Popular Restaurants with surprising calorie count

Brendajo510

I was curious what Restaurants you may have gone to that you found it surprising how low or how high the calories were in the food. (Note: I understand that it varies by what you order, but just generally speaking when you get a burger, you usually have a certain expectation as to how high the calorie count will be) There are some days when take out is the best option but I find it worse when you get there and put the food in MFP only to find out it is very different from what you expected. For example, I was relatively shocked when I ordered Jimmy Johns and checked the calories in the sandwich. I was not expecting the calorie count to be that high from a sandwich restaurant that I would normally compare to other lower calorie sandwich joints. Are there any places that should be visited with caution by dieters and other places that actually are not as high in calories as you would expect?

BrewerFan2

I am always suprised at the amount of fat and calories in salads in general at restaurants. I can't believe that it is sometimes healthier to order a burger at some restaurants than it is to order a salad. I can never understand why restaurants don't have fat free salad dressings to go with their salads either, I mean come on, you say you have "healthy salads" so why not offer the fat free dressings as well. lol

fitQueenbeast

Stay away from Macaroni Grill. My goodness! 99% of the menu had 4 digit calorie and sodium items on the menu. I was shocked!

Subway's menu is awesome! When I have to eat while on the run, I'll grab a roast beef on grain and keep it movin. Panera Bread is pretty decent in some areas. Stay away from the pastries, of course.

Applebee's has an Under 550 menu in conjunction with Weight Watchers. Not too bad. Stay away from the appetizers unless you plan to work out hard that day. smh (They got a bad grade on almost everything on the menu, though.)

Erica

musenchild

When restaurants had to start posting calories here in CA, I was shocked at Starbucks. You expect the pastries, but some of the "healthier" items like bran muffins and whole grain bagels are just as high!

Sabine_Stroehm

Calories? no, SODIUM: KFC. Even their grilled chicken has astronomical sodium counts.

aakaakaak

Tropical Smoothie - A standard smoothie and a wrap with the chips/cookie/fruit is well over 1000+ calories. You can diet everything down, but it's not automatically low-cal.

EmilyTwist1

Subway's calorie count is pretty good, but their sodium is ridiculously high. A 6" sandwich has almost half the recommended daily amount of sodium.

CarlydogsMom

I was going strong losing weight a couple years ago, and had a meeting in a small town about an hour away, and I drove a colleague with me. I brought my own lunch and was doing great. At the end of the meeting, he said "I'll take you to Dairy Queen..." which I NEVER go to, never eat there, never had an urge to. But he really wanted something, so I went, and tried to think of the smallest, least-offensive/bad thing I could order for a little treat. They did not have the frozen yogurt or low-fat/low-sugar ice cream. So I ordered a small vanilla malt. Tiny thing, about 3/4 -cup of blended ice cream and a spoonful of malt.

Went home and looked it up on the DQ webpage. 650 calories. I about passed out.

However, that week I continued to lose my 1-2 pounds per week as I had been for several months. I learned important lessons, though: 1) processed and fast foods of any kind (salads included) seem to always have more calories than you expect, so reduce those as much as possible; and 2) one goof during a week won't kill you.

But I'm much more mindful--and forgiving of myself--now and that's probably been my only visit to DQ in the past 10 years and I have no urge to ever set foot in one again.

mizamypowers

Red Lobster has many good options. I agree with an earlier post about Panera--but stay away from the sweets. Those numbers were SCARY!! I also agree about Starbucks. I can have a "skinny" latte, but was also surprised by the pastries!!

jwolfe0709

Carino's!!! I couldn't find anything under 1,000 cals, other than the soup.

Olive Garden, on the other hand has some pretty good options!

fitQueenbeast

Subway's calorie count is pretty good, but their sodium is ridiculously high. A 6" sandwich has almost half the recommended daily amount of sodium.

You are so right!

Here's a shocker: I had a tuna salad sandwich on wheat (they have the BEST wheat bread) from Firehouse Subs and couldn't believe how high all of the nutritional info was. I was highly upset.

Erica

JustPeachy044

I have found that I have to watch the SODIUM content in restaurant foods as much as if not more than calories. Especially the "light" dishes. They can make you retain sodium like there's no tomorrow, and your weight will appear to shoot way up temporarily. Personally, If I know I am going to be eating out and want to stay on the wagon, I look for meals with lots of veggies and ask them to serve all sauces on the side.

There are lots of ways to handle eating out, it depends a lot on your philosophy and goals. Unless it is a special occasion and you have decided to simply enjoy yourself without worrying about calories (which has its merits), some of these techniques may work:
1. Look up the restaurant's menu beforehand and decide what to order. I agree, some calorie contents are amazingly high compared to what you'd expect!
2. Ask for lots of water, and drink it.
3. Order soup (broth based) or salad (dressing on the side or not at all) and eat it/them as an appetizer or as the main course.
4. Stay away from items with lots of bread or sauces, especially cream and butter sauces. marinara sauce may be one exception.
5. Order what you want with a take-out box. Before eating even a bite, divide the meal in 1/2 and put 1/2 in the box. Eat the other half.

That said, I love to eat at Panera. They have some wonderful salads and soups, and they post calories on some of their menu items. Subway is my favorite sandwich shop (9-grain bread and no cheese or sauces keeps the calorie count lower and the sandwich more filling). anyplace such as Olive Garden, bringing "unlimited breadsticks and salad" are dangerous...that salad dressing at OG is crazy high in calories!

jenjones28

Chili's. Anything other than their sirloin seems to be loaded with calories. Very hard to eat there and watch calories.

EmilyTwist1

Stay away from Macaroni Grill. My goodness! 99% of the menu had 4 digit calorie and sodium items on the menu. I was shocked!

Subway's menu is awesome! When I have to eat while on the run, I'll grab a roast beef on grain and keep it movin. Panera Bread is pretty decent in some areas. Stay away from the pastries, of course.

Applebee's has an Under 550 menu in conjunction with Weight Watchers. Not too bad. Stay away from the appetizers unless you plan to work out hard that day. smh (They got a bad grade on almost everything on the menu, though.)

Erica

I think part of why Macaroni Grill has such high calories is that the portions are HUGE. Whenever I go there I split the fettuccine alfredo with my mom, and I still have left overs to take home.

JustPeachy044

I am always suprised at the amount of fat and calories in salads in general at restaurants. I can't believe that it is sometimes healthier to order a burger at some restaurants than it is to order a salad. I can never understand why restaurants don't have fat free salad dressings to go with their salads either, I mean come on, you say you have "healthy salads" so why not offer the fat free dressings as well. lol

Salad dressing on the side, dip your fork in the dressing then take a bite. you use a lot less that way! Or ask for a lemon wedge in lieu of the dressing and use that. I have heard that a "healthy salad" often has more calories than many other things on the menu b/c of the croutons, bacon bits, dressing, etc. they often load on there!!

jennifermaffei17

Subway is always great!
Dennys has an avocado chicken sandwich with veggies on the side that is under 550 calories. (I had this tonight for dinner mmmm)

bulbadoof

I was really impressed by the chicken fajitas at Chili's - even with cheese and guacamole, the plate set me back less than 500 calories! I didn't eat the tortillas, though.

Subway is always great!

Subway is actually terrible. I used to go there religiously as a "healthy" alternative to other choices when I was out, but the amount of carbs and sodium in their sandwiches is insane and let's be honest - it takes an iron will to walk in there, smell the bread, and walk out with a salad.

EDesq

I was curious what Restaurants you may have gone to that you found it surprising how low or how high the calories were in the food. (Note: I understand that it varies by what you order, but just generally speaking when you get a burger, you usually have a certain expectation as to how high the calorie count will be) There are some days when take out is the best option but I find it worse when you get there and put the food in MFP only to find out it is very different from what you expected. For example, I was relatively shocked when I ordered Jimmy Johns and checked the calories in the sandwich. I was not expecting the calorie count to be that high from a sandwich restaurant that I would normally compare to other lower calorie sandwich joints. Are there any places that should be visited with caution by dieters and other places that actually are not as high in calories as you would expect?

Next time try Putting in the calorie Count on MFP BEFORE you Order; also, Jimmy Johns has a Nutrition Menu right there, Online! And can be as healthy or Unhealthy as YOU want to be, and so can a LOT of Restaurants. But really, a Beef Burger is gonna COST (Calorie wise) as well as any sandwich loaded with the standard mayo, cheese and DENSE Bread >>>Those 3 areas are where all the high calories are.

fitQueenbeast

Stay away from Macaroni Grill. My goodness! 99% of the menu had 4 digit calorie and sodium items on the menu. I was shocked!

Subway's menu is awesome! When I have to eat while on the run, I'll grab a roast beef on grain and keep it movin. Panera Bread is pretty decent in some areas. Stay away from the pastries, of course.

Applebee's has an Under 550 menu in conjunction with Weight Watchers. Not too bad. Stay away from the appetizers unless you plan to work out hard that day. smh (They got a bad grade on almost everything on the menu, though.)

Erica

I think part of why Macaroni Grill has such high calories is that the portions are HUGE. Whenever I go there I split the fettuccine alfredo with my mom, and I still have left overs to take home.

....and that's exactly what's wrong with the restaurant industry today. The portion sizes are out of control. I remember reading a review of a fancy restaurant we were going to in Atlanta. The guy complained about the portion size being too small. lol Actually, we are so conditioned with these God-awful sizes that, when we get what's correct, we complain. My plate of food was perfect when we went.

Erica

honey_bee_keysha

Olive Garden! Before I joined MFP, I ate Olive Garden at least once very two weeks. I was surprised as to how much sodium and calories that many of my favorite dishes had.

fitQueenbeast

I was really impressed by the chicken fajitas at Chili's - even with cheese and guacamole, the plate set me back less than 500 calories! I didn't eat the tortillas, though.

Subway is always great!

Subway is actually terrible. I used to go there religiously as a "healthy" alternative to other choices when I was out, but the amount of carbs and sodium in their sandwiches is insane and let's be honest - it takes an iron will to walk in there, smell the bread, and walk out with a salad.

LOL I actually did that....ONCE...and was mad. That salad was sorely lacking and unfulfilling!

dym123

Pei Wei!!! For the longest time the only thing I would order at Pei Wei were the Vietnamese Chicken salad rolls, because they were only 150 calories for 3 rolls(I still have the old nutrition print out to prove it). About a week or so ago, I was checking the nutrition facts to check another dish and saw that they are now 480 calories for 3 and 18 grams of fat!!

tanisha_rae

salads, in general are for sure always WAYYY higher in calories than I'd guess unless Im extremely picky and order them w/o half the stuff on them and with a light salad dressing.... i usually stick to something grilled as it'll fill me up more, and doesn't require as many picky specifications from me..

On the other hand.. one of my friends little tricks is to go to McDonalds (yes I said it) and order an ice cream cone if she wants a treat- only 170 calories... not too shabby.. way better than that dairy queen malt evidently

niceMarly

I admit freely that I am a McDonaldsoholic.....but now, instead of a big mac, fries and coke....I get a Grilled Chicken McBistro, BLT, NO BACON, NO SAUCE.....for about 320 cal....a small garden salad (skip the dressing) and Coke Zero (yes I know it's high in sodium).....see??? it can be done!!

I also love Subway, but you MUST resist the cheese and sauce. Their ham is fat-free!

Dairy Queen and KFC are no-go's for me. Tim Horton's has a fairly decent chicken noodle soup, and you can order sandwiches with the cheese and sauce.

wordpainter09

I am always suprised at the amount of fat and calories in salads in general at restaurants. I can't believe that it is sometimes healthier to order a burger at some restaurants than it is to order a salad. I can never understand why restaurants don't have fat free salad dressings to go with their salads either, I mean come on, you say you have "healthy salads" so why not offer the fat free dressings as well. lol

Salad dressing on the side, dip your fork in the dressing then take a bite. you use a lot less that way! Or ask for a lemon wedge in lieu of the dressing and use that. I have heard that a "healthy salad" often has more calories than many other things on the menu b/c of the croutons, bacon bits, dressing, etc. they often load on there!!

^^ This. The fork trick always works for me.

arcticfox04

Arbys seems to be pretty good atm.

I get a Classic Turkey Roaster, small potato cakes, and a bottle water for 520cal, 19g fat, 1480sod, 63carb, 5g fiber, 26protein.

VanessaHeartsMasr

My husband was devastated today. His FAVORITE menu item is a Jack Daniel's burger and fries from TGI Fridays. I looked it up for him and we found out that the burger alone was 1360 calories!!! Add the fries and a couple cokes. Woah! Kinda ruined his life. Lol.

Jonahyona

Cheesecake Factory.....nearly everything is over 1k calories.

meshashesha2012

i dont care so much about calories but it's mainly the sodium i have to be careful about when i eat out.

subway would be SO much better if they didnt use deli meat and maybe roasted their own turkeys and chickens for sandwiches. for the ham, well there's no help for ham :laugh:

laserturkey

On The Border and Chili's are both HORRIBLE calorie bombs. Macaroni Grill and Olive Garden are, too, for the most part.

Denny's has some really good, low-calorie options. An unwich at Jimmy John's, especially if you hold the mayo, is incredibly light. Chipotle is not bad, if you skip the tortillas and get a burrito bowl or salad. Cheesecake Factory has pretty awesome items on their light menu.

MrGonzo05

Chilis and Olive Garden.