Posted on March 16, 2012 by Jenny Cromack

Ok so sometimes your give into your cravings whether it’s a drunken night out, rushed dinner or simply a case of the munchies that you can’t overcome. This generally means a terrible food choice, however there are ways we can significantly reduce the damage and save hundreds of calories.

Often when you eat out what sounds healthy on a menu might not actually be as healthy as it sounds……read on for more information!!

Just so you are aware this is not motive8 endorsing or in any way suggesting any of these meals. It is just so you can make an informed choice if you don’t have any other option.

Food Chain	Terrible Choice	Less terrible choice	Calories Saved
Wetherspoons	Large mixed grill- 1940kcal	Jacket potato, five bean chili- 575kcal	1365kcal
Prezzo	Crab cakes, courgette fries- 1265kcal	Pollo sicillana, gratinated potatoes- 498kcal	767kcal
Bella Italia	Burger Americano- 1508kcal	Pollo Saltimbocca- 699kcal	809kcal
Burger King	Whopper with cheese, regular fries- 1025kcal	Ocean catch, garden salad-526kcal	499kcal
Strada	Rigatoni Speck- 1113kcal	Spaghetti Ragu- 635kcal	478kcal
McDonalds	Sweet chilli chicken wrap, fries 719kcal	Cheeseburger, four mcnuggets 462kcal	257kcal
Greggs	Chicken club bauguette- 870kcal	Chicken tikka baguette- 513kcal	357kcal
Costa	Strawberry cooler, lemon muffin- 1176kcal	Mango cooler, butter croissant- 566kcal	610kcal
Café rouge	Salad Paysanne 1040kcal	Beef bourguignon- 749kcal	291kcal
Nandos	10 chicken wings- 858kcal	Half chicken, corn on the cob- 451kcal	407kcal

None of these meals are particularly healthy in any way shape or form, but there is nothing stopping you saving yourself another hour of training that week and saving yourself from unwanted calories. After all a typical hour gym session only burns of around 550kcal just to put it into perspective.

It is true there are people out there who can eat like a horse and not gain any weight, and they are probably thinking to themselves I eat this all the time and I’m still thin, they are extreme ectomorphs but that’s another story. These people are often know as fat-skinny people ie they may look thin but could still be fat on the inside. The point is even if you are training hard and maintaining weight on a diet similar to that stated above the unseen damage will still be taking place in your body, including factors such as:

• Increased cholesterol
• Raised blood pressure
• Increased risk of diabetes ( you don’t have to be overweight to develop the condition)
• Mood swings (bad glucose control)