I usually stop at Panera before I go to swim practice (pool doesn’t have open swim till 6 pm) and end up overeating because the portions are so large … even the smallest “you pick two” comes in at 11 weight watchers points (500 something calories for the smoked turkey & greek salad). I called them this afternoon and they said that an adult can order the kids meals, and swap out the organic frozen yogurt for an apple, and swap out white for whole wheat bread, so a kids’ meal turkey and American on whole wheat with an apple comes in at only 280 calories, or 7 points.
FWIW. I never thought to ask them if an adult could order a kids meal.
Anyone else have any good tips on eating at restaurant chains?
I don’t think I’ve ever been to a place where an adult could not order a kids meal. Now if it’s an all you can eat something, I can see that, but if it’s set meal, I’m not sure this is so unique.
And 500 calories fro breakfast is not bad. I don’t know anything about WW points. That’s where you want a large amount of your calories to come from, breakfast.
It’s easy enough to count points for almost anything except alcohol (which I don’t drink any more). You can look almost all Panera foods up online and get the point values. In fact, I went there before swimming tonight and got that kid’s sandwich on whole wheat bread. It was just the right size. I don’t much like schlepping leftovers home. Next time, though, I’m going to hold the slice of American cheese and get it with lettuce, tomato, and onion, no mayo. That would bring the points down to five, which isn’t bad at all for a nice turkey sandwich on a good bread. I cook almost everything else at home, or pack it to work. So I enjoy going out between work and swimming workout and have a little break with some healthy food. And their coffee is pretty good, too.
I’d love to hear how other Womens tweak the menu to make healthier food choices when going out to eat. Maybe it’s really nerdy, but thinking about it beforehand does save calories, and it all adds up over time. Some places are utterly hopeless. Starbucks, for example. There’s absolutely nothing there that fits in my point range. It’s absurd.
It’s easy enough to count points for almost anything except alcohol (which I don’t drink any more). You can look almost all Panera foods up online and get the point values. In fact, I went there before swimming tonight and got that kid’s sandwich on whole wheat bread. It was just the right size. I don’t much like schlepping leftovers home. Next time, though, I’m going to hold the slice of American cheese and get it with lettuce, tomato, and onion, no mayo. That would bring the points down to five, which isn’t bad at all for a nice turkey sandwich on a good bread. I cook almost everything else at home, or pack it to work. So I enjoy going out between work and swimming workout and have a little break with some healthy food. And their coffee is pretty good, too.
I’d love to hear how other Womens tweak the menu to make healthier food choices when going out to eat. Maybe it’s really nerdy, but thinking about it beforehand does save calories, and it all adds up over time. Some places are utterly hopeless. Starbucks, for example. There’s absolutely nothing there that fits in my point range. It’s absurd.
~~ kate
Starbucks is OK if you stick to black coffee and the roasted almonds.
The Jason’s deli turkey rueben is 450 cals, which is not bad for a work lunch.
I get the pick 2 from Panera frequently, but the portion size is too large for me. I typically get the soup and salad. I will eat the soup for lunch, then a couple of hours later eat the salad. I have never had any issue with the salad going bad and I typically just leave it sitting on my desk.
Starbucks Greek Yogurt with Honey Parfait is only 300 or 350 cal. Dump out the granola and it’s even less. Unfortunately, they don’t have it in the SBs in bumf**k Tennessee.
Good to know about the Greek yogurt. Thanks. Didn’t know Bux carried it. I stay away from that big glass case with all the good stuff in it. Agreed on the tall skinny caramel latte, one of the best deals in town, comes in at a mere 2 points. Booya! Unforch, they insist on sweetening their chai, which would also be a good one with skim milk, but alas, no. They even changed over their soy distributor, and now their soy milk is all sweetened with that HFCS stuff. If it weren’t for the free sugar-free caramel syrup (a power food), I’d turn in my gold card.
I tend to order from the child’s menu a lot if I’m doing takeout. It’s essentially the size we should be eating. If I’m at some chain restaurant, I usually ask for extra veggies and leave the starch off. Even if it’s rice bc they really have a way to add fat to stuff like you wouldn’t believe. And if it’s a salad or sandwich of some sort, I ask for it to be deconstructed. Basically order as much as possible with nothing on it/on the side and put it together yourself. You get strange looks but it is what it is.
Oh, and for races… I try to make sure I stay at places that have mini fridges and microwaves. I cook all my food and bring it with me. That way I control every last thing I put in my body pre-race.
