Chinese Food

seanorawe
seanorawe Posts: 137 Member
edited December 18 in Health and Weight Loss
We are having friends over at the weekend and we are having some chinese food. I like hot food, curry etc. Is there anything someone can reccomend that wont hit the calories too hard? I dont really want to have a cheat day per se.
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Replies

  • MammaSki2Boys
    MammaSki2Boys Posts: 38
    you can always order chicken with broccoli and have them add hot sauce/ chilli peppers when they cook it.
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
    Hot and sour soup is pretty low cal.
  • 81Katz
    81Katz Posts: 7,074 Member
    OMG the salt in that food is going to be very high. Maybe make your own at home? Rice, veggies, chicken? This way you know what goes into it. Just a suggestion.

    I haven't been to a Chinese (food) buffet since last fall. I felt so heavy and bloated in my stomach for days afterward even though all I ate was rice, broccoli and green beans. Ok, I did have 1 spring roll. Everything was very salty, and I didn't even eat a lot of it at all.
  • bizco
    bizco Posts: 1,949 Member
    Meat (nothing fried or breaded) and vegetable dishes. No rice, noodles, egg rolls or anything else that is fried.
  • ZugTheMegasaurus
    ZugTheMegasaurus Posts: 801 Member
    A lot of Chinese restaurants have a healthier section on their menu (generally still full of sodium but they don't fry everything) which often includes stuff that's really spicy to replace the flavor that's coming from fats and oils in the regular dishes. If you haven't picked a place yet, take a look at a few menus to find one that offers that kind of selection (I think it's pretty common).
  • seanorawe
    seanorawe Posts: 137 Member
    Meat (nothing fried or breaded) and vegetable dishes. No rice, noodles, egg rolls or anything else that is fried.

    Is boiled rice bad?
  • dolldreams
    dolldreams Posts: 245 Member
    Don't eat the whole thing of rice. They give way too much rice with the meals normally. Measure it out and only eat that much.
  • roachhaley
    roachhaley Posts: 978 Member
    Meat (nothing fried or breaded) and vegetable dishes. No rice, noodles, egg rolls or anything else that is fried.

    Is boiled rice bad?

    Rice isn't bad but it will hit you in calories unless you have a relatively small portion of it. Around 200 calories a cup I think?
  • SBerrio
    SBerrio Posts: 37 Member
    At home we order Chinese probably once a week on the days that mommy is too tired to cook. We get the steamed chicken and mixed vegetables. (sauce on side...if any) and steamed vegetable dumplings. So yummy, filling, and low in calories. No RICE. Even the plain white one.
  • CristlNothem
    CristlNothem Posts: 54 Member
    kung pao chicken is pretty low in calories. That is what i get when i go to panda express. i also now buy the sauce and make it at home and have it with brown rice. I would also suggest broccoli and beef. definitely stay away from the fried foods...even though they are so yummy
  • cbenzerga
    cbenzerga Posts: 65 Member
    We ate at a Thai restuarant a couple nights ago. I had this salad with NY strip in it, and it was SPICY...oh so good, I don't know exactly how many calories it had, but there's no way it had a lot because the dressing was just this watery spicy stuff and fresh greens with the steak, if they have something like this on the menu and you like spicy..go for this option or a shrimp salad option (what the hubby had)
  • nakabi
    nakabi Posts: 589 Member
    see if the restaurant has a Mongolian bar (where they cook your food to order.) that way you can control what you put on it and pile on the veggies!
  • seanorawe
    seanorawe Posts: 137 Member
    Meat (nothing fried or breaded) and vegetable dishes. No rice, noodles, egg rolls or anything else that is fried.

    Is boiled rice bad?

    Rice isn't bad but it will hit you in calories unless you have a relatively small portion of it. Around 200 calories a cup I think?

    Thats not too bad, Ill be doing a 20 mile Cycle that morning and ill be burning 1500 calories.
  • ls_66
    ls_66 Posts: 395 Member
    I usually get steamed tofu with veggies and a nice little ramekin with their red pepper/garlic sauce... close to siracha, if you want rice ask for brown rice...
  • Asil76
    Asil76 Posts: 477 Member
    I am going to a Chinese buffet tonight for dinner and I stay away from anything breaded or fried and all sauces...I load up on steamed veggies, meat & fish but I do have some of the chinese noodles not much but just enough (love 'em) and I don't deprive myself.
  • janet0513
    janet0513 Posts: 564 Member
    These are not spicy but you can ask for them to make it hot:

    Shrimp chow mein,Chicken with broccoli and chop suey, Steamed spring rolls, Teriyaki chicken skewer
    Dishes made with steamed or boiled chicken or shrimp, teamed vegetables, and bok choy.


    Curries are yummy but some of them can be pretty fattening depnding how they make it.
  • jdhosier
    jdhosier Posts: 315 Member
    Kung Pao Chicken, shrimp or pork is AWESOME! Spicy and reasonably low in calories. I like steamed rice rather than fried rice. Stay away from the Crab Rangoon (love it) and the egg rolls.
  • creativefrugalmom
    creativefrugalmom Posts: 267 Member
    Broccoli Beef, Broccoli Chicken, Pepper Steak aren't too bad. I stay away from the rice, or just have about 1/2 cup. .
  • Zalovar
    Zalovar Posts: 92 Member
    My wife and I have Chinese from time to time but the key is more about limiting your portions and staying away from fried/breaded stuff and the rice/noodles, etc. I will usually get a pint of either chicken and broccoli or garlic chicken (with vegetables) as well as a pint of egg drop soup (no crunchies). Also, we don't eat the rice that comes with the dishes. It ends up being about a 600-calorie meal roughly but compared to how we used to eat, that's not bad especially if you get a good workout in. Also, as some people have mentioned, it s full of salt so drink plenty of water before, during and after...it usually takes me several days of lots of water and excercise to remove all of that excess salt out of my system. Also, eat the soup first, it helps fill you up!
  • lifes_revenge
    lifes_revenge Posts: 49 Member
    Ok so I am actually assistand manager to a chinese restaurant/takeaway so ya know I kinda know what REALLY goes on in the kitchen and well.....basically your screwed!!

    Yes, have a couple of spoons of boiled rice maybe a splash of hot and sour soup but generally it is ALL ram packed with oil, sodium, msg and sugar. Sorry if I've put a dampener on things but you'd be better off buying from a supermarket and making your own at least that way you can assess the damage you are doing to your diet directly.
  • jendavis19
    jendavis19 Posts: 7 Member
    If they have Spring Rolls or Chicken Lettuce Wraps, I usually go for that...... Lower Calorie, and still filling. And drinks lots of water!! :drinker:
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    I eat Chinese food once a week usually. I get a shrimp broccoli dish with white rice, not fried rice. I only eat about 1/3rd of the rice that comes with it. This dish comes cooked in a sauce. The next day I usually have a 4-5 pound increase from the sodium but the following day it drops back off. I have had it from other restaurants where it is steamed, not cooked in a sauce.
  • seanorawe
    seanorawe Posts: 137 Member
    Ok so I am actually assistand manager to a chinese restaurant/takeaway so ya know I kinda know what REALLY goes on in the kitchen and well.....basically your screwed!!

    Yes, have a couple of spoons of boiled rice maybe a splash of hot and sour soup but generally it is ALL ram packed with oil, sodium, msg and sugar. Sorry if I've put a dampener on things but you'd be better off buying from a supermarket and making your own at least that way you can assess the damage you are doing to your diet directly.

    Eeek

    I think im gonna have the kung pao chicken or shrimp with steamed vegetables and take the calorie hit. I will get a good workout that morning in. Thanks for the heads up
  • sammi402
    sammi402 Posts: 232 Member
    LOL. When we eat chineese @ my house I can be absolutely certain I'm going over my calories for the day. I don't consider it cheating, it's just life and I enjoy every single bite. :drinker: I know it's gonna happen and I try to prepare by getting in some extra exercise and drinking more water the few days after to get rid of all that sodium. I'm not trading in my mongolian beef and veggie lo mein for steamed anything, that takes all the fun out of it.

    17134251.png
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  • sammi402
    sammi402 Posts: 232 Member
    Meat (nothing fried or breaded) and vegetable dishes. No rice, noodles, egg rolls or anything else that is fried.

    Is boiled rice bad?

    they use white rice so it's not "bad" but it's not really offering anything other than filling you up.

    17134251.png
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  • seanorawe
    seanorawe Posts: 137 Member
    I take it sodium is a big killer?
  • sammi402
    sammi402 Posts: 232 Member
    I take it sodium is a big killer?

    makes you retain water really bad. also not really good for your BP
  • seanorawe
    seanorawe Posts: 137 Member
    I take it sodium is a big killer?

    makes you retain water really bad. also not really good for your BP

    Cheers :happy:
  • microburst20
    microburst20 Posts: 130
    I eat a small(measured) portions of things I realy want. I then fill the rest of the plate with vegetables and eat the vegetables first. Once I have eaten the veggies and am not so hungry I can leisurely enjoy the higher fat items, one slow bite at a time. If I have eaten so many calories that I dont have many left I will eat homemade veg soup for other meals. Fills you up but low cal. If I have a high calorie day for some reason and dont meet my goals I just think to my self, I just didnt lose today but I can again tommorow.
  • focus4fitness
    focus4fitness Posts: 551 Member
    We are having friends over at the weekend and we are having some chinese food. I like hot food, curry etc. Is there anything someone can reccomend that wont hit the calories too hard? I dont really want to have a cheat day per se.
    PF changs has good info on their site.
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