Do calorie listings on menus change your decision? (1 Viewer)

[mr roboto]

A lot of these posts show exactly why they need to be there.  Without them it can be nearly impossible to tell high calorie from low.  Rules should also include fat, saturated fat and salt

And sugar. 

 

[The Gator]

And sugar. 

should be the first thing listed since it's worse than the rest 

 

[CurlyNight]

Nope. If I'm out for dinner I know it's not going to be like what I eat at home. Don't need a menu with calories to tell me that. Going out a couple or so times a month is a treat, which means I eat what I want.

 

[TobiasFunke]

I went to a Cheesecake Factory that has this once.  That was the last time I ever went to the Cheesecake Factory.

 

[Osaurus]

Creme Bruleed French Toast at Cheesecake Factory: 2,780 calories   

 

[Dan Lambskin]

Creme Bruleed French Toast at Cheesecake Factory: 2,780 calories   

I bet it's delicious 

 

[Osaurus]

I bet it's delicious 

I'm sure

 

[TobiasFunke]

Creme Bruleed French Toast at Cheesecake Factory: 2,780 calories   

The whole thing is amazing.  Pick an item, guess the calories.  I can almost guarantee the good folks at Cheesecake Factory have found a way to exceed your guess by 3-500 calories.

 

[sbonomo]

I went to a Cheesecake Factory that has this once.  That was the last time I ever went to the Cheesecake Factory.

Mine was hard house - shrimp enchiladas and jerk chicken breast.  Sounds healthy and I eat the entire thing -2600 calories

 

[Capella]

The percentages scare me off more.

When something has 90% of something bad for my daily allotment I'll try and see if there are better options.

Yes. The sodium prevented me from ever eating a wawas sub again. Like 125% of your daily sodium. 

 

[Da Guru]

Breakdown on one slice at Costco.  Will admit it tastes PDG though. 1540 on the sodium seems pretty high. About 75-80% of your daily intake on one slice. 2 slices and you are over the max on everything..three and start scheduling your bypass surgery.  Not picking on Costco as I am sure many are as bad or worse.

Nutrition Facts

Costco Food Court - Combo Pizza Slice (Per Pdf)

Servings: 1 slice (1/6 pizza)

Calories  680  Sodium  1,540 mg

Total Fat  32g  Potassium0 mg

Saturated 12g   Total Carbs 72 g

Polyunsaturated 3g Dietary Fiber 4g

Monounsaturated 14  Sugars8 g

Protein 36 g

Cholesterol 165 mg  

 

[mr roboto]

Breakdown on one slice at Costco.  Will admit it tastes PDG though. 1540 on the sodium seems pretty high. About 75-80% of your daily intake on one slice. 2 slices and you are over the max on everything..three and start scheduling your bypass surgery.  Not picking on Costco as I am sure many are as bad or worse.

Nutrition Facts

Costco Food Court - Combo Pizza Slice (Per Pdf)

Servings: 1 slice (1/6 pizza)

Calories  680  Sodium  1,540 mg

Total Fat  32g  Potassium0 mg

Saturated 12g   Total Carbs 72 g

Polyunsaturated 3g Dietary Fiber 4g

Monounsaturated 14  Sugars8 g

Protein 36 g

Cholesterol 165 mg  

Holy ####. 

 

[mr roboto]

Took the kids to Jamba Juice this weekend. Asked about the sugar in their workout protein smoothie. 

40+ grams in a small. That's more than a can of soda. 

 

[kface]

Took the kids to Jamba Juice this weekend. Asked about the sugar in their workout protein smoothie. 

40+ grams in a small. That's 1.5 times a soda. 

That's the thing about why this stuff should be absolutely mandatory.  It's so easy to make something sound healthier and then just dump 3 cups of sugar and salt into your 'health' shake...nobody is the wiser.  

 

[mr roboto]

That's the thing about why this stuff should be absolutely mandatory.  It's so easy to make something sound healthier and then just dump 3 cups of sugar and salt into your 'health' shake...nobody is the wiser.  

I edited my post above. It's not 1.5 times a soda. More like 1.2 times. 

And in fairness to Jamba they don't add sugar to most of their stuff. Plus you do get nutrients from the fruit and protein from the yogurt and protein powder. 

But many people think fruit smoothies and fruit drinks are super healthy. Yet when you blend up or juice fruit you can end up with a #### ton of sugar. 

 

[NutterButter]

I would certainly stay away from dessert if I knew the calorie count.   I'm usually on the fence to begin with.  Seeing a large number would seal my decision.   

 

[mr. furley]

sugar post-workout isn't bad.. and not in the "you just worked out so it's totally OK to pound sugar" way. your body needs to replenish the sugar it lost so it's not a huge deal if you're truly drinking a "post-workout health shake".

90% of people are just getting them because they taste good, and there's nothing wrong with that but condemning it for having lots of sugar isn't necessarily correct.

 

[The Gator]

I edited my post above. It's not 1.5 times a soda. More like 1.2 times. 

And in fairness to Jamba they don't add sugar to most of their stuff. Plus you do get nutrients from the fruit and protein from the yogurt and protein powder. 

But many people think fruit smoothies and fruit drinks are super healthy. Yet when you blend up or juice fruit you can end up with a #### ton of sugar. 

 

Sugar Coated, a very good documentary on Netflix, covers this. Eat your fruits, don't drink them. When you eat an orange, you eat one orange. When you drink a whole glass of orange juice, you get the sugar from 6-8 oranges. 

 

[The General]

Yes. The sodium prevented me from ever eating a wawas sub again. Like 125% of your daily sodium. 

My work has a cafeteria in it. Years ago they made them add the health info. The biscuits and gravy that all the fatties ate had something like 400% of the saturated fat for the day. All the bad stuff was well over 100%.

They changed the recipes after a year or so because they realized they were slowly poisoning everyone that ate it.

 

[mr roboto]

sugar post-workout isn't bad.. and not in the "you just worked out so it's totally OK to pound sugar" way. your body needs to replenish the sugar it lost so it's not a huge deal if you're truly drinking a "post-workout health shake".

90% of people are just getting them because they taste good, and there's nothing wrong with that but condemning it for having lots of sugar isn't necessarily correct.

I agree with your first point. But honestly maybe 3% of their customers are that sophisticated to know how much sugar they should be consuming given their activity or work out level.

 

[mr. furley]

I agree with your first point. But honestly maybe 3% of their customers are that sophisticated to know how much sugar they should be consuming given their activity or work out level.

i'd hazard a guess and say it's less than that even

i certainly don't have a clue

 

[mr roboto]

I'm actually surprised it's 2/1 yes in this poll. Usually 40-something men are fairly unlikely to worry too much about what they eat. I'm actually kinda glad. Once you learn about nutrition it's hard to go back to not caring. 

 

[AAABatteries]

i certainly don't have a clue

 

 

[shader]

I think it's great to have calories on the menu.  One of the most important things for me in my health is learning to eat sensibly.  It's tough, but it comes with learning how many calories most items of food are.

I think everyone should calorie count for 1-2 months, just to get an idea of what things are in general.  I think that's very beneficial.  

Ironically, I tend to eat out MORE when calorie counting, just because I enjoy knowing how many calories are in the food I'm eating.

When my wife makes a meal, it can be tough to figure it out.

Some things I've learned:

1. Some meals that you THINK are relatively healthy, aren't.  I love to go to Jersey Mike's and get a RB sub.  A sub seems decent, right?  Yeah well when I put mayo on it, order it mike's way, grab chips...that is close to 1400 calories.  Which if you're trying to lose weight is really bad because it's not super filling.

2. Burgers aren't bad.  For me, burgers are filling and relatively low calorie.  Today, I ate a Wendy's Double stack for lunch.  390 calories.  Is it the healthiest thing in the world?  No it's not.  But it's much healthier than what I usually get at Wendy's!  Someone in this thread said something about a Culver's burger being high calorie?  No way.  It's pretty low cal.  The great thing about eating a burger and a water is that it fills you up.  The fries are a comfort food that don't help satiate you, and just add double the calories.  Don't order them unless you have saved the calories because they are that important to you.

3. I abuse diet drinks.  Yeah, it's probably not the healthiest thing in the world.  Bottom line, if you find a low cal drink that also feels a bit like a "cheat" to you, abuse it.  When I'm feeling like I need something and I grab a diet drink, that's better than grabbing a non-diet drink.  I know that diet drinks are hated on by the internet, but the packaging doesn't lie, they are actually no calories.

4. Interval training is key.  Don't go walk for 30 minutes.  Don't go jog for 30 minutes..Do HIIT, or sprint/jog/walk in cycles.  Basically, get your heart rate up and down over and over.  I'm too lazy right now to link it, but I was reading some articles recently that showed that in the hours after you get your heart rate moving, your body burns a lot more calories while at rest than it does if you didn't do that training.  Years ago I did Body for Life and I remember Bill Philips talk about how if you burn 300 calories working out, you'll also burn another 300 later on after the workout.  While I never keep track of that 2nd 300 in my calculations, I do think that it exists.  Basically by exercising HARD for 15-30 min, you're raising your metabolism. (

5. I think it's good to avoid the thinking that certain foods are "bad for you".  I think that line of reasoning works for some health nuts, but for the majority of us, it just doesn't work.  Ice cream isn't bad for you.  Candy isn't bad for you.  Fried butter isn't bad for you.  But excessive calories are quite bad for you and all those things can get you there very easily.  Once you shed the "bad food" narrative, I think things are much easier.  It does take some work to learn calorie amounts, but once you do, you've taught yourself how to eat for life.

6. Once you learn calories, you'll be happier because you can go back to eating foods that you like.  There will be an adjustment period where you try to fit in all your faves into your calorie quota..but then once you're miserable (because all the fast carbs aren't making you full) you'll realize that you need to be smart and balanced and eat things that are more filling.  Like cheeseburgers

 

[rockaction]

Yes, I definitely pay attention and adjust accordingly. I once got really overweight and felt disgusting. I never want to go back there again.

 

[AAABatteries]

I think it's great to have calories on the menu.  One of the most important things for me in my health is learning to eat sensibly.  It's tough, but it comes with learning how many calories most items of food are.

I think everyone should calorie count for 1-2 months, just to get an idea of what things are in general.  I think that's very beneficial.  

Ironically, I tend to eat out MORE when calorie counting, just because I enjoy knowing how many calories are in the food I'm eating.

When my wife makes a meal, it can be tough to figure it out.

Some things I've learned:

1. Some meals that you THINK are relatively healthy, aren't.  I love to go to Jersey Mike's and get a RB sub.  A sub seems decent, right?  Yeah well when I put mayo on it, order it mike's way, grab chips...that is close to 1400 calories.  Which if you're trying to lose weight is really bad because it's not super filling.

2. Burgers aren't bad.  For me, burgers are filling and relatively low calorie.  Today, I ate a Wendy's Double stack for lunch.  390 calories.  Is it the healthiest thing in the world?  No it's not.  But it's much healthier than what I usually get at Wendy's!  Someone in this thread said something about a Culver's burger being high calorie?  No way.  It's pretty low cal.  The great thing about eating a burger and a water is that it fills you up.  The fries are a comfort food that don't help satiate you, and just add double the calories.  Don't order them unless you have saved the calories because they are that important to you.

3. I abuse diet drinks.  Yeah, it's probably not the healthiest thing in the world.  Bottom line, if you find a low cal drink that also feels a bit like a "cheat" to you, abuse it.  When I'm feeling like I need something and I grab a diet drink, that's better than grabbing a non-diet drink.  I know that diet drinks are hated on by the internet, but the packaging doesn't lie, they are actually no calories.

4. Interval training is key.  Don't go walk for 30 minutes.  Don't go jog for 30 minutes..Do HIIT, or sprint/jog/walk in cycles.  Basically, get your heart rate up and down over and over.  I'm too lazy right now to link it, but I was reading some articles recently that showed that in the hours after you get your heart rate moving, your body burns a lot more calories while at rest than it does if you didn't do that training.  Years ago I did Body for Life and I remember Bill Philips talk about how if you burn 300 calories working out, you'll also burn another 300 later on after the workout.  While I never keep track of that 2nd 300 in my calculations, I do think that it exists.  Basically by exercising HARD for 15-30 min, you're raising your metabolism. (

5. I think it's good to avoid the thinking that certain foods are "bad for you".  I think that line of reasoning works for some health nuts, but for the majority of us, it just doesn't work.  Ice cream isn't bad for you.  Candy isn't bad for you.  Fried butter isn't bad for you.  But excessive calories are quite bad for you and all those things can get you there very easily.  Once you shed the "bad food" narrative, I think things are much easier.  It does take some work to learn calorie amounts, but once you do, you've taught yourself how to eat for life.

6. Once you learn calories, you'll be happier because you can go back to eating foods that you like.  There will be an adjustment period where you try to fit in all your faves into your calorie quota..but then once you're miserable (because all the fast carbs aren't making you full) you'll realize that you need to be smart and balanced and eat things that are more filling.  Like cheeseburgers

No offense but there's a lot wrong in your post.  Some foods ARE bad for you.  Sugar is bad.  Diet soda is not good for you - switch to unsweetened tea if you can't do water.  Counting calories isn't as important as you make it out to be.

 

[EYLive]

Not calories, but I'm concerned about grams of fat and mg of sodium.

 

[jonessed]

Yes.  I've been pleasantly surprised at the utility. 

 

[Dan Lambskin]

How often are some of you eating out that this is a concern? For me it's probably a couple of times a month at most so I'm gonna make sure I enjoy it rather than pass up bacon and cheese

If you're eating out daily I can see it being a factor (still not for me) but if its a rare occurrence who cares if you take in an extra 1000 calories one day a month

All the yes votes probably from Mich Ultra drinkers

 

[Da Guru]

How often are some of you eating out that this is a concern? For me it's probably a couple of times a month at most so I'm gonna make sure I enjoy it rather than pass up bacon and cheese

If you're eating out daily I can see it being a factor (still not for me) but if its a rare occurrence who cares if you take in an extra 1000 calories one day a month

All the yes votes probably from Mich Ultra drinkers

Miller Lite for me, 97 Calories  Quantity over quality,

I don`t eat out much for this very reason. I worked in a nice restaurant for a year in college. "The Real Seafood"Company in Ann Arbor.  There is a reason their food tastes so much better than you make at home.  I have watched chefs put a pound of butter in a pot of rice and that is not counting the olive oil. 

When we had meetings on Sunday mornings before the restaurant opened the the chefs would make us eggs.  I watched as they made my 3 eggs over easy..they put at least 5 pats of butter in the pan first..melted and then put the eggs in and the same thing with the hash browns.  Hell yes they were better than my PAM sprayed pan eggs and about 300 more fat calories. 

 

[-OZ-]

I think it's great to have calories on the menu.  One of the most important things for me in my health is learning to eat sensibly.  It's tough, but it comes with learning how many calories most items of food are.

I think everyone should calorie count for 1-2 months, just to get an idea of what things are in general.  I think that's very beneficial.  

Ironically, I tend to eat out MORE when calorie counting, just because I enjoy knowing how many calories are in the food I'm eating.

When my wife makes a meal, it can be tough to figure it out.

Some things I've learned:

1. Some meals that you THINK are relatively healthy, aren't.  I love to go to Jersey Mike's and get a RB sub.  A sub seems decent, right?  Yeah well when I put mayo on it, order it mike's way, grab chips...that is close to 1400 calories.  Which if you're trying to lose weight is really bad because it's not super filling.

2. Burgers aren't bad.  For me, burgers are filling and relatively low calorie.  Today, I ate a Wendy's Double stack for lunch.  390 calories.  Is it the healthiest thing in the world?  No it's not.  But it's much healthier than what I usually get at Wendy's!  Someone in this thread said something about a Culver's burger being high calorie?  No way.  It's pretty low cal.  The great thing about eating a burger and a water is that it fills you up.  The fries are a comfort food that don't help satiate you, and just add double the calories.  Don't order them unless you have saved the calories because they are that important to you.

3. I abuse diet drinks.  Yeah, it's probably not the healthiest thing in the world.  Bottom line, if you find a low cal drink that also feels a bit like a "cheat" to you, abuse it.  When I'm feeling like I need something and I grab a diet drink, that's better than grabbing a non-diet drink.  I know that diet drinks are hated on by the internet, but the packaging doesn't lie, they are actually no calories.

4. Interval training is key.  Don't go walk for 30 minutes.  Don't go jog for 30 minutes..Do HIIT, or sprint/jog/walk in cycles.  Basically, get your heart rate up and down over and over.  I'm too lazy right now to link it, but I was reading some articles recently that showed that in the hours after you get your heart rate moving, your body burns a lot more calories while at rest than it does if you didn't do that training.  Years ago I did Body for Life and I remember Bill Philips talk about how if you burn 300 calories working out, you'll also burn another 300 later on after the workout.  While I never keep track of that 2nd 300 in my calculations, I do think that it exists.  Basically by exercising HARD for 15-30 min, you're raising your metabolism. (

5. I think it's good to avoid the thinking that certain foods are "bad for you".  I think that line of reasoning works for some health nuts, but for the majority of us, it just doesn't work.  Ice cream isn't bad for you.  Candy isn't bad for you.  Fried butter isn't bad for you.  But excessive calories are quite bad for you and all those things can get you there very easily.  Once you shed the "bad food" narrative, I think things are much easier.  It does take some work to learn calorie amounts, but once you do, you've taught yourself how to eat for life.

6. Once you learn calories, you'll be happier because you can go back to eating foods that you like.  There will be an adjustment period where you try to fit in all your faves into your calorie quota..but then once you're miserable (because all the fast carbs aren't making you full) you'll realize that you need to be smart and balanced and eat things that are more filling.  Like cheeseburgers

1. Real mayo is probably healthier than the bread. 

2. Bunless burgers rock.  Agreed, skip the fries. 

3. Drink some water, put a sliced lemon or lime in it.  

4. Depends on your goals but in general you're on track here - body weight exercises a few times a week will help, but walking is good for you.  Even better, go hike some hills. 

5. You're wrong here.  I won't say avoid all ___ but understand what it does.  One piece of candy is fine but know that it's not good. 

6. Agreed, it's about educated decisions. 

 

[-OZ-]

How often are some of you eating out that this is a concern? For me it's probably a couple of times a month at most so I'm gonna make sure I enjoy it rather than pass up bacon and cheese

If you're eating out daily I can see it being a factor (still not for me) but if its a rare occurrence who cares if you take in an extra 1000 calories one day a month

All the yes votes probably from Mich Ultra drinkers

Nope.  Give me a pale ale and I'll burn off the calories.

 

[-OZ-]

Miller Lite for me, 97 Calories  Quantity over quality,

I don`t eat out much for this very reason. I worked in a nice restaurant for a year in college. "The Real Seafood"Company in Ann Arbor.  There is a reason their food tastes so much better than you make at home.  I have watched chefs put a pound of butter in a pot of rice and that is not counting the olive oil. 

When we had meetings on Sunday mornings before the restaurant opened the the chefs would make us eggs.  I watched as they made my 3 eggs over easy..they put at least 5 pats of butter in the pan first..melted and then put the eggs in and the same thing with the hash browns.  Hell yes they were better than my PAM sprayed pan eggs and about 300 more fat calories. 

If that's real butter, I'm all on board.  Loved that place btw.  Actually preferred the Bombay bicycle club but it's all good. 

 

[Pipes]

For lunch you bet I look at calories as I feel gross siting at my desk after a huge lunch.

Out to dinner on a Friday or Sat night I don't pay attention.  

 

[NutterButter]

I'm actually surprised it's 2/1 yes in this poll. Usually 40-something men are fairly unlikely to worry too much about what they eat. I'm actually kinda glad. Once you learn about nutrition it's hard to go back to not caring. 

I'd actually think its around the 40's you start to care.    You're really starting to see the pounds pack on.   Maybe you've been given a few warning shots from your doc especially if you have some bad family medical history.   Now comes the hard part of converting caring into doing.  

 

[VA703]

if Homer dont care;i dont care

 

[Da Guru]

There is this little chicken carry out place by my house that has great chicken.  Even though the chicken is fried is looks lightly breaded and not greasy.   So when I am in the mood I go there and get the snack.  Two strips of chicken breast and a small cole slaw thinking it is OK. No fries or mashed.

Went in there last night and looked up and they have put the calories on the wall next to all the menu options.  Now what I get it a small order.   Most people get the 3-4 piece with slaw, fries or mashed and slaw. 

My little snack that I order was like 1300 calories and loaded with fat!!  I looked at it turned around and walked out. I will never get it again.

The 3-4 piece dinners were over 2000 calories.  It disgusted me.

 

[mr. furley]

There is this little chicken carry out place by my house that has great chicken.  Even though the chicken is fried is looks lightly breaded and not greasy.   So when I am in the mood I go there and get the snack.  Two strips of chicken breast and a small cole slaw thinking it is OK. No fries or mashed.

Went in there last night and looked up and they have put the calories on the wall next to all the menu options.  Now what I get it a small order.   Most people get the 3-4 piece with slaw, fries or mashed and slaw. 

My little snack that I order was like 1300 calories and loaded with fat!!  I looked at it turned around and walked out. I will never get it again.

The 3-4 piece dinners were over 2000 calories.  It disgusted me.

we went out for breakfast after a run on saturday morning. place we don't go.. ever.

all the breakfast options (save 2 or 3) started around the 1500 calorie mark. that was just the base models. add jelly or butter, add calories. put syrup on those pancakes, add calories.

wound up getting a spinach, mushroom & sun dried tomato omelette. realized that i like spinach, mushroom and sun dried tomato omelettes. and at about 500 calories for the meal i didn't feel like a giant piece of #### for negating my morning run in one fell swoop.

 

[Cowboysfan8]

There is this little chicken carry out place by my house that has great chicken.  Even though the chicken is fried is looks lightly breaded and not greasy.   So when I am in the mood I go there and get the snack.  Two strips of chicken breast and a small cole slaw thinking it is OK. No fries or mashed.

Went in there last night and looked up and they have put the calories on the wall next to all the menu options.  Now what I get it a small order.   Most people get the 3-4 piece with slaw, fries or mashed and slaw. 

My little snack that I order was like 1300 calories and loaded with fat!!  I looked at it turned around and walked out. I will never get it again.

The 3-4 piece dinners were over 2000 calories.  It disgusted me.

Everything in moderation

 

[otb_lifer]

we went out for breakfast after a run on saturday morning. place we don't go.. ever.

all the breakfast options (save 2 or 3) started around the 1500 calorie mark. that was just the base models. add jelly or butter, add calories. put syrup on those pancakes, add calories.

wound up getting a spinach, mushroom & sun dried tomato omelette. realized that i like spinach, mushroom and sun dried tomato omelettes. and at about 500 calories for the meal i didn't feel like a giant piece of #### for negating my morning run in one fell swoop.

the wussification of the Heartland continues  :(

 

[mr. furley]

the wussification of the Heartland continues  :(

no worries, i absolutely destroyed a double cheeseburger with bacon later that night

eta: + cheese curds

 

[otb_lifer]

no worries, i absolutely destroyed a double cheeseburger with bacon later that night

way to blow all that hard work, ya fat bast 

ETA - dropped a "like" on your previous post for the inclusion of Cheezy Curds 

 

[Nugget]

we went out for breakfast after a run on saturday morning. place we don't go.. ever.

all the breakfast options (save 2 or 3) started around the 1500 calorie mark. that was just the base models. add jelly or butter, add calories. put syrup on those pancakes, add calories.

wound up getting a spinach, mushroom & sun dried tomato omelette. realized that i like spinach, mushroom and sun dried tomato omelettes. and at about 500 calories for the meal i didn't feel like a giant piece of #### for negating my morning run in one fell swoop.

Just run further.