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Attack of the 1,000-Calorie Entrees!

Posted Mon, Feb 26, 2007, 6:00 am PST
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Think salads are safe? That grilled always equals guilt-free? Even healthy-sounding entrees can be cleverly disguised diet disasters! Here are some of the worst offenders, courtesy of your pal HG.

SALAD INSANITY

Bob Evans Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad
(1,108 calories, 63g fat, 2,741mg sodium, 63g carbs, 7g fiber, 43g sugars, 40g protein)

Fruit, nuts, and sliced chicken...on lettuce? This salad sounds wholesome enough. But don't be fooled! Bacon, bleu cheese, and gobs of Italian dressing all play a part in this salad's pitiful nutritionals. Over 1,100 calories for a salad?! We're on to you, Bob.  

Hardee's Southwest Chicken Salad

(1,100 calories, 83g fat, 1,910mg sodium, 59g carbs, 4g fiber, 6g sugars, 29g protein)

Yes, Southwest chicken salads are delicious, but one with 83 fat grams is embarrassing. You may as well have a fat hamburger and a giant order of fries. Sheesh!

Bob Evans Chili & Cheese Taco Salad

(1,381 calories, 72g fat, 3,263mg sodium, 182g carbs, 23g fiber, 30g sugars, 42g protein)

Aha! Another salad sure to screw up your day, courtesy of Bob Evans. This one's slightly more suspicious sounding, with a double whammy of chili and cheese right there in the title. Mounds of cheddar and sausage chili smothered in avocado ranch dressing make this plate of fatty goo one you don't wanna mess with!

Chili's Mesquite Chicken Salad with Dressing

(1,050 calories, 69g fat, 3,110 sodium, 56g carbs, 11g fiber, 58g protein)

You might have guessed that their famous Baby Back Ribs are bad for those battling the bulge (and you'd have guessed right), but a mesquite chicken salad, too?!? Yep. Layers of bacon and cheese, complete with a thick blob of fat-packed ranch dressing, all adds up to over 1,000 calories of horribleness.


CRIMES AGAINST CHICKEN

 
McDonald's Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips (10 piece)
(1,270 calories, 66g fat, 3,100mg sodium, 92g carbs, 0g fiber, 77g protein)


Premium Breast Strips? That's just a fancy way of saying fried chicken fingers! Call 'em what you want, Ronald, but your Chicken Selects are a clucking MESS!  And you KNOW people dip those things in your sugary BBQ sauce or creamy honey mustard, too. And those just take this already offensive meal FAR over the edge.  

P.F. Chang's Orange Peel Chicken
(1,151 calories, 47g fat, 127g carbs, 61g protein)

Here's another seemingly healthful offering. Chicken "tossed with chili peppers and fresh orange peel" -- how bad could that be? Upon closer inspection, we uncovered that this particular chicken dish contains both Kung Pao and Sichuan sauces, two notoriously high-cal condiments. By the time this bird hits your plate, it's dragging more than eleven hundred calories with it. Yeech!

Macaroni Grill Honey Balsamic Chicken
(1,220 calories, 67g fat, 2,750mg sodium, 94g carbs, 10g fiber, 57g protein)

Think choosing poultry over pasta at Macaroni Grill will keep you fitting into your skinny jeans? Not if this dish is any indication. Here's a little tip: Instead order something called Pollo Magra (Skinny Chicken), and save yourself more than 900 calories and over 60 grams of fat!
 
Chili's Monterey Chicken
(1,170 calories, 71g fat, 3,530mg sodium, 70g carbs, 8g fiber, 72g protein)

Yet another of Chili's calorically challenged chicken dishes. Their Monterey Chicken, a cheese, bacon, and BBQ sauce smothered entree, packs in an alarming 1,170 calories and more than 70 grams of fat. Gross!


BROCCOLI BEHAVING BADLY


P.F. Chang's Beef with Broccoli (dinner portion)
(1,120 calories, 65g fat, 38g carbs, 93g protein)

Come on, Chang! Beef with Broccoli is one of those Asian entrees even WE were sure we could safely chew! But it just isn't so. P.F.'s meat 'n mini trees are suffocated with sugar, sauce, cornstarch, and oil. That's just wrong.

Ruby Tuesday Fresh Chicken & Broccoli Pasta
(2,061 calories, 128g fat, 109g net carbs, 13g fiber)

Yikes! It's official; we have a winner (well, actually a loser). This dish has broken the calorie barrier, racking up more than any other on the list. Chicken and broccoli were clearly assaulted over at Ruby T, and emerged as a freakishly fattening entree with more than 2,000 calories and nearly 130 fat grams!  How on Earth can Ruby T's get away with this?!


GRILLS GONE WILD


Macaroni Grill Grilled Salmon (Teriyaki)
(1,290 calories, 81g fat, 6,600mg sodium, 79g carbs, 5g fiber, 57g protein)

Record highs were reached on the sodium scale the day this dish was born. There's nearly three times the daily recommended allowance of the stuff swimming around with this salmon. And even if we could get past the icky amounts of salt, we're deeply offended by the crazy calorie and fat counts attached to this simple grilled fish dish. Yikes!

Macaroni Grill Grilled Pork Chops

(1,800 calories, 107g fat, 4,950mg sodium, 92g carbs, 8g fiber, 115g protein)

Yep, a third entree on our thou-cal-plus list from those maniacs at Macaroni Grill. This one contains more than 100 grams of fat and a horrifying 1,800 calories. Uhh, pork, the other white meat?! Not in this case...


AFTERNOON OFFENDERS


P.F. Chang's Lo Mein Combo (lunch portion)
(1,740 calories, 122g fat, 98g carbs, 55g protein)


If you think ordering up the lunch portion keeps you safe out there, you are sadly mistaken. Chang's downsized order of Lo Mein includes beef, chicken, pork, shrimp, and enough fat and calories to feed an entire family. Can you even IMAGINE how many calories and fat grams the dinner size packs in?! 

Burger King TRIPLE WHOPPER Sandwich
(1,130 calories, 74g fat, 1,160mg sodium, 51g carbs, 3g fiber, 11g sugars, 67g protein)

And rounding out our list is a true triple threat. This BK burger's a royal mess of a meal. But then again, would you expect anything less from a TRIPLE WHOPPER?!
 

Average (2213 Ratings): 4.5 out of 5 stars

  • 1. Posted by Mimi on Mon, Feb 26, 2007, 10:22 am PST

    I really enjoy learning what we shouldn't eat. But could you please list the things we can eat. I am hungry! Thanks lot. You are doing a great job.

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  • 2. Posted by SJG on Mon, Feb 26, 2007, 4:08 pm PST

    Wow...Seems like they are huge portions! Are these meals for a whole tribe or what! :O

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  • 3. Posted by jennycherie73 on Wed, Feb 28, 2007, 4:06 am PST

    I think your articles are great but one problem I see this time - - you included the chicken select strips; but the portion you gave was a 10 piece??? who eats a 10 piece and thinks that is only one meal? I believe the recommended portion for one person isTHREE which come in at less calories than a double cheeseburger. Still not healthy, but not as scary as declared here.

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  • 4. Posted by redrdr03 on Wed, Feb 28, 2007, 11:13 am PST

    Wow, that is so depressing...women everywhere have yet another misleading choice they have to examine!

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  • 5. Posted by Beth R on Wed, Feb 28, 2007, 11:24 am PST

    I've yet to eat a McDonald's Chicken Select that wasn't shriveled, dried up and tough, so I won't be missing those.

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  • 6. Posted by dbunnie on Wed, Feb 28, 2007, 11:25 am PST

    Hey, guess what - all of these examples are meat based. Of course they are fattening! Pack your own lunch and eat more fresh fruits and veggies! How much more simple can you get? Also, restaurant entrees are huge- eat half and save the rest for another meal. And come on, who expects places like Bob Evans, Chili's, McD's and Burger King to have healthy food?? Laughable.

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  • 7. Posted by diablita_tx on Wed, Feb 28, 2007, 11:28 am PST

    well my comment is more generalized. She said if you eat a salald with 83 grams of fat you might as well eat a cheesburger and fries. well that's not really true. If you are eating the "fat" salad, at least you are getting fiber and vitamins from vegetables,healthy oils from nuts,dairy from cheese maybe, and natural sugar from fruit. Even with lots of calories, it;'s still a better choice than a processed patty on a oily grill, with fries cooked in animal fat and salted! Just don't douse that yummy halthy salasd in a thick creamy dressing and it should be fine for lunch. jsut go carbless and low fat for dinner that night!

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  • 8. Posted by WWW.PENNIESCENTS.com on Wed, Feb 28, 2007, 11:34 am PST

    that pasta one at ruby tuesday scared me like none other on the list.....BUT CLEARLY WE FORGET THAT THE RESTURANTS ARE NOT IN IT FOR OUR WASTELINES AND FAT TASTE GOOD AND THATAS ALL THEY CARE ABOUT.

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  • 9. Posted by the_lovely_nancy on Wed, Feb 28, 2007, 11:43 am PST

    Sometimes it's better to live in denail.

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  • 10. Posted by kathy m on Wed, Feb 28, 2007, 12:12 pm PST

    I always get burger kings grilled chicken salad ! wonder how bad that is !!!

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  • 11. Posted by cmcdonald13901 on Wed, Feb 28, 2007, 12:21 pm PST

    What about McDonald's Asian Chicken Salad? Anyone know how bad that is?

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  • 12. Posted by sauni_jeffries on Wed, Feb 28, 2007, 12:27 pm PST

    just when you think your eating healthy foods, one of these ooh so informative articles surfaces on the internet.....whats a girl to do...so whats good to eat?

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  • 13. Posted by Kathleen on Wed, Feb 28, 2007, 12:29 pm PST

    PF Changs serves family size portions which means that one serving really feeds about 4 people. No way can anyone eat the orange peel chicken in one sitting, but it is one of the most delicious items on the menu. I like to eat 1/4 of the dish and throw away the rest. Its the rice and noodles that I have to watch out for because the carbs go right to my waist. I can walk in a size 28 jeans and walk out a 34. (he he he)

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  • 14. Posted by diandras88 on Wed, Feb 28, 2007, 12:37 pm PST

    alot of food that i tought was healthy it isnt that much..so what food i have to eat..? ..maybe there is some food that eliminate each others fat??

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  • 15. Posted by greendia13 on Wed, Feb 28, 2007, 12:43 pm PST

    For the person asking about McDonald's Asian Chicken Salad, you can go to their website to see the nutritional info... The Asian Grilled Chicken salad has 300 calories and 10 grams of fat(1 gram saturated). 6 grams of fat comes from the almonds(which are a good fat) Adding the lowfat sesame ginger dressing adds 90 calories and 2.5 grams of fat. So all together you're looking at 390 calories and 12.5 grams of fat. Not too bad really since 1/2 of the fat is the good kind. You also get 5 grams of fiber and 32 grams of protein. However, sodium is high 63% of your daily intake if you have the dressing.... But if you don't have it every day and decrease your sodium elsewhere it doesn't seem so bad.

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  • 16. Posted by worshipwife on Wed, Feb 28, 2007, 2:03 pm PST

    For restaurant salads, you just have to be cautious of what is actually in the salad. Does it have croutons, nuts, cheese, bacon, or high fat dressing? All of these are high calorie, high fat items that can easily be removed by making your salad choice with one that has mostly greens and veggies. Then maybe if you want to add some protein add some grilled (not fried) chicken or some cheese. Then top off with low-fat dressing of your choice. Unfortunately, most restaurants only offer one low-fat dressing and it may not be something you are crazy about. (Maybe us salad lovers should carry our very own bottle of the new salad dressing spritzer's in our purse!) Yeah right, like that's gonna happen! Thanks for the info HG!

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  • 17. Posted by M C on Wed, Feb 28, 2007, 3:02 pm PST

    Why put the triple whopper in this article...now, that is obviously a bad choice.

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  • 18. Posted by bgrayesq on Wed, Feb 28, 2007, 3:25 pm PST

    I knew that. I have just been doing my best to forget. I am going to carry this story around with me to make sure that I don't get sucked into the "Lite" menu items that I know are not "Lite" at all.

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  • 19. Posted by Jules on Wed, Feb 28, 2007, 3:35 pm PST

    Back before my Lap-Band when I could eat food I found a great little pizza place that had a salad with a great lettus choice, dice pears, and dressing. I special requested a smalls sprinkle of cheese on top and nixed the dressing. This is a great salad with out dressing as the pears gave it a great taste. You can make this and take it to work with you very easily, I use Romaine Lettuce, baby Spinach leafs, half pear diced small, and a sprinkle of low-fat cheese, add a table spoon of your favorite dressing if you must have dressing. At a lot of places you can request changes to salads to make them better suite you and they are cool with it.

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  • 20. Posted by melvinkelller on Wed, Feb 28, 2007, 3:47 pm PST

    Carbs are not bad just get off your fat butt and exersice.Pushup, situp, freeweight sqauts, and pull ups not only will you lose weight but you will look and feel better and the exercise above can be done everyday. put your self through your own BASIC TRAINING

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  • 21. Posted by lmen_91@yahoo.com on Wed, Feb 28, 2007, 4:23 pm PST

    i love burger king this is all LIES

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  • 22. Posted by cindybin2001 on Wed, Feb 28, 2007, 4:42 pm PST

    I have written to Hungry-Girl before, to try and tell them that they are perpetuating the myth that fat and calories make you fat. That is not the case. It is sugar and refined carbs, which create imbalanced hormones. You can eat lots of fat and not gain weigh, as long as you keep your insulin level in check. That means adjusting your intake of healthy, whole grain carbs according to your metabolism and activity level. I eat salads drizzled in olive oil, which is nothing BUT fat, and obviously high in calories! And I will put full-fat cheese on that salad! And I lost weight eating this way! I also eat veggies slathered in real butter, as much as I want. And I eat cream cheese, real mayo, cream, sour cream, etc. Not TONS, but there is nothing wrong with eating these foods, and they are better for you than the low-fat versions which replace the good, healthy fat with sugar, starches and chemicals which raise your insulin level and can cause fat to be stored. Remember, it is imbalanced hormones that cause weight gain, not fat and calories. One could eat a stick of butter and not gain weight; it will go right through you. But combine that stick of butter with sugar or refined carbs, as in cookies or cake or donuts, and it has the potential to pack on pounds. So it is not the fatty salad dressing and such that causes weight gain. Go ahead and eat full-fat salad dressing (no sugar) or olive oil on your salad. And cheese! Just avoid the refined carbs like croutons.

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  • 23. Posted by Maria on Wed, Feb 28, 2007, 4:44 pm PST

    Just stick to spinach and grilled chicken with bell pepper and onions...with either a light (and I do mean light) drizzle of olive oil and vinegar, or a light italian dressing (again small amount), OR the salad spritzer...oh, don't forget the mushrooms!

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  • 24. Posted by worshipwife on Wed, Feb 28, 2007, 5:59 pm PST

    To Cindybin and others: I agree with what you are saying to some extent, but not everyone can do the high fat no carb diet. I tried this myself and had many problems with that way of eating. The number one problem I had was maintaining that lifestyle. I know that for some, eating that way has been very successful. My suggestion is to eat healthy and excercise. A good book to read that covers a completely balanced way of eating is the Maker's Diet by Dr. Jordin Rubin. This book changed my life, literally. It taught me what to eat and what not to eat. (Such as: what fats are actually good for you?) I do agree that we take in way to much flour and sugar. But for the sake of simplicity, the topic at hand was about restaurant salads. I for one actually choose whole fat salad dressings because they are healthier than low-fat. They have less sugar and added preservatives. (But there again, most commercially processed dressings have added MSG. So your best bet is to make your own, or shop at Whole Foods and find one that has none.) But if you have to eat out, try to choose the healthiest meal you can by reading the ingredients on the menu. It doesn't take a rocket scientest to figure out that...hmm...croutons...(a fried food)....are probably going to be more empty calories than you want or need.

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  • 25. Posted by robbodabbo2004 on Thu, Mar 01, 2007, 8:05 pm PST

    I quit smoking nearly 6 months ago and gained more weight than I did after two babies?! I know I eat about the same amount of food as before when I didn't gain an ounce but realized I have more of a sweet tooth than before. It must be the sugar!

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  • 26. Posted by Blondie on Fri, Mar 02, 2007, 8:53 am PST

    omg thats just wrong... Im never eating the Monterey Chicken again!

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  • 27. Posted by K S on Fri, Mar 02, 2007, 9:19 am PST

    A TRIPLE WHOPPER??? I am sorry to say this, but who REALLY needs a TRIPLE WHOPPER anyway????

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  • 28. Posted by locket1962 on Fri, Mar 02, 2007, 10:03 am PST

    hey, just stay away from Fast Food.... beware of anything sold at a FAST FOOD restaurant... Period.. It's never going to be all that great for you. Weight Watcher for life!!!

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  • 29. Posted by on Fri, Mar 02, 2007, 10:40 am PST

    What about Applebee's WW entrees? They tell you the nutrional content right in the menu.

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  • 30. Posted by gaeasdaughter on Fri, Mar 02, 2007, 12:02 pm PST

    I agree with others posting here ... great information. Now please tell us which dishes AREN'T horribly fattening.

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