MFP - Uncovered Bad Choices

CarterGrt
CarterGrt Posts: 289 Member
edited September 22 in Food and Nutrition
I might be preaching to the choir here, but I have been using MFP for only a few weeks. What I like the most is that some of the things I used to eat all the time thinking that they were "pretty healthy" have turned out to be loaded with calories. Chicken sandwiches at fast food, for example. The other day, I looked up the little muffins at Jason's Deli to find out that they are 90 calories a piece. I usually eat AT LEAST 8 of these.

Anyway, I am very happy with the new insights into my food choices and I expect that my weight will continue to go down without the ups-and-downs that have been problematic in the past.

--Carter

Replies

  • daniface
    daniface Posts: 338 Member
    amen
  • UpToAnyCool
    UpToAnyCool Posts: 1,673
    Agree! Even when I was eating well, I was eating huge amounts of food! :laugh: Had NO idea! :blushing:
  • emmyvera
    emmyvera Posts: 599 Member
    Yah :smile:

    Will you please tell my husband about the fast food chicken sandwiches??? :laugh:

    Good Luck! I LOVE MFP!!!! :love:
  • AndriaLL
    AndriaLL Posts: 162
    Ditto! My seemingly healthy bran muffins were 500 calories and loaded with fat! (And that was before I spread the butter on!)
  • gambitsgurl
    gambitsgurl Posts: 632 Member
    The sodium in chicken sandwiches is scary
  • padbh
    padbh Posts: 40
    I did not know canned soup and chili has a ton of soduim, I am trying to make my own
  • bonnienm
    bonnienm Posts: 329 Member
    I like the grilled lemon pepper sandwiches at Artic Circle but usually don't eat the bun or just eat half so it isn't too high calorie or sodium. (At least I don't think it is:)
  • 2bFitNTrim
    2bFitNTrim Posts: 1,209 Member
    MFP is uncovering bad choices, yes, But for me it's helping to see how my bad habits are hurting my waist line. Eating a Chips Ahoy Chewy Choc Chip cookie every time I walk into the kitchen =lots of calories! They add up, and fast!! NOT good!:noway:
    (I've broke that habit pronto!!!:bigsmile: )
  • OnMyWeigh
    OnMyWeigh Posts: 252 Member
    Qdoba Naked Burritos were my eye opener.... eat too many of those and you'd never want to see yourself naked...:laugh: :wink:
  • Sjenkins0408
    Sjenkins0408 Posts: 18
    I work at Caribou and I though our oatmeal was such a good choice :( its like 450 calories a cup, That made me so sad :( but I stopped eating it lol!
  • tigertchr23
    tigertchr23 Posts: 418 Member
    I might be preaching to the choir here, but I have been using MFP for only a few weeks. What I like the most is that some of the things I used to eat all the time thinking that they were "pretty healthy" have turned out to be loaded with calories. Chicken sandwiches at fast food, for example. The other day, I looked up the little muffins at Jason's Deli to find out that they are 90 calories a piece. I usually eat AT LEAST 8 of these.

    Anyway, I am very happy with the new insights into my food choices and I expect that my weight will continue to go down without the ups-and-downs that have been problematic in the past.

    --Carter

    I had a big, bad discovery this week. I live in AZ so it is usually always hot but we went to our kid's soccer games and it was freezing (at least to us LOL) so I got a large hot chocolate . . . come to find out it was 540 calories. I about died! It looks like it is hot tea for me when it gets cold . . . GEEZ!!
  • bhonniered
    bhonniered Posts: 228
    Isn't that the truth, didn't realize that some of my choices were not the best ones I could make for my waist line - or my health.

    @ OnMyWeigh - regarding Qdoba - did you see how many calories are in the quesadilla? OMG! I don't order those any longer!
  • JakeNonne
    JakeNonne Posts: 74 Member
    Yeah, it's amazing, isn't it. Here are some big ah-ha moments for me:

    Pepperoni pizza slices are about 300-350 calories and I easily ate 3 or 4 slices. That's 1200 calories.
    Any fast food value meal (burger, fries, coke) is over 1200 calories.
    A bagel with cream cheese is almost 400 calories. Add a banana and coffee and that's a 600 calorie breakfast. Yikes.
    The chocolate muffins from Costco are 690 calories. I usually eat only half which is 345 calories and it's not very satisfying meaning I typically eat something else with it.
    A Chipotle burrito is over 800 calories but the tortilla alone is 300 calories. Wow.
  • leslielove
    leslielove Posts: 251 Member
    It completely depends on what you're putting in a Chipotle burrito. Mine is under 700 calories and its PLENTY filling. If I know I'm going to eat Chipotle, I tailor the rest of my food around it. Breakfast is cottage cheese and greens for protein and fiber, lunch will be the burrito with water so I'm not wasting calories on lemonade or iced tea, and if I work out, I still have enough calories for chicken and quinoa and veggies for dinner. All within my calories and macro nutrient ratios. Bam.

    Plus, who really wants to eat a ton more food after cramming one of those down your throat? Its. So. Much. Food.
  • amycal
    amycal Posts: 646 Member
    I know what you mean - a few of my favorite "healthy" lunch places, Panera and Noodles still very high calorie foods. I thought the Noodles Whole Grain Tuscan Linguine was a good choice but I think it has over 800 calories with the chicken. When I went there last time I got the triple play with Japanese Pan Noodles and shrimp and salad with low sugar dressing. At Panera I will avoid the potato soup (okay I knew that was bad!) and get salad (with low cal dressing on side) and/or the vegetable soup.
  • MrsSeaShell
    MrsSeaShell Posts: 190
    I did not know canned soup and chili has a ton of soduim, I am trying to make my own

    Agreed, My eyes were opened to how much sodium is in ALL canned food (soups, veggies, etc) I thought I was doing my family good by adding a can of green beans or peas to each dinner, om gosh, the sodium out weighs the good!!

    I also learned that potatoes with 10 spoons of butter defeats the purpose of eating a baked potatoe over boxed mashed potatoes =]
  • CarterGrt
    CarterGrt Posts: 289 Member
    This might seem a bit silly, but I found it pretty cool when making your own soups. Some soups you can make in bulk and then freeze. Then, of course, you have this giant hunk of soup that you have to work with in the fridge. I heard a tip once that I have done several times with great results. Take the bowls that you will be serving/heating the soup in, line them with plastic wrap, fill with soup, then freeze. After the freeze solid, you can vacuum seel or whatever. When you want a bowl of soup, you just grab one out, put it in the bowl (it is the perfect size and shape) and pop it into the microwave. I do this with stocks and sauces too. Works great, easy to organize and very easy to use.
  • MichelleJalsevac
    MichelleJalsevac Posts: 2 Member
    When I go to the market I ask my 7 year old daughter to find the greenest vegetable she can find. Last time she brought Kale, so I looked up recipes and added it to rice etc. I also always try to buy some sort of bean or lentil that I have never had before and look up a new recipe to try it out. Using lots of herbs really adds to flavour and lots of them have medicinal qualities.
    :flowerforyou:
  • Lisa__Michelle
    Lisa__Michelle Posts: 845 Member
    What's even scarier is that in a lot of the chain restaurants, their fried chicken sandwiches have less calories, fat, and sodium than the grilled chicken sandwiches! How does that make sense???
  • twinsmommy7
    twinsmommy7 Posts: 28 Member
    Good for you! :smile:
  • SlipperySlope
    SlipperySlope Posts: 34
    Oh, my gosh...HobNob chocolate cookies...

    The bain of my life. When we moved to Britain they changed my life and I never wanted to eat anything else. Months later (when I joined MFP), I realized they are 90 calories EACH. Before I joined, I swear I would sit and eat an entire package (about 18 cookies) watching a television show. Holy COW! (and by "cow" I mean ME...! I definately don't do that anymore!)
  • badrianne
    badrianne Posts: 101
    This might seem a bit silly, but I found it pretty cool when making your own soups. Some soups you can make in bulk and then freeze. Then, of course, you have this giant hunk of soup that you have to work with in the fridge. I heard a tip once that I have done several times with great results. Take the bowls that you will be serving/heating the soup in, line them with plastic wrap, fill with soup, then freeze. After the freeze solid, you can vacuum seel or whatever. When you want a bowl of soup, you just grab one out, put it in the bowl (it is the perfect size and shape) and pop it into the microwave. I do this with stocks and sauces too. Works great, easy to organize and very easy to use.

    This is a really good tip. I have to steal this one, thanks!!
  • fittocycle
    fittocycle Posts: 827 Member
    Good for you, Carter! And I know about those little muffins at Jason's Deli too! I have an 18 year old son who loves those gingerbread muffins and thinks nothing of eating a dozen at a time! Guess the only positive thing about it is there is no HFC syrup in the muffins!:smile:
  • RHOyalT
    RHOyalT Posts: 204 Member
    I thought I was doing well with an 80 calorie vanilla yogurt. I mixed in 1/3 cup of granola and a banana....about 430 calories!! This was only supposed to be a snack!
  • marniehodges
    marniehodges Posts: 264
    One of the scariest things to me in restaurants are the supposedly healthy salads we think we are ordering for our meal! Since I started checking out restaurant web sites for nutritional content I have been shocked to find many of the salads (meal size) are 1200+ calories and loaded up with sodium! So much for the healthy choice :ohwell:
  • BoresEasily
    BoresEasily Posts: 582
    The big eye-opener for me was definitely the soups and pasta sauces. Also the calories in an entire frozen pizza or half of it which I used to eat regularly. I thought I was doing well eating healthy request soup by Campbell's until I saw the sodium count per serving and I used to eat a can of it every time and wondered why I felt crappy or tired after the fact. I was eating nearly my entire DRI for sodium in one can and I was eating it like twice a day. I'm amazed that I didn't have high blood pressure or anything like that with the amount of crap I was shoving down my gullet.
  • KarenJean81
    KarenJean81 Posts: 117 Member
    I too discovered bad choices, I was generally fine on calories and fat, but had no idea how ridiculous my sodium intake was.
  • idivadi
    idivadi Posts: 222 Member
    Soups and their salt content was a major eye opener. So I made a huge stock pot full of my favorite pepper soup and bottled it. That way I have a couple of cups whenever I want and the rest keeps. (without taking up freezer space)
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