| Some of America's Worst Calorie Rip-Offs |
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| by Charles Stuart Platkin | |
| Thursday, 22 March 2007 | |
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Sometimes when you walk into a restaurant, even if you're looking for healthy choices, it's a matter of choosing the least of all evils on the menu. To make your choices a bit easier, I've sleuthed some of the worst of America's dining-out disasters. Keep in mind when reading this that to maintain current weight, the average person should consume about 2,000 calories per day. To more accurately determine your own daily caloric budget, use our Calorie Calculator. Burger King (Click Here For Complete Nutritional Information) When it comes to fast food, there's really nothing more over-the-top than the Triple Whopper. Do you really need three slabs of meat to fill you up? If your daily budget is 2,000 calories, you probably don't want to start your day by spending 700 of them on the omelet sandwich or the Double Croissan'wich. Hardee's (Click Here For Complete Nutritional Information) At 1,410 calories, the infamous Monster Thickburger takes first place in the unhealthiest fast-food category. But the greatest numbers of disastrous options are actually on the breakfast menu. Unless you plan on crawling into a cave and hibernating after your meal, there's really no need to consume so many calories at once - especially for breakfast. McDonald's (Click Here For Complete Nutritional Information) I was surprised that the Deluxe Breakfast, the Hotcakes and Sausage and the Chicken Selects all pack more calories than the Double Quarter Pounder. But the worst choice of all is probably the Chocolate Triple Thick Shake. Wendy's (Click Here For Complete Nutritional Information) Wow, bet you thought salad was a healthy choice. Not so fast. Also, at 650 calories, the Chicken Club Sandwich is not a great choice. Subway (Click Here For Complete Nutritional Information) * Double Meat Meatball Marinara (6-inch): 860 calories, 42g fat, 82g carbs, 2,480mg sodium Although Subway offerings are very good, there are exceptions. Case in point: the Double Meat Meatball Marinara Sandwich, which has more calories than a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese from McDonald's. Oh, and watch out for the sodium. KFC (Click Here For Complete Nutritional Information) While the Pot Pie and the Crispy Twister -- a sandwich of deep-fried chicken smothered in mayonnaise -- are certainly not great ideas for the diet-conscious. Be especially cautious about the "Famous Bowls"-- both the rice and gravy and the potatoes and gravy will send your total calorie count soaring. Starbucks (Click Here For Complete Nutritional Information) * White Chocolate Frappuccino Blended Crème with whipped cream (24 ounces): 760 calories, 21g fat, 121g carbs Seven hundred calories is steep any way you cut it -- but in this case you're not even getting a meal for all those calories. You can save more than 100 calories by skipping the whipped cream, but even so, you're still consuming a meal's worth of calories with no real food to show for it. You need to remember that these drinks are not substitutes for coffee -- they're substitutes for banana splits and ice cream sundaes. Dunkin' Donuts (Click Here For Complete Nutritional Information) "Sticks" have even more calories than "fancy" doughnuts, and check out that breakfast sandwich. P.F. Chang's (Click Here For Complete Nutritional Information) Chinese food is almost never a great bet for dieters, but if you're going to indulge, at least steer clear of calorie disasters like the spare ribs -- which are actually just an appetizer. What can you say about the Great Wall of Chocolate - other than buyer beware? Ruby Tuesday (Click Here For Complete Nutritional Information) Kudos to Ruby Tuesday for providing nutrition information, but all I can say is: Wow! All these options are not only high in calories but also sneaky little diet disasters. Don't be fooled by words like "spinach," "broccoli" and especially "salad"- in this case they are all Calorie Rip-offs. The chicken and broccoli pasta and the burger each have about a day's worth of calories. Pizza Hut (Click Here For Complete Nutritional Information) The Stuffed Crust Meat Lover's Pizza might just be the worst pizza option out there for a dieter. Only two pieces and you're looking at 1,000 calories -- and if you kick off your meal with breadsticks and wash it down with a soda, you'd better prepare yourself to get off the couch the next morning and run a marathon to undo all the damage. Chili's (Click Here For Complete Nutritional Information) The Awesome Blossom is about the worst appetizer on any menu. And at more than 1,700 calories, none of the quesadillas are safe bets. Denny's (Click Here For Complete Nutritional Information) The Italian Melt is a poor choice, but the calories and sodium in those Mini Burgers are off the charts. In terms of breakfast choices, the Sausage Bowl and Grand Slam Slugger are just two examples of many calorie-packed choices. Bob Evans (Click Here For Complete Nutritional Information) Who knew you could cram so many calories into an egg-based dish when the eggs themselves have only 75 calories apiece? _____________________________________ Bookmark:            Trackback(0)
Comments (6)
  written by Saz, January 30, 2008
Oh my god!!!! I am shocked at the wall of chocolate ( I shared that with my hubby once).... note to self: do not eat out so often!!
written by Matt, July 15, 2007
It is alarming to know that I once ate an awesome blossom for lunch (!.!) all by myself. Given, it was in the middle of an 8 hour biking tour, but still... Why on earth are they allowed to sell these things
written by Richie, April 04, 2007
I also had a heartattack just reading P.F. Chang's wall-of-chocolate... I had actually considered getting that last time I was there! *Gulp*
written by The Diet Detective, April 03, 2007
Rachel. thanks but it's very high in sodium, and also more meal than most should have. It's great if you're one of the people in the fast-metabolism club, but most of us (more than 65%) should not be eating this burger. We should be going for lower calorie foods.
written by Rachel Post, April 03, 2007
I am disappointed in the fact that you have not provided a breakdown of saturated fat and sugar on this page. It seems that some of the choices you have listed as bad are actually very healthy for someone looking for a few more calories. For example the Black Bean burger from Chili's is higher in fat and carbohydrates, but very low in saturated fat and high in fiber and protien and really is an excellent meal choice. I don't really understand why it is on the "bad" list. If it is because of the high carb content, you should keep up with the trends, the low carb diet fad ended a while ago.
written by Lois, March 24, 2007
Besides the humongous amount of calories, check out the sodium content--often more than 2 grams per item (near the daily recommended level for sodium).
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She describes herself as a "foodie who sometimes abuses hair care products." After graduating in 1997 with a B.A. in English , she worked as an interactive art director in advertising for eight years. While serving time behind a desk in midtown Manhattan, she realized she actually liked her job but didn't see it as a career. Calorie Bargains
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