IN MY SHOES: Warning: Dining Out Is More Fattening Than You Think
A couple of weeks back, The Stiletto and The Heel - an Ivy-educated attorney with a prestigious New York firm - nipped into a Chevys Fresh Mex restaurant in Times Square to get a late bite after a movie. We were handed menus that listed the calorie content of each dish. It was horrifying: Spicy Wings (appetizer; 1,670 calories); Fresh Mex Sampler (appetizer; 2,470 calories); Sizzling Steak Fajita (entrée; 1,000 calories); Grilled Fish Tacos (entrée; 1,040 calories); Fajita Chicken Tostada Salad (entrée; 1,550 calories); Ooey-Gooey Chewy Sundae (dessert; 1,320 calories).
More than three-quarters of the menu exceeded the total calorie count The Stiletto consumes in an entire day – never mind at a single meal - and she promptly lost her appetite. Though The Heel, who is a foot taller than The Stiletto, is a hearty eater he was also amazed at how many calories the supposedly “healthier” grilled dishes and salads were packing.
In the end, instead of having dinner we each had a margarita (regular; the frozen varieties were double the number of calories) and shared a slice of dulce de leche cheesecake and a churro. We calculated our caloric intake at roughly 900 calories each. It may not have been the most nutritious meal, but was probably the least fattening as far as caloric intake.
Still reeling from the experience, The Stiletto has since learned that the offerings at chain restaurants may be even higher in calories and fat than the information on the menu suggests. Applebee's, Chili's Grill & Bar, On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina, and Romano's Macaroni Grill have been hit with two class action lawsuits alleging that “much of the menus' nutrition information is inaccurate and that independent laboratory analysis shows that the fat content for some food items is double or triple the amount listed,” reports The National Law Journal.
Editorial Note: The Heel decided he didn’t want to know how many calories were in his meal, but The Stiletto was grateful to have this information so she could make an informed choice for a change. We agreed that restaurants should have “his” and “her” menus – his would list the prices, hers would list the calories (The Heel insisted that no straight man cares how many calories he’s eating).
No wonder it can be so hard to lose weight! I think it's great to post calories because at least I want to know what I'm putting into my body. I'm just amazed at how calorie laden so many of the items are on the menu.
Reply to this