How, I ask you? HOW?!

LaurenAOK
LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
edited 8:34AM in Food and Nutrition
I seriously don't understand how it is physically possible for some restaurant food to be so bad for us. I'm going to TGI Fridays tonight and decided to look up the nutrition for their veggie burger since that's what I want to get. It's 1140 calories. 1140?! In a veggie burger?! When I make a veggie burger at home, it's around 300 calories. Of course TGI's burger is bigger, but I wouldn't say it's four times bigger. Where on earth do all those extra calories come from? And that's not even including the side of fries they serve with it - that's an extra 300 :grumble:

Guess I'll be only eating half of my meal and taking the other half home. I'll also get it without mayo and maybe no cheese so that should bring down the calorie count... just ugh... it doesn't even seem possible that it's that bad for you.

Thanks for listening to my rant.
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Replies

  • SpecialKitty7
    SpecialKitty7 Posts: 678 Member
    i have the same issue. my husband hates trying to pick a restaurant anymore because i always complain that one meal will blow all my calories for the day. my guess is they cook with a lot of oil / butter etc. i mean come on, everything is better with a stick of butter...
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
    i have the same issue. my husband hates trying to pick a restaurant anymore because i always complain that one meal will blow all my calories for the day. my guess is they cook with a lot of oil / butter etc. i mean come on, everything is better with a stick of butter...

    Very good point, I didn't think about what they cook it in!
  • iuew
    iuew Posts: 624 Member
    the calories come from enormous portion sizes, ingredients, and condiments. i know of one chain that has managed to make a turkey sandwich over 700 calories with 27 grams of fat.

    i second your sentiment, however. my friends look at me like i'm nuts when i don't want to go to some places, but there is almost nothing healthy on the menu. to add insult to injury, a lot of places won't even let you order the kid sized portion, which would solve the problem in some cases.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    I worked at TGIF for about 15 years. You don't want to know.

    I don't think it would be so bad if you had it without the bun, and with the mayo on the side. Those buns are huge. They do cook it in oil (butter), so there's that. And not just a smidgen of oil, a tablespoon or so.

    Restaurants want food to be tasty. Fridays was known for its huge portions, too.

    The one you have at home may be a bit worse than you think, too.
  • OnMyWeigh464
    OnMyWeigh464 Posts: 447 Member
    I hear ya. My favorite dish at our Boston Pizza is the Chicken Pecan salad and one full plate is a whopping 1100 calories!! WTF? It's lettuce, chicken, pecans, some grated cheese and dressing...sooo...knowing that lettuce doesn't have alot of calories, that means that 1000 or so calories is the nuts and the cheese and chicken and dressing...it sure as heck doesn't make sense to ME. But I guess that's why eating out sabotages our "diets" and when I do order that salad I ask for the dressing on the side and I ask them for a box so I package up half of it right away.
  • Dancerten
    Dancerten Posts: 237 Member
    I worked at TGIF for about 15 years. You don't want to know.

    I don't think it would be so bad if you had it without the bun, and with the mayo on the side. Those buns are huge. They do cook it in oil (butter), so there's that. And not just a smidgen of oil, a tablespoon or so.

    Restaurants want food to be tasty. Fridays was known for its huge portions, too.

    The one you have at home may be a bit worse than you think, too.

    I agree, skip the bun... bread has a lot of calories
  • Katherine_Nelson
    Katherine_Nelson Posts: 70 Member
    Im right there with you!
    I love the market fresh turkey sandwich from Arbys... LOVE IT.
    But it has over 750 calories! and thats without mayo!
    I dont understand fast food/restaraunts.
    thats why i pretty much just cut them out completely.
  • kitigonkukoo
    kitigonkukoo Posts: 218 Member
    If you really want to get disgusted- check out the sodium levels at Fridays- particularly the items they refer to as healthy, or apps meant for 1 person.

    It's scary.
  • JosieRawr
    JosieRawr Posts: 788 Member
    I had a wtf moment last night.. sonic reeses blast... large- 1700 calories... I was thinking maybe 1000 which woulda put me 2-300 over which i could have easily burned... lesson learned! but it was good and that's the first time i've went over in the 30 days i've been here so i'm not too worried about it, it was a family treat, I enjoyed every bite
  • michelleparas
    michelleparas Posts: 2 Member
    I have been reading all these posts and could not agree more! I got all excited at a Ruby Tuesday's because they listed lots of the calorie counts and I was able to put together a decent meal for about 900 calories or so. However..not an entree! I had a side of their roasted spaghetti squash, an appetizer size crab cake and a skinny margarita. At least I felt like one of the group at my table. Weight loss sucks!
  • tea_addicted_
    tea_addicted_ Posts: 17
    i have no idea! i got a strawberry salad from Zio's Italian Kitchen. 1200 calories. 1200 CALORIES. IN A SALAD. HOW?!?!?!?!
  • tea_addicted_
    tea_addicted_ Posts: 17
    AND 2500 in a whole rack of ribs from Chili's!!
  • ajrjaneway
    ajrjaneway Posts: 20 Member
    It is very difficult to eat out. I pretty much always plan on eating only half and taking the rest home. I was astonished to find out how much sodium is in the items at Noodles and Company. Even a small portion can put me over the day's allowance! I can echo other folks -- dressing on the side, and just eat half of it or get the small size if you can. Oh well, if this were easy, everyone would be thin, right? :happy:
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    thinking that one meal is going to ruin your diet is like thinking that you have to junk your car after you get a flat tire.
  • kima1144
    kima1144 Posts: 28
    CAN SOMEONE TELL ME HOW I CAN PUT UP MY OWN MESSAGE BOARD IM TRYING TO MEET NEW PEOPLE IN MY TOWN TO WORK OUT WITH BUT KNOW HOW TO REPLY TO MESSAGE NOT MAKE ONE THKS
  • determinedbutlazy
    determinedbutlazy Posts: 1,941 Member
    In the bar I used to work in, we deep fried our veggie burgers. That made them more unhealthy than the grilled meat options.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    I have a feeling that's for the whole meal, but I could be wrong, I didn't look at the site. Anyhow, it's probably full of oil...major calories and at least 300 for the roll...
  • meg7399
    meg7399 Posts: 672 Member
    The big chains like that are the worst. Not great quality food, cooked in loads of butter, etc. Most of those places DO have a 600 and under option and such. You CAN always ask for nothing to be cooked in butter or oil. I always skip buns, bacon, cheese, etc.
  • starcatcher1975
    starcatcher1975 Posts: 292 Member
    I agree with the crazy calorie counts but what gets me even more is the sodium! Really how do they make a salad have over 1000mg of sodium?! It's freaking lettuce. I'm starting to think the only seasoning restaurants know about is salt.
  • jbobb15
    jbobb15 Posts: 29 Member
    Yes I recently had a (very delicious) grilled chicken sandwich from Red Robin, at a cost of over 900 calories!!! There is a reason it was so delicious. Also stopped at an IHOP lately and was pleased to see the calorie count for everything listed right under the item description. Made it so much easier to make a better choice. Wish everywhere would do that.
  • DestroyTheOpposition
    DestroyTheOpposition Posts: 444 Member
    It irritates the crap out of me as well. I don't understand why they cant have at least 2 healthy selections. Not healthy SOUNDING but actually not bad for you crazy over the top crap.
  • dsjohndrow
    dsjohndrow Posts: 1,820 Member
    Olive Garden has a Venetian Chicken Breast that is 400. All the other places are not so easy to win at.
  • dsjohndrow
    dsjohndrow Posts: 1,820 Member
    7 for $7 steak and eggs!
  • Babymomakell
    Babymomakell Posts: 257 Member
    I KNOW~~~~~ I love love love going out to eat, and I have found it sooooo hard!!! I have no idea why they add all of that crap to their food... the sodium counts are the worst!!!!
  • RobynMWilson
    RobynMWilson Posts: 1,540 Member
    Let's put it this way. Yes, restaurant food is extremely unhealthy, especially chain restaurants. But if you want sustainable weight loss and a plan that will work in REAL life, you have to go ahead and have the unhealthy restaurant meal every once in a while. I only eat out in restaurants about once or twice per month so when I go, I don't worry about calories or whatever and just get what I want. Because I know the next day I will be back to my eating plan and usually the stomach ache and bloating from said restaurant meal stops me craving for quite some time. I had a calorie buster for my birthday dinner last night and it'll be the last time I think about a restaurant for a WHILE lol
  • Heyyleigh
    Heyyleigh Posts: 268 Member
    Funny- I had to got to TK Tripps today and did the same thing, BUT they do not offer nutritional info on their food. I wrote to the corporate office, like it matters. I had to order Lettuce! with a piece of fish. I don't like to throw a fit when the menu offers nothing not lathered in butter, or floating in grease! But it is hard. O M G and the platters of bread with oil..........I didnt touch it....

    The only place I can really go and feel good, is Ruby Tuesdays. The have it going on. I had a good experiences at Red Lobster too.
  • Rilke
    Rilke Posts: 1,201 Member
    http://eatthis.menshealth.com/slideshow/20-worst-foods-america-2012

    Click "NEXT" if you dare.
  • foxfirekenzie
    foxfirekenzie Posts: 244 Member
    Have you seen any of the info for The Cheesecake Factory? Would scare the crap out of ya.

    EAT AT HOME. ohhhh... if it were only that easy.
  • saragato
    saragato Posts: 1,154
    thinking that one meal is going to ruin your diet is like thinking that you have to junk your car after you get a flat tire.

    It doesn't ruin your diet, but if one meal racks up the majority of your day's calories it can ruin that day unless you feel like hitting the gym for a couple hours just to justify something else.

    That aside, a lot of chain restaurants have their food frozen or preserved somehow so that can lead to high sodium levels, loss of nutritional value, and of course you have how they cook it and the portion sizes. I've gotten to where I don't even like going out because everything tastes so salty to me that I'm downing a liter or so of water during the meal and have to brush my teeth when I get home to get the taste out my mouth.
  • gingerjen7
    gingerjen7 Posts: 821 Member
    Guess I'll be only eating half of my meal and taking the other half home.
    That's exactly what you should do. When you order, ask them to bring a go box when they bring your entree. Then, when it arrives cut everything in half and box up half of it and stash it away. That way you won't be tempted to eat more (unless you're still hungry, of course--but wait 20 minutes to decide whether or not you're really still hungry). I've done this before and it absolutely helped me keep my calories right on track for the day. I had a few to spare on a cocktail, in fact (I don't go out much or drink very often, so I thought it okay to treat myself to a mojito that evening).
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