That has how many calories???

MN4US
MN4US Posts: 78 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I just thought I'd share my horror at discovering how many calories were in my lunch!

Went out for lunch with my colleagues and ordered this:

Chicken Katsu Curry with rice, from Wasabi (UK).. Came in at over 1,100 calories :noway: :noway: :noway:

For a tiny box of rice and chicken?! Soup for dinner for me.. :cry:

Has anyone else had a moment like this recently? Shock calorie discoveries?
Learnt my lesson to look up calories BEFORE I go out to eat.
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Replies

  • bravid98
    bravid98 Posts: 80 Member
    A few months ago I was at Lone Star (US Chain steakhouse) and my meal came a salad or lettuce wedge. I went with the lettuce wedge, but substituted balsamic for the blue cheese.

    Turns out that even without any dressing the wedge of lettuce weighed in at about 400 calories!!
  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,067 Member
    pretty much every time i go out to eat this happens. portions are always way too big and it seems like its impossible to buy a meal that has a decently low calorie density
  • Marie047
    Marie047 Posts: 240 Member
    I got taken out by a potential new supplier and we went to wagamamas, I had the chicken bang bang, it was only chicken a bit of rice, green beans and chillies, it was 1135 cals, I nearly died when I realized. it was a very light meal for me that night, however I did enjoy the dish, but it just goes to show how that calories can be hidden
  • ditzyFlip
    ditzyFlip Posts: 104 Member
    Yesterday's sausage, cheese, and egg crossiant from Dunkin Donuts was a whopping 748cal for me. McDonald's egg McMuffin doesn't even have that much! I was floored and guilty to say the least, lol.
  • RllyGudTweetr
    RllyGudTweetr Posts: 2,019 Member
    pretty much every time i go out to eat this happens. portions are always way too big and it seems like its impossible to buy a meal that has a decently low calorie density
    I find it best to mentally divide most portions served at restaurants into two servings; I know some folks ask for the 'doggy bag' as they order the food in order to help themselves with portion control.
  • reddz12
    reddz12 Posts: 350 Member
    that bang bang stuff is so good but def the devil, the sauce is typically mayo based.
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,961 Member
    Yes :( I bought a little bag of Reese's minis and thought, ok yeah this will be bad, but not THAT bad (sorry I used weight watchers at the time) so I figured it would be 7 - 10 points out of my daily 26 allowance. A typical whole chocolate bar is around 7 points. But when I entered it into the site after eating it it was 19 points (which is roughly 1000 cals)! D: Which meant I went WAY over for that day and I'd already used all those flex points.
  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,067 Member
    pretty much every time i go out to eat this happens. portions are always way too big and it seems like its impossible to buy a meal that has a decently low calorie density
    I find it best to mentally divide most portions served at restaurants into two servings; I know some folks ask for the 'doggy bag' as they order the food in order to help themselves with portion control.
    yep thats exactly what i do too, but its physical not mental, i split my food into 2 portions on my plate and wrap the rest up once im done. that way if im still really hungry eating the full meal is always an option but i dont think thats come up yet
  • cczap80
    cczap80 Posts: 48 Member
    If I am going out to a restaurant that I know is a Chain restaurant, I try to do my homework first. I look up the website and see if they have nutritional information. That way I can plan my meal in advance and try to reduce as many calories as possible. Isn't always applicable but I say try if you can!
  • kspae001
    kspae001 Posts: 1 Member
    My husband enjoys going out to eat. So I've learned to look up calories before hand to decide my plan on ordering. A lot of times I will ask for a to go box with the meal and just cut in half. That way I can thoroughly enjoy my meal and know that I will not over eat or be tempted to either.
  • jtrack3d
    jtrack3d Posts: 91
    Many times I will try to look it up before I order it... or, if I order it I check the web site with my smart-phone and see if I should ask for a carry-out container with the meal so I can divide it before I start eating. Of course if it's local it's harder to do. Unless you know, it is a pretty good practice to just divide it in half.

    My devil is at mexican where they keep bring chips and salsa.
  • HerbertNenenger
    HerbertNenenger Posts: 453 Member
    Yes. A Taste of Thai Peanut Noodles. I misread and thought it was 370 for the whole box. The box was two servings, at 750 total for the bitty container. So won't be having those again for a while !
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
    A few months ago I was at Lone Star (US Chain steakhouse) and my meal came a salad or lettuce wedge. I went with the lettuce wedge, but substituted balsamic for the blue cheese.

    Turns out that even without any dressing the wedge of lettuce weighed in at about 400 calories!!

    Really? What was on it besides lettuce??
  • kisstheheavens
    kisstheheavens Posts: 23 Member
    i LOVE archer farms trail mix (Carmel Cashew) from Target and the individual packs that they sell is about 1 cup . WELL i actually read the label is it said 200 cal per 1/4 cup!!!!!!! !!! WHAT! 700 calories for 1 cup of trailmix!!! :noway:
    ive been eating 600 calories MORE than i thought i was!! :explode:

    ugghhhh guess i have to give up my favorite trailmix. !! :sad:
  • Jess__I__Can
    Jess__I__Can Posts: 307 Member
    If I am going out to a restaurant that I know is a Chain restaurant, I try to do my homework first. I look up the website and see if they have nutritional information. That way I can plan my meal in advance and try to reduce as many calories as possible. Isn't always applicable but I say try if you can!

    ^this.
  • JeffInJax
    JeffInJax Posts: 232 Member
    My devil is at mexican where they keep bring chips and salsa.

    ^^^ This for sure, especially if you get queso dip!
  • kstandley123
    kstandley123 Posts: 17 Member
    Yeah I've had that happen a couple time now. That's why I try to input the food into MFP before I eat it so I can substitute something out if it busts my numbers. I also try to go to places like Chili's or Apple Bee's because I know they have "lite and fit" menu options and show the cals right on the menu.
  • JazzFischer1989
    JazzFischer1989 Posts: 531 Member
    When I go out to eat, I just accept the fact that I'm probably consuming a lot more calories than I could estimate and I just enjoy my meal. I don't eat like that everyday so it's nbd.

    The day before yesterday, I had a round egg biscuit from McDonald's and a hash brown, both of which were fairly small portions of food and it came out to 540 calories or something. Couldn't help but think damn, I could've had a lot more food than this and of better quality for the amount calories I just consumed.
  • martinel2099
    martinel2099 Posts: 899 Member
    My wife and I frequently go out to an Indian food restaurant and share our meals. The chicken curry or the chicken bryani can be a lot of calories but if we share an entree it's not so bad.

    This isn't always the case, but I've found with Indian restaurants that the portion sizes tend to be wayyyyy too big, and in the past I would stuff myself silly. Now I share the meal and I am very satisfied by the end, and my diary doesn't look too bad at the end.
  • dym123
    dym123 Posts: 1,670 Member
    I've learned over this process to not worry about calories in resturant food. I rarely eat out (so its easy for me not to worry), so it gets to be a treat for me and I can enjoy myself. That being said, I used to love Pei Wei Asian Bistro, until I found out my favorite dish, Vietnamese chicken salad rolls, 3, were almost 600 calories. Nothing fried, no heavy sauces, mostly veggies and very little chicken and that's light considering how many calories are in their other dishes.
  • doowop713
    doowop713 Posts: 268 Member
    Happens all the freaking time...

    One time that got me was in the beginning of Spring, we had a BBQ. My boyfriend went and got Bubba Burgers. I thought "oh, a frozen little 5oz patty that shrinks when it is grilled.... can't be more than 300 cals... right?" 420, without cheese, a bun, or ANYTHING. I was mortified... I had eaten two and a hot dog that day. Needless to say, the remaining burgers are in the freezer for the next BBQ and I will not be partaking in the consumption of them!
  • lavendy17
    lavendy17 Posts: 309 Member
    When I try to eat out within reason, I end up hungry.
    I just limit the frequency because there's just no way around it for me.

    One time I went to Hillstone's and ordered a fish fillet with some side veggies. The portion was probably 6-7oz, and when I put that type of fish into point plus it came out as 22 points! Nearly a whole day's worth! Worst part, I was still very hungry after.
    And this doesn't even include hidden calories, folks!

    Anyhoo, did learn that all fish are not created equal!
  • Ragu35
    Ragu35 Posts: 4 Member
    I always knew that McDonalds was unhealthy, but I realized that even the tiny $1 sandwiches are still terrible for you.

    I used the get something called a McGangbang, which is a dollar menu Double Cheeseburger with a $1 McChicken inside of it.

    I looked it up a few weeks ago and it clocks in at 800 calories. Ridiculous. And that doesn't even count if you get a SMALL fry, which is over 200 calories as well. So $3 buys you over 1000 calories at McDonalds.
  • crunchergirl
    crunchergirl Posts: 184 Member
    When I first started using MFP, I went to Chick Fil A and got my typical 8 nuggets w/medium waffles fries. The fries on their own came in at 400 calories. Yikes! Now I substitute a side salad as I realized it love the nuggets more than the fries. Every once in a blue moon I will splurge on the fries, but it is very rare.

    I've noticed that I never guess right when eating out, so I always try to look at the menu beforehand these days.
  • endermako
    endermako Posts: 785 Member
    Don't go to Logan's Roadhouse. I emailed them for nutritional information. They responded back saying they didnt have nutritional information to give me! Horrible service.
  • bowlerae
    bowlerae Posts: 555 Member
    I ate out a few with ago at Chili's. I looked at the "low calorie" section of their menu. I was shocked that most of the meals were around 600 calories. Salmon or tilapia with veggies and rice. I can make that at home for under 400 calories.
  • Auzziedoggie
    Auzziedoggie Posts: 66 Member
    Cheeseecake Factory Chicken Club. I found out too late that it was voted one of the top ten "Unhealthiest Healthy-Sounding Foods" on some website.

    The innocent chicken club with no bacon or avocado has over 1000 calories and like, 60 grams of fat. Oh, and that doesn't include the fries. I ordered this asking them to hold the sauce. The sandwich arrived and the bread was FRIED. Yes, they made "toast" by frying it in oil. So the next time I went, I had half and told them not to fry the bread! At that point, I was so disgusted I never went back to the Cheesecake Factory again and I can make a pretty darn good sandwich at home.
  • martinel2099
    martinel2099 Posts: 899 Member
    Cheeseecake Factory Chicken Club. I found out too late that it was voted one of the top ten "Unhealthiest Healthy-Sounding Foods" on some website.

    The innocent chicken club with no bacon or avocado has over 1000 calories and like, 60 grams of fat. Oh, and that doesn't include the fries. I ordered this asking them to hold the sauce. The sandwich arrived and the bread was FRIED. Yes, they made "toast" by frying it in oil. So the next time I went, I had half and told them not to fry the bread! At that point, I was so disgusted I never went back to the Cheesecake Factory again and I can make a pretty darn good sandwich at home.

    Cheeseecake Factory in general is pretty ridiculous with their serving sizes and calorie amounts. This is comfort food to the ultimate level.

    Good news, the skinny menu is actually pretty good there. My favorites now are the white chicken chilli and the skinny burger or vegigie burger.
  • Michellekutz1
    Michellekutz1 Posts: 122
    When I first started using MFP, I went to Chick Fil A and got my typical 8 nuggets w/medium waffles fries. The fries on their own came in at 400 calories. Yikes! Now I substitute a side salad as I realized it love the nuggets more than the fries. Every once in a blue moon I will splurge on the fries, but it is very rare.

    I've noticed that I never guess right when eating out, so I always try to look at the menu beforehand these days.

    Yes! I about fell over when I found out that one little ranch dipping sauce for those nuggest was 110 calories!
  • Auzziedoggie
    Auzziedoggie Posts: 66 Member
    I just want to add that I am so thoroughly disgusted with chain restaurants because the food is so unhealthy and not even that good. If I were skinny and ate out only twice a year, I STILL wouldn't eat at Chili's, TGIF, Cheesecake Factory, PF Changs, Applebee's or Red Lobster. The crap they pawn off as healthy is loaded with artery-clogging saturated fat. The food isn't even that good! I mean really, I'm sitting here 50 lbs overweight and I can say with conviction that the food is too salty and oily to be palatable. It's just too damn much of a "good" thing. Not to mention the employees are often underpaid wage slaves with poor food handling hygiene because could they really give a s#!t? Does their boss give enough of a s&#t to train them? If they can't even wipe down tables between customers, what on EARTH are they doing in the kitchen?

    Also, "cooking" to them is throwing frozen food that has traversed hundreds of miles from the mass slaughter house to the flash freezer to the deep fryer. I'm no vegetarian but I get disgusted when I think about the mass production of that food. But yeah, let's fry it for good measure, take highly saturated photos of it and call it something creative to sell as much as possible.

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