Sneaky Calories
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animatorswearbras wrote: »Food labels can be sneaky when the serving size is a ridiculous size that no one can eat. I've been caught out a few times like this when I've not been concentrating. One example was a croissant where the calories were listed for a serving size of 1/3rd of the croissant. Who eats 1/3rd of a croissant?
Oh my god croissants! I remember checking the calories of one after I'd eaten it, 600cals! How the *kitten* it's 80% *kitten* fresh air! lol
If it's a butter croissant...
OTOH, I can get a bag of mini croissants at 70 calories each.2 -
Food labels can be sneaky when the serving size is a ridiculous size that no one can eat. I've been caught out a few times like this when I've not been concentrating. One example was a croissant where the calories were listed for a serving size of 1/3rd of the croissant. Who eats 1/3rd of a croissant?
I've mentioned this before and I will again (such is my pain at the discovery) but Pop Tarts - sold in boxes, inside the box is a silver plastic pouch which contains 2 pop tarts. I assumed that the nutritional information was for one serving, i.e. a pouch containing 2 pop tarts - but No!! a pouch is 2 servings!! The cruel, cruel *kitten*!!4 -
Neither do I.JerSchmare wrote: »I don't really understand what "sneaky" calories are. Since I look at the label, log my portion, then weigh out my portion, then eat the portion that I logged and weighed, there is nothing sneaky about calories. I am 100% aware of all the calories.
I just see people getting sucked into the "healthy" bandwagon of eating. Healthy does not necessarily mean one will lose weight on it. Education is important. Learn about calories and how weight loss works.
Read labels. They're a wealth of information.1 -
Ready2Rock206 wrote: »
WW doesn't have an unlimited fruit policy. Most fruits are zero points, but we were never told we could eat an unlimited amount. Where I went, the recommendation was up to two servings.0 -
I find nut/fruit trail mixes to be an absolute waste. I picked up a small pack at my job's snack area and was surprised to see it was 350 cal for such a tiny pack!0
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StealthHealth wrote: »Food labels can be sneaky when the serving size is a ridiculous size that no one can eat. I've been caught out a few times like this when I've not been concentrating. One example was a croissant where the calories were listed for a serving size of 1/3rd of the croissant. Who eats 1/3rd of a croissant?
I've mentioned this before and I will again (such is my pain at the discovery) but Pop Tarts - sold in boxes, inside the box is a silver plastic pouch which contains 2 pop tarts. I assumed that the nutritional information was for one serving, i.e. a pouch containing 2 pop tarts - but No!! a pouch is 2 servings!! The cruel, cruel *kitten*!!
Now, too be fair, there's quite a difference between "I didn't check the nutrition" and "I saw the nutrition and didn't agree with the serving."
If you want to budget 400 calories for Pop Tarts, take both -- but that's a pretty big breakfast. If you're happy with the recommended size as one for a snack of breakfast, then you can get away with 200.
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collectingblues wrote: »StealthHealth wrote: »Food labels can be sneaky when the serving size is a ridiculous size that no one can eat. I've been caught out a few times like this when I've not been concentrating. One example was a croissant where the calories were listed for a serving size of 1/3rd of the croissant. Who eats 1/3rd of a croissant?
I've mentioned this before and I will again (such is my pain at the discovery) but Pop Tarts - sold in boxes, inside the box is a silver plastic pouch which contains 2 pop tarts. I assumed that the nutritional information was for one serving, i.e. a pouch containing 2 pop tarts - but No!! a pouch is 2 servings!! The cruel, cruel *kitten*!!
Now, too be fair, there's quite a difference between "I didn't check the nutrition" and "I saw the nutrition and didn't agree with the serving."
If you want to budget 400 calories for Pop Tarts, take both -- but that's a pretty big breakfast. If you're happy with the recommended size as one for a snack of breakfast, then you can get away with 200.
re: The stuff in bold. I don't think I understand what you're saying.1 -
VeggieLoverMarcie wrote: »I was at 7-11 yesterday and considered a small bag that said it was healthy. I turned it around and was like heck no! It was almost 300 calories!
Calorie-dense foods can be healthy though (in the sense that they have nutrients that our body requires). Something doesn't have to be low calorie to be "healthy." Things like nuts and avocado are very calorie-dense, but few people would declare they aren't healthy.3 -
I think it just depends on expectations. As others have said, a lot of foods are considered "healthy" but aren't actually low calorie, so you expect them to be lower calorie than they actually are. For example:
1. Quinoa - people talk about it like it's a super food and I ate it every day for the first month or two trying to lose weight before I joined MFP, but it's not low calorie at all. It's pretty similar to rice which is very high calorie, imo. I guess people like it because it has more protein than other grains, but unless you're vegan there are way more "calorie efficient" ways to get your protein.
2. Dates - they can be hidden calories for some people because you assume "it's a fruit, it's healthy!" They aren't *that* high in calories, but if you plan to eat a whole cup or something, it's not going to be 25 calories like it might be with another fruit.
3. Ground turkey - it's not really high in calories, but it's higher than people think it is; people assume it's lower in calories than ground beef, but if you get lean ground beef, it's pretty much the same or sometimes turkey is even higher.
4. Coconut oil - a lot of "healthy" recipes use coconut oil in place of butter - it has just as many calories so I think that's tricky for some people.
5. Nuts - they are straight-up calorie bombs. I think it's like quinoa. A lot of vegan "healthy" bloggers swear by nuts so people assume they're lower calories than other foods; they're not. If you aren't vegan, there are way more "calorie efficient" ways to get enough protein.
Even for vegans, nuts aren't a great source of protein. To get sufficient protein from nuts would require consuming an amount that would put most people way over their calorie goals. Vegans can get protein from beans, grains, tofu, tempeh, and seitan. Unless a vegan is intentionally trying to gain weight, they should just consider nuts as a great source of fat and not rely on them for protein.2 -
VeggieLoverMarcie wrote: »I was at 7-11 yesterday and considered a small bag that said it was healthy. I turned it around and was like heck no! It was almost 300 calories!
Small bag of what?
There are lots of calorie dense "healthy" foods, just because something is 300 calories doesn't mean it is unhealthy. And depending on what the food was, and what role it was going to play in your day - 300 cals doesn't sound like that many, even if it was for a snack.5 -
Slightly off-topic I go through a rough time every Passover. I'm vegetarian, not vegan. But with most grains and legumes off-limits to me for eight days, my main protein sources are eggs (in almost every recipe already), dairy (would be fine except mixing meat and dairy at the table is a big no-no and Passover involves a lot of big family meals, which means everyone around me is having meat. Seriously, to suggest otherwise would be a bit like asking folks at Thanksgiving to consider a cheese souffle in lieu of turkey. Just... won't be done.), nuts and quinoa.
I got by this past holiday by taking a maintenance break, correctly anticipating that the limited protein sources would both be higher in calories and probably impact my satiety levels. Still had a hard time hitting my protein target, but... eight days out of the year. Family get-togethers. Etc, etc.1 -
Nothing is sneaky if you log and weigh your food properly. It took a lot of "label reading" for me to find out, calorie wise, what felt "worth it" to me. Just read your labels! Just because it says it's healthy, doesn't mean it is.2
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skybleu329 wrote: »What are some healthy foods that can be sneaky on calories.....
Was also wondering if cottage cheese is sneaky in calories as well..
Look at the nutrition label...it's right there on the label...4 -
StealthHealth wrote: »collectingblues wrote: »StealthHealth wrote: »Food labels can be sneaky when the serving size is a ridiculous size that no one can eat. I've been caught out a few times like this when I've not been concentrating. One example was a croissant where the calories were listed for a serving size of 1/3rd of the croissant. Who eats 1/3rd of a croissant?
I've mentioned this before and I will again (such is my pain at the discovery) but Pop Tarts - sold in boxes, inside the box is a silver plastic pouch which contains 2 pop tarts. I assumed that the nutritional information was for one serving, i.e. a pouch containing 2 pop tarts - but No!! a pouch is 2 servings!! The cruel, cruel *kitten*!!
Now, too be fair, there's quite a difference between "I didn't check the nutrition" and "I saw the nutrition and didn't agree with the serving."
If you want to budget 400 calories for Pop Tarts, take both -- but that's a pretty big breakfast. If you're happy with the recommended size as one for a snack of breakfast, then you can get away with 200.
re: The stuff in bold. I don't think I understand what you're saying.
"I didn't check the nutrition" = I didn't bother to read the label and I think the calories were sneaky
"I saw the nutrition and I didn't agree with the serving" = I read the label, and I think that a serving is really more than the label says2 -
I seem to remember a poster on here whose aunt was deliberately sabotaging her weight loss efforts by putting butter in her coffee when she wasn't looking. Now that's some sneaky calories!8
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skybleu329 wrote: »What are some healthy foods that can be sneaky on calories.....
Was also wondering if cottage cheese is sneaky in calories as well..
The low-fat cottage cheese isn't too bad on calories, especially for the amount of protein it contains.1 -
I think it just depends on expectations. As others have said, a lot of foods are considered "healthy" but aren't actually low calorie, so you expect them to be lower calorie than they actually are. For example:
1. Quinoa - people talk about it like it's a super food and I ate it every day for the first month or two trying to lose weight before I joined MFP, but it's not low calorie at all. It's pretty similar to rice which is very high calorie, imo. I guess people like it because it has more protein than other grains, but unless you're vegan there are way more "calorie efficient" ways to get your protein.
2. Dates - they can be hidden calories for some people because you assume "it's a fruit, it's healthy!" They aren't *that* high in calories, but if you plan to eat a whole cup or something, it's not going to be 25 calories like it might be with another fruit.
3. Ground turkey - it's not really high in calories, but it's higher than people think it is; people assume it's lower in calories than ground beef, but if you get lean ground beef, it's pretty much the same or sometimes turkey is even higher.
4. Coconut oil - a lot of "healthy" recipes use coconut oil in place of butter - it has just as many calories so I think that's tricky for some people.
5. Nuts - they are straight-up calorie bombs. I think it's like quinoa. A lot of vegan "healthy" bloggers swear by nuts so people assume they're lower calories than other foods; they're not. If you aren't vegan, there are way more "calorie efficient" ways to get enough protein.
#3 - yes!.. ground turkey comes in varying ratios just like ground beef. My usual store carries 93/7 beef, but only 85/15 ground turkey.
#4- I'm not really sure where this "coconut oil is awesome and healthy" thing even came from. I use it for some stuff where I want a solid or at least thicker consistency oil at room temperature.
#5 - yep. nuts are an integral part of trail mix for a reason (you are trying to cram as many calories into a small volume and weight as possible).1 -
Smoothies. They can be glorified milkshakes. After x pieces of fruit, add ons like honey, wheat grass, protein powders, peanut butter, yogurt, milk, juices, and sometimes even ice cream it can be a huge total.5
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I wouldn't call them "sneaky", but the assumption that nutritious = low calorie is incorrect.3
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animatorswearbras wrote: »Food labels can be sneaky when the serving size is a ridiculous size that no one can eat. I've been caught out a few times like this when I've not been concentrating. One example was a croissant where the calories were listed for a serving size of 1/3rd of the croissant. Who eats 1/3rd of a croissant?
Oh my god croissants! I remember checking the calories of one after I'd eaten it, 600cals! How the *kitten* it's 80% *kitten* fresh air! lol
You make them by folding a pound of butter into the dough over and over bam calories3
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