Hi this is a good idea!

I went to frankie and bennys today and they now have a low calorie menu and it actually has the calorie content on that part of the menu I didn't eat there but the choice looked good!

Some stuff at cafe rouge- all under 600 cals on a special bit of the menu- is delish

Yo Sushi every time!! They've got the nutritional info on both their website and on their menus in the restaurant :bigsmile: Speaking of which...I've not been for a while..hmmmm I'll be remedying that this week at some point :bigsmile:

Chiquitos now does a range of low calorie options. I had a burrito with green rice and I think it came in under 600 although I can't remember. For pub food, Fayre and Square pubs have an under 600 cal menu.

A Wagamamas has just opened in Edinburgh (can't believe we didn't have one until now) Anyway I've got lunch there soon.
Any low cal recommendations ?

A Wagamamas has just opened in Edinburgh (can't believe we didn't have one until now) Anyway I've got lunch there soon.
Any low cal recommendations ?

Yes but unfortunatley cant remember the name of the dish! Its a rice based dice though, plenty of veg and can have chicken and prwans in it or the vegetarian version!
Will ask my dad- its his fave, and its under 500 cals!

The lasagne at Wetherspoons is pretty good for 600 cals

Wetherspoons do quite a few decent, relatively low calorie dishes. On their website you can select a calorie limit and any other dietary requirements and they'll give you a custom menu of things suitable: http://www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk/home/food/dietary-requirements

I love wagamamas I always get the yaki soba which is about 500 cals and a huge portion!

I love yaki soba too!! It doesn't really agree with my tummy but I still get it anyway haha it's so delicious

I love Chinese food but it is hideously calorific. I found great alternative in Korean food. It is basically dry bbq with vinegar dressings rather than MSG syrups and lots of fresh veg. You can get the sweet/sour fix with half calories. Anyone in London I recommend Nara in Soho.

Greek food good too if you order right, agree with Pizza Express comment, they are best for low cals. I buy their pizzas at waitrose and have with rocket salad from time to time as under 500 too.

I went to a Harvester for in-law birthday meal and it was DISGUSTING how many cals were in those meals. Avoid!

Just a thought on low cal eating out...a couple of months ago the government came up with an intiative with several eateries to put calorie infomation on the menus. What do you think of this being made compulsary across all eateries in the uk?

I think it's a very good idea :bigsmile: but then i'm interested in knowing the nutritional info. How likely it is to happen is another matter.

Pizza Hut do a low cal range of pizzas called Pizzetta... only in the restaurants though...

Shrimply Delicious = 470 cals
Chicken Delight = 460 cals
Virtuous Veg = 440 cals

Thin crust (which I love...!) & heavenly

The lasagne at Wetherspoons is pretty good for 600 cals

Wetherspoons do quite a few decent, relatively low calorie dishes. On their website you can select a calorie limit and any other dietary requirements and they'll give you a custom menu of things suitable: http://www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk/home/food/dietary-requirements

I love their Superfood Salad, but it's too light for my maintenance calories, especially as I prefer no dressing, so I actually had the low calorie noodles as well once.:laugh:

I agree about the Cafe Rouge low calorie being good too, but I don't really like the 'under 600' malarkey now that I'm trying to maintain. I noticed that Prezzo has gotten round to putting actual figures on its menu and a full PDF online... At last!

Just a thought on low cal eating out...a couple of months ago the government came up with an intiative with several eateries to put calorie infomation on the menus. What do you think of this being made compulsary across all eateries in the uk?

I am actually (surprisingly) against it. As much as I eat out far too often than would be good for me, I really think the better approach is to encourage eating out as an 'every now and then' thing rather than a regular occurrance. In which case, it wouldn't really have a big impact on your health. I can't help but think that the kind of averages they would have to use aren't particularly reliable so I don't think it would necessarily lead to more accurate tracking either (although perhaps would make you feel better about your tracking!).

I believe in consumer choice. At present your choice is often diet/non-diet, which perpetuates the myth that you have to eat 'special' foods to lose weight. Even if you're not dieting, knowing that one meal can add up to your whole DAY'S calories, or even more, might help consumers make the kind of decisions which would lead to restaurants providing healthier choices.

Cosmetics are no longer tested on animals, not solely due to campaigning, but because consumers will put their money where their mouth is once properly informed.

On one hand I kind of agree. The main problem I have with it though is accuracy. If you are making pasta for example in a restaurant - how accurate do you think you are going to get your calorie estimation? If you had 1 extra tablespoon of cream in the serve that ended up on your plate it would be an extra 100 calories - and I'm only talking a tablespoon! What if they give you an extra half serve than the serve the calories were based on? This might not make too much of a difference for say a ready meal that provides 300 kcal but it will make a huge difference to a meal that provides 1000 kcal! I do think it provides choice, but misguided choice. Ie it implies that you know what you are getting when really you have a vague idea at best. I hate the idea of somebody thinking 'well, it says 600 cals and the meals I make at home are 600 cals too so it doesn't matter if I eat out every night!'

Oh, I also wanted to add a note about the mess this creates in smaller restaurants and poor messages. For example, somewhere like Wagamama might be monitored (not strictly but still, monitored) as to the claims it is making but smaller places will not be. As a student I remember seeing a jar of macadamia cookies in a pub marked 'fat free' and considering asking them how on earth they managed to extract the fat from the macadamias

Just a thought on low cal eating out...a couple of months ago the government came up with an intiative with several eateries to put calorie infomation on the menus. What do you think of this being made compulsary across all eateries in the uk?

I am actually (surprisingly) against it. As much as I eat out far too often than would be good for me, I really think the better approach is to encourage eating out as an 'every now and then' thing rather than a regular occurrance. In which case, it wouldn't really have a big impact on your health. I can't help but think that the kind of averages they would have to use aren't particularly reliable so I don't think it would necessarily lead to more accurate tracking either (although perhaps would make you feel better about your tracking!).

I believe in consumer choice. At present your choice is often diet/non-diet, which perpetuates the myth that you have to eat 'special' foods to lose weight. Even if you're not dieting, knowing that one meal can add up to your whole DAY'S calories, or even more, might help consumers make the kind of decisions which would lead to restaurants providing healthier choices.

Cosmetics are no longer tested on animals, not solely due to campaigning, but because consumers will put their money where their mouth is once properly informed.

On one hand I kind of agree. The main problem I have with it though is accuracy. If you are making pasta for example in a restaurant - how accurate do you think you are going to get your calorie estimation? If you had 1 extra tablespoon of cream in the serve that ended up on your plate it would be an extra 100 calories - and I'm only talking a tablespoon! What if they give you an extra half serve than the serve the calories were based on? This might not make too much of a difference for say a ready meal that provides 300 kcal but it will make a huge difference to a meal that provides 1000 kcal! I do think it provides choice, but misguided choice. Ie it implies that you know what you are getting when really you have a vague idea at best. I hate the idea of somebody thinking 'well, it says 600 cals and the meals I make at home are 600 cals too so it doesn't matter if I eat out every night!'

Oh, I also wanted to add a note about the mess this creates in smaller restaurants and poor messages. For example, somewhere like Wagamama might be monitored (not strictly but still, monitored) as to the claims it is making but smaller places will not be. As a student I remember seeing a jar of macadamia cookies in a pub marked 'fat free' and considering asking them how on earth they managed to extract the fat from the macadamias

Massive chains are not about to give you an extra spoonful of cream because it would eat into their profit margin. Many chains are just opening packets and tipping them onto your plate as it is. I suspect that is why wetherspoons can be so thorough in their listing.

Research consistently shows that people underestimate the calories in what they eat, so there is likely to be a margin of error at home too; for example, if you weigh a slice of bread it seldom adds up to the calories on the front of the packet. The vast majority of people are not keeping to a 1200 calorie diet but are aware of the recommended 2000 or whatever calories. Therefore, someone who noticed that a starter, main and dessert added up to over 2000 might start to think twice about their choices, perhaps by sharing dessert. A lot of people eat as ridiculously as they do in restaurants because they see it as the norm and expected of them. Adding a little consciousness to the process, however inaccurate, would, IMHO, be a huge step forward.

Massive chains are not about to give you an extra spoonful of cream because it would eat into their profit margin. Many chains are just opening packets and tipping them onto your plate as it is. I suspect that is why wetherspoons can be so thorough in their listing.

I would love to agree with this but as I said, I eat out a lot. Including at Wetherspoons. I often get the same thing and the servings can be very different on different days. I also don't think knowing the calories always makes people think twice. In some cases I think it makes them more likely to have it. I don't know how many people I have heard tell me 'but crisps are only 100 calories and so is a banana so I know which one I'm having'.

A banana typically has more calories than that, so the crisps may be a better option if they are only aiming to eat fewer calories. I want the freedom to make that kind of choice myself. If half a normal pizza has the same calories as a dull low cal option, I'll take the pizza I fancy and share it with my son.

I wouldn't argue that showing the calories would improve people's nutrition, but it might just improve their portion control, which I believe would be a step in the right direction.

I have not found any difference from week to week at Wetherspoon's (my son's favourite place because he likes the smoothie in the kids' meal) but that may just be the choices I make. In fact, I believe it was there that I complained once and was told it all came out of bags so they had no choice. Their online calorie counts change rather often too, so I think they often change portion sizes, so that may be why.

Maybe we just need to agree to disagree on this one! :flowerforyou::laugh: