Has this happened to you?

dragonbug300
dragonbug300 Posts: 760 Member
edited September 23 in Health and Weight Loss
The snack bag. It shouts 'Only x Calories!'. You trustingly purchase the snack and happily scarf it all down. As the food digests in your stomach, you contentedly look down at your 'low calorie' purchase and read the fine print... 'Only x Calories! .... per serving' and upon flipping the bag over, you discover that you ate several times the number of calories advertised.

Usually I'm very careful about reading labels. Today, however, I caved in to my monthly fat-chocolate-salt cravings and bought a bag of Chex Mix (chocolate-and-peanut butter... aka corn syrup and additives). The bag was small, and it was sold in an aisle of the store that's usually reserved for single-serving snacks.
It's only after I devoured the whole thing that I read the fine print. 160 calories per serving... 4 servings per bag.

640????

*Que the dramatic symphony music*
NNNOOOOOOOOOO!!!

I can be humorous about this now, since I have plans for a spin class and pilates later today. I know that if I didn't have free access to a gym just 5 minutes away, the situation would be quite different.

So, any other stories of horror and woe?

Replies

  • karen4777
    karen4777 Posts: 35
    Whoever makes up the serving sizes on some things is crazy.
  • velix
    velix Posts: 437 Member
    I feel for you! Most drinks (juices, iced teas, soda, etc) that LOOK single serving - often have the same thing - the "serving size" is like a sip of the bottle you have in your hand - I have been devastated on more than one occasion.
  • scagneti
    scagneti Posts: 707 Member
    My husband LOVES chocolate covered almonds. I hate throwing away food, so one evening after dinner he still had around 100 calories leftover and said that he'd like something sweet. So I remembered the almonds that we'd opened prior to the diet and therefore couldn't donate like most of the other junkfood and suggested he have a third of a "serving" of them. His eyes grew wider and he was so excited. "Are you sure?" he asked. I said, "yeah, you're fine with that". I told him that I'd get them for him because I was getting more water anyways. He looked like a kid on Christmas morning ready to dive into the pile of presents. I took out the almonds and brought them over and placed them in his trembling hands. He looked at his hand, then at me, back to his hand and once again at me.

    The words spat out of his mouth --- "Three effing almonds?? Seriously??" And then he ate them in one swoop.

    I still giggle thinking about it. I wish I could claim ignorance, but I knew exactly how many he'd be getting.
  • Randee75
    Randee75 Posts: 234
    It pisses me off that we always have to fully read everything because its so misleading. Life won't end but that really sucks!!
  • emseigle
    emseigle Posts: 23
    I completely agree with that. Some of the serving sizes are a little out of whack. Take a darn normal portion and give the calories on that, not the smallest divisible amount to make it look better. lol
  • Enigmatica
    Enigmatica Posts: 879 Member
    My husband LOVES chocolate covered almonds. <snip>

    The words spat out of his mouth --- "Three effing almonds?? Seriously??" And then he ate them in one swoop.

    I still giggle thinking about it. I wish I could claim ignorance, but I knew exactly how many he'd be getting.

    That sounds like the kind of evil thing I would do, LOL
  • madijo41
    madijo41 Posts: 367 Member
    My husband LOVES chocolate covered almonds. I hate throwing away food, so one evening after dinner he still had around 100 calories leftover and said that he'd like something sweet. So I remembered the almonds that we'd opened prior to the diet and therefore couldn't donate like most of the other junkfood and suggested he have a third of a "serving" of them. His eyes grew wider and he was so excited. "Are you sure?" he asked. I said, "yeah, you're fine with that". I told him that I'd get them for him because I was getting more water anyways. He looked like a kid on Christmas morning ready to dive into the pile of presents. I took out the almonds and brought them over and placed them in his trembling hands. He looked at his hand, then at me, back to his hand and once again at me.

    The words spat out of his mouth --- "Three effing almonds?? Seriously??" And then he ate them in one swoop.

    I still giggle thinking about it. I wish I could claim ignorance, but I knew exactly how many he'd be getting.

    Ha ha, funny I did the same thing, but to my son.with chips~ Mmwwwwaaahhhhh!
  • AutimnRose
    AutimnRose Posts: 22
    I used to LOVE trail mix. But I always got the kind with the nuts and chocolate pieces in it. So one day on a friends suggestion I decided to try one of the dried tropical fruit ones instead. Thinking it was healthier. It was suprisingly very good and I ate the whole bag, just to find out that it was just as bad as the kind I had been getting if not a little worse! I was actualy doing better getting the one with the nuts and chocolate cause I at least would know to portion it off smaller. This site has rely started opening my eyes to just how unhealthy some supposidly healthy foods realy are!
  • knowmydestiny
    knowmydestiny Posts: 104 Member
    That reminds me of the shock I gave my son when he was about 10 or 11 yrs old and just beginning to learn about calories at school. He bought on of those chocolate milk's (the kind that says shake) and drank it all. I asked him the calories and he said 240. Then I showed him how many servings were in the bottle, 2.5. He added it up and couldn't believe it. He has never touched that stuff since :).
  • etron
    etron Posts: 33
    I just assume: if it seems too good to be true, then it probably is... It's okay to slip up. Learning lessons the hard way helps us to retain knowledge. Next time you come across something like that, think back on this experience and you'll read a little more carefully :)
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    yes I have gotten quite pissed when I purchase a snack pack that actually has 2 or 3 servings in it. I mean, if I wanted more than one serving I would buy a FULL BAG or box........right???:angry:

    What blew me away were the 'healthy fruit drinks' in a bottle obviously made for one to drink in one sitting......turns out it is 4 servings.....WHAT??:grumble:

    Buyer beware......I learned my 640 calorie lesson!!

    good thing you needed the carbs and fuel for exercise :wink: !!
  • reneelee
    reneelee Posts: 877 Member
    My husband LOVES chocolate covered almonds. I hate throwing away food, so one evening after dinner he still had around 100 calories leftover and said that he'd like something sweet. So I remembered the almonds that we'd opened prior to the diet and therefore couldn't donate like most of the other junkfood and suggested he have a third of a "serving" of them. His eyes grew wider and he was so excited. "Are you sure?" he asked. I said, "yeah, you're fine with that". I told him that I'd get them for him because I was getting more water anyways. He looked like a kid on Christmas morning ready to dive into the pile of presents. I took out the almonds and brought them over and placed them in his trembling hands. He looked at his hand, then at me, back to his hand and once again at me.

    The words spat out of his mouth --- "Three effing almonds?? Seriously??" And then he ate them in one swoop.

    I still giggle thinking about it. I wish I could claim ignorance, but I knew exactly how many he'd be getting.
    You had me laughing hard at "his eyes grew wider" Thanks for the laugh that lead to tears, I could picture my husban doing all of what you wrote.
  • reneelee
    reneelee Posts: 877 Member
    My husband LOVES chocolate covered almonds. <snip>

    The words spat out of his mouth --- "Three effing almonds?? Seriously??" And then he ate them in one swoop.

    I still giggle thinking about it. I wish I could claim ignorance, but I knew exactly how many he'd be getting.

    That sounds like the kind of evil thing I would do, LOL
    Thats why it is so freaking funny!
  • MooseWizard
    MooseWizard Posts: 295 Member
    I've been bit a time or two as well. One that really got me was Jolly Time Healthy Pop Camamel Apple Popcorn--the one with the Weight Watchers endorsement on the box. Just 100 calories (per serving). 2.5 servings per bag. :angry:

    Still, some products get it right though, like the Sensible Portions stuff.


    Someone please tell me why a single mix-in packet of Crystal Light, designed for one bottle of water is TWO servings? Are they afraid if they list the actual 10 calories each, they will lose a bunch of customers??
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,336 Member
    Yes, but I knew it was more than one serving in the bottle, even then I ended up drinking the whole thing. I should have had my serving and dumped the rest. I am more prone to do that now.

    As to the chocolate covered almonds, you had me chuckling. At this point three chocolate covered almonds would do me fine as long as there were no more in the house. I would have a hard time stopping at three ;-)
  • Crowhorse
    Crowhorse Posts: 394 Member
    I feel for you! Most drinks (juices, iced teas, soda, etc) that LOOK single serving - often have the same thing - the "serving size" is like a sip of the bottle you have in your hand - I have been devastated on more than one occasion.

    Isn't that the truth!

    Good thing that my preferred drinks have always been unsweet tea and water. I can only imagine what I'd weigh if I drank pop.
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