For those of you that are not familiar with the amount of calorie/fat percentage you need in a day, heres some basic info:
-Since I am physically active (gym 4-5 days a week plus dancing), I need approx. 1800 calories a day and I should not exceed about 39 fat grams to maintain my weight. If I eat more than that, I will gain weight. If you are taller or male that number may be more, and if you are not as active and my size, it may be less. Go here to find yours if you want to know!
So anyways, using 1800 cals. and 39 fat grams as a benchmark, take note of how many calories and fat grams are in the following menu items at restaurants. Some of these may even surprise and/or scare you. It sure scared me!
Chilis
- Smokehouse Bacon Triple Cheese Big Mouth Burger: 1750 calories, 123 fat grams.
- Big Mouth Bites: 1580 calories, 97 gat grams.
- Fire Grilled Bacon Chicken Ranch Quesadilla: 1750 calories, 122 fat grams
- Grilled Shrimp Alfredo: 1320 calories, 76 fat grams
- (Remember as you see these figures- this is for ONE MEAL. I typically try to keep my meals under 400 calories!)
- Chicken Crispers: (Get ready. I know this is a popular menu choice but...) 1780 calories, 123 fat grams (All the sauced-up chicken crispers are even MORE in calories.)
- Chicken Club Tacos: 1500 calories, 45 fat grams
- HALF order Texas Cheese Fries with Jalapeno Ranch: 1400 calries, 111 fat grams
- Onion String and Crispy Jalapeno Stack w/Jalapeno Ranch: 2130 calories, 213 fat grams
- Quesedilla Explosion Salad: 1270 calories, 76 fat grams.
- Southwestern Cobb Salad: 1080 calories, 71 fat grams.
- Pretty much every single soup is under 600 calories. And only a few are over 400. If you get a cup size, that cuts it in half. A bowl of Chicken noodle soup is only 120 calories, and the Southwestern vegetable is only 210.
- An entire basket of chips and salsa is only 470 calories, so split that up with others at your table and you're splitting the calories as well! A much better appetizer choice, and couple that with a soup and I guarantee you will get full at a fraction of the calories of some of the other meals!
- Obviously, anything off the Guiltless grill menu option is a great choice here. The Grilled Cedar Plank Tilapia is only 200 calories and 4 grams of fat, and the Carne Asada steak is 370 calories with 10 grams of fat.
Panera
Ahh...breadland. I love Panera so much but I was wondering- how many calories are exactly in my breadfeast that I used to eat? Here are some of the worst menu items at Panera.
- Full Chicken Bacon Dijon on Country Bread: 940 calories, 46 fat grams
- Full Chipotle Chicken on Artisan French: 1070 calories, 55 fat grams
- Full Sierra Turkey Sandwich: 970 calories, 54 fat grams
- Full Tomato/Mozzarella Salad: 980 calories, 47 fat grams
- Packet of Greek Dressing: 220 calories, 24 fat grams ( Just add that onto a salad! Eek!)
- Sourdough Soup Bowl filled with Baked Potato Soup: approx. 1000 calories, 24 fat grams
- Cinnamon Roll: 620 calories, 24 fat grams
- You Pick two- Half Italian Combo sandwich, Half Greek Salad with French Baguette: 1000 calories, 55 fat grams
Eek. So you thought Panera was super healthy. Well, it CAN be healthy. But you have to avoid things like bacon, creamy sauces, and an overabundance of bread. (A sandwich, soup in bread bowl, and baguette is a recipe for caloric overload!)
Some better choices:
- Full Bowl Garden Vegetable Soup: 120 calories, 1 fat gram (It's really yummy!)
- Full Bowl Chicken Noodle Soup: 160 calories, 3 fat grams
- Full Bowl Broccoli Cheddar Soup: 290 calories, 16 fat grams
- Half Strawberry Poppyseed Salad: 80 calories (140 with chicken), 3 fat grams
- Half Mediterranean Veggie on Tomato Basil: 310 calories, 7 fat grams
- Half Asiago Roast Beef sandwich: 360 calories, 16 fat grams
- Any half portions of the salads are pretty much under 300 calories.
- Whole grain baguette: 140 calories, 1 fat gram
- An apple: 50 calories
- Grande Frozen Lemonade: 90 calories (YUM!)
So, you could get a half sandwich and a FULL bowl of soup for under 600 calories as opposed to some of the other menu items if you get the right thing! Also, you can look up this nutrition information yourself here.
I could go on and on but I think you get the idea.
I know many of you may be wondering... Janine... why are you spending so much time doing this? Well, its mainly for my own purposes, haha, and I think that most people don't realize how many calories they are taking in, and people wonder why they gain weight. The food industry is not nice. You kind of have to fend for yourself. The best way to fight back is to be informed and do your research. You can find nutritional information for any restaurant online! Just google it, it's there. (personally, I think they should print the cals/fat grams on each menu. It may force them to find different ways of cooking so as not to overload your poor body with fat!) These excess amounts of calories and fats are what also cause diseases like high blood pressure, cardiovasculatory disease, and numerous other diseases that can be easily reversed by switching your eating habits.
I urge you to look up your favorite restaurant menu items and see how many calories/fat grams it has. You'll be surprised, and it's really eye-opening to see all the menu items of a restaurants' nutrition facts.
Now every once in a while, it's totally not a big deal to splurge- but its good to know exactly how much you are splurging if you decide to do it, so that you can downsize your other meals, or work out extra hard the next day, or what have you. It's when you get in this cycle of "Oh well, I don't care" that you start gaining weight and start feeling sluggish and crappy again. Trust me, I know. Again, it's all about being INFORMED. Don't believe what everyone tells you, and just because something seems healthy, for example a salad, doesn't mean that it IS. Do the research for yourself and your well-being, and your body will love you!
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