Restaurants to Avoid!

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  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
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    Buffalo Wild Wings! My once favorite place to eat. I have been there once without ordering wings and it was torture. I know if I go there today, I won't have the self-control to not order 8 boneless garlic wings and potato wedges. I'm sure I could substitute the wedges for a side salad but i would have to have the wings. The fat and sodium content is probably thru the roof, especially since i have to eat more to feel satisfied! Knowing that, I just avoid the place all together. Sigh

    was there last night...
    I enjoyed the hell out of 7 boneless honey bbq wings, a whole order of fries, ranch, and a 22 oz beer. Came in just under maintenance calories for the day.
    Win! ♥
  • EmergencyGraphics
    EmergencyGraphics Posts: 132 Member
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    Cheesecake factory.

    I don't like cheesecake so that doesn't temp me at all but it was hard to find healthy choices there. They don't have any nutrition information on there website to help plan ahead. When you get there the shock of the amount of calories the salads are is insane. I wrote the company afterwards and was told they have a skinnylious (something like that )menu they recently introduced that I should have picked from.
    How I was suppose to know about that. The waitress never mentioned it and I didn't read any information about it while I was there. Assuming your cheesecake factory had the "diet" menu maybe you'll have better options.
  • sillygoose1977
    sillygoose1977 Posts: 2,151 Member
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    I avoid most chain restaurants. Not because of the calorie content (most restaurants are high calorie) but because the food isn't worth it. I like locally owned places. The food is almost always better and I am supporting locals. Let's face it, most restaurant dishes are high calorie/fat/sodium, period. If I'm going to go blow my wad at one sitting I want it to be quality food.

    Food snob? Yes, that's me, but I'm lucky to live in a place where there is always a wonderful locally owned place to eat right down the block from the funky chain. Not to say that I don't take my daughter to places she likes to go every once in a while.
  • Zalovar
    Zalovar Posts: 92 Member
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    Since starting to log on MFP, my wife and I rarely go out to eat anymore - I honestly feel its a waste of calories. As many people have mentioned, even if you manage to find something semi-healthy, its usually saturated with sodium and comes in a large enough portion to feed four adults. Usually, there is at least something on the menu at most places that I can work with but I went to a rib placed called Frankie's recently for a work luncheon and there was ABSOLUTELY nothing on the menu I could work with...even all the salads were loaded with bacon bits, etc. Very frustrating luncheon. Best advice in my opinion is to eat out as little as possible.
  • Heaven71
    Heaven71 Posts: 706 Member
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    I try not to eat out at all anymore. If I have to have fast food for some reason, I usually get hardees had breaded 3 pack of chicken fingers. They are right around 300 calories but geez, how not worth it can you get. I have yet to try the taco bell fresco menu that is supposed to be healthier.

    I do eat Sushi out very often but never Tempura and watch what rolls I eat.
  • sfh0wrd
    sfh0wrd Posts: 82
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    Raising Cane's, *sigh* love, love, love it.....but no choices other than the beloved fried strips and sauce. Oh, and that BREAD.....*BIG sigh*:sad:

    Oh that SAUCE!!!
  • worej
    worej Posts: 108
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    You can build a pretty healthy sandwich at Jimmy John's, and you can check out exact nutrition on custom sandwiches on their website. But beware their cheese, especially! I've ordered things that should be healthy from them, only to get sandwiches with 5-6x the cheese I feel they need.

    Calorie wise, you'd be wise to avoid the cheese entirely. But if you do opt for cheese, make sure it's not like five or six slices thick once you get it. Otherwise, just watching for mayo and excessive mountains of lunch meats can result in a pretty healthy meal from JJ's.
  • staceyshayden
    staceyshayden Posts: 14
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    Sonic is horrible with calories
  • worej
    worej Posts: 108
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    I avoid most chain restaurants. Not because of the calorie content (most restaurants are high calorie) but because the food isn't worth it. I like locally owned places. The food is almost always better and I am supporting locals. Let's face it, most restaurant dishes are high calorie/fat/sodium, period. If I'm going to go blow my wad at one sitting I want it to be quality food.

    Food snob? Yes, that's me, but I'm lucky to live in a place where there is always a wonderful locally owned place to eat right down the block from the funky chain. Not to say that I don't take my daughter to places she likes to go every once in a while.

    I'm in the same boat. Most of the recommendations I can make aren't really that helpful, because they're all local, haha.

    There is one local chain that I really love, but they've started centralizing a lot of their food prep, which means it's nearly impossible to modify most of their dishes. Despite being locally owned, a lot of their food shows up pre-prepared at each location, so you can't get an item without the cheese, for example. Very frustrating.

    Most local places, though, can do substitutions more easily than a lot of chains can.
  • AubreysMommy30
    AubreysMommy30 Posts: 64 Member
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    Red Lobster! Man, can I really pack away all of that butter-soaked seafood. Don't even get me started on the caesar salad and tempting deserts. <drools>

    Disagree! There are many low calorie options at Red Lobster if you skip the extra butter and pastas... Shrimp, lobster and crab legs are all VERY LOW in calories. 1 lb of snow crab legs is 180 calories. Plus, if you can control yourself with the Cheddar Bay Biscuts, you can endulge for only 150 calories each. They have an interactive menu online that you can use to design your meal based on your caloric needs. By the way, the Caesar side salad is 270 calories... not bad.
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
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    This is funny, Panera Thai Chicken Salad is one of my favorite things and it only has 380 calories. Problem is when the bread is picked as a side instead of an apple. The bread alone is 283 calories.
  • mattkellett
    mattkellett Posts: 82
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    I "try" to avoid all Chain restaurants, I want a restuarant that wiill accomdate any special requests I have that use good fresh foods, but also love some (very few) chain restaurants.
  • eksims1
    eksims1 Posts: 51 Member
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    This is sad: Man suffers heart attack while eating at Heart Attack Grill

    http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/man-suffers-heart-attack-while-eating-heart-attack-185717972.html?fb_action_ids=337265826318801,2912051838249,2710955856659,336957279682989,10100679568486249&amp;fb_action_types=news.reads&amp;fb_source=other_multiline&amp;code=AQCUk3mwZGgioKSamsKh4yecfeMrs7a-eveXO-gW-Hj9O-jh7-U2DYCmKdlBGsOP8GvXMO5yBvW-1Gne3m2fNXVgloS5BpCKGlVeQsqiSkYSyZwWxVNhdmzOwACzsR-eI3IqL7ZbSYwpVm_aVap_72HjNhrPFYJA0hOfhpbTZdaXLtrJ3vR9LldTLTcOEberoCM#_=_

    The menu includes "Single", "Double", "Triple", and "Quadruple Bypass" hamburgers,[1] ranging from 8 to 32 ounces (230 to 910 g) of beef (up to about 8,000 calories)

    The Quadruple Bypass Burger with 8,000 calories (33 MJ) has been identified as one of the "world's worst junk foods".[11] It consists of four half-pound beef patties, eight slices of American cheese, a whole tomato and half an onion served in a bun coated with lard.

    Normal meals at the Heart Attack Grill easily exceed 8,000 calories.

    That is horrible and that restaurant should be outlawed. It's not funny or cute to sell things so horrible for people. At the same time, people should be smart enough to never have walked in their door.
  • bored4long
    bored4long Posts: 29 Member
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    Restaurants to AVOID? LOL. It would be much easier to just list Restaurants that are acceptable. So far I have only found 2. All others I have stopped going to.

    Acceptable restaurants for me:
    Subway (Oven Roasted Chicken Breast Salad, double meat, no cheese, no dressing just vinegar)
    Sushi Bar (girly sushi rolls with sauce are a no-no. just straight tekka or sake maki and hand rolls for me).
  • bored4long
    bored4long Posts: 29 Member
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    This is sad: Man suffers heart attack while eating at Heart Attack Grill

    http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/man-suffers-heart-attack-while-eating-heart-attack-185717972.html?fb_action_ids=337265826318801,2912051838249,2710955856659,336957279682989,10100679568486249&amp;fb_action_types=news.reads&amp;fb_source=other_multiline&amp;code=AQCUk3mwZGgioKSamsKh4yecfeMrs7a-eveXO-gW-Hj9O-jh7-U2DYCmKdlBGsOP8GvXMO5yBvW-1Gne3m2fNXVgloS5BpCKGlVeQsqiSkYSyZwWxVNhdmzOwACzsR-eI3IqL7ZbSYwpVm_aVap_72HjNhrPFYJA0hOfhpbTZdaXLtrJ3vR9LldTLTcOEberoCM#_=_

    The menu includes "Single", "Double", "Triple", and "Quadruple Bypass" hamburgers,[1] ranging from 8 to 32 ounces (230 to 910 g) of beef (up to about 8,000 calories)

    The Quadruple Bypass Burger with 8,000 calories (33 MJ) has been identified as one of the "world's worst junk foods".[11] It consists of four half-pound beef patties, eight slices of American cheese, a whole tomato and half an onion served in a bun coated with lard.

    Normal meals at the Heart Attack Grill easily exceed 8,000 calories.

    That is horrible and that restaurant should be outlawed. It's not funny or cute to sell things so horrible for people. At the same time, people should be smart enough to never have walked in their door.

    Outlaw a restaurant? SERIOUSLY?
    Since when should the government be allowed to tell me what to eat or not eat? I think this restaurant is fantastic! I may not go there, but that certainly does not mean it should not exist. If no one wanted such a meal the place would shut down within a month due to no business. Free Market, baby. You need to relax.
  • MotorCityFemmeFatale
    MotorCityFemmeFatale Posts: 222 Member
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    I "try" to avoid all Chain restaurants, I want a restuarant that wiill accomdate any special requests I have that use good fresh foods, but also love some (very few) chain restaurants.

    this

    For me, I'm super picky and also have quite a list of foods I can't eat (allergies and intolerances).
  • christinajohnson
    christinajohnson Posts: 102 Member
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    I made the mistake of Olive Garden last night. I ended up eating a whole days worth of calories at dinner and I didn't finish one thing that I ate. I have to say though, I haven't been taking days off from working out and was sore for three days straight. I woke up this morning feeling like a gluttonous beast, but I had no more muscle soreness. Maybe I just needed the extras and an easy day.
  • Zombriana
    Zombriana Posts: 764 Member
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    2 words: Golden Corral. They do have a salad bar, but for me it is too hard to stick to the salad bar when there's potatoes and gravy, fried chicken, mac & cheese all staring me down. Not to mention the dessert bar, which sings like a siren. It's just better to avoid the place all together.

    Oh Golden Corral...
    There have been times where I walk out and look preggo. It's awful.
  • thepanttherlady
    thepanttherlady Posts: 258 Member
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    Red Lobster! Man, can I really pack away all of that butter-soaked seafood. Don't even get me started on the caesar salad and tempting deserts. <drools>

    I ate there about 3 weeks ago as my "free" meal which I do once a week. Loved every bit of it too and even ordered dessert when I normally don't.

    With that being said, this type of meal will not be a "norm" on my free meal list. This is more like a once a year thing. :)
  • fraudbuster
    fraudbuster Posts: 9
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    Heart attack grill should be against the law. It is not funny.

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