No wonder it's so easy to get fat these days

Raymond Lin · 7 Jul 2009 at 22:57

West to Tesco today to grab lunch today, being on a diet (just eating less cal than i use) so I got into an habit of checking the calories content on pretty much everything at the moment. :eek:

Anyway, what I never even think twice of picking up and eat before, like a Prawn layer salad has 270 calories....I thought, that's not too bad...and then it says "Per Half Pack provides"....

Then i looked at a Chicken pasta....780 Calories, most sandwiches are around 500 calories, wack in a packet of walkers and a drink, you are talking about 800 to 900 calories for lunch.

If a male need 2500 calories to break even, that's 35% of the daily intake at lunch. I suppose on the surface it doesn't look too bad, but for me, dinner is normally a bigger meal, so if a sandwich and crisp can be 900 cal. Dinner can top 1000 to 1200 easy. Add breakfast, and if a Digestive (70cal each) with a tea in between...you can really add on the Ibs without realising !

shifty_uk · 7 Jul 2009 at 22:59

I'm no expert but should you not be taking into consideration fat content, carbohydrates etc as opposed to just the calorie count?

Raymond Lin · 7 Jul 2009 at 23:01

shifty_uk said:
I'm no expert but should you not be taking into consideration fat content, carbohydrates etc as opposed to just the calorie count?

I am no expert either and you probably should, and my "diet" is not from anywhere. I am just using the logic of Less in, More out.

brummie · 7 Jul 2009 at 23:02

Drinks, crisps, digestives & sandwiches.

And you are moaning about a prawn layered salad?

Raymond Lin · 7 Jul 2009 at 23:04

I am just mentioning that is a popular combination of foods for most people at lunch, drink, sandwich and crisps.

vincent1989 · 7 Jul 2009 at 23:05

shifty_uk said:
I'm no expert but should you not be taking into consideration fat content, carbohydrates etc as opposed to just the calorie count?

you should but provided you're not just buying and eating junk food kcal should be a good indicator.

sausagerolls · 7 Jul 2009 at 23:08

i only eat my own crap so i stay the same weight.

aproctor · 7 Jul 2009 at 23:08

The most shocking thing i came across was dominoes garlic and herb dip pots - 200 calories!

Cybermyk · 7 Jul 2009 at 23:09

My eldest is 'on a diet' but keeps eating stuff like sandwiches loaded with meats and high calorie fillings. I picked up a can of Sainsburys chicken stew as an example and found it to contain roughly half the calories and fat content of her sandwich.

Tinned stew is the new health food.

Hatter The Mad · 7 Jul 2009 at 23:09

Raymond Lin said:
If a male need 2500 calories to break even, that's 35% of the daily intake at lunch. I suppose on the surface it doesn't look too bad, but for me, dinner is normally a bigger meal, so if a sandwich and crisp can be 900 cal. Dinner can top 1000 to 1200 easy. Add breakfast, and if a Digestive (70cal each) with a tea in between...you can really add on the Ibs without realising !

I am not sure how you figure this.

Firstly, if you are on a diet, don't eat crisps.

Secondly, a packet of Walkers is < 200 cal. A sandwich with a rich mayo filling is up to 500 cal. That makes 700 cal, 28% of your daily intake. I don't see why this is huge - it is a meal, not a snack.

cheets64 · 7 Jul 2009 at 23:10

I always make my own food bar the odd takeaway or subway, I know whats going into the meal, I cant stand those chilled sandwiches and pasta pots, bland expensive and unhealthy.

bledd · 7 Jul 2009 at 23:12

water, chewing gum, and regular healthy meals y0

Raymond Lin · 7 Jul 2009 at 23:13

Hatter The Mad said:
I am not sure how you figure this.

Firstly, if you are on a diet, don't eat crisps.

Secondly, a packet of Walkers is < 200 cal. A sandwich with a rich mayo filling is up to 500 cal. That makes 700 cal, 28% of your daily intake. I don't see why this is huge - it is a meal, not a snack.

I mentioned crisps because that is a popular combo of lunch for a lot of people (diet or no diet is irrelevant). I've seen sandwiches came to 650 to 700cal in there...was :eek:

WTF ! As for 2500 for a male, i dunno if i burn that since i sit in the office all day.

m@rty · 7 Jul 2009 at 23:13

Raymond Lin said:
As for 2500 for a male, i dunno if i burn that since i sit in the office all day.

probably not

Knubje · 7 Jul 2009 at 23:17

Fair play to you Ray for trying to lose some weight and watch what you eat. Good on you!

However, through reading your OP, it just seemed a bit...I dunno...

Lozzick said:
Gay

vincent1989 · 7 Jul 2009 at 23:18

Raymond Lin said:
As for 2500 for a male, i dunno if i burn that since i sit in the office all day.

definitely not. afaik the recommended kcal intake also relies upon you walking the minimum recommended 10k steps per day.

Youstolemyname · 7 Jul 2009 at 23:18

Gotta agree with Mr Lin on this. Some of the sandwiches and pastas that the supermarkets and convenience stores punt out at lunch are horrificly laden with calories.

Make your own so you know whats in them I say..

Alex_6n2 · 7 Jul 2009 at 23:20

How to get people to like food that tastes like crap 101:

Add sugar.

I imagine without seeing the packets that the sandwiches are full of mostly mayo and other sugary/fatty crap.

Making you own sandwich on wholemeal bread with a proper meat:salad ratio > Cheap supermarket sandwiches

sven256 · 7 Jul 2009 at 23:24

cheets64 said:
I always make my own food bar the odd takeaway or subway, I know whats going into the meal, I cant stand those chilled sandwiches and pasta pots, bland expensive and unhealthy.

For me i would rather have one of those chilled sandwiches anyday, than a subway. Which use very low quality ingredience, at inflated prices.

Raymond Lin · 7 Jul 2009 at 23:25

vincent1989 said:
definitely not. afaik the recommended kcal intake also relies upon you walking the minimum recommended 10k steps per day.

Well, I do walk a mile to the station in the morning and a mile back, and at lunch i go for a 30 min walk...i don't really sit down all day