Shock and awwwwww, man! NEVER AGAIN - a lesson learned

leomom72

i never go anywhere that doesnt have nutrition info..even if that means it takes me an hour to find a place that fits into my cals, thats what i do..i always look into nutrition before i go anywhere..i got a little notebook of the places i go the most, and wrote down the best nutritional selection, so that its available on short notice

ViSabbi

I wish they would do that in Canada! Show us exactly what we are eating! It's inconceivable to eat your whole daily calories in a single meal. No wonder I told myself to stay away from restaurants and any food that I am not preparing myself. There's no way to exactly no what you are eating before it is too late. Lesson learned indeed!

tlsegar

I too have learned the benefit of checking a restaurants menu before going to eat. It really does help me plan better, including adjusting my other meals for the day in case I just insist on having the most unhealthy meal that night when going out with friends.

But another thing that I've learned from logging on mfp,is that I am getting better and better at guestimating or preparing myself for the actual calorie count of a meal just by paying attention to what's in it. That "light" salad with the bleu cheese dressing would have been a dead giveaway. Really, any creamy salad dressing, but bleu cheese especially. I love bleu cheese, but it's loaded with calories. The more you use this site, the better you become about making choices.

Sassi50

I had the same rude awakening when our company had their Christmas party at the Keg Steakhouse. FYI...the Iceberg Wedge salad...667 cal!!!! Salmon and rice pilaf...too many calories to actually write here!!! The whole meal was about 2 days worth of calories and I chose from the "lite" fare menu!!!!!!!

defenestrate

I went to Champps last week, somewhat against my will (I had already expressed that most of their food was crap). I ended up getting the Chicken Satay appetizer, which is described as "Asian chicken skewers with stir-fry vegetables. Served
with Thai peanut sauce and sweet soy dressing." So I looked it up on someone's phone after we ordered and I found out that it was 1386 calories without any of the dipping sauces. I'd have been better off ordering chicken fingers. When it actually arrived, however, the chicken was already lightly sauced and the veggies were heavily sauced (I guess that is part of being in a stir fry) and there was a giant taco/tortilla/what-have-you that was holding the veggies. I tracked it as a few ounces of grilled chicken with some teriyaki sauce because I didn't eat the vegetables or the shell. My mom and my sister were quite shocked at the calorie counts of their dishes though, and understood why I didn't want to go there to begin with.

deliciousappleblue

I feel your pain. I found out yesterday that mayo is 100 calories a tablespoon. I mean.... I knew it was bad, but I never actually LOOKED at it before. I almost died. Dry tuna salad for me from now on, I guess.

Also, nearly 500 calories in the smallest popcorn at the movies - and that's before butter. I hate life.

TNGirlyGirl

To the OP -- occasional "spike" days won't hurt you in the long run!! Key word being occasional They actually seem to help, as they confuse your body so it doesn't get too used to the same thing all the time. The sodium is probably more worrisome than the calorie-splurge.

I feel you, though -- my favorite meal at O'Charley's used to be the prime rib pasta -- over 1500 calories per plate!
And I once went to McAllisters Deli, ordered a Chicken Cranberry Club Sandwich on whole wheat... over 900!!! I was shocked -- but we learn from our mistakes on this journey!!

I feel your pain. I found out yesterday that mayo is 100 calories a tablespoon. I mean.... I knew it was bad, but I never actually LOOKED at it before. I almost died. Dry tuna salad for me from now on, I guess.

Try Hellmann's Low Fat Mayonnaise. It's 15 calories/TBL and beats going without!! Check the labels carefully, though -- they have a 35 calorie and a 15 calorie version!

deksgrl

Organic home made mayo:

1 large egg yolk, at room temperature

¾ cup oil *

1/8 tsp salt

1 tbs lemon juice

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

Set up your electric beater or blender. Place the egg yolk and salt and add the mustard, lemon juice and blend on pulse. Keep the blender running as you add oil drizzling very slowly. This will take a few minutes. Don’t rush the process. The oil may begin to separate from the egg. When all the oil has been added, add more salt and lemon juice. Refrigerate for up to five days. Stir before serving.

* Notes on oils

Extra Virgin Olive Oil can be used, however, walnut oil makes gives it a more buttery taste.

Hazelnut oil gives this a nutty flavor.

Truffle oil works great and gives it a more earthy flavor but also makes for a more pricey mayo.

TrailRunner61

This week I was at Applebees and was going to order one of the lighter 550 calorie meals (asian shrimp with broccoli) until I looked it up on mfp and saw that it had OVER 3,000 mgs of sodium. I ended up with the chili lime chicken with veggies and it still had 1900!

I agree with a few of the other posts on here, check the menu online BEFORE you go and check the calories, fat and sodium. I had checked applebees but had no idea about the sodium content until I looked it up on mfp with my phone AT the restaurant.

Thanks for sharing your info. A lot of people think that a salad is the lowest calorie option on any menu and sometimes it's just as bad or worse. Good luck on your journey!

chevy88grl

I think we've all had "AHA!" moments like this one. I know I did - last time I went to Red Robin to eat. I decided I would order the salmon burger -- I mean, it is fish. It HAS to be better for you than the burgers right?

Wrong-o. I came home to log it and it was more (because of the sauce, bun, etc) than a small burger would have been. Ugh.

Lesson learned.

chevy88grl

I don't go out without know the menu first.
And usually, I make it a "free day", because I am not going to nibble on carrot sticks and soy wafers while everybody else is enjoying fabulous foods. I'd rather just blow it out, eat what I want, then consider it a "free day/cheat day".
I love my cheat days, or as I prefer to say: "RE-FEED THERAPY"
I have a weekly day where I eat about twice my daily goal, and a monthly food orgy where I eat like a man going to the electric chair for 24 hours.
LOVE IT!
It's nice knowing I am never more than 7 days from eating anything I desire in whatever quantity I want.
I'd go nuts otherwise.

I have lost over 70 lbs doing this, so those who say it inhibits progress are clueless. I still get people who want to argue...:laugh:

You have been successful doing things this way, but that doesn't mean it would work for everyone. You may not like that people want to "argue" with you about it, but for some people -- it may not work.

I personally don't have "free" days and I've lost nearly 60lbs by following THIS. I eat what I want, when I want it. I refuse to wait for a certain day to eat something I want to eat. Having a "free" or "cheat" day is far too diet-ish for me. I prefer to eat what I want NOW vs having to wait.

That has worked for me. Your way has worked for you. Neither are wrong if it is working for that person.

jadedone

This is really hard for me. I generally go to indie restaurants...so no easy calorie counts......

I try to go for soup, grilled meat, rice, veggies. I skip the pasta....it seems like they always add in lots of extra oil.