Calories in Chinese Take Out

Sheks41191
Sheks41191 Posts: 90 Member
edited November 2024 in Food and Nutrition
Hi all,

My local Chinese takeout has this sesame chicken with fried rice that I love - the problem here is that I have no way of knowing what the calorie content is?

Any ideas?

I have been avoiding it because I'm not sure how to track it but have a birthday there and it's my go-to meal?

Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    find something similar in the data base...all you can do is give it your best estimate.
  • Marilyn0924
    Marilyn0924 Posts: 797 Member
    Generally takeouts don't worry about being health conscious. I'd estimate a small order around the 800 - 1000 calorie mark.
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
    Enjoy your birthday meal. Log something close from the database.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Look up a chain restaurant.....like Panda Express, use an estimate from there.
  • PikaJoyJoy
    PikaJoyJoy Posts: 280 Member
    Unless the restaurant provides a calorie guideline for their foods, the only thing to do is find an entry that may be similar. And for Chinese restaurants there are tons.

    If it isn't something you are doing every day - then don't overthink it. Just find a similar entry and do your best to budget your calories for that night.

    And if you do go over, just know it's not the end of your hard work. It's just one day out of many and the day after your birthday just get back at staying within your calorie goals.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    Agreed with the recommendation to look for a generic entry and estimate as best you can. I would also agree that most take-out meals range in the 800-1000+ calorie range for one serving.
  • allaboutthecake
    allaboutthecake Posts: 1,535 Member
    When I'm in doubt, I like to use Livestrong.com or USDA.com for their input. Just keep in mind there is a TON of sodium in your dish you are requesting in your post.
  • joelchmielak1
    joelchmielak1 Posts: 48 Member
    If it’s a cheat meal log something close and don’t worry about it. As a normal rule of thumb for myself if I can’t log it I shouldn’t eat it.
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,383 Member
    edited January 2018
    Well, if you're getting take out, presumably you're eating it at home right?

    You should be able to decently guess at the calories by weighing out each item on your plate and comparing it to a chain restaurant portion.

    Ex...

    Put plate on your scale, tare to zero.
    Add your portion of sesame chicken to the plate, record gram/oz weight. Tare to zero.
    Add your portion of fried rice to the place, record gram/oz weight.

    Then go online and find a chain restaurant that provides nutritional info in grams/oz.

    For example, if you go to the Panda Express website, they show nutritional info like this: https://www.pandaexpress.com/menu/sides/fried-rice

    It tells me that a 9.3oz portion of their fried rice is 520 calories.

    Let's say that on your plate, you have 8oz of fried rice. 520 (calories) divided by 9.3 (oz) equals 56 calories per ounce. 56 (calories) multiplied by 8 (oz) equals 448.

    So you can estimate your portion of fried rice is 448 calories.

    It might sound kind of confusing, but if you want to be as accurate as possible, that's the approach I'd take.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories