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Post 'em here. All those disappointing meals you thought were healthy but are really high calorie
Replies
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clicketykeys wrote: »
Depends on the tortilla. Depends on the bread. I picked up a pack of Olé whole wheat tortillas this past weekend, and one is 70-80 cal. Similarly high in fiber compared to the whole wheat bread I usually get, and higher (for the calories) in protein.
Yes but I highly doubt that it's the kind of tortillas that restaurants use.xX_PhoenixRising_Xx wrote: »Muffins make me sad, always so high calorie. Not much surprises me after 4 years of MFP though, but...
I had a co-worker who decided to go "low calorie" and "eat healthy." She decided the best way to do this was to look for better lunch options while at work... I watched her do this pretty much every lunch for months. She would buy the "healthy" option burger with a GF bun from a local chain, eat half of a large fries, add a small coke and then top it off with a large frozen yoghurt with toppings "but it's low fat!"
Just for fun, I worked out her calories for lunch one day, with information readily available from where she purchased. I wouldn't have, except she kept telling me (after losing almost half my body weight) that I should go "lower calorie and eat healthy like her." Over 2500 calories in the total meal and 75 grams of sugar just in the Fro-Yo. And she ate this every day. She also wouldn't budge from her stance that I should eat like her, not that I ever asked for her opinion. She refused to believe the figures. One day, she's going to get a big shock. Fro-yo in particular isn't necessarily healthy or low calorie, despite being low fat, and you can't just eat as much of it as you like without consequence.
Frozen yogurt is definitely right there too. Same calories as ice cream most of the time.3 -
I tend to be upset anytime I discover a new "healthy" food that isn't that good calorie wise lol
Discovered I love Avocados, but can rarely fit them into my calories
In terms of genuine disappointment, I ordered one of those low calorie pizzas from pizza express (UK) and it's just a thin crust pizza that they've cut a hole out of! Worse still, they filled the hole with rocket (arugula) which I cannot stand! Very sad me that day!0 -
There is a breakfast smoothie from Crussh (UK) that sounds and tastes amazing. It has banana, almond butter and a bit of honey in it and the other day I thought it would be a nice shake up to the usual porridge. They didn't have any calorie information in the shop, so I decided that it probably wouldn't be much more than my usual breakfast and bought it. I almost fell off my chair when I saw online that even the small one has about 1000 calories. And I was hungry again about 1,5 hours later
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sportynad9 wrote: »There is a breakfast smoothie from Crussh (UK) that sounds and tastes amazing. It has banana, almond butter and a bit of honey in it and the other day I thought it would be a nice shake up to the usual porridge. They didn't have any calorie information in the shop, so I decided that it probably wouldn't be much more than my usual breakfast and bought it. I almost fell off my chair when I saw online that even the small one has about 1000 calories. And I was hungry again about 1,5 hours later
Oh man! I can imagine. I used to sometimes get a peanut butter banana protein smoothie from a local coffee shop for dinner. It was great. Some of my friends get it now as their beverage choice when we go out for coffee and I never say anything of course but inwardly I cringe just because they just ate dinner beforehand. It's not that I necessarily think they need to eat fewer calories or anything like that, but these are women who generally eat healthier and smallish portions and so forth and I just do not think they realize that the shop's calorie estimate is 700 on that smoothie...I don't know if they just don't look, or what. It is right there on the menu now, and these ladies are the same ones who will say something about watching their intake. I think some people view it as "it's all healthy, fruit and natural nut butter with protein powder so it's okay" but calorically...wow!
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Not a meal... but olive oil. We almost never use oil, so I never bothered checking.
I thought I could throw a salad together this morning before work, but found out we were out of lettuce when I went to make it. No problem, I have those little 200 calorie things of raviolis. So I grabbed the cauliflower rice I just got to supplement it, and threw it in a pan to cook quickly as I had 10 minutes to spare. Threw a little olive oil and spices in before checking the calories. 120 per tbsp. I thought it would be 45 or 60 tops. I made 30 calories into 150 *Sigh*1 -
Pretty much everything in a restaurant. Eating out is much less fun in places that put the calories on the menu...but better than being surprised I guess.
Had breakfast out at a Perkins. I know breakfast is always high unless you get egg beaters and turkey sausage or something equally boring...but the hash browns! They were twice the calories of the "breakfast potatoes", which are essentially the same thing, only cut in big squares instead of shredded. How the heck they're so much more, I have no idea.0 -
Graelwyn75 wrote: »Most restaurant steak meals... even if I choose to swap the fries for baked potato and have veggies, the steak comes with garlic butter and the veggies always seem to have butter or cream etc. For example, I am on one of my visits to my mother in London ... she always takes me out for dinners. I chose minute steak with gratin potatoes, creamed spinach and glazed carrots. I estimated that meal to be around 1100 calories.
I don't eat out that often so when I do, I have the meal as it comes, but still disappointing that something that should be fairly reasonable in calories adds up to 1000 +.
Are they not willing to swap out all the veggies slathered in butter, cheese, cream, and sugar for simply steamed, sauteed, or roasted veggies? If those were my only options, I would have two of the veggies boxed immediately and fit them in later in the week.2 -
Hard root beer is a thing? Seriously? Be still my beating heart...
(We don't get it in the UK. This is DEVASTATING NEWS. How easy is it to find in the US? I will TOTALLY be saving calories for it next time I'm there...)
We get a UK version of root beer but it's nothing like the real thing.1 -
LadyLilion wrote: »Pretty much everything in a restaurant. Eating out is much less fun in places that put the calories on the menu...but better than being surprised I guess.
Had breakfast out at a Perkins. I know breakfast is always high unless you get egg beaters and turkey sausage or something equally boring...but the hash browns! They were twice the calories of the "breakfast potatoes", which are essentially the same thing, only cut in big squares instead of shredded. How the heck they're so much more, I have no idea.
I'm guessing that the shredded hash browns have more surface area to capture cooking oil, or you actually get more potatoes in the hash browns since the chunked home fries have less potato per area of plate, all else equal.4 -
Mkneedtogetfit wrote: »
I have oats for breakfast. I weigh out 30g + berries and milk. It is more like 150cal. Are you sure it was that high?
Unfortunately, yes 1/2 cup of oats: 344 calories, 200g frozen berries ~70 calories, 150 ml semi skimmed milk (that amount was just a guess) ~80 calories. I now just have the oat so simple sachets, which, when cooked, puff up to about the same volume as my sneaky overnight oats - it's all about quantity with me in the morning 1 -
quiksylver296 wrote: »
I don't watch much TV. Haven't seen any commercials. What I can say is that a six inch, double meat roasted chicken on 9 grain honey oat bread with all the veggies, mustard, and vinegar, baked BBQ Lays, and a diet coke or iced tea looks like this. Yummy, low cal, good macros.
No dressing and no cheese so sad I get a footlong each time with two dressings+cheese 
but no drink or crisps. Admittedly it's a rare thing.
There was a back lash here in the UK a little while ago due to halal meat in some take outs. We like to suck up to the soon to be masses and hate on the current masses.
Do don't have the amount of fast food places like the US does.3 -
Unfortunately, yes 1/2 cup of oats: 344 calories, 200g frozen berries ~70 calories, 150 ml semi skimmed milk (that amount was just a guess) ~80 calories. I now just have the oat so simple sachets, which, when cooked, puff up to about the same volume as my sneaky overnight oats - it's all about quantity with me in the morning
How are you getting 1/2 cup of oats at 344 calories? Oats are usually 150 calories per 1/2 cup (~40g) uncooked.2 -
500 calories sounds really high for the oatmeal. 1/2 cup (41g) of dry rolled oats is 150 calories. Even if you use a full cup of whole milk (150) calories, you'd still need 200 calories to come from the berries. That's really high. Are you adding sugar or using berries in sugar?
What's making you think that the oatmeal is 500 calories?
It wasn't rolled oats, but porridge oats, which I'm guessing are basically smushed up oats, and therefore have more surface area so you can get more of them (and more calories) in the half-cup measurement? I'm getting the calories directly from the MFP manual recipe thingy 0 -
By porridge oats, do you mean steel-cut oats? I eat those pretty frequently and you're right -- they're 150kcal for 1/4th cup, rather than 1/2 cup like rolled oats. Totally worth it, though.3
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seltzermint555 wrote: »
Oh man! I can imagine. I used to sometimes get a peanut butter banana protein smoothie from a local coffee shop for dinner. It was great. Some of my friends get it now as their beverage choice when we go out for coffee and I never say anything of course but inwardly I cringe just because they just ate dinner beforehand. It's not that I necessarily think they need to eat fewer calories or anything like that, but these are women who generally eat healthier and smallish portions and so forth and I just do not think they realize that the shop's calorie estimate is 700 on that smoothie...I don't know if they just don't look, or what. It is right there on the menu now, and these ladies are the same ones who will say something about watching their intake. I think some people view it as "it's all healthy, fruit and natural nut butter with protein powder so it's okay" but calorically...wow!
he he. It's a favorite amongst those bulking for a reason.1 -
No dressing and no cheese so sad I get a footlong each time with two dressings+cheese but no drink or crisps. Admittedly it's a rare thing.
There was a back lash here in the UK a little while ago due to halal meat in some take outs. We like to suck up to the soon to be masses and hate on the current masses.
Do don't have the amount of fast food places like the US does.
Halal meat is literally the exact same except they said a prayer before they killed the animal. I'm pretty sure most of the 'current masses' are okay with that because seriously, who cares about something so small? Not most people. And so few stores even are halal. None near me are.
As for foods I didn't realise were so high calorie... I'd have to say apples and bananas
of course they're still healthy but they're far more calories that I thought before I started to weigh and log them. 7 -
It wasn't rolled oats, but porridge oats, which I'm guessing are basically smushed up oats, and therefore have more surface area so you can get more of them (and more calories) in the half-cup measurement? I'm getting the calories directly from the MFP manual recipe thingy
Well, that sucks. Did you confuse the two in your serving size, or did you know you were eating two servings of oats?
Note that although a serving of steel cut oats is 1/4 and a serving of rolled oats is 1/2 cup, both weigh about 40g.0 -
My mum made homemade bannoffee pie the other day and obviously not thinking twice I ate half of it. She then proceeded to tell me that I'd just eaten my daily calorie allowance in one portion. 1900 calories in that delicious dessert!!! Still ate supper afterwards though
Easily done. I love Banoffee pie. Especially with cream or mascarpone.0 -
MarziPanda95 wrote: »
Halal meat is literally the exact same except they said a prayer before they killed the animal. I'm pretty sure most of the 'current masses' are okay with that because seriously, who cares about something so small? Not most people. And so few stores even are halal. None near me are.
As for foods I didn't realise were so high calorie... I'd have to say apples and bananas of course they're still healthy but they're far more calories that I thought before I started to weigh and log them.
Halal requires that the animal be slaughtered by slitting the jugular while the animal is still conscious. It is not the quickest and most pain free of deaths. This is why people get upset about it.
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Banana chips... one day I decided to dip banana chips in crunchy peanut butter lol. That was stupid.4
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seltzermint555 wrote: »
I've always felt like 2 of those was just too much at breakfast and one wasn't enough. Whether I was eating whatever the heck I wanted, or counting calories. It's frustrating!
Dump the eggs or half the eggs from the 2nd into the first tortilla?1 -
We went to Buffalo Wild Wings the other day. The side salad is MORE calories than a side of fries? 390 vs. 330. Now that takes a special kind of effort. I'm guessing it includes dressing in that count. Maybe even 2oz of it, which is ridiculous on a "side" sized salad.5
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HardcoreP0rk wrote: »
Highly recommend subbing baba ganoush for hummus
Be careful. Some places make their baba "Creamy" with MAYONNAISE.
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Be careful. Some places make their baba "Creamy" with MAYONNAISE.
Yeah it's what I said earlier, lol.2 -
This is an anti-disappointment, but when I forget to pack lunch I'll get a muffin at the coffee shop I go to, or if I'm feeling like a fat looser I'll get a cinnamon roll. They recently started posting their calories and their muffins (my "healthier" option) have over 700 calories! Their delicious, giant cinnamon rolls on the other hand have about 400 calories. So now I eat more cinnamon rolls27
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Be careful. Some places make their baba "Creamy" with MAYONNAISE.
Whether they use mayo or olive oil/tahini, baba ganoush is going to have more of a calorie load than you think it should either way. It's still delicious though.1 -
This is why I buy the cereal I want now and not whats labeled as 'healthy'. I compared honey nut cheerios and cookie crisp side by side and HOLLA they were almost the same, cookie crisp just had a few less vitamins and a teeny bit less fiber but those don't matter to by nutritional goals since I get enough.
COOKIE CRISP IT IS
This ^^^^
I eat Fiber One in my yogurt because it has a good calorie profile, but if I'm going to eat cereal for the sake of cereal, you bet your *kitten* that's gonna be some cocoa puffs.7 -
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UK pints are close to 150-200 I don't do 'light' beer. A 4.2% 500ml ale is 204, a 5% 568ml (pint) is 295. Doesn't stop me though
In my experience, they can, but most just don't care. I always order my veggies to be steamed with no added salt/oil/butter/seasoning and they always come out greasy and pre-seasoned. Doesn't matter where I go. I suppose that restaurant chefs just don't care.0
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