Argh ... which food to log?

sharidiane

So, it's my daughter's 7th birthday, and according to family rules, she gets to pick the restaurant. She's chosen Carrabba's for dinner tonight.

Problemo.

I LOVE Carrabba's lasagna. Now, I know I could make a healthier choice, but I started looking into the nutritional info for Carrabba's and basically found that no - pretty much all of their food is highly caloric. I thought I would just log the meal, do 2 rounds of 30DS (which I've done), and let the chips fall where they may.

But here's my big dilemma - according to MFP, the lasagna is 336 calories.
According to Men's Health, it is 1300 calories.

o_O

What do I log? And if it's 1300 calories, you can BET that I will be eating something else.

Kirsty_UK

Is the mfp entry user submitted? if so I wouldn't rely on it.

Does the restuarant have it's own website with a nutritional amount?

monoxidechick

do the have a website where you can check the facts? I would try that, and I would think that it would be closer to the 1000 mark. Every lasagna that I have ever checked at a restaurant is at least 800 cals. WIth the excercise you should be alright once in a while, just drink plenty of water. Have a great dinner!!

udallmom101

It is absolutely around 1300 calories. My brother was a chef there for a couple years and his speaking of the food and what they serve made me stay away. Most restaurants have a site with the nutritional info and you can build your meal from that. Good luck!

sharidiane

Both good questions - the food did NOT have an asterisk next to it, so I thought that meant it was NOT user submitted. Am I wrong about this?

And no - Carrabba's does not provide nutritional info.

sharidiane

It is absolutely around 1300 calories. My brother was a chef there for a couple years and his speaking of the food and what they serve made me stay away. Most restaurants have a site with the nutritional info and you can build your meal from that. Good luck!

Good grief.
Time for a new plan.

fsugirl26

Anytime a restaurant won't provide its own nutritional information, I see it as a huge red flag, ESPECIALLY if it is a chain restaurant that has the resources to do nutritional testing.

With that being said, I would err on the side of caution and stay away from the lasagna. Go with a dish that has grilled protein and steamed veggies...and drink lots of water!

Moonbeamlissie

I found this Calories: 1280 Calories in 1 Plate on http://www.hotcal.com/calories-carbs/Carbs-in-Carrabba-s-Lasagna_72100.php I would suggest this.... Eat half of it and a salad.. If you can eat even less than half. really eat some salad, you know without all the cheese, croutons and bunches of dressing. I think you can come out of there at about 700 cals which isn't horrible.

sharidiane

I found this Calories: 1280 Calories in 1 Plate on http://www.hotcal.com/calories-carbs/Carbs-in-Carrabba-s-Lasagna_72100.php I would suggest this.... Eat half of it and a salad.. If you can eat even less than half. really eat some salad, you know without all the cheese, croutons and bunches of dressing. I think you can come out of there at about 700 cals which isn't horrible.

That's a really good plan. I'm not a big fan of salad dressing anyhow, so if I skip the bread, eat a salad and half of the lasagna, I think I will be ok.

Thanks so much everyone for the help/tips.