From Nando’s to Zizzi – how far you have to walk to burn off your favourite meals
MANY dieters do their utmost to make sure they "walk off" any extra calories they've consumed throughout the day.
But it turns out you're going to have to walk a lot further than you may think to burn off the calories you munch on at your favourite high street restaurants.
And if you want a good old Nando's chicken and chips or a Pizza Hut pizza, you're going to have to walk more than a half marathon - which would take you over five hours at a moderate pace.
Here, we reveal just how far you have to walk to burn off the calories from your favourite meals from restaurants including Nando's, Toby Carvery and Pizza Hut.
Our analysis is based on someone weighing ten stone walking at three miles per hour, using walking routes on Google Maps.
Nando's
A Nando's 1/2 chicken with everyone's favourite peri-salted chips comes in at 1055 calories.
This is nearly half of the average man's daily calorie intake.
Helen Bond told the that it's often the sides that "bump up" the calorie count at Nando's.
How to burn it off: You'd need to walk 13.7miles, which would take around four hours and 34 minutes to burn this tasty dish off.
From Big Ben in London you could walk to Heathrow Airport in this amount of time.
Swaps: With so much on offer, it can be peri hard to navigate the menu at Nando's - but it turns out the Portuguese-style chain offers a whopping 45 dishes under 500 calories.
A quarter chicken breast is is only 278 calories, while lots of side dishes are also under 300 - meaning that you can easily build a high-protein, low-calorie meal.
In particular, Healthspan's Rob Hobson, a registered nutritionist based in London reckons the Grains 'n Greens salad is "a great healthy dish that contains high amounts of fibre and protein".
Zizzi
The staple Zizzi's spaghetti bolognese is 508 calories.
How to burn it off: You'd need to walk 6.5miles, which would take around two hours and 12 minutes.
From Big Ben in London you could walk to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in this amount of time.
Swaps: Zizzi has a whole menu dedicated to meals under 600 calories which makes it easy when you're trying to stay healthy.
One meal that is full of good nutrients is the Spiedini Pescatore, which is a mediterranean hanging skewer with smoked salmon fillet, shell-on king prawns, courgettes and peppers with a lemon butter and white wine sauce.
Pippa Campbell, a Jersey-based nutritionist, said: "This meal is a great source of anti-inflammatory omega 3 with the fish as well as the vegetables it's served with - herby potatoes and a baby gem salad."
Hungry Horse
The hand-buttered haddock and chips with mushy peas from Hungry Horse is 1337 calories.
How to burn it off: You'd need to walk a whopping 17.2miles to burn this calorific meal off, which would take you around five hours and 47 minutes.
From Big Ben in London you could walk to Caterham in Surrey in this amount of time.
Swaps: Hungry Horse have a live well menu which includes all of your favourite pub classics but for under 600 calories.
Dishes on the menu include a breaded wholetail scampi with salad and "hot fluffy" jacket potatoes.
Harvester
A 10oz sirloin steak served with triple cooked chips and onion rings at Harvester is 666 calories.
How to burn it off: You'd need to walk 8.6miles to burn this dish off, which would take you around two hours and 53 minutes.
From Big Ben in London you could walk to Kew Gardens in this amount of time.
Swaps: Surprisingly, the Choice Beef Burger is surprisingly low-calorie with just 329 calories.
Harvester also has an unlimited salad bar so you can stash up on your greens.
Wetherspoons
Everyone loves the All Day Breakfast at Spoons but it doesn't come without its downside, with it totalling a huge 1260 calories.
How to burn it off: You'd need to walk 16.1miles to burn off your breakky, and this would take you about five hours and 27 minutes.
From Big Ben in London you could walk all the way to Romford in this amount of time.
Swaps: The Wetherspoons menu is split into different "clubs", from curry to fish, and each of these is held on a different day.
Usefully, everything at the pub chain is clearly labelled with calorie counts.
One healthier option you could go for is the jacket potato with five-bean chilli and salad which totals 405 calories.
Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut's pepperoni pizza is 1110 calories.
How to burn it off: You'd need to walk 14.2 miles to burn off this tasty Italian treat, and this would take around four hours and 48 minutes.
From Big Ben in London you could walk to Epsom in Surrey in this amount of time.
Swaps: While you may want to avoid the cheese stuffed crust offerings if you want to shed body fat, you can still find a ton of healthier dishes to order.
You can just about order a slice of any pizza for under 220kcals, while dishes like mac 'n' cheese weigh in at 410 kcals a pop.
Beefeater
The Mixed Grill at Beefeater is a total of 1197 calories.
How to burn it off: You'd need to walk 15.4 miles which would take you around five hours and ten minutes.
From Big Ben you could walk to Cheshunt in this amount of time.
Swaps: Fancy a Friday supper down your local Beefeater? It's got quite a few high-protein, low-calorie options on its menu - including sides and starters.
One healthier option is the grilled tuna steak at 404 calories.
Toby Carvery
If you want a good old roast beef with roast potatoes that's going total 1291 calories.
How to burn it off: Again, you're going to have to go on an absolute trek to burn this off - as you'd have to walk 16.3 miles.
This would take you around five and a half hours.
From Big Ben you could walk to Dartford in this amount of time.
Swaps: Toby Carvery does have the potential to be a diet nightmare with the option to king size your roast, but it also offers some healthy, well-portioned dishes.
Just try to say no to the nachos in the giant Yorkshire pud starter.
Top tips for eating out
The Hospital Group's Dietitian George Hamlyn-Williams has revealed his top tips for eating out.
- “Opt for tomato-based sauces instead of those containing cream, cheese, or coconut milk.”
- “Ask for certain components of the meal to be prepared differently if possible – such as poached eggs instead of fried, or baked potato instead of chips on the side.”
- “Go ‘bun-less’ when ordering burgers and swap out chips for a side salad.”
- “Avoid absentmindedly adding dressings or condiments to meals.”
- “Opt for leaner sources of protein, like grilled chicken or white fish, instead of pan-fried steak which will be higher in calories and saturated fat.”
- “Avoid starters that contain lots of cheese or batter, and instead opt for a healthier vegetable-based dish.”
More on diet and nutrition
Instead you could go for the roast turkey with Jersey royal potatoes, mixed greens, cabbage and sprouts at 502 calories.
It's worth saying that calories really aren't everything when it comes to deciding which options are healthiest.
Nutritionist Sarah Flower told us that while calories are "king" for weight loss and weight maintenance, "they don’t take into account the nutrient composition of the food - which is equally important for health and well being".
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