Ever eat an enormous number of cals at a restaurant without realizing? (aka the 1000 cal dessert)

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  • bookworm_847
    bookworm_847 Posts: 1,903 Member
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    When I go out, I usually plan my meal and have one or two backups just in case. After I joined MFP, I thought it would be fun to see what my usual order at The Ram would be. Hubby and I would go about once a week. My usual came out to 3600ish calories! :ohwell:

    It is indeed a learning process.
  • faegirl22
    faegirl22 Posts: 60 Member
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    I guess I'm pretty terrible. If my husband and I go out to eat, we're doing just that, going out, enjoying the company and good food, I don't plan, I order what I want. But then I make sure to get in a nice long walk before and after dinner (where we live, we take the train into the city to go out to dinner, tons of walking to be had) and usually go for a walk or bike ride the next day as well. I'd rather just enjoy the food that I'm paying for and work it off later. But, we also only go out to eat once or twice a month.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
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    Ever been to Gordon Biersch? They have several SALADS that are close to or over 1,000 calories.
    • Classic Chopped Salad (1 salad) with Creamy Herb Dressing: 1,007 calories
    • Classic Chopped Salad (1 salad) with Lemon Vinaigrette: 924 calories
    • Goat Cheese Spinach Salad (1 salad) with Add Grilled Salmon, Creamy Herb Dressing: 1,060 calories
    • Goat Cheese Spinach Salad (1 salad) with Add Grilled Chicken, Creamy Herb Dressing: 995 calories
    • Gorgonzola Pear Salad (1 salad) with Creamy Herb Dressing: 942 calories
    • Seafood Cobb Salad (1 salad) with Creamy Herb Dressing: 1,051 calories

    Of their dressings, a lot of people think "lemon vinaigrette" and think it is going to be lower calorie. Their lemon vinaigrette has more calories than their warm bacon vinaigrette, roasted jalapeno ranch dressing, and blue cheese dressing.
  • rhonderoo
    rhonderoo Posts: 145 Member
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    I ate three (not even half) pieces of a flatbread pizza with pepperoni and sausage yesterday that was 618 calories.

    And Newk's salads. :( Over 1000 calories as well.
  • RobDowney
    RobDowney Posts: 2,445 Member
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    Here is a good link for us Canadians: https://healthyfamiliesbc.ca/home/participating-restaurants
    Hopefully the list will grow.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    britishbroccoli wrote: »
    Ever been to Gordon Biersch? They have several SALADS that are close to or over 1,000 calories.
    • Classic Chopped Salad (1 salad) with Creamy Herb Dressing: 1,007 calories
    • Classic Chopped Salad (1 salad) with Lemon Vinaigrette: 924 calories
    • Goat Cheese Spinach Salad (1 salad) with Add Grilled Salmon, Creamy Herb Dressing: 1,060 calories
    • Goat Cheese Spinach Salad (1 salad) with Add Grilled Chicken, Creamy Herb Dressing: 995 calories
    • Gorgonzola Pear Salad (1 salad) with Creamy Herb Dressing: 942 calories
    • Seafood Cobb Salad (1 salad) with Creamy Herb Dressing: 1,051 calories

    Of their dressings, a lot of people think "lemon vinaigrette" and think it is going to be lower calorie. Their lemon vinaigrette has more calories than their warm bacon vinaigrette, roasted jalapeno ranch dressing, and blue cheese dressing.

    Yep I never order salad anymore. I like it ok sometimes, but it's often a hidden calorie bomb.
  • amo314
    amo314 Posts: 23 Member
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    tincanonastring wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Emilia777 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    the mistake is in assuming that a hot fudge brownie Sunday would be UNDER 1000 calories...

    Well, brownie + 1 scoop vanilla ice cream + whipped cream doesn’t *have* to equal 1000+ cals. The issue was serving size, I think. I should have eaten half of half. The brownie part was bigger than a deck of cards, which I think is too big.

    We live and learn I guess.

    Also, cheesecake sounds yum.

    so you thought it was too big, but then under assumed the calories?




    Don't be a dick, man. She tried to compensate for not knowing the calories by eating half. She's admitting she made the mistake of underestimating the calories. Why badger her about it? What are you hoping to get out of your line of questioning?

    I'm all for slamming people who blame their lack of goal achievement on everything but their own inaccurate logging, but that's not what's going on here.

    Honestly, I love this! Thanks for saying it!

  • mccully
    mccully Posts: 4 Member
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    The Turkey Bacon Club wrap at Original Joes (Pub style food) got me once. I had pre-screend most of the entree's but was having trouble with the internets before I left for our date night. I figured that it would be an OK bet but it was definitely 1000+ calories WITHOUT sides. And it wasn't that good. I should have just had what I really wanted (the Kona Burger, how I love you and your pineapple, your bacon and your butter brioche bun) because it was less than the monstrosity that I ate. What a bummer! Tracking food has put a dent into our eating out habits and I've definitely learned my lesson- since we are eating out less, my plan is to save up at least 1000 calories for the meal and enjoy (reallllly enjoy) whatever the heck I want.
  • csb66
    csb66 Posts: 32 Member
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    Eating out can be tricky, Now that I logged everything, and I mean EVERYTHING into My fitness Pal, I check the menu of the restaurant before going, and I know exactly what I can eat, and how much. I love this site, it's awesome!
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
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    DeWoSa wrote: »
    OP, I ordered fish tacos the other day, then checked their website for the calories. I had 1100 left to spend for the day. The fish tacos were 1290.

    Fish tacos!

    When the server came back, I said I just wanted the fish tacos, not the cheese and sour cream that came with it.

    Then I ate a wheelbarrow full of garlic Parmesan cheese fries.

    Priorities, amirite?

    Amen

    Man, this thread is giving me serious flashbacks. Being nervous about places that don't list calorie information? Only going out to eat a couple times a month as a calorie control strategy? Knowing that restaurant meals are generally calorie bombs? Only the people saying this are actually considered normal. That's nice :)

    And I want some desert
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
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    I am losing weight slowly but surely, and most of it is because I absolutely refuse to eat in restaurants anymore. I can't even imagine how they manage to put so many calories in even the simplest of foods.
  • tracie_minus100
    tracie_minus100 Posts: 465 Member
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    I'm in Canada, and in the city I live in, we have The a Cheesecake Cafe. From what I understand, it's a crappy version of the Cheesecake Factory.
    A piece of cheesecake = 1100-1500 calories there. My office goes there for special lunches all the time, and I don't get cheesecake anymore. But I have in the past, along with a meal that was probably 1000 calories or so. Yikes.
  • mic_cat28
    mic_cat28 Posts: 1
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    When I first started using this app, I had a full three course restaurant meal (celebratory occasion) and learned the caloric price the hard way. Now, if I know I will be dining out, I prepare the day for it, starting with lower calorie lunch/breakfast and some exercise for extra bonus intake calories. This helps offset the restaurant meal and then I can still enjoy it without feeling the diet pinch. Its important that I don't feel like I am restricting myself like a diet. Just smarter choices.
  • kar328
    kar328 Posts: 4,152 Member
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    This thread is a great reminder to plan ahead when you can.

    I've really cut back on the number of times I eat out (budget conscious as well) and am almost always to check the menu online beforehand so I go in knowing two or three possible choices. Though, this past Wednesday I had that lovely every ten year test, once you get over the age of 50, that required me to be on a low fiber diet for five days, then a full day of clear liquids. Afterwards it was lunchtime and I went to TGI Friday's. I was craving protein and got the rib eye steak and a half rack of baby back ribs, plus bruschetta (I shared) and both sides of a tomato/mozzarella salad. I didn't check the numbers beforehand - and I moaned with the first bite of the steak :blush:

    I saved the ribs for dinner, but ended up eating only half of them when I saw the 850 calories for six ribs (and they weren't moan worthy). The grand total was just over 1800 calories, which was fine by me under those extenuating circumstances (and I'll never drink Gatorade again), but I remember how I used to do those dinners on a regular basis and not know the numbers.
  • annaskiski
    annaskiski Posts: 1,212 Member
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    First time I started checking restaurant nutrition info I was at Uno's with coworkers.

    Uno's Personal size Pan Pizza (check any of them, but here's the Chicago Classic):
    Calories: 2300
    Fat: 164g

    On the bright side though:
    Fiber 5g
    Protein 99g !!!!!!

    I nearly keeled over, then I looked at the salad info, and passed out.

    I later learned that the safest options in any restaurant without any more info are always the petite top sirloin and salmon, and watch the sides......
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    annaskiski wrote: »
    First time I started checking restaurant nutrition info I was at Uno's with coworkers.

    Uno's Personal size Pan Pizza (check any of them, but here's the Chicago Classic):
    Calories: 2300
    Fat: 164g

    On the bright side though:
    Fiber 5g
    Protein 99g !!!!!!

    I nearly keeled over, then I looked at the salad info, and passed out.

    I later learned that the safest options in any restaurant without any more info are always the petite top sirloin and salmon, and watch the sides......

    Uno has pretty good options for less than 700 calories!
  • bainsworth1a
    bainsworth1a Posts: 313 Member
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    yes I have done that. Pig in the garden salad at Jim and nick's bar-b-que 850 calories.
    and an apple dessert an Cracker Barrel that I split with DH it was way over 1000 for half.
    I will not choose either of those again and it is my own fault on the cracker barrel because I could have checked MFP on my phone before having it.

    Just don't beat yourself up over it and keep on tracking
  • MysticRealm
    MysticRealm Posts: 1,264 Member
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    I was out at Red Lobster one time and my mom and I wanted dessert. I looked up the cal counts from their website and everything I looked up except the cheesecake was over 1000 cals. So we shared the cheesecake for around 275 cals each.
    I went to Chili's and got the Bacon Ranch Chicken Quesidilla. (This was before I was really counting my cals) That alone (which is contained with a single tortilla wrap) was nearly 1700 cals!! Which is the second highest calories of anything you can get from there (the Bacon Ranch BEEF Quesidilla was the only thing that beat it, coming in at 1800 cals)
  • hmalsbury
    hmalsbury Posts: 2 Member
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    All the time my job requires me to travel so eat in hotels 3-4 nights a week just getting back in to logging because the weight gain just keeps going
  • ashliij
    ashliij Posts: 54
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    Yep. Now I'm that annoying person that will check the nutritional info on her phone prior to ordering. I remember ordering a pasta dish before I "changed my lifestyle" at the cheesecake factory - 2300 calories. A lot of their cheesecake (a SLICE!) packs over 1000 calories.. scary stuff. As I have no desire to kill myself to compensate for that kind of consumption, I just stick with homemade stuff when possible.

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