Does this sound right to you?

missfancy1980

Just logged my dinner and it came out at 717 calories!!! I have far less on my plate, yet it's coming up as nearly double the calories for some of the other meals i've been eating recently. Here's what I had, can you see if it sounds right to you?

1/4 medium sized onion, diced and fried in low fat vegetable oil
Just over half a small cup of frozen sweetcorn
150ml semi skimmed milk
A dusting of white flour
a small chunk of grated cheddar cheese (the above 3 to make cheese sauce)
2 Quorn chicken style fillets lightly fried in vegetable oil
A dash of paprika
A dash of pepper
A cup and a 1/2 of wholewheat pasta twirls

I don't have scales to measure with so I'm just guessing. But I'm sure i use less than the smallest amounts it usually suggests on here, apart from pasta which i probably went over on lol

missfancy1980

Here's a pic I took



Started off with one more fillet and about 6 more spoons of pasta!

beccala18

It sounds reasonable to me - the pasta alone is around 300 calories. Then you add the oil you used to fry the onion and chicken. Then cheese that is 100 calories for 1 oz. If I was making the dinner, I'd expect it to be about 600-700 calories.

sarahp86

That's about right for a main meal. Infact that's good for a meal. Sometimes mine are 800cals. Pasta is very high and so is oil but enjoy your dinner and don't worry about it

mistikal13

Sounds right to me for a pasta dish.

itsuki

That looks yummy! And over 50g of protein - awesome!

Half an ounce of flour is like an 8th of a cup... what's your definition of a dusting?

Other than that yeah, it sounds right.

If you're worried about being over your calories for the day, go take a walk. You're only about 300 over... that's nothing.

cre8freedom

Pasta, Cheese and Chicken are all dense in calories so yes I would think this is correct. Maybe use egg noddles and add more veggies so you use less pasta?

SteveHunt113

Pasta! It'll get you ever time!

Blacklance36

I think it sounds about right too. Its not just the pasta, as meat is also high in calories. However, its about the right amount of calories for a main meal. I try to limit my intake during the day so I have room for that many calories at night.
Let us know when you hit your goal, as Im sure you are going to.

secretlobster

Just logged my dinner and it came out at 717 calories!!! I have far less on my plate, yet it's coming up as nearly double the calories for some of the other meals i've been eating recently. Here's what I had, can you see if it sounds right to you?

1/4 medium sized onion, diced and fried in low fat vegetable oil
Just over half a small cup of frozen sweetcorn
150ml semi skimmed milk
A dusting of white flour
a small chunk of grated cheddar cheese (the above 3 to make cheese sauce)
2 Quorn chicken style fillets lightly fried in vegetable oil
A dash of paprika
A dash of pepper
A cup and a 1/2 of wholewheat pasta twirls

I don't have scales to measure with so I'm just guessing. But I'm sure i use less than the smallest amounts it usually suggests on here, apart from pasta which i probably went over on lol

Yup that sounds right.

Pasta, corn, flour, frying oil, cheese... These add up. Doesn't look like the greatest meal to me if you're looking to lose weight. I love pasta and had to cut it out of my everyday diet completely.

Also, corn is a grain, not a vegetable.

abnerner

I would think so. The oil, cheese and pasta are a lot of calories, and corn is too, because it is a starch.

whitleynoel

Pasta, cheese, and meat. That is the calorie trifecta!

Sounds right to me but still not bad for a main meal :happy:

jacksonpt

That sounds reasonable... pasta, cheese and oil add up fast.

emermaid

I agree about the pasta - if you want to lose weight, you're best off cutting out the pasta and doing veggies instead. Chicken and veggies will be much lower.

kelseyhere

That sounds right. Like the other posters said, you can do veggies instead of pasta. I have this thing, I think it's called a Julie Chen, that you can use to make pasta out of veggies. It's a little time consuming and kind of hard to use at first, but the outcome is worth it. You can use zuccini, carrots, peppers, pretty much whatever you can think of to make veggie noodles.

HauteP1nk

Yep...pasta...it be evil....lol but oh-so-good! LOL

My meals look like this every night... Either that or some grilled veggies...I try to avoid pasta. Once in awhile it is a good treat though. Don't beat yourself up.

signgrrrl

All those things are high in cals. Try using small amts of olive oil if you MUST fry and try a real veggie(good carb) like some fresh broccoli

missfancy1980

Thank you all for clearing that up, I was amazed!. This isn't chicken... i'm a vegetarian! It's Quorn (like a mushroom protein thing)

Actually I've been searching for a way to up my protein so i guess this is the answer - quorn, pasta, and cheese together Just preferably on a day I didn't already have bread/ tomato sauce etc for breakfast!!

Only had these items in the house to eat, got no veggies left till i go shopping oops.

mfp_1

missfancy1980
I don't have scales

Measuring solids by weight is more accurate than by volume. For energy dense foods like pasta, it's worth having the option to weigh. You don't have to be a slave to scales, but owning them would give you a choice that you don't currently have. They also help a lot with baking accurately.

Would you consider getting scales?

Luandanielle1979

I would only ever fry using olive oil in a spary will save you loads of cals and reduce your pasta a little and fill up on veggies x

RAFValentina

Pasta, cheese and oil all quite heavy in calories.. even a little bit of oil can bump you up to 100... also sweetcorn can easily be 50-100 calories for a serving...sugary!

lorim77

If you've never tried spaghetti squash- give it a try. I find it's an excellent replacement for noodles in just about any dish. Plus it's ridiculously low-cal. The other night I made homemade tomato sauce (with ground turkey) and ate it over spaghetti squash.. my plate was massive and the whole thing was under 400 cal! AND I could hardly taste the difference from the "original recipe" with spaghettti and ground beef (no idea how many more calories, but I'm betting at least double)

Flissbo

Thank you all for clearing that up, I was amazed!. This isn't chicken... i'm a vegetarian! It's Quorn (like a mushroom protein thing)

Actually I've been searching for a way to up my protein so i guess this is the answer - quorn, pasta, and cheese together Just preferably on a day I didn't already have bread/ tomato sauce etc for breakfast!!

Only had these items in the house to eat, got no veggies left till i go shopping oops.

I'm veggie too and get about 90g protein a day (meals and then 1 shake a day). Have you tried Quinoa? Its fab for protein, especially for veggies as it has all the amino acids in it. I use it instead of pasta now. Or if I really want pasta I'll have rice pasta as it doesn't make me bloat. You can add me if you like to see my diary for protein ideas (I'm in the UK, not sure where you are but everything in my diary is fairly easy to find at the supermarket and health food stores) PS your cals for that dinner sound about right - sorry! The dinner looked yum though!

flyingwrite

DON'T fry in Olive Oil, despite what other posters have said. Your vegetable oil (or canola) is the best option here. Olive oil does NOT hold up at high heats and loses all benefit it might have had. Best to use olive oil at low temperatures or cold. There's no reason to give up pasta; just learn how much a serving truly is. And you might try whole wheat pasta instead of white. I'm a Pescetarian but only eat fish 1-2 times a week so at least 80% of what we cook is vegetarian. If you want any pointers, feel free to add me.

missfancy1980

Wow, just logged in and seen all these great ideas! Thank you all, I have lots of food ideas now. I have Quinoa rice cakes but never tried it any other way, think i will give it a go. And I tend not to fry in olive oil anyway because i don't really like the taste, i just use it on salad for e.g when there is a stronger taste to mask it. I only eat fish maybe 2 - 3 times a week too, mainly salmon or tuna. I tend to have it with baby potatoes and salad, or cous cous and salad.

I'm in the UK by the way :drinker: