The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[GucciGoo]

I am having my mom's Surprise 60th birthday party at PF Chang's next weekend. I want to stay on plan a tiny bit of deviation is ok- but no bad carbs like rice or noodles). I was thinking about having the wonton soup minus the wontons, stir-fried Buddha's Feast Veggies, and Mongolian Beef. I realize there is probably some sugar in the Mongolian Beef, but I don't know what else to get.

Any ideas?

[Aerie]

I can't help you too much with suggestions but boy do I love P.F. Chang's.

[DogMa]

There's plenty of fat in all that, too, I'm sure. Last time I went there, I wound up walking out. The only steamed dish they had was salmon, which I don't like. And they wouldn't MAKE anything steamed for me. (It actually worked out well, because I hate their food anyway. When I want Chinese food, I want AUTHENTIC Chinese food.)

Your best best is probably their "training menu," where they give nutritional info for each dish. Nothing on there is ideal, but you can have a smaller portion and at least be OK. (And at least you'll know what you're getting.)

[GucciGoo]

That is funny- I never heard anyone say that they hated their food before!

I come from NYC where they have the best Chinese in the world. I hate all of the authentic Chinese restaurants outside of New York. So I figure I might as well go with the gourmet version.

[DogMa]

I'm originally from NYC, too. But frankly, I like the Chinese food in San Francisco better. My former best friend is Chinese, and I used to go with her and her dad (who's actually FROM China). The best places to me are the ones where I'm the only non-Asian person in the place.

To me, P.F. Chang's is to Chinese food as Olive Garden is to Italian. But that's just MHO.

[alpha femme]

pf changs is very open about their nutritional content-- and it isn't that bad considering their plate is at least 4 servings. so, figure that you will ask for a to go box as soon as your food comes-- and then place everyhting except what you have decided you can eat into it. (this is what i did when i lost the first hundred).

yes, you will take in more fat, but that isn't a huge deal considering how limited it is now. if you stay away from rice and go with something like the beef & broccoli, you can eat a good amount of food for about 250 calories. granted, you'll take in 12-15g fat, but only 8-10 carbs, so you CAN eat there and stay in ketosis.

when i go to vegas, i have decided that this is probably how i will manage. they also have a very healthy wonton soup (and it's good), and some other options. go to their website-- and remember that the horrifying number you see are for the entire plate of food-- which is HUGE.

[GucciGoo]

Thanks for the help, Alex. I will look further into their nutrition charts.

Dogma- we are all entitled to our opinions. I am really looking to see if anyone has eaten at PF Chang's and stayed on plan. Thanks.

[Allie]

Hello,
I used to work in the kitchen at PF changs. I think that their food is tasty. You can ask for things to be cooked WITHOUT OIL, and they will then cook it in water. You can also get steamed things, and the buddah's feast is pretty yummy.

My personal favorite is the chicken lettuice wraps. You can ask for them WITHOUT rice sticks, or water chestnuts, with the sauce on the side (that way you can control the ammount of sugar you take in). I personally like them with just plain soysauce.

They also have an ahi appetiser that is pretty good, but you would have to get a side of steamed veggies. The Ahi has chineese five spice on it. I'm pretty sure that it is compliant to the program.

Hope this helps you, and of course, you can ask for the nutrition information.

Allie

[KimKim]

Hi,

I had a bad experience at PF Chang's that took me out of ketosis. Unlike yourself (smart move, BeachBabe), I did not look up the nutritional information before I went to the restaurant. I was being really indecisive that night and don't mind leftovers, so I ordered a chicken salad and asked for dressing on the side. It was pretty good but I forgot that shredded carrots comes with it. That dish isn't so bad but the salad dressing is apparently very high in calories.

My huge downfall out of ketosis was the eggplant and ground chicken. Sounds easily inside the plan, yes? And it was . . . except it came with "Chang Sauce". It had a ton of the sauce and I felt my blood sugar soar and knew I was being put out of ketosis. When I got home, I looked up the nutritional info and the ground chicken and eggplant caloric value was enormous and I knew it was because of the sauce. I looked up the nutritional info for the sauce and the carb count was extremely high.

Needless to say . . . beware any of their sauce!

Kim

[mellowmom]

I checked on my CalorieKing Nutrition Manager and if you can do what Alpha Femme suggests and just have 1/4 of the whole plate served to you you should do okay.

Beef and Broccoli Plate has 910 calories, 59g Fat, 15g Saturated Fat, 70g Protein, 24 carbs.

If you divide those by 4 then a serving would have 227.5 cal, 14.75g Fat, 3.75g Sat Fat., 17.75g Protein, 6 carbs. Kinda high on the fat side, but the other numbers aren't bad.

A serving of Mongolian Beef would be 270 calories, 18g Fat, 4.75 Sat Fat, 21.25g Protein, 4.5 Carbs

Cup of Wonton Soup is 52 cal, 3g Fat, 1g Sat. Fat, 3g Protein, 4 carbs


It's a good idea figuring out what you're going to have there in advance. A great way to assure your sontinued success on this program.

way to go!

Carmel

[GucciGoo]

Everything is SO high in calories, carbs and fat! Yikes!

Ok, so I will bring a cup of LF mozzarella cheese with me as my lean since nothing at PF Chang's is lean. Then I will order a side of garlic snow peas, sprinkle the cheese on top, and have the wonton soup minus the wontons as my snack.

YAY!

[GucciGoo]

BTW...

Garlic Snap Peas- 220 calories, 20 carbs, 7 g Fat.

Wonton soup- 52 calories, 4 carbs, 3 g fat- but I am guessing that is with a wonton included. It is probably zero carbs and zero fat, I would imagine.

[Sarya]

Actually, the broth that wonton is traditionally made with has some fat in it. I remember the little oil skim on the top of the broth when I worked at a chinese restaurant. (the broth is kept separate and put over the the add-ins before it is served.)

[alpha femme]

remember, you are dividing your plate into 1/4 of what they give you. for something like the beef & broccoli, it really isn't that bad-- probably about what your regular lng is. Don't worry too much about a little extra fat once in a great while. it's good for your hair.

[GucciGoo]

Yeah, you are right. Maybe I will have the yummy Mongolian Beef instead of cheese!