Wrong Calorie Counts Too Often
Siege_Tank
Posts: 781 Member
I sit here having torn off 30 pounds worth of weight. When I work out with a 30 pound vest on, or 30 pounds worth of dead weight that I have to lift, I can hardly believe that all of it has come off.
Once I saw a loss of 30 pounds on the scale, hitting that mark let me relax a little. I was doing it. I was creating a calorie deficit and losing weight at a steady clip. losing the first 30 pounds I really didn't change what I ate, I just ate less frequently. I allowed myself a couple of celebratory meals to B dubs once I hit 180, carefully and meticulously counting every calorie that I ate.
As soon as I let up on the dietary brakes everything came to a screeching halt. I didn't gain any weight, but I also didn't lose any weight. I found myself cheating on my calorie counts, not counting small bites of single things here and there, and playing with my remaining calories like it was a budget, something to spend. If I hung off eating for long enough, then I'd have enough later in the day to splurge on something tasty, like a serving of chicken wings and some french fries, and still be at a calorie deficit.
The calorie counts from sit-down restaurants are so wrong, they are lowballing it so so badly it's effing criminal. After looking on google for "wrong calorie counts" independent lab testing by secret shoppers sending food off to a lab to test the counts found an average of 18% more calories in food than listed on the menu. And that was on the portion of the menu that had items clock in at 500 calories or less, the things most dieters would choose to eat.
18% of a 500 calorie meal is almost a hundred calories. That's just the average.
In some cases they found calorie counts to be double or triple what the nutrition information was. In all of those cases, the food came from chain style restaurants, sit down - not frozen fried fast food. I would have been better off eating a gut busting double cheezeburger and fries from pick-a-drivethru. Or at the very least I would have had a more accurate calorie count.
I think the reason why most of the raw food and paleo and simpler food type diets are easier to lose weight on is.. when we allow ourselves to eat out, we are putting our food into the hands of someone who is paid to make it taste good. Sear on a griddle with butter, bacon grease, cooking oil... and it's all dependent on the cook having a light hand with the sauce. We read calorie counts from a website and take those numbers at face value, at least I did. I can't trust any of the calorie counts out there. It's like playing dietary russian roulette, even the flipping SALADS aren't exempt from being double or triple the calories listed.
Not to mention the notion that when the lab tests food for caloric value by a food chain, it's most likely food prepared for the lab with meticulous preparation and attention to detail. In places like McDonalds, the calorie counts are almost always right, everything is made and packaged the same way, in the same amounts as what's tested.. I mean it's a vile meal, but at least it's an honest meal. Lets face it, if we knew with certainty the calorie counts in most of the restaurants which we choose to eat at for our "cheat" meal (I hate that term) we'd probably never eat there again.
So many people have gotten away from preparing their food for themselves, and with good reason. It takes a lot of time, and most of us have too much to do as it is. If only there were a way where we could hire someone that was an expert at making food.... about the only people I now trust are the guys at subway, but ONLY because it's hard to eff up sliced meat with raw vegetables. Mayo? No thank you, I'll stick to the sweet onion sauce.
I'm going back to what worked, sustainable farmed fish, steamed vegetables, fruit, and I'll eat the fried stuff very, very sparingly... when I reach my body fat % goal.
Once I saw a loss of 30 pounds on the scale, hitting that mark let me relax a little. I was doing it. I was creating a calorie deficit and losing weight at a steady clip. losing the first 30 pounds I really didn't change what I ate, I just ate less frequently. I allowed myself a couple of celebratory meals to B dubs once I hit 180, carefully and meticulously counting every calorie that I ate.
As soon as I let up on the dietary brakes everything came to a screeching halt. I didn't gain any weight, but I also didn't lose any weight. I found myself cheating on my calorie counts, not counting small bites of single things here and there, and playing with my remaining calories like it was a budget, something to spend. If I hung off eating for long enough, then I'd have enough later in the day to splurge on something tasty, like a serving of chicken wings and some french fries, and still be at a calorie deficit.
The calorie counts from sit-down restaurants are so wrong, they are lowballing it so so badly it's effing criminal. After looking on google for "wrong calorie counts" independent lab testing by secret shoppers sending food off to a lab to test the counts found an average of 18% more calories in food than listed on the menu. And that was on the portion of the menu that had items clock in at 500 calories or less, the things most dieters would choose to eat.
18% of a 500 calorie meal is almost a hundred calories. That's just the average.
In some cases they found calorie counts to be double or triple what the nutrition information was. In all of those cases, the food came from chain style restaurants, sit down - not frozen fried fast food. I would have been better off eating a gut busting double cheezeburger and fries from pick-a-drivethru. Or at the very least I would have had a more accurate calorie count.
I think the reason why most of the raw food and paleo and simpler food type diets are easier to lose weight on is.. when we allow ourselves to eat out, we are putting our food into the hands of someone who is paid to make it taste good. Sear on a griddle with butter, bacon grease, cooking oil... and it's all dependent on the cook having a light hand with the sauce. We read calorie counts from a website and take those numbers at face value, at least I did. I can't trust any of the calorie counts out there. It's like playing dietary russian roulette, even the flipping SALADS aren't exempt from being double or triple the calories listed.
Not to mention the notion that when the lab tests food for caloric value by a food chain, it's most likely food prepared for the lab with meticulous preparation and attention to detail. In places like McDonalds, the calorie counts are almost always right, everything is made and packaged the same way, in the same amounts as what's tested.. I mean it's a vile meal, but at least it's an honest meal. Lets face it, if we knew with certainty the calorie counts in most of the restaurants which we choose to eat at for our "cheat" meal (I hate that term) we'd probably never eat there again.
So many people have gotten away from preparing their food for themselves, and with good reason. It takes a lot of time, and most of us have too much to do as it is. If only there were a way where we could hire someone that was an expert at making food.... about the only people I now trust are the guys at subway, but ONLY because it's hard to eff up sliced meat with raw vegetables. Mayo? No thank you, I'll stick to the sweet onion sauce.
I'm going back to what worked, sustainable farmed fish, steamed vegetables, fruit, and I'll eat the fried stuff very, very sparingly... when I reach my body fat % goal.
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Replies
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I hear you 100%! One of the things I find horrifying is that so many restaurants and chains get away with saying "500 calories per serve!" and not telling you that a "serve" is 1/3 of what they actually whack on your plate. It's misleading.
It's so easy to let stuff slip back in when you are succeeding. Going back to basics is one of the reasons I have joined this site today.0 -
I don't eat out often enough to worry about it because I prefer to fill up more with food I cook from scratch. It fits in my calories for the day easily, if I eat out then I have to make up for it which is a pain. I do take time off now and then like you to celebrate with a nice meal. I had a nice BBQ rib dinner just the other night when I hit goal weight!
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As soon as I let up on the dietary brakes everything came to a screeching halt. I didn't gain any weight, but I also didn't lose any weight. I found myself cheating on my calorie counts, not counting small bites of single things here and there, and playing with my remaining calories like it was a budget, something to spend. If I hung off eating for long enough, then I'd have enough later in the day to splurge on something tasty, like a serving of chicken wings and some french fries, and still be at a calorie deficit.
A cautionary tale. I've been letting up a bit recently as I've been in maintenance mode and still losing a bit, still feeling hungry. I cannot allow myself to forget that somewhere in me there is a careless eater who got me to MFP in the first place.
Thank you for this piece of writing.0 -
Whats worse is today I am seeing all kinds of posts about how everyone's weight loss has stalled.. I wonder what it could be?
damn calorie counts.0 -
It's weird, one holiday dedicated to gluttony comes and goes and all of a sudden we're all stricken. How queer.0
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I usually only do half-portions when I eat out anymore, which is unusual now. I don't trust the calorie counts either. For me, it's not just my weight, but I just feel like crap if I eat out regularly anymore. It's so much cheaper and easier to hit my goals cooking for myself.
Good luck to you reaching your goals!0 -
I was a server in college at a sit-down chain restaurant, and I never, EVER trust calorie counts listed, either. The thing is, people are greedy, and even when the calculated portions are HUGE, they want it EXTRA HUGE to feel like they got a deal. So, to "hook up" the customers, the servers get the cooks to make it cheesier, add a few extra fries, throw some extra sauce on top. Bigger portions = bigger tips. Seriously.
I think the lesson is to be cautious, control what you can, and cook at home more often when you can.0 -
FDA requires that store bought food items have less than an 8% margin of error on nutrional information for store bought food, while restaurant nutrional information is allowed a 20% or less margin of error. Just food for thought.
That being said, I eat out pretty darn frequently, and I've lost 133 lbs..*shrugs* It's all about choices.0 -
I usually only do half-portions when I eat out anymore, which is unusual now. I don't trust the calorie counts either. For me, it's not just my weight, but I just feel like crap if I eat out regularly anymore. It's so much cheaper and easier to hit my goals cooking for myself.
Good luck to you reaching your goals!
I agree! When I eat out, I request a "to-go" container immediately and then put in at least half of my meal. That way, I'm eating a proper serving size. I also have lunch for the next day 0 -
I think I have learned best from experience. Six months ago I could not even attempt to make an educated guess on what a meals total calorie count was, today I have a pretty good idea. I can't say I'm terribly worried about a 20% error since I eat out an average of 4 meals a week.0
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