Eating at a resturant

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jessicalynch817
jessicalynch817 Posts: 34 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I am going to try to eat a t a restaurant tonight and I was just looking at the menu and had a question about calorie counting. If a meal says it INCLUDES something, does that mean the calories listed for that meal included everything listed?

For example, the meal I am looking at says, 1lb Snow crab Legs served with coleslaw and choice of side (460 cal.)

So that 460 would included the coleslaw? Then I would add the calories of whatever side I choose?

I don't like coleslaw and I don't plan on eating it so I was trying to deduct the coleslaw from that 460 if possible!

Thanks in advance for your help! :)
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Replies

  • oolou
    oolou Posts: 765 Member
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    It probably depends on the individual restaurant's policy for how it calculates the calories rather than a general rule that can be applied to all restaurants. Perhaps ring them up and ask?
  • jessicalynch817
    jessicalynch817 Posts: 34 Member
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    I thought maybe it was a general thing, Thanks!
  • rummyqueen
    rummyqueen Posts: 150 Member
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    I would had just add the calories to only what you are eating
  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
    edited July 2016
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    1 pound of crab legs are ~432 calories according to:
    http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/finfish-and-shellfish-products/4160/2
    On the other hand: This site has an entry
    Home Steamed - Crab Legs (Steamed) - 160 cals
    Yet another entry here:
    Meijer - Cooked Snow Crab 1 lb - 640 cals - sodium over 4,000
    I would ask the waitress and expect her to get an answer.
    Home cooking/steaming always beats anything a restaurant does. Restaurants will often lather it in butter and salt before setting it on your plate. (nothing wrong with butter, they just want to make it taste good).
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    MelaniaTrump wrote: »
    1 pound of crab legs are ~432 calories according to:
    http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/finfish-and-shellfish-products/4160/2
    On the other hand: This site has an entry
    Heb - Snow Crab Legs 1 lb = 204
    I would ask the waitress and expect her to get an answer.

    That entry doesn't include the shell though. The OP's probably does (restaurants typically don't remove the shells to count 1 lb, lol)... so 460 seems about right to me.
  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
    edited July 2016
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    Great point.
    She has asked possibly one of the most confusing questions on earth (my opinion).
    MFP Generic - King Crab Legs (Removed From Shells) 1 lb - 457 cals
    MFP Red Lobster - Snow Crab Legs In the Shell 1 lb - 180 cals

  • RoseTheWarrior
    RoseTheWarrior Posts: 2,035 Member
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    I find that most of the time the nutritional info is only for the main dish. For instance, going to White Spot and looking at the info for a burger is going to give you info ONLY for the burger, even if it comes with a side. Each side should have a separate listing.
  • dubird
    dubird Posts: 1,849 Member
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    I usually end up ordering child portions and lunch portions when possible, espically hamburger joints. A lot of restaurants will go ahead and let you get a lunch portion of some things, so doesn't hurt to ask.

    gonetothedogs19 wrote: »
    Wow, talk about taking the fun out of eating at a restaurant.

    Skip the bread, skip the sugary soda and skip the desert.

    But...but...garlic bread!! XD
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
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    Since it sounds like a seafood restaurant, perhaps peel and eat shrimp and a piece of plain corn on the cob might be an option. I hate cole slaw too.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    gonetothedogs19 wrote: »
    jessicalynch817 wrote: »
    So I am going to try to eat a t a restaurant tonight and I was just looking at the menu and had a question about calorie counting. If a meal says it INCLUDES something, does that mean the calories listed for that meal included everything listed?

    For example, the meal I am looking at says, 1lb Snow crab Legs served with coleslaw and choice of side (460 cal.)

    So that 460 would included the coleslaw? Then I would add the calories of whatever side I choose?

    I don't like coleslaw and I don't plan on eating it so I was trying to deduct the coleslaw from that 460 if possible!

    Thanks in advance for your help! :)

    Wow, talk about taking the fun out of eating at a restaurant.

    Skip the bread, skip the sugary soda and skip the desert.

    Pasta usually comes in a giant plate. Eat half, and take the rest home for lunch. Better yet, find a meat dish that comes with lots of veggies.

    If you are still worried about having too many calories, eat fewer calories for breakfast and lunch than you normally do.

    And enjoy your dinner at the restaurant.

    PS - If you go over your daily allotment by a couple of hundred calories, nothing bad will happen to you. Nothing.

    Am I the only one that's appreciating the irony of 'taking the fun out of eating at a restaurant' and the following advice?

    For me the whole fun of eating at a restaurant is dessert. So yeah, eating out isn't much fun anymore.

    No I actually had the exact same reaction about the irony of taking the fun out of a restaurant and the blanket advice to not eat dessert...

    But I'm not sure why it's not fun for you anymore?
  • gonetothedogs19
    gonetothedogs19 Posts: 325 Member
    edited July 2016
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    gonetothedogs19 wrote: »
    jessicalynch817 wrote: »
    So I am going to try to eat a t a restaurant tonight and I was just looking at the menu and had a question about calorie counting. If a meal says it INCLUDES something, does that mean the calories listed for that meal included everything listed?

    For example, the meal I am looking at says, 1lb Snow crab Legs served with coleslaw and choice of side (460 cal.)

    So that 460 would included the coleslaw? Then I would add the calories of whatever side I choose?

    I don't like coleslaw and I don't plan on eating it so I was trying to deduct the coleslaw from that 460 if possible!

    Thanks in advance for your help! :)

    Wow, talk about taking the fun out of eating at a restaurant.

    Skip the bread, skip the sugary soda and skip the desert.

    Pasta usually comes in a giant plate. Eat half, and take the rest home for lunch. Better yet, find a meat dish that comes with lots of veggies.

    If you are still worried about having too many calories, eat fewer calories for breakfast and lunch than you normally do.

    And enjoy your dinner at the restaurant.

    PS - If you go over your daily allotment by a couple of hundred calories, nothing bad will happen to you. Nothing.

    Am I the only one that's appreciating the irony of 'taking the fun out of eating at a restaurant' and the following advice?

    For me the whole fun of eating at a restaurant is dessert. So yeah, eating out isn't much fun anymore.

    There are some great low-calorie coffee drinks you can have for desert. As for a real desert, they usually weigh in at 500 calories. You're going to eat that? And half the time they're lousy anyway.

    Skip the bread. If you can't skip the bread, have one piece. Don't split the loaf with your fellow diner and then order another one.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    edited July 2016
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    gonetothedogs19 wrote: »
    Francl27 wrote: »
    gonetothedogs19 wrote: »
    jessicalynch817 wrote: »
    So I am going to try to eat a t a restaurant tonight and I was just looking at the menu and had a question about calorie counting. If a meal says it INCLUDES something, does that mean the calories listed for that meal included everything listed?

    For example, the meal I am looking at says, 1lb Snow crab Legs served with coleslaw and choice of side (460 cal.)

    So that 460 would included the coleslaw? Then I would add the calories of whatever side I choose?

    I don't like coleslaw and I don't plan on eating it so I was trying to deduct the coleslaw from that 460 if possible!

    Thanks in advance for your help! :)

    Wow, talk about taking the fun out of eating at a restaurant.

    Skip the bread, skip the sugary soda and skip the desert.

    Pasta usually comes in a giant plate. Eat half, and take the rest home for lunch. Better yet, find a meat dish that comes with lots of veggies.

    If you are still worried about having too many calories, eat fewer calories for breakfast and lunch than you normally do.

    And enjoy your dinner at the restaurant.

    PS - If you go over your daily allotment by a couple of hundred calories, nothing bad will happen to you. Nothing.

    Am I the only one that's appreciating the irony of 'taking the fun out of eating at a restaurant' and the following advice?

    For me the whole fun of eating at a restaurant is dessert. So yeah, eating out isn't much fun anymore.

    There are some great low-calorie coffee drinks you can have for desert. As for a real desert, they usually weigh in at 500 calories. You're going to eat that? And half the time they're lousy anyway.

    Skip the bread. If you can't skip the bread, have one piece. Don't split the loaf with your fellow diner and then order another one.

    Why wouldn't I eat a 500 cal dessert on a special occasion at a restaurant? I usually split dessert, so it would be about half that, which is pretty easy to fit in, but even if I eat the whole thing, I can fit in 500 cals fairly easily... And the restaurants I go to don't have lousy dessert...
  • LiminalAscendance
    LiminalAscendance Posts: 489 Member
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    gonetothedogs19 wrote: »
    Francl27 wrote: »
    gonetothedogs19 wrote: »
    jessicalynch817 wrote: »
    So I am going to try to eat a t a restaurant tonight and I was just looking at the menu and had a question about calorie counting. If a meal says it INCLUDES something, does that mean the calories listed for that meal included everything listed?

    For example, the meal I am looking at says, 1lb Snow crab Legs served with coleslaw and choice of side (460 cal.)

    So that 460 would included the coleslaw? Then I would add the calories of whatever side I choose?

    I don't like coleslaw and I don't plan on eating it so I was trying to deduct the coleslaw from that 460 if possible!

    Thanks in advance for your help! :)

    Wow, talk about taking the fun out of eating at a restaurant.

    Skip the bread, skip the sugary soda and skip the desert.

    Pasta usually comes in a giant plate. Eat half, and take the rest home for lunch. Better yet, find a meat dish that comes with lots of veggies.

    If you are still worried about having too many calories, eat fewer calories for breakfast and lunch than you normally do.

    And enjoy your dinner at the restaurant.

    PS - If you go over your daily allotment by a couple of hundred calories, nothing bad will happen to you. Nothing.

    Am I the only one that's appreciating the irony of 'taking the fun out of eating at a restaurant' and the following advice?

    For me the whole fun of eating at a restaurant is dessert. So yeah, eating out isn't much fun anymore.

    There are some great low-calorie coffee drinks you can have for desert. As for a real desert, they usually weigh in at 500 calories. You're going to eat that? And half the time they're lousy anyway.

    Skip the bread. If you can't skip the bread, have one piece. Don't split the loaf with your fellow diner and then order another one.

    If you're going to restaurants that serve "lousy" food "half the time," you have more to be concerned about than weight loss.
  • grinning_chick
    grinning_chick Posts: 765 Member
    edited July 2016
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    Guess I'm weird that the only modifications I've made when I actually have a reason to dine out are either:

    (1) Planning ahead of time combined with eating practically nothing the day of if I want to eat the entire meal.
    -OR-
    (2) Planning ahead of time combined with eating very moderately the day of if I want to eat half the meal and take the other half away boxed for a second supper the next day.

    The only things I "skip" are drinks since I rarely drink alcohol anymore and stick with water/hot tea/coffee just like I do at home. And the bread basket past one piece (as opposed to when I'd eat all of it), which I'll inform them as they seat me. I will eat dessert if I've budgeted for it and I want it.
  • ejb499
    ejb499 Posts: 53 Member
    edited July 2016
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    It's just all about portion control. Order what you want but most restaurants serve very large portions. I like to ask for a box to be brought out with my food that way I can put half of it in there to take home before I even dive in. Make sure you log everything! Even if it puts you over your goal, log it. When confused about the calories on the menu I would break it down and log each individual component.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,134 Member
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    gonetothedogs19 wrote: »
    Francl27 wrote: »
    gonetothedogs19 wrote: »
    jessicalynch817 wrote: »
    So I am going to try to eat a t a restaurant tonight and I was just looking at the menu and had a question about calorie counting. If a meal says it INCLUDES something, does that mean the calories listed for that meal included everything listed?

    For example, the meal I am looking at says, 1lb Snow crab Legs served with coleslaw and choice of side (460 cal.)

    So that 460 would included the coleslaw? Then I would add the calories of whatever side I choose?

    I don't like coleslaw and I don't plan on eating it so I was trying to deduct the coleslaw from that 460 if possible!

    Thanks in advance for your help! :)

    Wow, talk about taking the fun out of eating at a restaurant.

    Skip the bread, skip the sugary soda and skip the desert.

    Pasta usually comes in a giant plate. Eat half, and take the rest home for lunch. Better yet, find a meat dish that comes with lots of veggies.

    If you are still worried about having too many calories, eat fewer calories for breakfast and lunch than you normally do.

    And enjoy your dinner at the restaurant.

    PS - If you go over your daily allotment by a couple of hundred calories, nothing bad will happen to you. Nothing.

    Am I the only one that's appreciating the irony of 'taking the fun out of eating at a restaurant' and the following advice?

    For me the whole fun of eating at a restaurant is dessert. So yeah, eating out isn't much fun anymore.

    There are some great low-calorie coffee drinks you can have for desert. As for a real desert, they usually weigh in at 500 calories. You're going to eat that? And half the time they're lousy anyway.

    Skip the bread. If you can't skip the bread, have one piece. Don't split the loaf with your fellow diner and then order another one.

    Why have coffee for dessert when I despise coffee? If I'm getting a dessert at a restaurant, 1 of 3 things is happening: I'm splitting it with my husband; it's all I'm eating; or it's one of my allotted IDGAF days where I eat what I want.
  • hnyzthms
    hnyzthms Posts: 393 Member
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    if I'm eating out at restaurant I eat what I want go over the calories for that day. I eat less for lunch & breakfast.

    Enjoy my meal & desert out as it's not an every day occurrence

    have a nice night out
  • Heartisalonelyhunter
    Heartisalonelyhunter Posts: 786 Member
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    Well I agree with that. Although if that poster is taking about chain restaurants (Aplplebee's etc) I actually agree the desserts are lousy. Everything served is factory produced Papp assembled by low paid line cooks but the desserts are really cheap. You'd be better off buying something from a grocery store.

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