Restaurants are Irresponsible.

I lost the first 70 lbs of my weight by mainly changing my diet, which consisted of getting a salad at Subway 4 days a week. A salad, with a little lettuce, mostly spinach, oven roasted chicken breast, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, black olives, black pepper, and their Chipotle Southwest sauce is just under 500 cals. YOU make the choices at the restaurant, just because they serve or have available bad options, doesn't mean they are irresponsible.

I eat at Subway at least once a week. I get a 6 inch turkey on wheat, no cheese, mountains of veggies, a little black pepper and the low cal fat-free honey mustard dressing. (And I say "a little bit of honey mustard" and then say "Stop" when they've made one or two squiggles.)

The Subways around me have actually stopped asking you if you want cheese - to save money, they only give you cheese if you ask for it. That probably annoys cheese-eaters, but once I realized that between the meat, the veggies and the dressing, I couldn't even TASTE the cheese on my sub, I've gone cheese free and never looked back.

Then I get some apples and a Vitamin Water Zero (or the unsweetened iced tea) and I'm on my way. No fuss, no muss, and really, I promise they won't remember ten seconds after you leave that you opted not to get cheese.

(I do have to watch my sodium the rest of the day when I have subway for lunch, but I enjoy it and I refuse to have any food I "can't" eat. This isn't a diet, it's a life plan.)

Its up to the consumer to know what they are eating. The info is there, the sub is made to order, make it how you want it. And no one has to buy chips/cookies/drink. I used to get Subway all the time and I would get a 6' veggie on white. (I love the white bread there) No cheese, no sauce, no drink, no chips/cookies. If I really wanted a drink, I would get a bottle of water. Did I get weird looks? Sometimes. Did it matter? No. They weren't eating the sub, I was.

Consumer responsibility goes way beyond Subway. Just because I see a commercial saying that Fruit Loops are a balanced part of breakfast am I going to run out and buy them for my kids? No. Because they are still just sugray crap in a colorful box.

Scratch the mayo. Mustard is your safe bet.

I guess 99% of you just disagree with me or are not getting the point.

I don't have a problem with what I personally eat anymore nor do I have a problem specifically with what they serve (or what Wendy's or McDonalds serves). I have taken the responsibility to research it and eat what it healthy for me. My issue is with suggesting via their advertizing that if you eat a sub there, you will be healthy and lose weight and that implication is almost as unrealistic as if Burger King implied the same things. I am sure some people lose weight eating a side salad and a plain baked potato at Burger King, but at least people aren't going int here with that expectation.

They don't imediately clarify that you specidfically need to excercise or be like Jared and walk a couple miles there and back and specifically not get the sauces and cheese. Its like workout and diet adds where they have to put a disclaimer "Results not typical"

You're right, they don't say you need to exercise and the reality is that you don't need to exercise to lose weight. They do however tell you that you have to eat the 6 inch with 6 grams of fat or less, and they specifically note in their stores and on the menu that those subs don't include cheese or dressing.

Sorry, I was distracted by Capt. Spock and a rabbit with a pancake on its head.

What was the question?
Oh yeah, I get vinegar ONLY and all the veggies I can get. Sometimes you have to do abnormal things to make stuff healthy.

When I get a burger with no cheese and people think I'm a complete loon. Sauce on the side? Call the little men in white suits.

Restaurants are not irresponsible - people make irresponsible food choices.

You could try making and packing your lunch - easier on the belly and wallet.

This thread is pages long but couldve stopped right here. Restaurants are HORRIBLE choices for ME to make. I have only myself to blame if I choose poorly while out. I will never be the one to suggest we go to some lame chain when stand alone places that only use fresh local ingredients exist. They will honor my request to leave out the butter. I work in a chain- trust me when I say they cant even understand your requests, much less honor them.
choose wisely- dont let some other thing or person do it for you.

They don't imediately clarify that you specidfically need to excercise or be like Jared and walk a couple miles there and back and specifically not get the sauces and cheese. Its like workout and diet adds where they have to put a disclaimer "Results not typical"

You need a restuarant ad to tell you that? Common sense?

I guess 99% of you just disagree with me or are not getting the point.

I don't have a problem with what I personally eat anymore nor do I have a problem specifically with what they serve (or what Wendy's or McDonalds serves). I have taken the responsibility to research it and eat what it healthy for me. My issue is with suggesting via their advertizing that if you eat a sub there, you will be healthy and lose weight and that implication is almost as unrealistic as if Burger King implied the same things. I am sure some people lose weight eating a side salad and a plain baked potato at Burger King, but at least people aren't going int here with that expectation.

They don't imediately clarify that you specidfically need to excercise or be like Jared and walk a couple miles there and back and specifically not get the sauces and cheese. Its like workout and diet adds where they have to put a disclaimer "Results not typical"

I don't think you are getting the point. Subway is not advertising itself as another Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig. It's a restaurant trying to make a buck in a world over saturated with places to eat food that you pay other people to make for you. They are trying to get an upper hand by billing themselves as a healthier choice than other 'fast food' and in that they are delivering what they say they are.

Again, eat there or don't I don't care - but stop complaining that they are the ones responsible for you gaining weight.

While I would prefer to make and bring my own lunch... Subway is better than Wendy's... especially, now that Wendy's has their mystery meat... anyway... I tell them how much mayo I want... the girl who makes my sandwich knows I don't want cheese all the time (she also knows if I have cheese I want it toasted)... especially, when I opt for avacado (which I am disappointed the cost of that went up by $.25)... I do get regular mayo but tell them I want very little, mostly because the light and fat-free versions are usually chock full of sugar.


Anyway, do restaurants advertise certian claims? Of course they do... But that doesn't make them inately irresponsible... they have a menu with nutrition facts on it... we can pick and choose what we want and don't want. It's up to us to make the ultimate decision... The responsiblity falls on us in the end.

I eat at Subway at least once a week. I get a 6 inch turkey on wheat, no cheese, mountains of veggies, a little black pepper and the low cal fat-free honey mustard dressing. (And I say "a little bit of honey mustard" and then say "Stop" when they've made one or two squiggles.)

The Subways around me have actually stopped asking you if you want cheese - to save money, they only give you cheese if you ask for it. That probably annoys cheese-eaters, but once I realized that between the meat, the veggies and the dressing, I couldn't even TASTE the cheese on my sub, I've gone cheese free and never looked back.

Then I get some apples and a Vitamin Water Zero (or the unsweetened iced tea) and I'm on my way. No fuss, no muss, and really, I promise they won't remember ten seconds after you leave that you opted not to get cheese.

(I do have to watch my sodium the rest of the day when I have subway for lunch, but I enjoy it and I refuse to have any food I "can't" eat. This isn't a diet, it's a life plan.)

This. Whenever I'm in a pinch and need to go out for lunch, I hop on over to the restaurant's site and do a quick play-by-play of what I'm going to grab. I punch it in to MFP when I'm set, write it down and stare at the paper with my order on it so I don't deviate. Because seriously, if I go to Panera without my list, I might fall into the "Oh what the heck. Give me a baguette and a sweet for $.99"

I never ask for cheese at Subway because I just don't care for it on the subs I get and they never give me stink eye.

I get the OP's meaning about the advertising, but when it boils down to it, we're responsible for making an effort to know what we're putting into our systems. And we have the free will to choose to NOT to do it either. Mayor Bloomie, anyone?

The impression I got that the OP was making was just that there are a lot of hidden calories, even in seemingly "healthier" options at restaurants, be they fast food or otherwise. I don't think it absolves us of the responsibility of making good health choices, but sometimes you think you're making a good choice and it turns out you're way off.

How is it "hidden" when you order a cookie and a soda, or don't tell them to use less mayo? If someone thinks that it's automatically healthy just because they are standing in a Subway restaurant, that person is not bright enough to go outside unattended.

I think it goes without saying that if you get the chips or drink or cookies then you know what you're doing. I was referring to hidden (perhaps unexpected is the better word here) calories of the sandwich itself.