Applebee's Spinach and Shrimp Salad @ 1,000 cals!!!!

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Jana9559
Jana9559 Posts: 29
in Food and Nutrition
WTH!!! Went to Applebee's yesterday with my friends and thought I was eating good when I ordered the Spinach and Shrimp salad. I entered it into my food diary and it says it's 1,000 calories!!! Not to mention 63 grams of carbs and like 80 grams of fat. What??????? I am so upset!! I wish restaurants would list calorie info on menus!!! I won't make that mistake again. :(
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Replies

  • carlaj38
    carlaj38 Posts: 23 Member
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    Wow! I love that salad also. Thanks for the knowledge.:flowerforyou:
  • homeport51
    homeport51 Posts: 198 Member
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    Applebees has an under 550 menu that has some great stuff on it (except for the sodium). I always check the restaurants website for nutritional values and decide what I am going to have before I go. If you have a smart phone, you can even do that at the restaurant.
    Honestly though, most folks don't want to know what the values are for the stuff they are eating and I'm sure if the restaurants posted it on the menus, it might serve as a deterrent rather than a selling point.
    Live and learn, huh?
  • sweets2001
    sweets2001 Posts: 106
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    Usually if I know I'm going to a specific restaurant to eat will do my research beforehand and find what would work within my daily calories. It was one time and now you know for next time.
  • Jamiecfc1
    Jamiecfc1 Posts: 75 Member
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    You live and learn that not everything that you think is good actually is! I would guess with this its all the dressings and stuff they add to it, pretty sure McDonalds "salads" are actually higher in cals than some of their burgers too!

    :wink:
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
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    I wish restaurants would list calorie info on menus!!!

    If they did, it would stop people buying stuff. So while it would be good for us, it would be bad for their profits.
  • meeperoon
    meeperoon Posts: 270 Member
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    avoid salads in restaurants like the plague!! so many hidden extras in dressings and the such like, the only thing i can guarantee in restaurants is steak.

    a steak is a steak is a steak!!!
  • sjtreely
    sjtreely Posts: 1,014 Member
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    Not to add salt to your wound ... but I bet the sodium was up there, too.

    Yep. I've made mistakes this this, too. We all have. Knowledge is power. It's done and over. Move on by drinking some extra water and going just a little bit further in your workout today.

    It just ticks you off, though. I know.
  • midonhau
    midonhau Posts: 108 Member
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    I know how you feel. I went to Applebees a couple months ago. Being my first time there I figured it would be safe to order from the Under 550 calories section of the menu. I got the Teriyaki Shrimp Pasta. When I got home and entered it in my diary the sodium blew my mind.....3410 mg of sodium in the meal!!!! I haven't been back since. While I have nothing against them or other restaurants I've certainly learned my lesson....do your homework before purchasing the meal.
  • tyresank
    tyresank Posts: 174 Member
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    I believe you can go online and they do indeed have some of that information, and they in particular do have a healthy option, but you have to look for those marked as such. Lately because my sis and her family like to eat out once a week and I usually meet them for dinner I go onine and see what is the best choice before I get there and that have been working for me. Otherwise these salads are not what you think... especially if you do not ask for the dressing on the side, it is amazing the amount of dressing they use and the contents at times!!
  • SpeedBump1
    SpeedBump1 Posts: 74 Member
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    I agree. I am not sure if Applebee's fall under this. If so I do not know why they aren't. http://www.fda.gov/food/labelingnutrition/ucm217762.htm
  • wivish72
    wivish72 Posts: 32 Member
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    I have made the same mistake and the only thing I can figure out is that hot bacon dressing has to be the worst thing ever in calories, fat and carbs. I have found if you get the 1/2 portion, or the pick 2 off of the lunch menu - that portion with a soup is not too bad. It is still a big calorie lunch, but at least not 1,000 calories. I agree it would make it a lot easier if restaurants put nutrition information on the menu.
  • skfj5
    skfj5 Posts: 70
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    Happens a lot. Try checking on-line for calories BEFORE you enter a restaurant (most have nutritional info posted on their websites).

    New rules say chains with over a certain number of locations HAVE to post nutritional info on the menu...but not sure when that law takes effect. And of course, their are loopholes to get around it (for example, Cheesecake Factory notoriously REFUSES to post it's nutritional info ANYWHERE (even on-line)...so to get around the law they created a separate "Skinnylicious" menu that has nutritional info posted on the items in that menu ONLY...so as long as you order off THAT menu, you know what you are getting. If you order off the REGULAR menu...you're screwed.)

    So your best bet is to look on-line...
  • Htay88
    Htay88 Posts: 16 Member
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    I feel your pain I had a similar thing happen to me. I had a Healthy choice option chicken quesidilla i got home and went to log my calories and found out its wasn't that healthy at all! 800 cal +


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    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Nutrition Facts For Foods
  • katenichole7
    katenichole7 Posts: 5
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    Oh my god that's freaking insane!!!! That's so sneaky. Even salads aren't a safe food sometimes. Next time you're going out, if you know you're going out, look up the restaurant and find it's nutritional info!
    Maybe if you go out to eat often, you should write down your favorite foods and what the calories are so you can make a better decision for that day!
    Some days you may have not eaten much at all and could have room for something a bit more filling calorie wise. Other days you may just need a garden salad :P
  • CraziiPrettiiMILF
    CraziiPrettiiMILF Posts: 24
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    the salad isn't the problem. It's the dressing. Did you have the entire serving of dressing?
  • libland
    libland Posts: 285 Member
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    It is sad, isn't it? I have yet to find a restaurant salad that is less than 700 calories except those small side salads, which usually just have iceberg lettuce (yuck) with a slice of cucumber and a sad looking piece of tomato.
  • SpeedBump1
    SpeedBump1 Posts: 74 Member
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    Duplicate. MFP technical difficulties.
  • normh545
    normh545 Posts: 81 Member
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    i agree, on the menu should at have grams per item then you could at least work it out
  • jhardenbergh
    jhardenbergh Posts: 1,035 Member
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    yeah, you gotta be careful with Applebee's they do have some of their items listed under 500 or 600 calories. Steak and Vegetables is usually the best way to go. The dressing, whatever they cooked the shrimp in, and cheese if it was on there is what probably did you in.
  • SpeedBump1
    SpeedBump1 Posts: 74 Member
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    I posted a reply but noticed it wasn't there. I posted again and saw a double post. Now I do not see any posts other than the original poster. MFP technical difficulties I guess.

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