Im confused... Im about to go to olive garden... can I not get whole wheat pasta and measure it and count it as all my starches for the day? Everyone is acting like I cannot eat pasta WHATSOEVER!

i always get the mixed grill now that i am watching what I eat (a little)
it has chicken and steak with veggies and some awesome potatoes

the first problem with olive garden is the wine
then the oily rolls
then the oily salad
then the calorie laden alfraedo sauce
then the serings

they probably serve you 5 servings of pasta in one dish. They do not publish their calorie counts that i know of, and that is always a red flag for me.

Having said that, ANYTHING can be eaten in moderation and I am sure you can squeeze in a good meal here and there (this is from me, I am loosing 2 lbs a month), you would have to ask someone loosing 10 lbs a month, I bet you they are not going to olive garden.

yeah...no, personally I would not eat ALL your starches in one sitting...thats only going to lead to cravings...and a thirst for more, never mind a stretched stomach no??? I think...if your going to eat there, order a sald and if your going to order pasta, order half a full meal, and only eat half...bcs we all know the serving sizes are huge....plus Id stay away from the creamy sauces...stick with marinara and ofcourse whole wheat pasta... good luck!

ok so Olive Garden is definitely not the healthiest place to eat...(i work there)

but we do have some pretty healthy dishes that are on our Garden Fare menu

the Venetian Apricot Chicken (two chicken breasts (dinner) or one chicken breast (lunch) grilled served with an apricot glaze sauce and a side of steamed asparagus, roma tomatoes, and broccoli)

capillini pomadoro (angel hair pasta (you can sub whole wheat linguine) with a bruchetta sauce (diced tomatoes, onions, basil) tossed with olive oil)

herb grilled salmon (salmon grilled served with same veggies as the venetian apricot chicken)


stay away from the alfredo tho!!! lunch portion of fettucine alfredo is equivalent to eating 30 pieces of bacon!!!

you can also ask to get the bread sticks plain...(no garlic salt, no butter) because one reg breadstick with that crap on it is 400 calories...

and ask for our low-fat Italian dressing...or the minestrone soup is a low fat alternative (white wine tomato broth with green, white, red beans, carrots, celery, onions, zuchinni)..

and for dessert the lemon cream cake is a healthier choice as well as the no sugar added torta di chocolate

hope that helps

So I went to Olive Garden. I had wheat pasta with marinara and grilled chicken. I only ate about a cup, maybe a little less, of the pasta. And no breadsticks! only salad!

LoveXhateXregret,

thanks so much. Olive Garden is my favorite place to eat. When we go on vacation we always eat there. Now I can make healthy choices there.
Thanks again.

Congrats on a good OP Dinner

loveXhateXregret,
They have the best cappuccino's, do they make them with whole milk?