olive garden - what is good to get there?

bobbiedr
bobbiedr Posts: 260 Member
edited October 2024 in Food and Nutrition
So I'm going to Olive Garden on Friday with my coworkers for lunch.

I just looked on their website, and they don't really have a lot to order that will keep me under.

What do you get when you go there? I am going to try to limit myself to ONE breadstick. It will be hard, but I'll try...

Replies

  • chickybuns
    chickybuns Posts: 1,037 Member
    Lunch I would suggest soup, salad, and breadsticks. If you eat one breadstick, salad, and soup depending on what kind it would be around 800 calories. I get the chicken gnocchi which is 350 I think, but I bet some of the others have less.
  • loriamcq
    loriamcq Posts: 64
    Go to www.dwlz.com she has a list of all the restaurants and their Weight Watcher points, but it also gives the calories for the meals too. You can use that to plan your meal before going. I had the capilini pomodoro (sp?) last time I was there, I only ate half of it with one breadstick and salad with no cheese and we asked for the low-fat version of the dressing (which was very good) and I think my meal was somewhere around 500 calories.:drinker:
  • Ldodi41
    Ldodi41 Posts: 4
    The soups are all pretty decent calorie wise. The highest is Chicken gnocci at 250 cal, then zuppa toscana at 170 cal and minestrone at 100 cal/bowl.

    You can get low fat italian dressing, you just have to ask for it. I would get it on the side and then you can control how much you eat. that is what Weight Watchers recommends.

    def only eat 1 breadstick. :-)
  • SarahMorganP
    SarahMorganP Posts: 921 Member
    When I went there last I got the Fettucini Alfredo Dinner and ate half of it. So that was 610 calories. Plus I had one breadstick, yes it was really hard to stick to only one but I did it! So in total my meal was 760. That's a lot, but if you eat smaller calories meals the rest of the day it is doable. Probably more than you want to eat for lunch, but that's what I did. I know when I was looking I also thought about getting the Lasagna Classico, 1/2 of that would only be 425 calories. 1/2 of the Spaghetti With Meat Sauce is only 355 calories. 1/2 of the Steak Toscano is only 295 calories.

    And eating 1/2 of the meal is great because you have leftovers for either dinner that night or the next day! :)
  • bobbiedr
    bobbiedr Posts: 260 Member
    I didn't even know they had low-fat dressing!

    So if I asked for a separate bowl of salad, no dressing, low-fat on the side, would they do that, along with bringing my coworkers the usual salad?

    I was thinking about getting soup. I LOVE their chicken gnocci!

    I've seen a new chicken soup advertised, I wonder if it's good and what the nutrition is on that.

    Thanks guys! :)
  • Hayesgang
    Hayesgang Posts: 624
    Spagetti and marinara (lunch portion) and the salad, just ask the wait staff to not put the dressing on the salad and bring it on the side, if that bothers your co-workers have 2 salads brought to the table.

    If something else sounds better order that and have them bring a to-go container to the table with your meal and take 1/2 home for dinner or lunch the next day.

    Have fun!!
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
    I didn't even know they had low-fat dressing!

    So if I asked for a separate bowl of salad, no dressing, low-fat on the side, would they do that, along with bringing my coworkers the usual salad?
    They certainly should. I was super pissed to find out how bad their salad dressing was (considering the actual salad part is SO simple). I would definitely ask for the low fat, and the soup sounds like a safe bet. Ministrone is usually pretty low cal everywhere.
  • PurpleMeave
    PurpleMeave Posts: 3
    the eat this, not that book which I love because of what I do I have to eat out a lot say to go with one of these 3 choices Linguine Alla Marinara, Shrimp Primavara, or the Chicken Giardino all of them are under 700 calories with the Chicken being only 448 calories and that is with one breadstick.
  • Pollywog39
    Pollywog39 Posts: 1,730 Member
    Venetian Apricot Chicken. 400 calories
    Breadstick (just one) 150 calories
    Minestrone soup 100 calories per serving

    I ate there last month, and that's what I had.............and I didn't eat the whole entree.

    Here's there website with nutrition info:


    http://www.olivegarden.com/Menu/Nutrition/
  • hello77kitty
    hello77kitty Posts: 260 Member
    Apricot Chicken. Usually comes with asparagus I think. It is just a plain boneless skinless chicken breast, but the apricot sauce is good..
  • cmargeda
    cmargeda Posts: 1 Member
    Get the endless soup and salad. Eat as much salad as you want but go light on cheese and dressings. Have maybe half a bowl of soup or trade a bowl of soup for some protein. You can also share a lunch plate with a co-worker b/c its the portion sizes that kill. Watch that breads its yummy but high in calories.
  • Troll
    Troll Posts: 922 Member
    Your sodium will be high, regardless of what you eat :( I usually get soup and a salad (the minestrone is my fave) or i just eat an appetizer like the spinach artichoke dip or the grilled chicken flatbread. That's if i;m with my fiance. My mom and i always split an entree and still take some home :) The chicken scampi isn't too horrible if it's split
  • ladybg81
    ladybg81 Posts: 1,553 Member
    Pasta Figoli soup.

    Look online at their nutrition info. That'll tell ya
  • bobbiedr
    bobbiedr Posts: 260 Member
    See, I did look at their nutritional info, but that didn't tell me ANYTHING about low-fat dressing.

    I wouldn't have known that unless I made this post.

    Thanks guys! :)
  • ummlovelovesyou
    ummlovelovesyou Posts: 1,024 Member
    Linguine alla marinara!

    Or Fettucine w/alfredo: lunch portion.

    ^_^
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