Restaurant Shame List

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  • ErinBeth7
    ErinBeth7 Posts: 1,625 Member
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    I agree. Chili's is the worst, but so dang good! McDonalds is ghastly too.
  • ElyseL1
    ElyseL1 Posts: 504 Member
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    Cheesecake Factory is the WORST! Portion sizes are out of control!

    they have a skinnylicious menu now. way smaller portions and everything is under 550 cal.
  • happypath101
    happypath101 Posts: 534
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    Love it! If I could change just ONE thing I'd like to see every fast food restaurant offer carrot sticks as an option to fries. What would that cost? Nothing. They'd make a killing and we'd have a better option.
  • superpapa16
    superpapa16 Posts: 244 Member
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    As long as a restaurant makes some effort to post/list the calories and macros in their foods, they're A-OK in my book.

    Chilis has a Margarita chicken dish that is VERY macro friendly, and tastes baller.

    ^ This. Went last night and pulled all the info on the way to the restaurant. 6 oz sirloin, and a side of steamed brocolli came in just under 400 calories. As long as the info is available I can find *something*. I usually try to avoid the places that refuse to provide nutritional info.
  • ErinBeth7
    ErinBeth7 Posts: 1,625 Member
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    and FAMOUS DAVE'S!!! There isn't anything remotely healthy on that menu.
  • janelleross
    janelleross Posts: 61 Member
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    You can go to Qdoba and get a naked chicken burrito and keep cheese off it, and it will run you about 400 calories, watch what you eat and don't overindulge.

    I get the naked chicken burrito at Qdoba (without cheese) and it's still about 685 calories. I guess if you didn't get rice, it would be closer to 400 calories.
  • Lainerbee
    Lainerbee Posts: 7
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    CPK & Cheesecake Factory have under 550 cal meals on their menu... their getting better. I think they realize if they kill us all off there will be no one to dine at their resturants
  • miricheorht
    miricheorht Posts: 1
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    true that, wait....dat. true dat.
  • mockingjay77
    mockingjay77 Posts: 1
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    People, if you are smart you can still eat healthy no matter where you go. My husband and I went to Applebees two weekends ago and there was a section on the menu for 550 calories or under, we were both thinking it was impossible with the stuff they had listed. We both ordered steak and it came with red potatoes, broccoli and a stuff mushroom with spinach dip. The portions were not oversized they were measured correctly and the meal was also cheaper. Also the spinach dip didn't have the usual amount of cheeses in it, it was mostly spinach. Like one poster said, they don't make you order those fatty foods, it is all about self control.
  • WarriorCupcakeBlydnsr
    WarriorCupcakeBlydnsr Posts: 2,150 Member
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    Don't get me wrong guys, I agree, no one forces me to eat at any of those places. My point was more how some of these places take something that on the surface you'd think was a fairly healthy dinner and turn it into something that is out of control and really screws up your day. For example a grilled chicken breast that somehow is 560 calories (by itself before you add the side dishes) and has 22 grams of fat (12 saturated). I mean seriously, you have to try to make a chicken breast that screwed up.

    So I'm not saying a shame list in terms of boycotting or whatever (I pretty much avoid those restaurants except when I know I'm prepared calorie wise or want to splurge) but rather just point out how careful you need to be when you do decide to eat at them. Like someone else mentioned, download the nutritional information before you go in and know what you're going to get.

    Maybe not so much a shame list as a warning list? Just to let people know which restaurant you went to and what the misrepresented "light item" is. I know I don't always get the chance to check out the nutrition info at someplaces, when it's a last minute thing at work and the place is chosen as we walk out the door, but if it's someplace that I have a memory of a post that said "hey if you go to place X don't be fooled by salad Y, it's high in these..." then I can make a different choice... Just a thought
  • superpapa16
    superpapa16 Posts: 244 Member
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    Don't get me wrong guys, I agree, no one forces me to eat at any of those places. My point was more how some of these places take something that on the surface you'd think was a fairly healthy dinner and turn it into something that is out of control and really screws up your day. For example a grilled chicken breast that somehow is 560 calories (by itself before you add the side dishes) and has 22 grams of fat (12 saturated). I mean seriously, you have to try to make a chicken breast that screwed up.

    So I'm not saying a shame list in terms of boycotting or whatever (I pretty much avoid those restaurants except when I know I'm prepared calorie wise or want to splurge) but rather just point out how careful you need to be when you do decide to eat at them. Like someone else mentioned, download the nutritional information before you go in and know what you're going to get.

    Maybe not so much a shame list as a warning list? Just to let people know which restaurant you went to and what the misrepresented "light item" is. I know I don't always get the chance to check out the nutrition info at someplaces, when it's a last minute thing at work and the place is chosen as we walk out the door, but if it's someplace that I have a memory of a post that said "hey if you go to place X don't be fooled by salad Y, it's high in these..." then I can make a different choice... Just a thought

    I didn't know where we were going yesterday evening, in-laws are in town, until we were pretty much on our way. I googled "Eat This, Not That" and found the restaurant (Chili's) and some suggestions. Already added a bookmark for ETNT on my phone so I always have it handy...
  • DelilahCat0212
    DelilahCat0212 Posts: 282 Member
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    No shame!!! I go to Qdoba and get the craft 2 - my BF gets the nachos or the gumbo and I get the naked bowl. My naked mini bowl was 555 calories yesterday and it had cheese, sour cream AND guac!!!

    When we go to Friendly's, we split the Reuben supermelt and fries. I think it came out to a little over 600 calories. I eat a couple bites of the sundae and BF or my kid gets the rest. Or I order a kid's sundae. I can live with that. NO SHAME!
  • sgmomma
    sgmomma Posts: 299 Member
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    My thing is I hate chain restaurants that refuse to share nutritional values. Also hate things that are misleadingly healthy...
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
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    My meals at home are about 500 - 700 calories now. A delicious restaurant meal at about 800 - 1200 calories is well worth it on occasion and fairly easy to fit into a 1500 calorie day if you don't snack or eat all day long.

    Definitely, provide more low calorie options for those who want them or eat out daily but there's nothing shameful or innately unhealthy about a high calorie meal made from fresh, high quality ingredients.
  • MyM0wM0w
    MyM0wM0w Posts: 2,008 Member
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    I think that part (PART) of the problem is that restaurants historically were for celebration. It was a big deal to eat a meal out and 'treat' yourself so it wasn't such a big deal. You only did it very occasionally and the rest of your meals were taken at home/brown bagged at work.

    Now, Americans are eating out more often than they eat in and they 'treat' themselves very often. YEs, I agree that quality and nutrition has gone down in restaurants over the years but also in our behavior in eating out.
  • daffodilsoup
    daffodilsoup Posts: 1,972 Member
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    Cheesecake Factory is the WORST! Portion sizes are out of control!

    At one time 35 dishes over 1000 cals

    Come on people, it's called "The Cheesecake Factory".
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,143 Member
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    CPK & Cheesecake Factory have under 550 cal meals on their menu... their getting better. I think they realize if they kill us all off there will be no one to dine at their resturants

    More cheesecake for MEEE!!!!
  • makenziewhicker
    makenziewhicker Posts: 29 Member
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    TEXAS ROADHOUSE! They dip their rolls in butter like 6 times throughout the day before they serve them!
  • dueover
    dueover Posts: 18
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    O'Charley's
  • DeadMarsha
    DeadMarsha Posts: 203
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    I think that part (PART) of the problem is that restaurants historically were for celebration. It was a big deal to eat a meal out and 'treat' yourself so it wasn't such a big deal. You only did it very occasionally and the rest of your meals were taken at home/brown bagged at work.

    Now, Americans are eating out more often than they eat in and they 'treat' themselves very often. YEs, I agree that quality and nutrition has gone down in restaurants over the years but also in our behavior in eating out.

    THIS.

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