Calorie counts to be added to restaurant food menus

Shenshen wrote: »

And how do you know if a meal is healthy if you've got no idea what went in it when it was being cooked?

How exactly does calorie counting show you this?
I'd agree with a list of ingredients, but calorie counting is bullsh1t.

LordSmeg wrote: »

Calorie counting isnt nonsense its essential if you want to lose or maintain a healthy weight. You cannot control your weight if you dont control the calories your taking in. Which you cannot do if you dont monitor them.

I've lost a shed load of weight twice now (after I've had each child), and I'll do it again once this baby's out - and none of it will involve calorie counting!!
It is hardly 'essential'!! lol!!

flutterflye wrote: »

I've lost a shed load of weight twice now (after I've had each child), and I'll do it again once this baby's out - and none of it will involve calorie counting!!
It is hardly 'essential'!! lol!!

I'm after losing 14kg in the last year, and without an idea of how many calories my meals contain I wouldn't have been able to do it.
I haven't been micro-managing and weighing things to the nearest gram, but I did pay attention to what I put in my food, and I did read the calorie contents of everything "ready-made".

I've got lots more weight to shift, and if restaurants listed their calorie contents, it would most definitely help.
I've recently been traveling for business reasons and was living off restaurant and hotel food for 2 weeks. Despite making sure to exercise for at least an hour each day (pool and cycling), I still gained a kilo.
It's hard to make a right choice if you don't know what your choices actually are.

LordSmeg wrote: »

Is it for most people who are not naturally thin. You stated counting calories that you take in is not a healthy way of thinking about food. You think eating less pies and cakes is equivalent to a healthy diet.

And you think all this must be true because you have lost weight after a pregnancy ? Yeah you're the kind of person we should be taking advice from alright. lol

What are you on about?

Each time I get pregnant, I put on 3 or 4 stone - not entirely sure how!!
Then after about 6mths or a year, maybe even 2 years, I will start eating healthily and exercising regularly - lose about 1-2 pounds a week, and with continued willpower, I lose it all after maybe 6months.

The weight after pregnancy does not just fall off!
You have to work really bloody hard to lose it.

But I don't constantly think about food - I just alter my diet, and my portion sizes.
I reduce junk food, but don't cut it out.
It's the exercising that's hard to maintain, but you have to just keep pushing yourself.

And I am not naturally thin!!
I am naturally curvy (actually curvy, not a synonym for fat!), and I put on weight very quickly in these curvy areas.
Even when I lose all the weight, I am not skinny or anything - just normal.

Really, your posts are making absolutely no sense.
Why is it that you believe calorie counting to be essential?!!
It doesn't even promote a healthy lifestyle - with calorie counting, you could use your calories up on unhealthy foods, and just eat 'free foods' for the rest of the day - getting hardly any proper nutrients.
What I am saying is the proper and healthy way of losing weight and maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle!

I don't buy this complaint from restaurants who change their menu daily. They may change the menu daily but the chef isn't going to invent a new dish every morning. He can just work out the cals based on the ingredients when he does his costings.

If anything it should cost less for restaurants who regularly change their menus, the ones with static menus will have to update menu boards on the wall for the first time in years, those who change daily would be throwing out their previous menus tomorrow morning anyway.

flutterflye wrote: »

Well done on your weight loss!!

Thanks! As I said, still got a long way to go. That's why I'd be in favour of the calorie listings... every little bit can help. :)

LordSmeg wrote: »

I'd imagine the people happiest about this are those who are health conscious. I give a shít about my weight and try to go for a healthy option when eating out but the fact is thats its impossible to know whats healthy on a menu without knowing what goes into making it.

You go to McDonalds and you can see just how bad the burger is for ya then go to a restaurant and have no idea how good the salad is. Whats the point in knowing whats bad for ya when you cant find the stuff thats good for ya ?

Indeed, I think there was an investigation and some of the "healthy" McDonalds choices didn't have that much less calories as a Big Mac.

LordSmeg wrote: »

Its essential in that it enables you to know your limits food wise and not eat so much calories that you make your exercising redundant in regards to weight loss or maintenance. Your talking about "healthy portions". Whats a healthy portion ? Handful ? Plateful ? You need to measure it to know its a healthy portion and counting the calories allows you to do that.

I'm not saying you can eat 2k calories of ice cream and thats a healthy diet, thats just ridiculous but its essential you keep track of what you are eating and how much of it. You did this by estimating the calories with your portion control thing. Its the exact same principal only you estimated it while counting calories is more precise.

Your original comment was "you dont need to know how many calories you eat, just eat less pies and cakes and exercise. Its simple" Now your a person who has to work hard to maintain your body, you have to alter your diet and monitor how much of what you eat. Pretty much contradicting your initial statement entirely. lol

How does that contradict anything???
You simply alter your diet and exercise.
It is hard work to keep it up, but you just do if you want to get to your goal.
It does not occupy your mind, you just get on with it.

I'd know a lot of people who do this calorie counting thing, and every meal, snack, or drink other than water involves adding and counting.
Literally every time they put anything to their mouth like - that cannot be a healthy attitude (although it might improve your maths skills!).

What do you mean how do you know what a healthy portion size is?
You just know.
You read up initially if you don't know.
It's not rocket science.

And why are you trying to tell me that I estimated calories or whatever you said?
Eh.. no, no I didn't!

Am delighted this is being introduced. If you don't want to know the calorie count in your meal then don't pay any attention it. But that's no reason why those who do care about what's going into their bodies are deprived of the information.

And it's nothing to do with a "Nanny State", it's an informed decision. Act like an adult.