I'll Just Have A Salad – Weekly Weigh In

This week at Weight Watchers, I was expecting a good number.  I had a good week.  It’s amazing how that works.  You do the work, you get the results.  You don’t do the work, you don’t.  It’s not rocket Science people.  But, I still have ups and downs anyway!  So…this week I was expecting a good number and that is just what I got!

Yeah! A Good Week!

I was down 3.4 pounds!  YEAH!!!!!

It feels good to have good weeks!  My clothes feel better, I have more energy and I am in a better mood.  I just need to keep it going.

This week’s topic was all about salads.

How many times have we gone to a restaurant with friends and thought we would be good so we say, “I’ll just have a salad!”  Little did we know, we could be consuming more calories and fat than some people at the table ordering “unhealthy foods!”

We just need to be careful when choosing salads at a restaurant.  My advice would be to do the research AHEAD of going out to eat.  Then, there aren’t any surprises as to what you get when you order.

My favorite salad at any restaurant used to be the Chili’s Quesadilla Explosion salad.  I was doing so good because I was ordering a salad.  Well…my favorite salad has 1300 calories and 86 grams of fat!  It is a whopping 35 Weight Watchers points plus!  IN ONE SALAD!!!!!!!!!!!!

See what I mean?!?

Here are the Points Plus Values for some other salads at some Restaurants:

Applebee’s Bruschetta Chicken Salad, Regular (with dressing) – 30 points plusLonghorn’s Grilled Salmon Salad (no dressing)- 22 points plusOutback’s Aussie Chicken Cobb Salad Crispy (no dressing) – 22 points plusChili’s Caribbean Shrimp Salad (no dressing) – 16 points plusTaco Bell Cantina Bowl with Chicken(as served) – 14 points plusWendy’s Apple Pecan Salad (no dressing) – 9 points plusChick-fil-A Grilled Chicken Salad (no dressing) – 5 points plusSubway Black Forest Ham Salad (no dressing) – 3 points plus

NOTE:  Some of these do not include salad dressing.  Depending on the salad dressing you put on it, you should add the appropriate points plus for the dressing (which can really add up!)

If you are wanting to plan ahead BEFORE going out to a restaurant, the internet can be a wonderful resource to find nutritional information.  On most of the websites in the salads above, it was VERY easy to find the nutrition information.

However, you have to be careful.  I went to California Pizza Kitchen’s website to look up information for my leader because she loves going there.  Well, their nutrition facts are tricky because they only give you saturated fat and not TOTAL fat.  The points will be way off if you don’t know the TOTAL fat grams.  I don’t know if they are trying to be sneaky or what but they didn’t pull one over on me!

I found a great article that shows you 15 Salads Worse than a Big Mac.  You definitely want to avoid these when eating out.

Salads are not always a bad choice when eating out.  Obviously they can be a great choice if you do your research ahead of time.  Just plan ahead so you aren’t shocked when you find out that your salad is not exactly a “healthy choice!”

What is your favorite, healthy salad when eating out?  Let’s share some good options so we all know what to choose next time!

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My name is Jennifer, I’m 35 and I currently live in a suburb outside of Atlanta. I live with my husband, Jason and Shi-tzu, Maggie. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends.
My full time job is teaching elementary school. My part time job is private tutoring after school for grades K-6. I have been on my weight loss journey my entire life but just began to take it seriously two years ago when I decided it was time to start a family. I didn’t want to be one of those people who others look and and say, “Is she pregnant or just really fat?” At the rate I was going, that question would certainly be asked. So, two years ago I joined Weight Watchers. Now, closing in on losing 100 pounds, my life is healthier and I am happier. Now…bring on the baby!
My blog is here for you to be inspired, learn something new, and hear all about all new products I try. Join me on this weight loss journey as I go through ups and downs, good and bad, and continue to take it one day at a time!

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