Calorie Counting for Mom and Pop Restaurants

NightKeepr
NightKeepr Posts: 38
in Food and Nutrition
One of my favorite lunch locations is a mom and pop store front which is run by a good couple who probably wouldn't know the first thing about calorie testing. Therefore, their food does not come with a calorie count.

They have healthy choices like wraps and deli sandwiches, but, as most restaurants, they use their own portion sizes and they generally are not standard portions.

I have avoided this place, much to my upset, specifically because I cannot get an accurate calorie count on what I'm eating from their restaurant.

If anyone eats at mom and pops or hole-in-the-wall restaurants, how do you count your calories from these places?

I'd really like to eat at his place again. Hopefully someone will have some helpful tips for this.

Replies

  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
    I really just estimate... You can use the hand method of estimating portion sizes..
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    I really just estimate... You can use the hand method of estimating portion sizes..
    ^This. I'll add by ingredient and then save it to "my meals" or "my recipes". Then it's a quick add. It will be an estimate, but just realize it might be a little off. No reason to deprive yourself of something you love just because it's not exact.

    Hell, to blow your mind, labeled food and other restaurants are allowed by the FDA to be off by up to 20%. So, your 500 calorie burger at McDonald's that clearly has labeled calories might actually be 600 calories. Just sayin...
  • twixlepennie
    twixlepennie Posts: 1,074 Member
    We go to a couple places like that on a regular basis. I just make choices that I think will be lower calories (a single burger vs a triple burger for example), and then not worry about it :) In the scheme of things it's not going to mess up your progress, if it's an occasional thing, and life is meant to be enjoyed with good food :happy:
  • sjp_511
    sjp_511 Posts: 476 Member
    I type in the food I am having in the food database and choose a similar item from a restaurant (usually chain) that is in the MFP database. Sometimes I get lucky and find that the calorie amount is pretty consistent across most restaurants. Other times it can be frustrated when one restaurant is listed at 600 calories and another is 1100 calories. I try to pick one that is one that seems to be slightly above the average of the available choices with discretion to how greasy/buttery/calorific I deem my actual meal to be. I make note of it in my diary.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    Two methods. I've done both, depending on the dish. Some things I've had just don't have anything comparable entered.

    1) Find something similar in the database and use that.
    2) Estimate the ingredients and add them to your diary. Estimating portion sizes, of course.

    Either way, you won't get anything accurate, but at least it's something. If you eat there a lot and notice your weight loss is stalling, maybe consider you've underestimated the calories. Otherwise, I'd just go with it.
  • KeepCalmNGetyaSweatOn
    KeepCalmNGetyaSweatOn Posts: 361 Member
    Bring a food scale with you and dissect your lunch, weigh everything, and then put it all back together. No I'm just kidding. I estimate too.I put in a different restaurant that has a similar item and log it that way. Then I also workout a little bit harder that day too to account for any calories that I could have possibly missed.
  • starrylioness
    starrylioness Posts: 543 Member
    Two methods. I've done both, depending on the dish. Some things I've had just don't have anything comparable entered.

    1) Find something similar in the database and use that.
    2) Estimate the ingredients and add them to your diary. Estimating portion sizes, of course.

    Either way, you won't get anything accurate, but at least it's something. If you eat there a lot and notice your weight loss is stalling, maybe consider you've underestimated the calories. Otherwise, I'd just go with it.

    This. Exactly. I often try to find similar things in the database and I just figure it's close enough. I might try to work out a little extra that day if it really bothers me. Sometimes, I just don't worry about it.
  • Lonestar5775
    Lonestar5775 Posts: 740 Member
    A nutritionist told me that a piece of meat about the size of a deck of playing cards is 3 oz. Also, at home you can measure various foods in a cup and dump them out to see their appoximate area on a plate. That will help be reasonably close in the situations you describe.
  • NightKeepr
    NightKeepr Posts: 38
    Really great advice! I like the comparables with other restaurants that may have similar food. I guess I could do it like balancing my check book--round up to be conservative.

    I'm so excited that I can eat there again lol.
  • flab2fit_30
    flab2fit_30 Posts: 66
    we frequent a lot of places like this... i create recipes for just about everything when it comes to this issue... and i estimate high as well. like if im getting a wrap, i pick a higher cal wrap versus a low cal wrap because id rather over estimate then under estimate when it comes to food.
  • Followingsea
    Followingsea Posts: 407 Member
    I try to find something similar in the database and estimate portions. I usually pick the closest option with the highest calorie count, and I generally try to overestimate portion size to minimize my chances of underestimating, either portion size or calorie count.

    It seems to work okay.
  • Tomahawk3Niner
    Tomahawk3Niner Posts: 61
    I usually just estimate as best as I can, and then throw some quick calories on top of it as a buffer and call it good.
  • corgicake
    corgicake Posts: 846 Member
    Guesstimate size and assume these foods are being made with typical food service supplies rather than how your grandma made them. In other words, more powders and scoops of stuff from #10 cans and less broths that jiggle when put in the fridge. Figure more fat than if made from scratch.

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