Does this look like a 700 calorie lunch?

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  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    atiana19 wrote: »
    I would remove one of the starches probably the pasta and add some more veggies that would greatly reduce the calories but still keep you full

    ^^^What I was going to say. I would not want 700 cal for lunch, but if it works for you that's ok.
  • slaite1
    slaite1 Posts: 1,307 Member
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    Rather than a food scale, maybe bring in some accessories. Get your own salad dressing and measure it into containers and bring to work. Keep some fruit or extra veggies in the fridge. Next time skip the pasta and eat extra (pre-weighed) veggies. You could easily cut off a couple of hundred calories a meal with simple tweaks. (And still enjoy free food!)
  • catkayxx
    catkayxx Posts: 3 Member
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    I would guesstimate 500-550 tops, overestimating to allow for dressing, oils and sauce.
  • suruda
    suruda Posts: 1,233 Member
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    I think you could easily modify and still enjoy the free lunches by enjoying the lean proteins and veggies and skipping the potatos or pasta (or just taking a bite if you feel too deprived. up the lettuce, cut up the chicken and put it on top of the lettuce and make a salad out of it. With or without dressing would have been good calorie value!
  • cityruss
    cityruss Posts: 2,493 Member
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    Remove the salad and add more pasta. Lots more.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    I'd say 500 tops. Definitely nowhere near 700. 160 for the chicken (assuming there's some sauce on it, but it looks like a 3.5 oz piece), 200 for the pasta (looks like less than two ounces to me, but there's sauce). 100 for the potatoes, if that, and 5 for the salad.

    But yeah, typically I go for pasta or potatoes, not both.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    edited August 2015
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    Ashtoretet wrote: »
    http://media.olivegarden.com/en_us/pdf/olive_garden_nutrition.pdf A full serving of non-stuffed chicken marsala is 1030, so 515

    Iceberg lettuce is something like 15 calories per 3 cups so that's pretty much 0. http://miamimommysavings.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Olive-Garden-Salad-Dressing.png claims the bottled dressing is 80 calories per 2 tablespoons and I would think the portion you have is dressed with less than 1 tablespoon. So maybe 30 calories.

    https://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/usda/white-potatoes-(flesh-and-skin)?portionid=44238&portionamount=1.000 says 20 calories for the potatoes

    Google says a spaghetti noodles have roughly 1.58 calories per gram, and there are 57.6 grams in 2 ounces, so the bare pasta would be around 90 calories.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/calories/prego-marinara-sauce-with-meat-227591480 says .5 of a cup is 80 calories so I would guess you have slightly less than that, so maybe 50 calories.

    Altogether that's 705 by my estimates. If it were me, I would write down like 730. If I were getting this food often, I would probably cut out the spaghetti and add more potatoes to feel full for less calories.

    This sounds high to me. I assume the chicken marsala dish is more than just the chicken, and this appears to be 1/2 piece of the chicken only. The dish itself likely includes pasta or rice.
  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
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    500, tops.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
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    kozykondition1 wrote: »
    I'd be surprised if it was over 400. I don't even see salad dressing. The chicken looks stripped of sauce also. So 250-300.

    At Olive Garden the salad is tossed in dressing unless you request it not be.
  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
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    A general rule of thumb for meat, is the size of a deck of cards is 3-4oz. 4oz of chicken is ~120 calories (going off of memory here). That means, that the chicken is at most 200 calories and that would be loaded with sauce (doesn't look to be the case).

    A "medium" potato is about the size of a computer mouse and comes in ~160 calories. Yours looks like less, so 100 calories.

    The pasta doesn't look like much, but I'll give it 200. And the salad (depending on dressing) will be 50.

    Grand total ~550 calories and I'm probably high.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
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    Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
    kozykondition1 wrote: »
    I'd be surprised if it was over 400. I don't even see salad dressing. The chicken looks stripped of sauce also. So 250-300.

    At Olive Garden the salad is tossed in dressing unless you request it not be.

    At the restaurant it is, but this is catered. Usually the catered salads come with dressing on the side.
  • crystalewhite
    crystalewhite Posts: 422 Member
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    Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
    kozykondition1 wrote: »
    I'd be surprised if it was over 400. I don't even see salad dressing. The chicken looks stripped of sauce also. So 250-300.

    At Olive Garden the salad is tossed in dressing unless you request it not be.

    They leave it off when you get it catered or to go. I only eat their soup and salad and it is always in packets when I get mine to go. Otherwise it ends up a nasty mess by the time you eat it.
  • jadowns
    jadowns Posts: 167 Member
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    MORE SALAD, no need for pasta (in my opinon) .. If you chopped the meat up and tossed into a large salad you're only looking at 3-400 calories.
    emily_fox wrote: »
    Yeah, I figured it would be kinda hard to guess super accurately from the picture. Do you think the portions look ok? I really just want to learn portions
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    amyrebeccah wrote: »
    Y_A_F_A wrote: »
    Ashtoretet wrote: »
    http://media.olivegarden.com/en_us/pdf/olive_garden_nutrition.pdf A full serving of non-stuffed chicken marsala is 1030, so 515
    ...

    I *think* that value is for the chicken marsala meal, not just the chicken from the meal.
    Pretty sure you're right-it's served with a lot of potatoes and the nutrition information seems to take them into account. http://www.olivegarden.com/menu/chicken-marsala/prod1390587

    Also, a portion involves clearly more than one chicken piece, so half a piece definitely shouldn't be 500.
    ChnkMarsala_0222_dpv.jpg

    Additionally I would say that most restaurants when they are catering, have smaller portions than they do when serving individual patrons at the restaurant. I'm assuming this was something that was brought in in chafing dishes and the OP and others could serve themselves, so I agree that the count on the chicken is much lower than the 515 estimated above.

    OP as far as choices go - you need to eat what you want, not what the rest of us would choose, but if it were me, I think I would increase the portion on the chicken and the salad, and skip either the potatoes or the pasta.

  • debtay123
    debtay123 Posts: 1,327 Member
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    I usually eat ONLY one starch per meal- but that is just me- like many said- if it is within your caloric limits- then indulge- just don't feel guilty about it- I would do chicken , pasta and salad- my choices
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    debtay123 wrote: »
    I usually eat ONLY one starch per meal- but that is just me- like many said- if it is within your caloric limits- then indulge- just don't feel guilty about it- I would do chicken , pasta and salad- my choices

    Me too, but really, the servings here are so small, it really doesn't matter if there are two starches, lol. In potluck situations I couldn't care less if my meal is balanced, honestly.

    Either way it looks good to me.
  • JJeMitchell
    JJeMitchell Posts: 160 Member
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    I just had the marsala meal today at Olive Garden. The amount you have is NOTHING! The entire plate had 910 for the regular marsala (not stuffed). Your whole plate I would estimate at 450-500.

    The calories in a full serving is probably 50 potato pieces, and 3 pieces of chicken, heavily topped with sauce and mushrooms.

    You *might* appear to have gained weight tomorrow- not from calories, but because that food is super sky high in sodium.
  • ericGold15
    ericGold15 Posts: 318 Member
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    The dressing is hiding
  • ericGold15
    ericGold15 Posts: 318 Member
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    http://www.olivegarden.com/menu/chicken-marsala-with-roasted-potatoes-serves-6/prod81966

    Says 700 per serving but does not include the salad+dressing

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