Guess the calories...

jagged88
jagged88 Posts: 9 Member
edited November 18 in Food and Nutrition
Just come back from lunch with a friend and I'd appreciate some help guesstimating the calories in this salad...

It was described as a superfood salad and contained leaves, cabbage, peppers, onion, quinoa, chickpeas, tenderstem broccoli and avocado in a light (but probably very oily!) citrus dressing. Restaurant doesn't give any nutritional information and I'd like to know if my guess is in line with what others think. I know it's ridiculous but I feel nervous planning what to eat for the rest of the day when I don't know how many calories I've already eaten.

I broke it down into components and logged it but I'm terrible with guessing weights of things...

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Replies

  • janjunie
    janjunie Posts: 1,200 Member
    I have no idea how big that plate is, should have put a coin or your hand beside it. Anyways, 500 calories?
  • jagged88
    jagged88 Posts: 9 Member
    janjunie wrote: »
    I have no idea how big that plate is, should have put a coin or your hand beside it. Anyways, 500 calories?

    Thanks, I was thinking around 500 too.

    I'm in the UK so the plate was pretty standard sized for here, the salad portion was probably about the span of my hand...
  • Will_Run_for_Food
    Will_Run_for_Food Posts: 561 Member
    As you probably already know, calories in salad dressings, legumes and avocado can add up. My guess, although generous, would be around 600-700 calories. But remember, calories aren't everything. It sounds like there are a lot of good nutrients in there.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,571 Member
    I'd go with 500
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,454 Member
    What a lovely salad! In the future, order it with the dressing on the side. Then you have some idea of the highest calorie portion.

    I'd log 500 and never look back. And I'd order it again!
  • jagged88
    jagged88 Posts: 9 Member
    Will_Run_for_Food wrote: »
    As you probably already know, calories in salad dressings, legumes and avocado can add up. My guess, although generous, would be around 600-700 calories. But remember, calories aren't everything. It sounds like there are a lot of good nutrients in there.

    Yes, I feel like I made a fairly good choice. I'm struggling with knowing whether to just skip dinner tonight to make up for not knowing the calories... Worried I've underestimated after your guess :/
  • jagged88
    jagged88 Posts: 9 Member
    cmriverside wrote: »
    What a lovely salad! In the future, order it with the dressing on the side. Then you have some idea of the highest calorie portion.

    I'd log 500 and never look back. And I'd order it again!

    Thanks! Should have thought to order dressing on the side... Guessing even if I'm out by a few hundred calories it's not the end of the world!
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,571 Member
    jagged88 wrote: »
    Will_Run_for_Food wrote: »
    As you probably already know, calories in salad dressings, legumes and avocado can add up. My guess, although generous, would be around 600-700 calories. But remember, calories aren't everything. It sounds like there are a lot of good nutrients in there.

    Yes, I feel like I made a fairly good choice. I'm struggling with knowing whether to just skip dinner tonight to make up for not knowing the calories... Worried I've underestimated after your guess :/

    Nah...100 for the veg is definitely good, 100 for the avocado, 200 for dressing, 100 for the quinoa. 600 would be very safe if those are right and the beans are 100.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,454 Member
    jagged88 wrote: »
    cmriverside wrote: »
    What a lovely salad! In the future, order it with the dressing on the side. Then you have some idea of the highest calorie portion.

    I'd log 500 and never look back. And I'd order it again!

    Thanks! Should have thought to order dressing on the side... Guessing even if I'm out by a few hundred calories it's not the end of the world!

    You know, all of this is guesstimation. I use a food scale for 90% of my meals, but eating out is one of the joys of life. 500/600 is going to be really close - I've done this successfully for ten years and you know what? You have to eat. This salad was an excellent choice, and you need all those things, fat, protein, carbs.

    Eat a regular dinner. You're good!
  • jagged88
    jagged88 Posts: 9 Member
    bbell1985 wrote: »
    jagged88 wrote: »
    Will_Run_for_Food wrote: »
    As you probably already know, calories in salad dressings, legumes and avocado can add up. My guess, although generous, would be around 600-700 calories. But remember, calories aren't everything. It sounds like there are a lot of good nutrients in there.

    Yes, I feel like I made a fairly good choice. I'm struggling with knowing whether to just skip dinner tonight to make up for not knowing the calories... Worried I've underestimated after your guess :/

    Nah...100 for the veg is definitely good, 100 for the avocado, 200 for dressing, 100 for the quinoa. 600 would be very safe if those are right and the beans are 100.

    Thanks. In the long run, even if I'm a few hundred calories off, it'll barely eat into my weekly deficit!
  • jagged88
    jagged88 Posts: 9 Member
    cmriverside wrote: »
    jagged88 wrote: »
    cmriverside wrote: »
    What a lovely salad! In the future, order it with the dressing on the side. Then you have some idea of the highest calorie portion.

    I'd log 500 and never look back. And I'd order it again!

    Thanks! Should have thought to order dressing on the side... Guessing even if I'm out by a few hundred calories it's not the end of the world!

    You know, all of this is guesstimation. I use a food scale for 90% of my meals, but eating out is one of the joys of life. 500/600 is going to be really close - I've done this successfully for ten years and you know what? You have to eat. This salad was an excellent choice, and you need all those things, fat, protein, carbs.

    Eat a regular dinner. You're good!

    Thanks - really good advice! I weigh and log everything where possible so probably need to relax a bit when eating out!
  • cityruss
    cityruss Posts: 2,493 Member
    When in doubt compare to Wetherspoons.

    Their superfood salad, much like this, is about 500 - 600 calories if my mind serves me right.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,571 Member
    cityruss wrote: »
    When in doubt compare to Wetherspoons.

    Their superfood salad, much like this, is about 500 - 600 calories if my mind serves me right.

    Yeah, Juice Press has one very similar as well.
  • MoiAussi93
    MoiAussi93 Posts: 1,948 Member
    edited May 2017
    I would guess 650...the dressing, avocado and chickpeas add up fast
  • jagged88
    jagged88 Posts: 9 Member
    cityruss wrote: »
    When in doubt compare to Wetherspoons.

    Their superfood salad, much like this, is about 500 - 600 calories if my mind serves me right.

    Good idea, thanks! They have a similar quinoa one for 460 which looks close to what I had!
  • jagged88
    jagged88 Posts: 9 Member
    Thanks for the responses everyone - logged it as ~600 in the end :)
  • perkymommy
    perkymommy Posts: 1,642 Member
    Salads eaten out like that have hidden calories so I'd go with at minimum 500 but between 500-600. Looks like a lot of oil on it.
  • ClubSilencio
    ClubSilencio Posts: 2,983 Member
    400

    I don't really see a lot of chickpeas, quinoa, or avocado.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    I'm going with ~500 as well. Looks good!
  • Sp1tfire
    Sp1tfire Posts: 1,120 Member
    500 or 550 is probably a good bet! :smiley:
  • Gisel2015
    Gisel2015 Posts: 4,190 Member
    It doesn't seem to have too much protein (chick peas and quinoa are not that high in protein compare to the carbs). Eat your dinner and have more protein than fat and carbs to balance the macros or you will be hungry a 3AM. I think that 600 calories was a good choice and the salad looks very tasty.
  • strongisthenewsexy_squatqueen
    strongisthenewsexy_squatqueen Posts: 9 Member
    Looks the same as the superfood salad in pizza express, thats 400cals
  • kwtilbury
    kwtilbury Posts: 1,234 Member
    I'd say 300-400 calories, depending on the amount of dressing. There don't appear to be much of the more calorie dense items in there - chick peas, quinoa, avocado.

    Salad looks amazing, BTW.
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