*One Hit Wonder* Foods.. (ever been broadsided by a foods calories?)

Hi all. I just joined CC a week ago. This site has been so enlightening and helpful!!

My latest experience was going to CostCo for some groceries and I purchased a *take home* pizza because it was convenient and I was running late and needed to get dinner for my family, etc, etc. I didn't figure there could be that many calories in ONE *innocent* slice of pizza... WELL, surprise, surprise... one slice = 775 calories!!!!! LOL Half of my daily intake in ONE SLICE OF PIZZA!!

I was wondering if anyone else has had such an experience where you have one serving of something surprisingly high in calories?

Please share your experiences! Thanks

How small did you cut the slices?  I think their calorie number is for the ready to eat stuff they sell in the cafe.  The slices are huge.  I think they slice it into only 8 slices.  If I had that size pizza at home it would be sliced much smaller than that.

Surprise Calories?  Try a large salad ANYWHERE!  By the time they get done throwing on croutons, dressing, and sauces (on what should be healthy) chicken, you've eaten 600-800 calories.  (Wendy's was a particular diappointment)

I started my "life style change" a year ago through a VA program called MOVE and came upon CC. In those initial days of researching caloric content, I was surprised several times. I am also a pizza lover! I was also surprised how many calories I could consume with a "low fat" bagel. Salad dressings I used to consume was another ungodly source of calories.

Logging calories and adding more vegetables and fruits helped me lose 65 pounds this past year (and I am maintaining a weight of 152-156) not to mention EXERCISE. I walk 3 miles per day. Hope this helps you with your program. 

It's crazy isn't it? This site was a real eye-opener. And we wonder why so many people suffer from eating issues when caloric content and portions in this country are out of control! Mst meals in restaurants are 1000 +! I always check all the nutritional facts of everything I eat now. And unfortunately I had to give up my favorite food-pizza...it's just not worth it anymore. 

Oh ya... the muffin from hell.

Just as I was getting the diet going I had to eat out at a Perkins.  I was a good girl and stuck with my plan but then every one ordered a muffin to go with the last cup of coffee. Oh all right I'll make up for 2-300 cal this afternoon, thought I.

HAH! jokes on me: that stupid thing was like 700 cal!!  ARG.

 

Marie callendar's pies were a huge surprise to me - i though oh maybe around 300 - 400 calories for a slice.   Well it was about 720 for a pie cut into 6ths!!!!  OMG luckily we had sliced it a bit smaller about 8 or 9 total so I still had over 500. 

Oh yeah the Yardhouse has some really amazingly high calorie meals there.  I guess it shocked the heck outta me cause it was one of the first restaurants I looked up when getting into CC. 

Tim Horton's muffins.  I don't care what the website says, those damned fruit explosion muffins are not four hundred calories or less.

Maybe for the actual muffin if made according to the recipe but the one I worked at made them 50% bigger and the calories in the fruit filling they put in it alone is 200 calories per two tablespoons, and each muffin gets approximately four.

You go in there and you think, "Oh, hi fruity muffin of mighty deliciousness.  I think I shall dine on you this lovely morning.  I mean, after all, you're more fruit than muffin, right?"  And then you live in peaceful bliss, not knowing what exactly are in those muffins and you think 400 calories for something that huge is a bargain.

Until you get a job there..  And you learn the secrets..  And you realise your muffin is now upwards a thousand calories.

I always used to eat vegetarian omlettes when we went for breakfast.. thinking I was making a healthy choice, Not realizing that 3whole eggs at 80cals each, tons of full fat cheese probably around 200-300, and not to mention the oil they fry it in. Now I just get tasty french toast for the same amount of cals.. sometimes even less.

 

"And you realise your muffin is now upwards a thousand calories."

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO  not the fruit explosion muffins...

Yes, those evil fruit explosion muffins!  So good... so very, very good...  I think the only muffin they actually make properly is the raisin bran one, which tastes like dirt to me.

So cruel... :(

YES~ I have been doing super good on my diet lately, like barely messing up and working out religiously. I eat oatmeal every morning for breakfast and start each day well. I went to the mall with my fiance and we just did some quick shopping, stopped briefly at Mrs. Fields. My boyfriend got a coffee and a macadamia nut cookie. I stupidly got a cookie shake,(made with two sugar cookies, cream, milk, ice and whipped cream). I figured at most it was 500 calories and could just be a big lunch for me. Wellllllll actually it was 1300 calories and, lame as it sounds, I literally cried because it threw me off. I ended up doing a marathon workout at the gym burning 600 calories.

 

Case in point, don't get those tall creamy drinks anywhere, they ****. you over :(

 

PS It did tase amazing, though.

Original Post by steffiesue75:

How small did you cut the slices?  I think their calorie number is for the ready to eat stuff they sell in the cafe.  The slices are huge.  I think they slice it into only 8 slices.  If I had that size pizza at home it would be sliced much smaller than that.

Steffisue! It WAS from the Cafe and they precut the slices. So it was the same size as the individual slices they sell.

Oh I was SOOOOOO naive!! Sheesh, what's a few hundred calories, how could a "slice of bread" (read: crust), a lil' cheese, some veggies and meat be?

Boy what a lesson to learn!!  But I really like your idea of cutting the pieces down to a smaller size.

Here's the clincher though... I WASN'T EVEN THAT good! I mean if say it had been the HOLY GRAIL of pizza I might be able to justify it and say hey, big oversight, but darn well worth it, kind of like *Wanderlustful*. At least her tall, creamy drink was YUMMY!! LOL

So, I guess it was a learning experience and I really don't LOVE pizza THAT much to bother with it... Now ice cream is another story entirely!!! :) (but even IT isn't as absurdly high as that darn pizza!! )

Thanks again for your insight and suggestions.

 

Thanks everyone for your stories.  Helped me feel not so alone in this "broad-sided" experience.

Wanderlustful~ I totally can relate to you crying about this. I didn't but felt like I wanted to! I just kept trying to get over it and finally it just got to me so much I had to mention it here and see if anyone else had the same experience so I wouldn't feel so alone. Like I said previously, at least your drink was YUMMY  (trying to help you see the bright side :) )... anyway, it's an awful discovery and I hope you don't have to relive it!!

Diane~ See I was sort of "on to" the whole "fancying up" salads thing, for the most part. For some reason, pizza fell under my calorie counting radar. I don't eat it that often so maybe that's why... and my bread, veggies, cheese, meat logic just didn't stack up!! LOL I guess the lesson is BEWARE of ALL foods!! LOL

rmonroe~ did not know about "low fat" bagels. Other than the heavy carbs, I wouldn't think such a thing about them. SO GOOD to know. Yeah fruits and veggies are the way to go huh?? Congrats on the 65 lbs!! That something to be very proud of! Keep it up. I SO want to start exercising more... I LOVE TO EXERCISE, but having a 2.5 yo and working and no family or daycare, makes this verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry difficult. I'm working on it and hope it can happen soon. Thanks for the reminder. All the best to you in your continued loss!!

Linde~ love your avatar- you're beautiful!! So true, so true, regarding your comment. I agree that pizza isn't worth it. I have officially learned my lesson to count everything BEFORE I eat it. As a result of this experience, I discovered getting caloric count via text message! Love that feature and will be making full use of it!

alylou~ OMG!! THAT'S what I'm talking about. Now that I think about it, I think I was experiencing a sense of deception. Like I was unfairly mislead in knowing what the caloric intake was. I guess in an extreme example, it's like this little company opens up a snack stand selling celery sticks that are sprinkled with sugar... and they are said to be SUPER YUMMY! (I know, but just bear with me for conversation sake:) ) So, the logic is... ok, celery and sugar, how BADDD could that be (calorie wise)? Turns out the thing has some injections of sugar and chocolate and caramel and all kinds of other stuff that I didn't suspect and a celery stick with sugar is now 1,000 calories. I know it's a ridiculous example but hopefully the point is understood LOL. I mean , a regular ol' muffin is like you said, 2-300 cals in the "regular" world.... in the extreme/covert world they are 700!! WHO WOULD HAVE EVERguessed! SHEESH!! Thanks for the tip... I don't want one of those muffins. (Maybe if it was ice cream...:) )

lemntwist~ WOW- see wouldn't have thought that about Marie Callendar's pies, although it's sugar... but still. Thanks for the tip. Won't be eating pie unless it's ice cream :) .... (I know, it's my weakness)

Cellulitedelight~ THAT'S EXACTLY what I'm talking about, and see there is some covert stuff going on!! They make them "worse" then they already are... oh it's bad!! Anyway, glad we don't have a Tim Horton's here because I'd probably start craving one... Thanks bunches for the tip!!

amberrr~ yours was the most surprising to me... I would still think a veggie omlette is "innocent". WOW- I guess I'm still learning. Good to know. Yeah and the thing is, if you are going to "use" a high amount of calories to splurge on something, at least it's something you really enjoy, right??? ( Like ice cream:), and french toast!) :)

Well, thanks all for your input. It continues to be super enlightening. I can use all the help and info I can get!! You've all been a great help. All the best to you all in reaching your goals.

I concur on the muffins of any type.  I basically don't eat any bread product other than whole wheat high fiber sandwich bread, because of the muffin madness.  Don't forget about bagels.. Sigh.. those lovely, lovely, golden brown thick and chewy bagels.  I carefully planned my day yesterday and was able to have a slice of my hubby's bacon and pineapple papa john's pizza.. 330 calories - so worth it. 

I think the worst thing I ever saw were chili cheese fries - granted, you already know those are bad - but one plate is like, 3000 calories.

Oh yeah, I only eat Moe's Southwest salads with no fried tortilla bowl, no cheese, no queso and no sour cream.  The rest still makes it taste great : ).

So I just started my new eating plan this week.  About a week ago I was craving something naughty so when the kids and I were at Blockbuster I saw the freezer of ice cream conveniently placed near the check out.  I was like....ohh.... ice cream... So I grabbed a Toll House Ice Cream sandwich and decided to look on the back. Holy Crap! Like 550 calories for just the little ice cream sandwich!  Still feeling naughty I grabbed a 3 Muskateers.  200 calories.  Eh.  Then I saw the Luna Bars.  They were like 130-160 so that was my naughty treat.  That's what helped me pay more attention to the food labels.

Baby steps...

       &nb sp;               &nb sp;     *******Mexican Food********* 

1 cup of beans is supposed to be like 200 cals  but then once you add the cals for the lard they get fried in it's in the thousands! Also Tamales  did y'all know that the "bread" they come wrapped in is made from corn meal and lard? I didn't. 1 fat tamale and you've eaten your entire calorie allowance for the day!!

Ooooohhhhhh, mexican restaurant refried beans.....  *drool...*

It's amazing how many foods can appear "healthy" or "not so bad" until you read the labels, if there are any! Here's another one -- Costco muffins!!!

Yeah...I had a McD's biscuit with egg and sausage and a coffee for breakfast...I threw away the potato cake...thinking I was being good...and then found out I ate 500 calories in one sandwich. Oh the HEALTHY things I could have eaten for that many calories !!! Ah well...

Nachos!!!

A bunch of us went to Montana's the other night.  I was good and had the shrimp salad (600), but my heart said "You want nachos, girl!".  When I got home I looked up the salad to log it, then just for kicks I looked up the nachos: TWENTY FIVE HUNDRED CALORIES.  Ye gods.

http://www.montanas.ca/ ;

Yesterday my husband said he was going to Burger King to get us some breakfast. (Kitchen sink was broken so we couldn't cool and we were waiting for the plumber)  I figured a sausage bisket couldn't be too bad, they are little.  I told him to get one and then sat down to log it.  760 calories!!  That is like 1/2 my allotment! From now on, I log first.

Chili's molten cake!  Ohmygosh... *drool*.  I knew it was bad, but... that sucker is worth, count 'em, one thousand two hundred seventy calories.  That's 90% of my daily intake!  Add that to a plate of baby back ribs, loaded mashed potatoes, and a soda, and it's no wonder America is so overweight!

So good, though.