Olive Garden..?

[TheGrandmaster1]

I love this place, and I like to go about once every two weeks. I'm guessing however, it's not the best place to go for a good physique. In fact, it's probably terrible...right?

How bad is it if I get the Fetticcini Alfredo with Chicken Breast? I'm not really cutting right now, looking mostly for a (fairly) clean bulk. Does Olive Garden have simply too much fat it in, or are most dishes somewhat ok?

[Mikey1]

pasta + creamy fatty sauce = a fat ass

[TheGrandmaster1]

pasta + creamy fatty sauce = a fat ass

Yup, this is just what I was afraid of. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. I mean look at the stuff.

Maybe I'll just go to Roadhouse and have a sirloin and salad instead. Still delicious food. And those rolls....man o man!

[Mikey1]

well once every few weeks or something isnt too bad.....just dont go every other day......lol

[axewars]

italian restaurant food *in general* is about as bad and calorie filled as I can think of...def. better off getting a steak and salad while out dining with the rest of the world...

[martina92685]

Their alfredo sauce is all butter, so if you eat that and your bulk won't be clean. However, if you eat it once every two weeks as a cheat, then you won't kill yourself. I just wouldn't eat it every other day whether bulking or not.

[Lax891122]

they have some better stuff than alfredo. If i ever go I get their chicken girodino.. which is some chicken in a lemon sauce. It has a low fat branch next to it. Anyways.. its a cheat. Treat yourself once in awhile. That or get the 16oz sirloin from Texas Roadhouse.. like someone else said.

[TheKansan]

I love this place, and I like to go about once every two weeks. I'm guessing however, it's not the best place to go for a good physique. In fact, it's probably terrible...right?

How bad is it if I get the Fetticcini Alfredo with Chicken Breast? I'm not really cutting right now, looking mostly for a (fairly) clean bulk. Does Olive Garden have simply too much fat it in, or are most dishes somewhat ok?

You can eat healthy at almost any restaurant. The key is moderation, and planning.

On that note please follow this link:
http://www.dietfacts.com/list.asp?brand=olive_garden

This isn't everything on Olive Garden's menu, but it is just a few of the items so that you have a base for when you are trying to plan a healthy meal.

Good luck to you.

[Feny]

don't forget all thoes carbs... tons and tons of carbs... if your gonna eat pasta, make sure you do it after lifting.... that way the carbs go to good use...

[KryptoKnight]

Oh yes, Italian food, king of butter and cream. Fettucine Alfredo is probably one of the worst Italian foods you can eat. It has been labeled "Heart attack on a plate" many times. But hell, every two weeks isn't bad, it's a cheat!

[BlackRadio]

I just get the minestrone soup and salad. **** is so good.

[dvsness]

How sad. Olive Garden is like the McDonald's of Italian food.

[KryptoKnight]

How sad. Olive Garden is like the McDonald's of Italian food.

Which is why it's so damn cheap. Italian food isn't exactly the cheapest :\

[TheGrandmaster1]

italian restaurant food *in general* is about as bad and calorie filled as I can think of...def. better off getting a steak and salad while out dining with the rest of the world...

Yeah that's what I was afraid of. Italian food, with all that creamy sauce, is the food I literally feel the most guilty eating after a week of good workouts.

Well that, and those goddamn Hostess Cupcakes....

so good. :-(

[TheGrandmaster1]

don't forget all thoes carbs... tons and tons of carbs... if your gonna eat pasta, make sure you do it after lifting.... that way the carbs go to good use...

Yeah, that's another thing I was worried about. Basically, 125,000,000 carbs per serving of Olive Garden Fetticcini Alfredo.

Honestly, if you look at like store bought things that are similar, the carbs can be in the hundreds!

[dvsness]

Which is why it's so damn cheap. Italian food isn't exactly the cheapest :\

Real Italian food at least tastes good, though! OG is a lose-lose!

[DarinK]

Anyone here like Romano's macaroni grill? I do.

[polinutrigirl]

I love this place, and I like to go about once every two weeks. I'm guessing however, it's not the best place to go for a good physique. In fact, it's probably terrible...right?

How bad is it if I get the Fetticcini Alfredo with Chicken Breast? I'm not really cutting right now, looking mostly for a (fairly) clean bulk. Does Olive Garden have simply too much fat it in, or are most dishes somewhat ok?

All of their nutritional info. is online. When I go for lunch, I get the unlimited soup/salad. I don't eat the breadsticks (ew) and I get the salad w/ light dressing on the side, NO cheese, and get the minestrone soup.

[polinutrigirl]

Anyone here like Romano's macaroni grill? I do.

There's one in my area, but I've never been. I'm not really a pasta fan (prefer brown rice).

[SoWise]

ya know the OG has whole wheat noodles per request. I get that with a side of marinera

[xplosivsf]

Fazolli's > Olive Garden

I'd rather have a Chilli Mac MRE than OG's Chicken Marsala.

[IrockZ]

olive garden is a horrible bastardization of italian food and all those places should be fukn condemned.. low grade ingredients, bull**** cookie cutter dishes with "italian names" to fool people. its American food not even remotely italian.. believe it or not a lot of traditional italian cuisine is light.. growing up i dont think my grandmother EVER served anything with an alfredo sauce.. most sauces with the exception of sunday "gravy" were olive oil based and relatively healthy.. leave it to 4th and 5 th generation Americans to start pushing all of these butter based sauces...

[Death From Above]

get the mixed grill at olive garden if you go and eat a ****load of salad. The mixed grill thing is chicken, steak, and veggies all grilled, comes with potatoes too.

Its funny you say about roadhouse too cause around me theres a shopping center with an olive garden and roadhouse almost right next to eachother.

[AllusionDB]

olive garden is a horrible bastardization of italian food and all those places should be fukn condemned.. low grade ingredients, bull**** cookie cutter dishes with "italian names" to fool people. its American food not even remotely italian.. believe it or not a lot of traditional italian cuisine is light.. growing up i dont think my grandmother EVER served anything with an alfredo sauce.. most sauces with the exception of sunday "gravy" were olive oil based and relatively healthy.. leave it to 4th and 5 th generation Americans to start pushing all of these butter based sauces...

Thank you SO MUCH for saying that..if you didn't I was definitely going to have to. A lot of people don't understand the greatness of Italian cuisine. Not only is it usually light, but in Italy the proportions are perfect, not over-the-top like they are in American/Italian cuisine in the states. If you ever go to Italy and look around, you won't see your typical cinema-interpreted fat Italian man eating spaghetti & meatballs (which btw is not even an Italian dish - nor is chicken parmigian(sp?) ) You will see a spectacular cut of beef(bistecca fiorentina) and caprese salad, or bruschetta...pretty much all made thru the help of EVOO. Oh and a great bottle of vino rosso. Had to get that off my chest.

[roxy42277]

thats all i used to eat when i was a major fatty 3 years ago!!!! stay away even if its a clean bulk!!!

[Aindreas]

I'm not a huge fan of Olive Garden because it's so damn Americanized, but my mom wanted to go there for Mother's Day, so...

I ended up getting grilled salmon with broccoli drizzled in olive oil. And damn it, I liked it, and it wasn't even a cheat. Just don't eat the breadsticks or croutons, and you're good.

[Dr. Horse]

I'd be less worried about the nuritional content and more worried about your tastebuds. Olive garden is TERRIBLE!!

Seriously though, olive garden sucks.

But seriously, there are LOTS of healthy choices in italian food- it's not all cream sauces, though they can be enjoyed as well, in moderation. Tomato sauces are generally very healthy.

[TheGrandmaster1]

I've heard several people say to stay away from the Breadsticks. These are my favorite things there.

Is it because they are so loaded with carbs and butter that I ought to stay away from them.

Because I started Anabolic Pump Monday, and, while I'm bulking, I'm probably looking to get a lot of carbs. Do I still need to stay away from them awesome, delicious breadsticks....

*drools*

[Struct09]

How sad. Olive Garden is like the McDonald's of Italian food.

No way, that crown is reserved for Fazoli's!

Anyways, Olive Garden offers a fantastic salmon plate that I get when I go there. You can get nutritional information for some of their better items here: http://www.olivegarden.com/menus/garden_fare/

[dvsness]

No way, that crown is reserved for Fazoli's!

What the **** is a Fazoli?