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At Chipotle, How Many Calories Do People Really Eat?

nytimes.com

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Re: At Chipotle, How Many Calories Do People Really Eat?

#31

Post by CPLX »

edgyswingset wrote: post #19
skywhopper wrote: post #2

A few points to balance this out: 1. Many people don't finish what they order in one meal. I can generally get two meals out of a Chipotle burrito. Many do, of course, but that can't be sussed out of the data they used. In addition, the chips sides are sized to share, and I'd wager that most people who order those do share with someone else. 2. It's a mistaken assumption that one meal ought to be only 1/3 of your dai…

> I'd wager that most people who order those do share with someone else. I live in a college town and this is definitely not the case here. Most people buy them for themselves. Items are also typically eaten for one meal, but it's college students so that's to be expected. > It's a mistaken assumption that one meal ought to be only 1/3 of your daily calorie intake I think what they're getting at is what you're also m…

> an obese person who can run a mile is considered healthier than a skinny person who can't for example

Do you have a link or data to support that idea? Genuinely curious, as that doesn't sound right to me.

Re: At Chipotle, How Many Calories Do People Really Eat?

#32

Post by jusben1369 »

I lost interest in Chipotle pretty quickly and had begun labelling it Chipsaltle when family or friends wanted to eat there. So the sodium data was interesting to me and validated what I felt after eating there (parched a few hours later)

I'm not for or against fast food. I just think Chipotle has wonderful marketing and has really tapped into what people _want_ to believe or have. I want all the conveniences of fast food without feeling like it's unhealthy or responsible for big agriculture. I don't think it's going to end well.....

Re: At Chipotle, How Many Calories Do People Really Eat?

#33

Post by edgyswingset »

JoelSutherland wrote: post #7

Click around with this nice tool: http://www.chipotlefan.com/index.php?id=nutrition_calculator Skip the tortilla, sour cream and chips and you've just saved 980 calories. Without those it's hard to create a meal that has a calorie issue. Aside from the sodium, Chipotle is darn healthy.

I'd wager the most popular items worldwide stray from the healthy range. I only have personal experience in two college towns to go off, but it's just what I've seen. People don't line up for a healthy salad bowl, they line up for a big burrito.

Re: At Chipotle, How Many Calories Do People Really Eat?

#34

Post by jemacniddle »

johnward wrote: post #28
jemacniddle wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Carbohydrates are most certainly not 'unhealthy'. Care to cite any sources?

Carbohydrates are the most likely to cause an insulin response which causes weight gain. I'm not saying they are "unhealthy" but I think we, in the US, eat unhealthy amounts particularly refined sugars.

Protein can also be fairly insulinogenic.

Re: At Chipotle, How Many Calories Do People Really Eat?

#35

Post by johnward »

ebbv wrote: post #10
kfk wrote: post #6

Calories are a very broad way to measure what we need in terms of food. Eating 200-2500 at 50-60% carbs tends to make me fat-ter than eating 3000 at 20%. I cook most of the food I eat, but I take calories into account very broadly, more narrowly when I diet. Just to say, 1000 kcal might be half day worth of your energy needs on paper, in reality it's much more complex than that. In fact, if you are eating decent food…

> Eating 200-2500 at 50-60% carbs tends to make me fat-ter than eating 3000 at 20%. This is horse shit. It does not matter what form the calories are in, if you are eating too many you will gain weight. If you eat less than you need you will lose weight. Source: I lost over 100 lbs in 2010-2011.

Not necessarily "horse shit". We know sugars produce insulin responses. We know insulin causes growth/weightgain. We know carbs most directly convert to sugar, followed by protein, followed by fat. So in theory you may be able to eat more fat and protein without gaining AS much weight. Now if you are at a calorie deficit you aren't going to gain I agree with that but I can consume more calories of high fat / low carb and still lose weight.

The bottom line with dieting is find something that works for you.

Re: At Chipotle, How Many Calories Do People Really Eat?

#36

Post by CPLX »

kfk wrote: post #6

Calories are a very broad way to measure what we need in terms of food. Eating 200-2500 at 50-60% carbs tends to make me fat-ter than eating 3000 at 20%. I cook most of the food I eat, but I take calories into account very broadly, more narrowly when I diet. Just to say, 1000 kcal might be half day worth of your energy needs on paper, in reality it's much more complex than that. In fact, if you are eating decent food…

> Eating 200-2500 at 50-60% carbs tends to make me fat-ter than eating 3000 at 20%.

This is obviously factually incorrect.

Relevant story: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/

Re: At Chipotle, How Many Calories Do People Really Eat?

#37

Post by vinceguidry »

johnward wrote: post #28
jemacniddle wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Carbohydrates are most certainly not 'unhealthy'. Care to cite any sources?

Carbohydrates are the most likely to cause an insulin response which causes weight gain. I'm not saying they are "unhealthy" but I think we, in the US, eat unhealthy amounts particularly refined sugars.

> I'm not saying they are "unhealthy"

Umm, I think you did.

Re: At Chipotle, How Many Calories Do People Really Eat?

#38

Post by edgyswingset »

CPLX wrote: post #31
edgyswingset wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'd wager that most people who order those do share with someone else. I live in a college town and this is definitely not the case here. Most people buy them for themselves. Items are also typically eaten for one meal, but it's college students so that's to be expected. > It's a mistaken assumption that one meal ought to be only 1/3 of your daily calorie intake I think what they're getting at is what you're also m…

> an obese person who can run a mile is considered healthier than a skinny person who can't for example Do you have a link or data to support that idea? Genuinely curious, as that doesn't sound right to me.

Found one[0], but I'm sure you could also find more. This is stuff that's often taught in health programs at universities during a section on cardiorespiratory fitness. The general idea is that a fat person who can run well can support their body, whereas a skinny person who can't run well cannot support their body.

[0]http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=77036...

Re: At Chipotle, How Many Calories Do People Really Eat?

#39

Post by wdewind »

bluedino wrote: post #21

That huge tortilla has so many empty calories in it. Just like the Subway health fad. Jared lost weight eating 6" veggie subs without cheese or mayo. People load up that huge foot long bun with cheese and sauce, an oven roasted chicken breast sub is 960 calories with mayo and cheese. Add in a soft drink and a bag of chips and you're triple what Jared would eat.

Describing calories as "empty" is not really a useful way to think about nutrition. Carbs are not "empty," they are your primary energy source.

In fact, as you point out, Jared lost weight primarily by removing fats from his diet, not carbs.

Re: At Chipotle, How Many Calories Do People Really Eat?

#40

Post by wdewind »

johnward wrote: post #28
jemacniddle wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Carbohydrates are most certainly not 'unhealthy'. Care to cite any sources?

Carbohydrates are the most likely to cause an insulin response which causes weight gain. I'm not saying they are "unhealthy" but I think we, in the US, eat unhealthy amounts particularly refined sugars.

The insulin response absolutely does not cause excess weight gain by itself. Many people are confused about how it contributes to weight gain. The only significant effect it has is behavioral: for some people it can cause you to feel like you need to eat again sooner. But if you stay calorically balanced, for the purposes of weight management, it really doesn't matter how much of your diet is made up of carbs.

We in the US eat too much period. It's not about which macronutrient we overeat, though carbs tend to be easier to eat a lot of than fats or proteins, and are cheaper to create. But again, the focus needs to be on caloric intake, not on specific macronutrients.

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