Appalling!

I have heard Taco Bell is awful for the calories.

My big moment was actually looking at sodium in restaurant food, rather than calories. I watch it closely due to my blood pressure and it is hard for me to eat out for that reason alone. In effect, I eat out very selectively (planning what to get before I arrive at the restaurant) or I eat out as part of a day on which I'm not keeping track of everything (which are rare days).

If you think the calories are nuts -- and I disagree with the respondent who said there's very little under 1000 calories...I find a lot of options in a reasonable calorie range -- then check out sodium. Very little under 1500 mg per dish there!

I had a similar experience this week. Culver's was advertising a special....a walleye dinner. Well, as a displaced midwesterer I had to get in on that. It was delicious, and I thought I wasn't going too far off track with it. I checked the calories count when I got home...over 1800. Ouch. Not again any time soon, but it sure was tasty.

There are healthy options at every restaurant, you just got to know what to look for. I would have thought a salad would have been the best thing on the menu at any restaurant then I started doing homework. I travel a lot for work and eat dinner out most nights during the week. I have found Outback to have the best options. Not only do they have the food that is healthy but they can prepare it healthy and it still tastes good. Ask questions and tell them not to prepare with butter, I tell them slap it down on the grill with a little salt and pepper. Longhorn sucks, I asked them to prepare a steak the same way and tasted like garbage without their sauces and butter that they cook it in. Always ask for dressing on the side if ordering a salad. I always say no cheese. It can be done. Do a little homework? Most restaurants especially chains have their info on the web. Panera's website is pretty cool cause they give you the option of taking each ingredient you don't want off and it tallys the total. Their tai chopped chicken without dressing and wontons is 340 calories by adding half the dressing only makes it 370 calories, just watch the sodium at Panera.

We are all in a Health Recovery program here. Part of it is that sometimes we have a bad day even with the best of intentions. But the next morning we get up, forgive ourselves, and start right back on recovering our health.

I live in MI and our Taco Bells have the nutritional guides printed and at the counter. They also have a "lite menu" with lots of options! I usually get 1 chicken soft taco fresca style no cheese or sour cream!!! I really like it! Then I usually get just water to drink!

Have you ever been to Chipotle? You would think that a burrito there would be healthy...grilled meat, onions, green pepper, beans, rice...little sour cream and cheese....Do you know a Chipotle burrito with that stuff is a little over 1,000 calories????!!!!! I couldn't believe it when I saw it...and I LOVE the burrito. I haven't gotten one since then, but if I do end up craving it, I'll just get the bowl...no tortilla for me!!

I always eat the burrito bowls. I get vegetables, black beans, tomato salsa and medium salsa, sour cream, cheese, guac and lettuce. I also bring a rubbermaid container and pack half away before I eat anything. I can walk away from Chipotle with 2 meals at about 350 calories per meal. I usually bump it up to 400 calories because I know they put on more than the nutrition info says. I find half a bowl to be satisfying enough for me

There are healthy options at every restaurant, you just got to know what to look for. I would have thought a salad would have been the best thing on the menu at any restaurant then I started doing homework. I travel a lot for work and eat dinner out most nights during the week. I have found Outback to have the best options. Not only do they have the food that is healthy but they can prepare it healthy and it still tastes good. Ask questions and tell them not to prepare with butter, I tell them slap it down on the grill with a little salt and pepper. Longhorn sucks, I asked them to prepare a steak the same way and tasted like garbage without their sauces and butter that they cook it in. Always ask for dressing on the side if ordering a salad. I always say no cheese. It can be done. Do a little homework? Most restaurants especially chains have their info on the web. Panera's website is pretty cool cause they give you the option of taking each ingredient you don't want off and it tallys the total. Their tai chopped chicken without dressing and wontons is 340 calories by adding half the dressing only makes it 370 calories, just watch the sodium at Panera.

Good information! Thank you! btw...Congratulations! Incredible weight loss!!!

That is NUTS... who would have thought it could even be close to that!!! I have only gone out to eat once since I started really using this site correctly. I went to a restaurant that has weight watcher meals under 500 calories so I didn't have to think to hard.

I miss eating out.... and I LOVE Mexican

I was doing that at Applebees until I found out that the shrimp & veggies meal has over 3,000 mg of sodium. The chili chicken with veggies has less but I think it was still around 2,000mgs!

In NY its a state law that they have to put the calorie count on all food. I was shocked by the calorie counts in food. Very rarely is something under 1000 calories.

I cannot WAIT until this is LAW everywhere. In Colorado, only a few restaurants voluntarily do this and none of the big chains. My favorite is Mad Greens. Even though Noodles and Company does it in some of their restuarants, their food is getting to be really loaded with hidded bad health.

Any who - great post this for awareness. It's a dangerous food world out there. Any surprise America and every other industrialized country is having trouble with obesity? BTW, just did a report on this last semester, Mexico actually has a higher obesity rate than America. No surprise if they are eating burritos like that!

We are all in a Health Recovery program here. Part of it is that sometimes we have a bad day even with the best of intentions. But the next morning we get up, forgive ourselves, and start right back on recovering our health.

I live in MI and our Taco Bells have the nutritional guides printed and at the counter. They also have a "lite menu" with lots of options! I usually get 1 chicken soft taco fresca style no cheese or sour cream!!! I really like it! Then I usually get just water to drink!

I LOVE the Taco Bell 'light' Fresco crunchy beef tacos. I think they have more flavor than the reg. tacos/supreme!

I experienced this at Applebees-I got the Oriental Chicken Salad since it has a vinegrette dressing, I thought that was the healthier choice. Even with grilled chicken, it was over 1100 calories! It was a shock. Im glad to see their new under 550 menu and Longhorn also has one. It definitely helps!

I'm in Georgia. We've a restaurant called Zaxby's here. I've always loved their salads. I can't eat them anymore. 1 salad is about 2000 calories. It's like you can have that salad, but it will be all you eat that day.

I'm in Georgia. We've a restaurant called Zaxby's here. I've always loved their salads. I can't eat them anymore. 1 salad is about 2000 calories. It's like you can have that salad, but it will be all you eat that day.

ooooohhhh zaxby's.

Oh, no! I had something similar happen recently. My friend's mother brought an order of chicken home from Applebee's (she didn't know it was hot when she ordered and since she can't take any spice, she gave it to me.)
Silly me, I ate it before I looked it up online. I knew it would be a little high, but I had no idea that 8 little pieces of chicken would end up being over 1100 calories. Well, I learned my lesson. lol

Applebees has a ww menu and a <500 cal menu. I stick to those when there.

I just think it is shameful that restaurants don't try harder to make healthful meals without adding so much salt etc. If we can do it at home, we know it IS possible!! I don't eat out very often, so when the opportunity arises, I do try to look at the menus and nutritional info online ahead of time and have a game plan not only for that meal, but for the rest of the day.

On the other hand, eating out at a nice restaurant (vs fast food) is a novelty these days and therefore I often just say screw it for this meal and enjoy! Fortunately I am satisfied with less these days, so I usually stop eating before I am painfully stuffed, which used to be the norm when I ate out. It's having a couple drinkies that puts me over! :drinker: