Chili's for lunch - Can anyone shed some light on this confu

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kimi131
kimi131 Posts: 1,058 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Apparently Chili's Bar & Grill just changed their menu and I am quite confused. In the few minutes I had before I knew where we were going for lunch, I did as much research as I could. I decided on the Grilled Chicken Sandwich (one of their "healthy" options) which is served on a wheat (maybe whole wheat) bun, with no-fat honey mustard dressing, lettuce, and a side of broccoli. I took half of it home.

When I got home, I googled it since the exact item wasn't in the database so far as I could tell. One site said 490 cals, another said 361. And then I found the actual Chili's nutritional guide.

Chili's listed GG (which I take to mean "Guiltless Grill" - what they call their healthy options) Chicken Sandwich as 610 cals. Yikes! Not very guiltless. So I listed that as my lunch and thanked heaven that I took half of it home.

I started to wonder if "veggies" meant the broccoli or the lettuce so I went back to look at the nutritional guide again. Then I notice that it says "Served on a white bun w/ Fries, unless otherwise indicated." Well, I did indicate on mine, which is why it had the wheat bun etc. So does the 610 refer to the meal with a white bun and fries, and the 361 (as I saw listed on other sites) refer to the meal as I had it?

I know it may not sound like a big deal, but there is a big difference between 610 cals and 361. Plus, it's going to affect how I plan the rest of my day. Help!

Replies

  • pricetm83
    pricetm83 Posts: 49
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    Sorry I can't answer your question, but when I clicked on this post to read it, a big web ad for Chili's and their new queso dip came up. Irony?
  • abalicious
    abalicious Posts: 361 Member
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    I would assume what they list on the site is for the white bun and fries, but I feel like the fries themselves are more than 600 cals. I would count it as the 600 calories just to be safe, since you don't want to over eat.
  • nrvo
    nrvo Posts: 473 Member
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    I think the 610 is for the sandwich plus broccoli, because under the description it reads "CG Grilled Chicken Sandwich w/ steamed broccoli".

    610 may sounds like a lot, but at least it was 610cals that included some vitamins and nutrients. And holy smokes, some of the other stuff on that menu is insane. 1670 cals for a pulled pork sandwich and fries?!?! That is my whole days worth of food.

    Okay, now I'm going through the site.....they have the plain wheat bun listed as 360cals, the broccoli listed as 80cals, so I guess that leaves 170 cals for the chicken breast which I guess makes sense. 360 for a bun though!?!? That is NUTS! My Sarah Lee wheat hamburger buns are 80 cals (and delicious!)
  • LizC26
    LizC26 Posts: 319 Member
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    The Guiltless Grill sandwich is lower calories than the regular one...The one on the Chili's site (610) is the regular one.
  • NightOwl1
    NightOwl1 Posts: 881 Member
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    It's only 610 with the sides they recommend to have it "Guiltless". If you have it normal with fries, it's wayyyy higher than 610. I don't know what to account for the discrepancy. Maybe one is just for the sandwich, and the 610 number is for the sandwich and the sides. I would definitely go with the 610 number since it's from the site.
  • davidrt
    davidrt Posts: 162
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    i burnt my days calories up at chillis once , its about 700 calories, , just because its chicken doesnt mean its good for you, try taco bells 100 calorie taco salad
  • Elzecat
    Elzecat Posts: 2,916 Member
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    Sorry I can't answer your question, but when I clicked on this post to read it, a big web ad for Chili's and their new queso dip came up. Irony?

    No, it's something related to the MFP site...if you research certain topics, the ads at the top of the page change to reflect those subjects...weird though, cause I keep getting an ad for gastric bypass and other than reading profiles of some folks here who have had that surgery, I've never researched it myself.

    Ah...the joy of advertising...
  • milaxx
    milaxx Posts: 1,122 Member
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    My guess is that since the official site lists it as w/ fries that's why it's 610. I think I would use the 400 something entry just to be on the safe side. Either way it was smart thinking to only eat half. Perhaps you could write the company for further clarification.
  • arh0117
    arh0117 Posts: 185 Member
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    i burnt my days calories up at chillis once , its about 700 calories, , just because its chicken doesnt mean its good for you, try taco bells 100 calorie taco salad

    Taco Bell has a 100 calorie taco salad??? Last time I ate one there the best I could get was 700-something! LOL You must share the secret!! I am a die-hard TB fan and am sad that I pretty much have to give up all my fav foods there, or make them last an entire day...guess that could work if I took one bite an hour...LOL
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
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    I'm gonna have to say the Guiltless version with broccoli is 610. The website say their criteria for "guiltless" is less that 750 calories (which is completely bogus).

    I'm going to guess that all those calories are coming from the bread.
  • misscfe
    misscfe Posts: 295 Member
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    Go with the website. I always go to the company website to verify nutritional information. Many times I even find the nutritional info in MFP for restaurants is incorrect. The reason they can call it Guiltless is because it is less calories then the majority of the menu. Many restaurants do the same thing. Had they not had these guiltless options just think of the calories you would have been taking in.
  • kimi131
    kimi131 Posts: 1,058 Member
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    Thanks everybody. I think I am going to go with the 610 because, like many of you said, with fries it is way more than 610 and the bun alone is high. I've learned my lesson. Next time I'll choose the margarita grilled chicken. Only half sandwich plus broccoli is 305, so I can live with that. As for the TB 100 cal salad, I wish I could, but Sunday lunch is always with my parents in a small town with limited options.

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