IHOP food is terrible for you
kmradley
Posts: 27 Member
I work there. I love working there. I eat there a lot because I work there. The food is delicious, the people are wonderful.
How did I not know the food was THIS bad for you. I've been on MFP for two days. I have some very bad eating habits and I knew that. But I had no idea IHOP food is THAT bad for you. Holy flying mother of all cows, pigs, sheep and chickens.
I thought "yeah, IHOP food isn't that bad, just steer clear of the really sugary stuff and don't ordered deep fried food and you should be fine..." No wonder I've gained so much weight.
I've been doing it wrong.
How did I not know the food was THIS bad for you. I've been on MFP for two days. I have some very bad eating habits and I knew that. But I had no idea IHOP food is THAT bad for you. Holy flying mother of all cows, pigs, sheep and chickens.
I thought "yeah, IHOP food isn't that bad, just steer clear of the really sugary stuff and don't ordered deep fried food and you should be fine..." No wonder I've gained so much weight.
I've been doing it wrong.
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Replies
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When you say it's "bad" do you mean it's calorie dense?0
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Do you mean it's high in calories? I'm confused by the "terrible". Does it say inappropriate things to you and steal money from the register?
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I'm actually more surprised at how much sodium is in things. And yes, I mean calorie dense. I just honestly posted this because I was completely taken aback at what's in it. I hadn't ever really looked at the nutrition facts about it at all.0
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Usually the food doesn't steal money from our register...usually.0
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Knowing what you know now, which meal do you think would be the best choice for a low calorie option? (breakfast menu)
Looking for ideas...0 -
I looked at the menu. There are a lot of calorie dense foods on there but I noticed healthier options as well. It was a big learning curve for me when I started logging calories. I had to slightly change a lot of things I normally ate so that they were more nutritious. What about 2 eggs, side of turkey sausage and fruit? There was also a light and fit breakfast for 360 calories.
Spend some time looking at the menu and make a mental note of things you enjoy eating that are a reasonable amount of calories for everyday. Keep in mind some of your favorite for when you want to splurge on a big meal or for when you have a big workout and have lots of calories to spend. (if you're eating back your exercise calories that is). I love fast food burgers and I like to fit one in my calories for lunch about once a week. I just pair it with a lower calorie high protein dinner to still make my day work.
It takes a bit to get used to but don't get discouraged, you can do it
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Not really. Unless you have sodium issues, I don't see why it cannot be worked into a balanced diet.0
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Any restaurant food is going to be a hindrance esp. when you can't be 100% certain that the portion you get on your plate was prepared with the 100% accuracy used to calculate the nutrition data...and yep it will be high in sodium because I'm sure they use a lot of highly processed ingredients that require longer shelf life.
Even worse are places like Quaker Steak & Lube that only offer MINIMAL nutrition info on their website and everything on their menu is fried or super high fat/calories/sodium. They are not meant to be a healthy place to eat, lol.
I would bet there are more healthy options at IHOP and Perkins than there are at Quaker Steak and Cracker Barrel, lol0 -
When I've gone to IHOP in the past, I've just ordered off the Simple & Fit menu, which isn't too bad calorie-wise. Also, maybe you could bring food with you so you don't always have to eat there.0
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I like pancakes0
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I like pancakes
^^^ This ^^^ I like 'em with butter and a lot of syrup. A lot of syrup.0 -
I disagree. Maybe it's terrible for you but. . . IHOP food is wonderful for me.
ETA: Especially the cheesecake stuffed french toast. omg yum. . .0 -
Hey peeps, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound complainey...more like...awakened. I like IHOP alot, I don't mean to hate on them at all. I work there and I love working there. I love bringing people pancakes and seeing their delighted, happy faces when I bring them their food. I didn't mean to seem negative.
I just hadn't looked at the nutrition information of any of the stuff we sell before. And when I did it was like a lightbulb turning on because it just hadn't occurred to me that there was that many calories, that even the not-sweet stuff was crazy high in fat and sodium. Certainly there are low-cal options at IHOP. There is the "Simple and Fit" stuff which is all under 600 cals, and you can always get egg-beaters instead of regular eggs, you can always get salad instead of fries, you can always get a fruit cup in place of pancakes, you can always get turkey-bacon instead of bacon or sausage. We serve some nice salads, we serve broccoli. Healthy.
I gained weight while working there and obviously I don't place any of the blame on them for that because it was my choice to eat everything I put in my mouth. I eat the healthy stuff sometimes, sure. I also don't sometimes, and almost all the items that I enjoy at IHOP are over a thousand calories.0 -
I'd stick to pancakes and fruit if I went to IHOP.0
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The Original Pancake House beats IHOP for taste hands down. However, I did have the "Light and Fit" breakfast there once and was very surprised that the whole wheat pancakes were pretty damn good. My rule of thumb is to log early to know how many calories you can eat and then go from there.0
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Keep in mind that calories themselves aren't inherently bad...a calorie is just a unit of energy and energy is necessary to sustain life and activity. Further, and while a pancake probably isn't the most nutritious food on the planet, caloric density has nothing to do with nutritional quality. There are numerous, highly nutritious and healthful foods that are also incredibly calorie dense.
All that said, yes...it is an eyeopener when you start logging because you've never paid attention to your energy consumption and how much energy (calories) certain foods have...it's the first step in learning moderation and portion control.0 -
I do IHOP at least 2 times a month. My go to: Big steak omelette. Like 1200 calories. But I eat 3/4 of it and my DW eats the other 1/4.
900 calories a meal for me is pretty much on the top end, so I can't do that everyday. But on days I know I'm going to eat there, I prep for it by being conservative with the rest of my calories throughout the day or hitting up a longer workout.
A.C.E. Certified Group Fitness and Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
I went to IHOP not too long ago and had the silver dollar pancakes off the children's menu. Pancakes, an egg, a slice of bacon, plus coffee--it was a decent meal and didn't use up all my calories for the day.0
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Hey peeps, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound complainey...more like...awakened. I like IHOP alot, I don't mean to hate on them at all. I work there and I love working there. I love bringing people pancakes and seeing their delighted, happy faces when I bring them their food. I didn't mean to seem negative.
I just hadn't looked at the nutrition information of any of the stuff we sell before. And when I did it was like a lightbulb turning on because it just hadn't occurred to me that there was that many calories, that even the not-sweet stuff was crazy high in fat and sodium. Certainly there are low-cal options at IHOP. There is the "Simple and Fit" stuff which is all under 600 cals, and you can always get egg-beaters instead of regular eggs, you can always get salad instead of fries, you can always get a fruit cup in place of pancakes, you can always get turkey-bacon instead of bacon or sausage. We serve some nice salads, we serve broccoli. Healthy.
I gained weight while working there and obviously I don't place any of the blame on them for that because it was my choice to eat everything I put in my mouth. I eat the healthy stuff sometimes, sure. I also don't sometimes, and almost all the items that I enjoy at IHOP are over a thousand calories.
I totally feel what you're saying. for me, its a lot harder to work in high calorie meals because I find myself just wanting to eat more and more and I am rarely ever full enough after eating it. whereas if I were to fill my day with tons of fruits and veggies, I feel fuller, more energized, AND have more calories for my favorite snacks like cheese and pretzel chips with salsa (my all time favoriteeeeee) for me its just unrealistic to work it in to my diet because I'd have to burn a serious amount of calories to make room for food for the rest of my day. if I ate a 1000 calorie breakfast that'd only leave me 400 calories for the rest of my day without working out! so I know what you mean by 'bad.' not bad in general, just bad for your goals 0 -
but then again, if you want it, make the room for it no sense in depriving yourself of all your favorite foods! 0
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I just ate at IHOP for the first time yesterday, and I got the garden omellette without cheese and the fruit cup. I didn't think that was too bad of a deal, and then I realized that WITH cheese, the garden omellette is like... 700 something calories, lol. But that's ok. I'd been moving boxes all day long and it wasn't the worst option on the menu, heh. But in general, I don't see why it can't be a once in a while sort of treat. I do agree that eating it every day is probably not the greatest choice. heh.0
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You just have to eat smart, and choose better food items. Like low carb.0
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Don't eat too much of it and it is good for you!! You have to remember that most restaurant portions are going to be much higher in calories and sugar and salt than home cooked food. If you are going to eat there every day, then eat less of it
Oh, and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDU0CTDMk2g 0 -
Do you mean it's high in calories? I'm confused by the "terrible". Does it say inappropriate things to you and steal money from the register?
schelly81, I love your ticker!
It reminds me of something I saw on Pinterest: "Did you ever have one of those days when you forgot to eat? Yeah, me neither."0 -
I worked at iHop for about 6 months, I stuck to the soups, and did a moderation off of the burger when hungry as well.0
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IHOP has NOTHING on the Cheesecake Factory. If you want to be awakened, look at their calorie info, lol!0
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It's terrible, but it's so yummy.
I do kind of miss the IHOP French toast, Olive Garden fettuccini Alfredo and Longhorn ribs.
Being healthy is better, but eating that crap all the time - it tasted good!!
Very depressing when you start out, giving that stuff up, lol. It gets much easier in a month or two. 0 -
So funny, I just had French Toast there yesterday and procrastinated logging it until tonight because I knew exactly how terrible it was. Terrible and wonderful. I learned a long time ago that I have to allow myself my favorite foods in moderation, or I will just end up binging on them. Allowing myself a slice of French Toast once a week is MUCH better for me than binging on an entire platter, and bacon, and pancakes, and muffins and one of every thing on the menu because all I have allowed myself to eat is egg whites and dry toast.
Typically, when I go out to eat anywhere, the first thing I do is split the meal in half. Portion control. If it will reheat well, I'll ask for a box immediately and put it in there so I am not tempted to keep nibbling long after I am full. That has been helpful for me as well.
Good luck in your journey. I have used MFP on and off for a while, but I am ready to get serious now. I have gained a significant amount of weight from stress eating and lack of exercise due to a back injury. Not being able to move for weeks has really helped me realize how much I want and need exercise.0 -
I used to order
~2 fried eggs
~grits (no butter)
~and bacon.
That is a reasonable amount of calories.0 -
I like pancakes
^^^ This ^^^ I like 'em with butter and a lot of syrup. A lot of syrup.
... and bacon, loadsa bacon - YES - pancakes, butter sirup and bacon - sorry, meant LOADSA BACON!0
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