetheless amazing.
Enjoy! They are SOOOOOOOO good!
Me, I'm a frosting junkie, I could probably be just as happy eating the frosting and leaving the cupcake...
I recommend the salted caramel highly!0 -
Don't they legally have to have nutritional information available if someone asks?0
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Don't they legally have to have nutritional information available if someone asks?
Do they? If so, I wasn't aware of it. And the rules may be, um, less enlightened where I am (Alabama) :happy:0 -
I would soooooo be more than happy to eat the fried chicken dinner!!0
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Don't they legally have to have nutritional information available if someone asks?
Not in Oklahoma hat I know of.0 -
He he! I had a similar day - my work catered Irondale Cafe (also known as THE Whistlestop Cafe from the movie Fried Green Tomatoes) Anyway, ate my entire daily allotment of calories at lunch from down home southern goodness sides. Then worked my tail off on the elliptical tonight and was ONLY 33 calories over for the day.
However, I will be paying the price with sodium and retained water tomorrow! Ah well! Better luck next time and lunch sure was good!0 -
He he! I had a similar day - my work catered Irondale Cafe (also known as THE Whistlestop Cafe from the movie Fried Green Tomatoes) Anyway, ate my entire daily allotment of calories at lunch from down home southern goodness sides. Then worked my tail off on the elliptical tonight and was ONLY 33 calories over for the day.
However, I will be paying the price with sodium and retained water tomorrow! Ah well! Better luck next time and lunch sure was good!
Oh, YUM! Did they have fried green tomatoes? I love me some fried green tomatoes!
Yeah, sodium and retained water will do a number on the scale in the morning, but knowing I didn't blow my calories eases my mind -- it really IS water, it really WILL go away with a few days' good behavior.0 -
I would soooooo be more than happy to eat the fried chicken dinner!!
I know I was! It was YUMMY!0 -
The Whistlestop Cafe is awesome too, my dad works close to there.0
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I just got done eating a Canadian Maple Cupcake from GiGi's... and I was embarrassed trying to find the calories for it on here but Thank you for putting this on here!
And I don't feel so bad right now lol... 0 -
What an amazing outlook and view. I'm in that EXACT situation today. A rep brought us in Gigi's cupcakes (which I LOVE) and I told myself. No, I don't need one (as I stare longingly at the box).
Like you, I've stayed on track all day, and I even have a healthy meal pre-planned for dinner tonight. I just plugged in half a cupcake in to my daily calories, and yep! With my already healthy day (and without the cardio planned for later) it only put me a few calories over my daily goal.
Thanks so much for posting this. Your outlook is so positive AND practical!0
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