When you think you are being good....

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Leigh012976
Leigh012976 Posts: 71
in Food and Nutrition
I just posted this on my page, but I went to Applebees for lunch today for a business meeting. I thought I was being so careful when I ordered a cup of soup and a half sandwich. I know it was potato soup, but it was only a little cup and didn't think it was that bad. The sandwich too. It was 1/2 of a roast beef mushroom sandwich. I thought I was being good. It turns out, I ate about 1000 calories just for lunch!!!! Talk about shock. Anyone else experience something like this; where you thought you were being good only it turns out that you ate bad? I am still at a loss. I know I need to just pick myself up and keep going, but man, I just feel so deflated!!! I am supposed to go to my stepmom's for dinner tonight and she is making speghetti. I am already over my 1200 point allotment for the day.

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  • yankeedownsouth
    yankeedownsouth Posts: 717 Member
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    Yeah, when I first started tracking calories, I was shocked at how many calories are in restaurant food! I've learned that if I'm going to go out, I try to plan and log my meal ahead of time. Much easier to stay on track that way...
  • Fish_decor
    Fish_decor Posts: 2 Member
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    it happens. it is a calorie goal, not a ceiling, so just do your best to stay under and you'll be fine. that's the worst though, when you didn't even mean to go over. sucks!
  • Amandatorie
    Amandatorie Posts: 93 Member
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    When I've done this I try to remind myself that it's just 1 meal out of 1 day, and weightloss is not about a single meal. You'll be fine, just try to eat a somewhat small portion for dinner and try to get some exercise so you feel better about it.

    But yes, this has happened to me. Mostly when I've gotten a salad at a restaurant. It was a while back, but I definitely remember that the salad had more calories than my boyfriend's cheese burger. I was shocked and appalled, but now I know, and that's what matters.
  • srenea9
    srenea9 Posts: 142
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    WOW! Thats a crazy amount for one meal (not your fault of course) but dang. Whats done is done, don't beat yourself up about it. Try to exercise a little harder today to take off some of those extra calories from lunch. But don't starve yourself for the rest of the day. Tomorrow is a new day & don't worry about it, the more you worry about it the worse your mood gets!
  • DrMAvDPhD
    DrMAvDPhD Posts: 2,097 Member
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    Creamy soups and salads at restaurants, especially chains like Applebee's, are generally the worst. I used to love to get the Santa Fe Chicken Salad there, which is about 1500 calories.
  • amyann2
    amyann2 Posts: 69 Member
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    Yes! I ordered angel hair pasta with tomatoes at Olive Garden once when I was doing WW. It ended up being something like 22 WW points -- and I was only allowed 29 per day! I think they drowned the tomatoes in oil or something. Ah well, live and learn. At least it was delicious, and I didn't make the same mistake again.
  • Bianca42
    Bianca42 Posts: 310 Member
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    A few years ago I was doing WW and ran into Quiznos unexpectedly. I thought I picked healthy and had a small veggie sub. When I got home I was shocked to discover that sub was all 2/3 of my daily points.

    Now, I try to look at the menus ahead of time. If I can't, I just make the best judgement I can while in the restaurant and then deal with the damage later.
  • Leigh012976
    Leigh012976 Posts: 71
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    We went to Applebees Saturday and I ordered this pasta dish. I knew it was bad, but thankfully I had eaten low cal all day. The food came and it was just a little bitty amount. To me, it didn't even look like a full cup worth of pasta. I got online and found out the dish I had was like 1500 calories!!! There is definately a learning curve to this calorie counting.
  • allifantastical
    allifantastical Posts: 946 Member
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    Yup! It is amazing how things you think are healthy are so high in calories. Before I started coutning my calories I used to get salads pretty much everywhere "trying" to be good, but with the amount of cheese and fried things on top of the lettuce I might has well have gotten a steak. The Wild Fire Chicken Salad at Bob Evan's is 800 calories, I believe, a lunch size and that's not counting the dressing!

    That's why now, when I go out, I look at the restaurants website to find out the best option for me and what fits into my calories OR while at the restaurant I'll look it up on MFP to see what I'm getting myself into.
  • damaged_glitter
    damaged_glitter Posts: 14
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    Just see if you can find 30 minutes for a walk after dinner. It will make a small difference.
  • girllovedcupcakes
    girllovedcupcakes Posts: 109 Member
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    If you can get the MFP app on your phone just check it before you go into eat and find something in the database that works within your calories :) It has happened to me before though!
  • Sharla_G
    Sharla_G Posts: 72
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    For sure! At On The Border, I thought my one, measly Dos XX fish taco would be prudent. Turns out, it was 550 calories. Just ONE taco!

    Mexican food is tough.
  • Leigh012976
    Leigh012976 Posts: 71
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    For sure! At On The Border, I thought my one, measly Dos XX fish taco would be prudent. Turns out, it was 550 calories. Just ONE taco!

    Mexican food is tough.

    I know! I love Mexican food. My favorite is arroz con pollo. I would hate to see how much something like that is worth calorie wise. I usually get chicken fajitas, which I imagine the chicken and salad stuff isn't bad, but the tortillas, and cheese, and sour cream probably are.
  • IowaJen1979
    IowaJen1979 Posts: 406 Member
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    UGH!!!! I HATE THAT!!!! That has happened to me. I got a salad from Cosi once and it was crazy high in calories and I was so frustrated. Now I have to do a lot of work in advance. Whenever I have plans to eat out I check out the menu and look things up on MFP. I have to know exactly what I am going to order before I go so I can make the right choices. I went to brunch on Monday and spent half an hour before I left deciding what to get! My coworkers and I go out for lunch every Friday so I have to do advance planning for that, too. It's a lot of work but I think the results will be worth it. I think we're lucky that menus are available online and we can use MFP to look up everything in advance.

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