Chinese Take-away

[Fleshpound]

Currently I'm dieting, I'm eating roughly 1500 calories per day (which, going by the recommended GDA, I would lose 500 calories per day with that diet).
However, I have a routine of having a chinese every friday, as I have done for the past 6 years. I don't intend to stop having it.

The chinese take-away themselves don't have nutritional information about the specific meal I have, so I have no idea how many calories it is.

I always have the same thing every week, and it is chips + curry sauce + fried rice in a tray. It's a rather large meal, it fills one of these: www(dot)wfdenny(dot)co.uk/images/bio_hp2.jpg

I was wondering, just about how many calories would be in a meal like that?

[n0useforaname]

Currently I'm dieting, I'm eating roughly 1500 calories per day (which, going by the recommended GDA, I would lose 500 calories per day with that diet).
However, I have a routine of having a chinese every friday, as I have done for the past 6 years. I don't intend to stop having it.

The chinese take-away themselves don't have nutritional information about the specific meal I have, so I have no idea how many calories it is.

I always have the same thing every week, and it is chips + curry sauce + fried rice in a tray. It's a rather large meal, it fills one of these: www(dot)wfdenny(dot)co.uk/images/bio_hp2.jpg

I was wondering, just about how many calories would be in a meal like that?

Good luck estimating that.. If you refuse to stop eating that meal every week, I would suggest you start to count calories.... weigh yourself once a week... then find out if you are gaining or losing.. if you are gaining, eat less food during the week..or be more active... don't see many other options..

[Fleshpound]

Good luck estimating that.. If you refuse to stop eating that meal every week, I would suggest you start to count calories.... weigh yourself once a week... then find out if you are gaining or losing.. if you are gaining, eat less food during the week..or be more active... don't see many other options..

I am counting calories, and I highly doubt that a once-per-week takeaway would negative a 3500 calorie deficit. But I was just wondering if anyone is able to estimate the amount of calories in the meal.

[DenchPress]

Currently I'm dieting, I'm eating roughly 1500 calories per day (which, going by the recommended GDA, I would lose 500 calories per day with that diet).
However, I have a routine of having a chinese every friday, as I have done for the past 6 years. I don't intend to stop having it.

The chinese take-away themselves don't have nutritional information about the specific meal I have, so I have no idea how many calories it is.

I always have the same thing every week, and it is chips + curry sauce + fried rice in a tray. It's a rather large meal, it fills one of these: www(dot)wfdenny(dot)co.uk/images/bio_hp2.jpg

I was wondering, just about how many calories would be in a meal like that?

Are you from the North of England ?

[nobrah]

I am counting calories, and I highly doubt that a once-per-week takeaway would negative a 3500 calorie deficit. But I was just wondering if anyone is able to estimate the amount of calories in the meal.

It's unlikely that Chinese take out would destroy all progress, but you could easily dig into a significant portion of it. I wouldn't be surprised if the majority of those meals are over 1000 calories.

[Sportsfuel]

It depends on the restaurant but around the 1,000 mark would be a fair guess. You could always have fried rice or chips as opposed to both.

[BoltOnAnd]

Just make it your one cheatmeal of the day. I'm going to guess the meal is mostly carbs. So I would just drop some carbs elsewhere (1 piece of fruit instead of 2, maybe one scoop of oats less) that day and eat a smaller portion of the take-out. You'll probably still peak over the 1500 kcal that day, but it can be your little refeed of sorts.

[texicus]

Currently I'm dieting, I'm eating roughly 1500 calories per day (which, going by the recommended GDA, I would lose 500 calories per day with that diet).
However, I have a routine of having a chinese every friday, as I have done for the past 6 years. I don't intend to stop having it.

The chinese take-away themselves don't have nutritional information about the specific meal I have, so I have no idea how many calories it is.

I always have the same thing every week, and it is chips + curry sauce + fried rice in a tray. It's a rather large meal, it fills one of these: www(dot)wfdenny(dot)co.uk/images/bio_hp2.jpg

I was wondering, just about how many calories would be in a meal like that?

TBH i'd just suck it up and stop eating that on your cut, cuts aren't forever.

Chinese food can pack some effing calories man. A pei wei by my house has nutritional info (run by PF Chang's, it's like their less classy restaurant branch) and some of the meals are in the high 1,000s-low 2,000s range. 600 kcals per serving but they give you like 4 servings (and one "serving" is hideously small)

most of the worst offenders are the greasy noodle bowls, fatty pork, etc.

[Fleshpound]

Thanks for the replies.

I guess I could make it two meals in one for the day, so that it doesn't majorly impact my calorie intake.

[tden99]

I would go to sticky and calculate TDEE and macros as well. You can't just go off a 2000calorie a day diet as your maintenance. a 250 lb males caloric intake will need to be higher than a 160 pound male. also 2000 calories is low end for males, especially weightlifters.

[Fleshpound]

I would go to sticky and calculate TDEE and macros as well. You can't just go off a 2000calorie a day diet as your maintenance. a 250 lb males caloric intake will need to be higher than a 160 pound male. also 2000 calories is low end for males, especially weightlifters.

I'm reading some of the stickies as we speak. It's quite confusing.

Is TDEE what you burn each day by doing minimal activity? If not, then how can I work out how much I burn each day by doing minimal activity? Once I know that I'm fine.....I just eat 500~ calories lower than that. But at the moment I'm just going by the basic "2000 calories for a man" thing.

EDIT: From doing some searching, it seems that I'm looking for BMR. I worked mine out and it says 2174. So I guess if I eat 500 less calories than that per day I should start losing weight slowly.

EDIT: I am also counting calories, probably should have mentioned that.

[germaine07]

I'm reading some of the stickies as we speak. It's quite confusing.

Is TDEE what you burn each day by doing minimal activity? If not, then how can I work out how much I burn each day by doing minimal activity? Once I know that I'm fine.....I just eat 500~ calories lower than that. But at the moment I'm just going by the basic "2000 calories for a man" thing.

EDIT: From doing some searching, it seems that I'm looking for BMR. I worked mine out and it says 2174. So I guess if I eat 500 less calories than that per day I should start losing weight slowly.

EDIT: I am also counting calories, probably should have mentioned that.

Multiply your BMR by an activity factor to find your maintenance. Then eat 500 below that number.

[Fleshpound]

Multiply your BMR by an activity factor to find your maintenance. Then eat 500 below that number.

What would I multiple it by if I just sit on the computer all day? (Which I do, due to that being my hobby and I study IT at college so I do all my work on the PC). So little to no exercise other than incidental exercise (typing, walking around the house etc.).

[germaine07]

What would I multiple it by if I just sit on the computer all day? (Which I do, due to that being my hobby and I study IT at college so I do all my work on the PC). So little to no exercise other than incidental exercise (typing, walking around the house etc.).

Yes. If all you do is sit around at the computer, multiply by 1.2

If that's all you do, then why are you on a bodybuilding forum?

[Fleshpound]

Yes. If all you do is sit around at the computer, multiply by 1.2

If that's all you do, then why are you on a bodybuilding forum?

My friend posts here and was given some great help regarding losing weight. So I thought I'd give it a try and so far it has been very beneficial for me.

[germaine07]

My friend posts here and was given some great help regarding losing weight. So I thought I'd give it a try and so far it has been very beneficial for me.

Are you trolling?

You plan to do no exercise and lose weight. I give up.

[Fleshpound]

Are you trolling?

You plan to do no exercise and lose weight. I give up.

How does that mean I am trolling? Many other people have said that if you consume less calories than what you naturally burn off, you will lose weight. Many websites have also stated that you can opt for the exercise way of losing weight, or the diet way, or both combined depending on how fast you want the results.

[dmacdonal9]

What would I multiple it by if I just sit on the computer all day? (Which I do, due to that being my hobby and I study IT at college so I do all my work on the PC). So little to no exercise other than incidental exercise (typing, walking around the house etc.).

This is how you will become what is called "skinny fat". You may want to research that term by searching the forums on this site.

[Fleshpound]

This is how you will become what is called "skinny fat". You may want to research that term by searching the forums on this site.

I did some searching as you said to, and I found some pictures that someone posted, claiming they are "skinny fat".
forum(dot)bodybuilding(dot)com/showthread.php?t=110060551

If that would be the eventual result of this diet, I would be sufficed with it.

EDIT: In a post on this forum, I saw someone mentioning that unless you're dieting for the purpose of improving your fitness, not to worry about turning skinny fat. The only reason I'm doing this change of lifestyle is to change my appearance in a day-to-day basis. I don't want muscles etc.

[n0useforaname]

I am counting calories, and I highly doubt that a once-per-week takeaway would negative a 3500 calorie deficit. But I was just wondering if anyone is able to estimate the amount of calories in the meal.

I never said that meal would negate a 3500 cal def... I just said eat it, count, weigh, then gauge from there.. If u eat it and still lose great.. If you gain eat less. Not rocket science. And no one will be spot on with guessing. Already guessing is between 1000 and 3000..

[leibowski]

IMHO drop the weekly Chinese for 2 months. If you have had it every Friday for six years why can't you stop for 2? If you must have Chinese food every Friday get one of those PF Changs meals from the frozen aisle in the grocery store so you can at least know the total calories in the meal.

[mp83]

If you are eating healthy and strict every other meal in the week, one meal of Chinese food won't kill your progress too much. Just don't go overboard and you'll be fine.

[Fleshpound]

IMHO drop the weekly Chinese for 2 months. If you have had it every Friday for six years why can't you stop for 2? If you must have Chinese food every Friday get one of those PF Changs meals from the frozen aisle in the grocery store so you can at least know the total calories in the meal.

Thanks for your advice!
But, if I dropped it for 2 months, then started having it again, couldn't I just end up putting weight back on slowly?

[n0useforaname]

Not if you are eating at a deficit

[Fleshpound]

Not if you are eating at a deficit

Ah I see.
Well I'm gonna go ahead and stick with my weekly routine of having the take-away and see if I'm still losing weight.

Not sure how, but I've managed to drop from 202.4 pounds down to 198.8 pounds in just 2 days. Surely a drastic change in my diet (I was eating probably 3000-3500 calories a day before) wouldn't result in me dropping around 4 pounds in 2 days?

[n0useforaname]

Ah I see.
Well I'm gonna go ahead and stick with my weekly routine of having the take-away and see if I'm still losing weight.

Not sure how, but I've managed to drop from 202.4 pounds down to 198.8 pounds in just 2 days. Surely a drastic change in my diet (I was eating probably 3000-3500 calories a day before) wouldn't result in me dropping around 4 pounds in 2 days?

Scale weight is tricky.. myself personally, I've seen the scale change up to 8 pounds in one day. Depending on how heavy the food you eat is, how much you drink, how much you sweat/move, etc.. And I think you are on the right track.. keep eating it and just weigh yourself once a week at the same time, same day.. If you gain, gauge from there. You can always cut back on food during the week.

[eliseash]

I'd be surprised if it came in at much less than 2000cals. Two cups of rice on its own is about 500cals before you even take into account oil, chips, curry...

If its the only thing you're eating that day, no damage done. But if your maintenance is really 2000, and you're eating fairly "normally" throughout the day, you could well be undoing 3 days of cutting each week.

[Fleshpound]

I'd be surprised if it came in at much less than 2000cals. Two cups of rice on its own is about 500cals before you even take into account oil, chips, curry...

If its the only thing you're eating that day, no damage done. But if your maintenance is really 2000, and you're eating fairly "normally" throughout the day, you could well be undoing 3 days of cutting each week.

After looking at some other chinese restaurant's calories in their meals, I am safe to assume it's very high. I think I'll go for a McDonalds/Burger King instead of the take-away, at least that way I know how many calories I'll be eating (which will be about 1000 for the McDonalds). That way I can work around that to keep within my 1500 daily intake

[ToughyIRE]

You have had Chinese food for six years every Friday and you get a 3-in-1. Wow, talk about boring, that's like the cheapest and most bland thing on the menu, also talk about carb overload too.

[Fleshpound]

You have had Chinese food for six years every Friday and you get a 3-in-1. Wow, talk about boring, that's like the cheapest and most bland thing on the menu, also talk about carb overload too.

Not really a topic-related post, if I wanted to discuss the price/quality of the food I wouldn't come here.