[texasmedic09]

I have a question about steak.... I know steak and red meats are kinda high calorie and mind you I don't eat them often, but went out the other night with some friends and had one, but for instance an 8oz steak (from TGI Fridays) has 700 calories in it and 42g of protien in it according to their nutrition information. My question is are these ''bad'' calories? and does the fact that it's so high in protien help any? I kept under my 1500 calorie limit for the day but I know the type of calories still play a big part in weight loss

[FreeSpirit]

There are 4 calories in 1 gram of protein. That means that in your steak 168 calories came from protein. So, 532 calories came from fat/ carbs (mostly fat). I would not consider those healthy calories.

[runningfromfat]

You have to consider the way they prepared that steak too (I'm assuming with a lot of salt/butter/oil). Steak in and of itself is NOT bad. I actually eat a lot of red meat because it makes me feel fuller than chicken/fish. However, I try to prepare with lots of seasonings (depends what I'm making but normally black pepper and garlic is always included) and throw in tons of veggies too (steak fajitas are a favorite of mine because it's easy to do that with them).

[cortandcooper]

Definitely an overly fatty cut of steak or it's cooked in a lot of additional fat. To compare it to a similar restaurant, the Asiago Peppercorn steak meal at Applebees is 390 calories, and that includes a 7 oz steak, cheese, potatoes, and vegetables. The meal is listed as having 44 g of protein.

[mamamorgan]

I definitely don't think red meats are terrible. I usually eat red meats once of twice a week but the calories vary on whether it is a lean cut of meat versus a fatty piece. Such as a NY Strip vs a ribeye (which is marbled with fat). Also the way it is prepared will added calories. When I cook steaks at home, we use a cast iron pan (or the grill), and I season my cast iron pan with coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil. I also use fresh garlic, pepper, and a little bit of sea salt. I went to outback last night and have their teriyaki fillet medallions and according my fitnesspal, there was around 400 calories in that but I ate it anyway and had grilled asparagus on the side and didn't bust my calories for the day.

[nelie]

Our bodies require carbs, protein and fat. Protein requirements are generally not too high, the average person requires approximately 50g protein per day and that number can vary. Protein is used throughout the day, not stored long term and excess protein isn't stored as protein, it is either used or stored as fat. Similarly, our bodies require fat but not a lot and extra fat is used as energy or stored into fat. Our bodies require glucose which comes from carbs and is the main source of fuel for our brains and primary choice of energy. Excess carbs are used as fuel, stored in muscle as fuel in the form of glycogen and then stored lastly as fat.

So what I mean to say is protein, fat, carbs - none are inherently bad as we need them all and I wouldn't favor a food item just because it has an abundance of one. Also since I doubt your body could've used all 42 grams of the protein unless the rest of your day was low protein, the rest was either used for energy or stored as fat.