Do you ever wonder if they're lying? Like there are more calories in there than they're saying? Or they snuck some oil onto that grilled chicken or whatever? Just something I've been pondering...
Well.... I've thought about these things before, but I don't think it's that they're necessarily lying, they just may not know the exact nutrition info. I sometimes wonder about calories, anyway. Like on packaged products. Most all calorie information is rounded to a number. And I know that can't always be correct. Like a product will say 250 calories, exactly. Now I KNOW it can't be EXACTLY 250 calories every time.
Well I think they do. I mean they can not be correct on every single meal. But I did learn this for those who do not eat wheat. The dreanch everything in wheat at a resturant.
Like for ex: steak they will but steak in wheat so it does not shirk while it is being cooked. Rice they put wheat in there too. But who would ever quess how they make it what they really put into. That is why I find it real hard to go out to dinner.
Well, I try to eat much less than what is actually served me, unless it's a WW meal at Applebee's and I find that to be a normal sized portion anyway. But this is so scary. Even if you're trying to order something so basic like a piece of grilled chicken or fish, you still don't even know what you're getting! So annoying!
Have you tried asking the waiter how the dish is prepared? A restaurant with good service trains their wait staff to answer these kinds of questions. You're never going to be 100% sure what is in a dish- as in how many grams of x and what percentage of y, but you can at least get an idea of what you are getting yourself into.
Really, though, barring any allergies or sensitivity issues miscalculating a meal because of uncertainty in the way that it is made shouldn't cause a long-term problem. Eating at restaurants is not intended to be our primary source of sustainance, but an occaisional break from cooking and a nice change for gatherings, etc. As long as you prepare most of your meals at home, choose the healthier items when eating out, and then keep an extra careful eye about the portions they serve, you shouldn't have any problems what-so-ever. (And, of course, make any specific requests reguarding ingredient issues- i.e. no sauce, dressing on the side, hold the flour, etc.)
Life can be full of worries and troubles if you let it, and so empty of them if you don't.
I only really trust Applebee's since WW backs that, but when my BF and I went to Mimi's Cafe (I don't know if anyone else has heard of this place, it's in the same company as Olive Garden), we both were looking at their menu's with the calorie and fat information ( we each had a separate menu). And when he asked me what I was getting I pointed to it on his menu and noticed that the calories stated on his menu were at least 150 calories (if not more!) different that mine! Now if it was 10 or 20 calories off, whatever, but 150 can add up!! So I've never went back to that restaurant and tend to stay away from any restaurant that does their own "calorie" coutning. I usually pick something off the menu that I can estimate that isn't complicated...
Do you ever wonder if they're lying? Like there are more calories in there than they're saying? Or they snuck some oil onto that grilled chicken or whatever? Just something I've been pondering...
I just feel like I have to make the best choices I can and not worry so much about the exact calorie counts (or else I will go CRAZY). I just try to remember that my Fitday is at best a caloric estimate of my day's calories. I try to make my goal to make HEALTHY CHOICES (ordering grilled salmon without butter and steamed veggies is a HEALTHY CHOICE). I just try to do the best that I can and not worry so much about the exact numbers since there is NO WAY (short of paying for the expensive testing myself) to know for sure.
Like for ex: steak they will but steak in wheat so it does not shirk while it is being cooked. Rice they put wheat in there too. But who would ever quess how they make it what they really put into. That is why I find it real hard to go out to dinner.
Wish it was hard for me! I don't have "free" days but do allow for a LOT of extra calories if I am eating at a restaurant. I kind of trust what they have if they give me calorie counts, I am sure I am guilty of "underestimating" portion sizes when I cook for myself just as easily so trying to keep my Fitday lower than goal is a nice way for me to give myself some leniency for restaurants AND my own bad judgement.
A couple months ago, a news station here did a story on this topic. They went to a few restaurants and ordered the "lean" or "light" or whatever-they-called-them meals that had the nutritional info. They then had the food professionally tested and found that not only was there more fat (and TRANS fat) than stated on the menu, but also HUNDREDS more calories! Not like 5 calories here, 20 calories there, but literally hundreds. I don't remember which restaurants they went to, though--maybe I can find the story online.
I think part of the problem is that a restaurant "grill" is often not really a gril, but more of a big flat stove. I have worked in restaurants, and whatever was cooked on that "grill" before your food will surely be all over your food as well So, your server isn't lying when they tell you something is grilled, but it's not on an open-grate grill like you probably imagine.
You can eat out carefully. You don't have to rely on what the restaurant advertises in their menus. I often do the Applebee's WW menu myself. But I also know an approximate number of calories that is in a certain size piece of fish or chicken just by sight anyway. So I can see if they are at least fairly accurate. Or, I get the salad bar at Ruby's or Shoneys. Sometimes I'll get Ruby's turkey burger and fries or I get grilled chicken and broccoli. I've simply asked what goes in/on the foods. So I know to have them leave the seasoning off the turkey burger, and fries (they use the same seasoning on both), and I know to have them leave the seasoning off the chicken and the butter sauce off the broccoli and I get plain cooked broccoli with nothing on it at all. You just have to ask and be prepared up front to ask them to leave stuff out of the cooking for your meal.
I agree with Jilly. I've worked in a restaurant before so I can give you all a behind the scenes perspective. For example, if someone orders a low fat dish prepared with low fat cheese and the kitchen just ran out of low fat cheese ~ guess what? You will get your food with whatever cheese they haven't ran out of (and it will be fatty cheese). And they same goes with sauces, dressings, and anything else you can think of. AND, all chefs are not the same. Some WILL measure and some WILL NOT bother. Some will "eye ball" it and chefs aren't required to have good eye sight
And don't order "grilled" veggies, because they might "grill" them next to steaks and burgers. So your veggies more than likely have grease on them from that. Order steamed veggies.
And if you sitting there and you are raving about how good your low fat/calorie dish is, then you are probably not eating a low fat dish. We all know what plain, steamed, grilled food tastes like. And restaurants don't have a magic calorie free potion to make it taste better.
I don't even trust getting diet pop from a fountain. I'm always scared that they might have inadvertently switched the syrups.
See what dieting has done to me? I'm one paranoid fat chick!
"light" options on restaurant menus...
I don't have "free" days but do allow for a LOT of extra calories if I am eating at a restaurant. I kind of trust what they have if they give me calorie counts, I am sure I am guilty of "underestimating" portion sizes when I cook for myself just as easily so trying to keep my Fitday lower than goal is a nice way for me to give myself some leniency for restaurants AND my own bad judgement.
So, your server isn't lying when they tell you something is grilled, but it's not on an open-grate grill like you probably imagine.
