Yesterday I broke my bank by going to a wedding. I could have done FAR worse, but I didn't do as splendidly as I expected myself to. I have 10 days until a big milestone (get to see some people I haven't seen in a really long time). I want to look good. But as soon as those 10 days start to approach, I feel I am letting my guard down. It's almost like "how much difference can I make in that short of a time? It will be just like it is now!" but really, I could slim down even more and look even better, and most importantly- FEEL even better.

Anyway- today I said- I will do better. Went to Thai Express because my father and friend wanted to eat there. "Veggie Stir-Fry", oh, that looks healthy- I mean...2 cups rice, steamed veggies in soy sauce, chicken pieces. You'd think it can't be more than 600 calories. I can do that for lunch.

Checked nutritional info (although there isn't an official one on their website...wonder why!), 1200 calories.

So, including my Cliff Bar this morning, my lunch, I have to burn my 250 calories in order to be on track today. That means, no more food.

If I had known, I wouldn't have eaten it. I am so, so mad right now.

a splurge from time to time will not ruin you... makes you stronger.... you know now and won't repeat..... don't worry! You will get back on track, one meal can not erase all the hard work you have put in!!!!! Smile!

A splurge may even boost your metabolism, but i agree i'd be so annoyed if i ate that thinking it was healthy and then saw the actual amount of calories

It's surprisingly deceptive! I've started looking at nutritional information when I go out to eat, and I was quite shocked to see that the choices that look like they'd be the healthiest (salads, chicken sandwich) might actually be higher in calories than some other choices! I love the fact that most restaurants can provide nutritional information on sight these days.

It is so hard to accurately estimate restaurant food. There is usually hidden fat. I "try" to cut portions in half just in case

Me too and I try to check restaurants ahead of time.

But sadly.... because it's one of my favorite foods.... most Asian, whether it's Thai, Chinese, and so on.... are just high calorie foods. I eat them 2 or 3 times a year because I just can't "afford" to eat more than that. I'll eat a salad if I go to a restaurant with friends or family. Or I'll eat an appetizer (like lettuce wraps, which do come in at 500 calories per portion).

Check the calories in your salads...at a Casey's (in Canada), the average of their salads is 700 calories, almost the same as their noodles :S The healthiest thing I found was a lean steak. So scary! It makes me think HOW on earth do you fit so many calories into a dish!!!!!

I try to always check nutritional information before I eat :s there are way too many "deceptive" foods out there! Things that are marketed as healthy and have over 1000 calories? Um...no.

If I can't find the nutritional information I generally eat half or less of the meal, or I'll google the nutritional information of something similar and get the average calorie and nutritional information from various sites and make an educated guess. Sometimes another restaurant may have a similar dish, etc.

If all that fails, I just eat half or less and hope for the best

I too have been surprised by caloric content of food at restaraunts. Even stuff from the grocery store. It totally pays to read lables and ask for nutrition content!

At this point, all you can do is learn from the experience and do better next time. Isn't that part of what this journey is all about??

2 cups of rice is 4 servings!

Two cups of rice is a lot - maybe it's meant for 2-4 people?

I order Chinese takeout every few weeks and I always get the same thing: steamed chicken with broccoli. It has no sauce on it, so there are no hidden sugars or fats in it. I use a drizzle of brown sauce that comes with it or just use drizzle a mixture of sriracha/soy/hoisin. Sometimes I skip the rice and other times I measure out a 1/2 cup.

Double post!

When I started my weight loss journey I too was incredibly surprised on the amount of calories that were in the restaurant dishes I was eating on a weekly basis, Okay maybe a couple times a week..... Now that I cook my own food I don't know how they get all those calories into one dish! Its crazy.

I strongly believe that restaurants and fast food should have to put the calorie and nutritional information beside the choice in there menu's. It may not be enough of a eye opener to get some people to choose something better but for those of us who WANT to know I think even a rough estimate would help.

This is what they mandate in New York for most chain places. It's incredibly helpful but still quite deceptive unless you look into it and get the nutritional information on your own. So, you know, you're not any better off than if you just looked up the info online or requested it from the restaurant.

I've found that several places do not include the calorie counts of the sides unless you go hunting for that (you know, the side dish that comes WITH the meal...) So one could easily order a 700 cal "meal" and not realize that the 700 cals on the menu means minus the sides...and the sides' calorie counts are usually not included or in a different section!

I remember looking up several things I liked in a restaurant and found that a sandwich and fries meal would usually only display the calorie count of the sandwich alone. The calorie count of the fries side dish was way more than the actual side of fries included with the meal. You actually had to look that information up so you knew how many calories you were eating!!

It's frustrating sometimes It's one of the reasons I don't go out as often as I used to.

girls, you are scaring me....
i am going to florida for two weeks at the end of the year and guess i will need to eat out like twice a day... oh man! hope i wont have to start everything from scratch when I am back!