Is it just me, But I wish restaurants and pubs would put calories down on the menu for everything?

[Lotus-Blossom]

They put down for folk with allergies and alcohol content but why not calories. I feel it would help me not to gain weight and I trust there are many others out there who feel the same way as me, for maintainers and for folk who are trying to lose weight but can still enjoy themselves.

[TheAwfulToad Visitor]

It's probably not just you, but it wouldn't help.

The problem with most British restaurant food - especially at the low end of the price scale - is that it's inherently unhealthy. It always involves a massive helping of potatoes (chips, mash, etc), rice, or pasta and not a lot else. It's cheap, and it gives the customer the impression they're getting good value for money, because there's a lot of food on the plate. One of the most disgraceful meals I've ever seen was a kid's burger, which arrived with a mountain of chips, an oversized bun, and about 2oz of overcooked, dry (ie., low-fat) meat. Nothing else, not even some token vegetables/salad. That was in a supposed "gastropub".

Same thing applies to ready meals: the manufacturer can sell 10p worth of starch, plus 50p worth of meat and veg, for a pound or two. Ka-ching!

And then there's the desserts. They're unnecessarily huge. Anyone who eats pie and chips and an ice-cream sundae once a week at the pub will inevitably have an expanding waistline, particularly if they eat similar meals during the week. As Hidden mentioned, A GI measurement might be rather more useful, but the nutrition establishment are not interested in educating the public about the meaning of this metric.

On the other hand, it's easy enough to learn which foods are conducive to weight loss and which aren't, and I've found many places will swap the spuds for veg if you ask nicely. Also ... I can thoroughly recommend a Carvery for people who are maintaining or losing, and feel like a treat. Skip the potatoes, the Yorkshires, and the dessert, and you have a meal with a very modest GI.

[S11m in reply to TheAwfulToad]

Yes - I have a carvery most Sundays - as I can make it as low-carb as I like.

Would if not be great if there were keto restaurants - where the GI foods were optional? or you could have a low GI alternative?

[telute]

Most of the big chains (And a lot of the smaller ones) put nutritional info online.

I've got into the habit now of checking before I go out - and if where we're going doesn't have it then I look up the info for somewhere similair.

[IndigoBlue61]

With time, you will come to be able to judge your portion size more accurately. 😊

Eating out can be a challenge but one piece of advice I heard was have a main course and one other item, ie. starter, or dessert or wine . . .

I also try to avoid carbohydrate rich meals as others have said, but it’s not always easy.

[alegeglessaligator 2 stone]

As someone who works in catering if eating out I concentrate on portion size as unless you're at a large national chain with everything delivered pre-portioned and with strict guides on how to cook then any nutritional info is much more of a general guide than an accurate idea of what you're eating. One person's tbsp is not necessarily someone else's, chef's tend to eyeball things like oil which the food is being cooked in.

[PippiRuns 3kg]

It would be a huge help! I lose weight by calorie counting and often find I have to totally guesstimate the calorie value of restaurant meals. I’m good at it I think, but it would be a lot easier if they would just put an extra line in the menu...

[san_ray70 Maintainer in reply to PippiRuns]

Every restaurant I have been in recently have low cal. meals on their menu. The only one that does not is mexican, even then you can work out what is lowest, if you want to. As for sweets I never have it at the restaurant, I come home and maybe make fruit and yoghurt.

[Lotus-Blossom Healthy BMI in reply to san_ray70]

I have the low calorie meals to. I can never get to desserts anyway to as I’m always to full to get to it. But to be honest I don’t miss them. So you are not alone there. I’d rather have meals that fill me up anyway instead of a dessert as I know it’s good food.

But if I did want a dessert I would have a starter first as I want to live to. As you only live once.

I do wish in some restaurants they should have more options in the low calorie range though.

[alohalu Restart Jan 2024]

In the US they put the calories in the menus, at least in all the chain restaurants

[focused1 Maintainer 13kg]

Fear of loosing sales I suppose as most pizzas and pasta ..especially those laden with cheese would make you shudder . If you break down thse meals using MFP app - may help . Think most of us know if we avoid at home , we are mindful when we eat out .

Carvery is a good idea - mentioned by many . A load of veg - maybe white meat would be quite acceptable .

[Anxiousarabella 2024 July]

I think it would be a very good idea. J D Weatherspoons put their calories on and it always helps me make a better choice. Sometimes the things you think are good are not so and vice versa!!

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone in reply to Anxiousarabella]

Hello and welcome, Anxiousarabella 😊

I do agree about there being so many things we think are good and then we find they're not. For me, learning that it's carbohydrates that piled the weight on, not fats, has been a revelation and means I enjoy my meals so much more. No more low fat, light and diet products

Here is a link for our Pinned Posts healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh... The key ones to read are Welcome Newbies, which will help you find your way around the forum, and the Security/Privacy information. I recommend joining a weekly weigh in on the day of your choice, and using the Daily Diary, where members log their meal plans and get useful feedback.

To make the most of the forum, join in with activities, read and reply to posts, ask questions and encourage others – it will all pay off for you 😊

[Anxiousarabella 2024 July in reply to BridgeGirl]

Thank you - I will have a good read. I have been losing weight but very slowly!!

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone in reply to Anxiousarabella]

You're welcome

If things are moving slowly, you may find this interesting healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

[Anxiousarabella 2024 July in reply to BridgeGirl]

That does make a lot of sense! My Dr has said I am pre-diabetic but gave me no advice on what to eat at all. I will look into this further and change some of the things I am eating.

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone in reply to Anxiousarabella]

This is your chance to turn things around and here are some starters

This is a guide from the wonderful Dr David Unwin who has helped many of his patients reverse Type2 diabetes. He's a GP in Southport: Google him for more information

dietdoctor.com/wp-content/u...

These are some graphics he put together and which are endorsed by NICE: we all know what a problem sugar can be but most of us are less well informed about which foods turn to sugar most rapidly in the bloodstream

phcuk.org/nice/

This is a great website for getting to know about the low carb approach: very practical with lots of recipes

dietdoctor.com/low-carb

You'll find plenty of members who eat this way on our Daily Diary and there is also a LCHF (low carb high fat) forum where you can get extra support.

[Anxiousarabella 2024 July in reply to BridgeGirl]

Thanks for those - I will read them tomorrow and when I go shopping on Monday - I will be able to make better choices

[BridgeGirl Administrator 2 stone in reply to Anxiousarabella]