Eating at restaurants used to be fun, now it's kind of stressful.
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LOL ... @ this whole thread-3
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You can't tell me that (successful) local restaurants don't already know exactly how much money in ingredients is going into their food; it's not much of a stretch to require nutritional guidelines, too.
Eating out can be a crapshoop, and can be frustrating. One unwise meal at a restaurant can exceed 3000 calories easily. And some of us deal with uncertainty better than others... I like to be pretty darn sure I know where I came in calorie wise. I want that nailed down and quantified!0 -
I understand your concern. Because I have chronic illnesses that have made it close to impossible to lose weight, I have to be extremely strict about my diet. While I am finally making progress with my meals at home, restaurant food is a gamble. My best advice is to remember that it is trial and error to a point. Simply prepared meats and veggies are a little easier to estimate, and you can work your way to the more complex dishes as you gain more experience with logging your foods. I've only had restaurant food twice since October, but both times I used what I've learned about nutrition so far to guide my choices, and I had tasty meals that didn't break the calorie budget. I am feeling more confident about my next meal out, whenever that will be.0
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healthygreek wrote: »One of my greatest pleasures is going to a good local restaurant.
I love sitting down to a great meal and a glass of wine or two!
I try to choose well and make estimates of my calorie intake.
I may gain a bit of water weight but it really doesn't make a huge impact in the long run.
I could never stick with my healthy lifestyle if I couldn't enjoy this at least once a week.
My favorite restaurants don't (and probably couldn't realistically) post calorie counts.
This is me.
Restaurants where I live don't publish nutritional information. Heck, most of them don't even have websites, and the menu is often written daily on a chalkboard.
I like eating in restaurants. It's one of my pleasures in life.
I just eat smaller portions and do my best to guesstimate without stressing too much. I'm losing weight anyway.
It's a lifestyle change, not a diet. It needs to be flexible enough to work with real life.0 -
Yes, calories are stressful, but imagine having food allergies and having to navigate both! It isn't even worth it most of the time!0
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healthygreek wrote: »One of my greatest pleasures is going to a good local restaurant.
I love sitting down to a great meal and a glass of wine or two!
I try to choose well and make estimates of my calorie intake.
I may gain a bit of water weight but it really doesn't make a huge impact in the long run.
I could never stick with my healthy lifestyle if I couldn't enjoy this at least once a week.
My favorite restaurants don't (and probably couldn't realistically) post calorie counts.
Even the ones that do... the numbers aren't always right. You have to consider the fact that some cooks will be more or less generous than others. Some restaurants are more generous, too. I went to Five Guys the other day, and got a lot more fries than I would have at another Five Guys. I remarked that I couldn't eat all that. I was right, I couldn't (they were good, though). This does happen sometimes, too. Substitutions when they run out of something. Etc.
People make so much stink about calories. Yes, it is calories in and calories out. But stressing over numbers that, in the long run, fundamentally do not matter will do nothing more than add unnecessary stress to one's life. Eating out is about having fun. Trying new food. Or is supposed to be.
The only case I could see thiss being a problem in, is in someone who eats out all the time. Daily or bi-daily. In which case, it would be ideal to stick to restaurants that at least provide an estimate of nutritional info.0 -
I worked in a small, independent restaurant that didn't publish calories etc. The reason was, we changed our menu daily (the menu was on a chalk board). We didn't measure everything out precisely. We subbed ingredients in regular dishes depending on what we had in (which depended on the season, on special offers, on the supplier messing up or sending extras). There was no way we could have given accurate calorie guidelines on a regular basis, even ignoring the financial implications of doing so.
But the upside of eating at our place was, we would happily accommodate most special requests if at all possible. We also knew exactly how the dishes were made and what was in them.
Nowadays I tend to only eat out once a week at most. I figure if I eat well the rest of the time, 1 meal out of 21 isn't going to ruin everything. Sometimes I choose something as a healthier option, but sometimes I just have fish and chips and enjoy it!0 -
If I know I'm going out for dinner I make an extra effort to have a low calorie and healthy (I try to focus on low fat as usually fat tends to be higher in meals when you eat out) breakfast and lunch and will usually ditch the (healthy) snacks in between. That way I can choose something from the menu that I like without feeling guilty. I also don't log it, I just make a note that I ate out that evening0
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goldenglow90 wrote: »If I know I'm going out for dinner I make an extra effort to have a low calorie and healthy (I try to focus on low fat as usually fat tends to be higher in meals when you eat out) breakfast and lunch and will usually ditch the (healthy) snacks in between. That way I can choose something from the menu that I like without feeling guilty. I also don't log it, I just make a note that I ate out that evening
Yeah I wish I could lol. But I'm the kind of person that needs more food early in the morning, so going out for dinner pretty much sucks.0 -
Steakhouses are one of the easiest restaurants to eat light .. 6 oz Filet mignon and Sauteed whatever veg they have can come in comfortably under 400 cals. That leaves plenty of room for a roll, a salad, and maybe even a bit of dessert0
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If it is such an issue, don't go to restaurants or if you do, make it a rare occurrence that it makes no difference on your weight loss.0
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Every time I end up going out to eat at a restaurant that doesn't publish their nutritional information I feel like I am playing Russian roulette. It should be mandatory that consumers are allowed to know the contents of the food you are serving them. I have no way to log any of this stuff accurately because restaurants have a way of sneaking fats and oils into just about everything! I could have eaten an entire stick of butter today for all I know. I used to love trying new places. Now it's just a headache. I feel like such a cranky old lady getting my feathers ruffled at what should have been a good time but I can't help but wonder if I am going to regret this tomorrow. Blah.
Funny you should say that (note the bold). Obamacare has a new law in place that is forcing restaurants to put the calorie amounts on their menus. If they don't then they pay a hefty fine. The problem though is that the calories will be misleading as they are probably for one serving not the entire dish so someone will think they're dinner is 600 calories when it's only a normal sized serving that would be that amount while the entire dish could be way, way more.
ETA: To address the original question: choose something that looks like it hasn't been cooked in butter and oil like grilled chicken breast. If it comes with a side of veggies ask them how they're prepared. Steamed (with or without butter)? Grilled? Cooked in a pan with loads of oil and stuff? You can always ask them to NOT cook it in oils and butter. If that doesn't work see if you can get side salad with dressing on the side (since restaurants are notorious for drenching their salads in dressing). There are plenty of items you could choose that won't completely derail your eating and be low in calories.
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No life is a life I want to live where I can't go out to an amazing restaurant and order what I want off the menu and eat it without feeling guilty. Now my lifestyle has changed and I only eat like that once in a blue moon. But I refuse to give that up. Life is just too short.0
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goddessofawesome wrote: »Every time I end up going out to eat at a restaurant that doesn't publish their nutritional information I feel like I am playing Russian roulette. It should be mandatory that consumers are allowed to know the contents of the food you are serving them. I have no way to log any of this stuff accurately because restaurants have a way of sneaking fats and oils into just about everything! I could have eaten an entire stick of butter today for all I know. I used to love trying new places. Now it's just a headache. I feel like such a cranky old lady getting my feathers ruffled at what should have been a good time but I can't help but wonder if I am going to regret this tomorrow. Blah.
Funny you should say that (note the bold). Obamacare has a new law in place that is forcing restaurants to put the calorie amounts on their menus. If they don't then they pay a hefty fine. The problem though is that the calories will be misleading as they are probably for one serving not the entire dish so someone will think they're dinner is 600 calories when it's only a normal sized serving that would be that amount while the entire dish could be way, way more.
ETA: To address the original question: choose something that looks like it hasn't been cooked in butter and oil like grilled chicken breast. If it comes with a side of veggies ask them how they're prepared. Steamed (with or without butter)? Grilled? Cooked in a pan with loads of oil and stuff? You can always ask them to NOT cook it in oils and butter. If that doesn't work see if you can get side salad with dressing on the side (since restaurants are notorious for drenching their salads in dressing). There are plenty of items you could choose that won't completely derail your eating and be low in calories.
Obamacare? :huh:0 -
LOL ... @ this whole thread
Why? Because someone is concerned about eating out and how many calories they might ingest in just one meal? It's not so "lol" if you have a certain number of calories remaining and the meal will put you way, WAY over for the day. And if they eat out three times a week? The pounds will slip on. I know plenty of people who are trying to lose weight but can't figure out why they aren't and it's because they eat out every single night.
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Oh, I'm sorry the "Affordable" Healthcare Act.goddessofawesome wrote: »Every time I end up going out to eat at a restaurant that doesn't publish their nutritional information I feel like I am playing Russian roulette. It should be mandatory that consumers are allowed to know the contents of the food you are serving them. I have no way to log any of this stuff accurately because restaurants have a way of sneaking fats and oils into just about everything! I could have eaten an entire stick of butter today for all I know. I used to love trying new places. Now it's just a headache. I feel like such a cranky old lady getting my feathers ruffled at what should have been a good time but I can't help but wonder if I am going to regret this tomorrow. Blah.
Funny you should say that (note the bold). Obamacare has a new law in place that is forcing restaurants to put the calorie amounts on their menus. If they don't then they pay a hefty fine. The problem though is that the calories will be misleading as they are probably for one serving not the entire dish so someone will think they're dinner is 600 calories when it's only a normal sized serving that would be that amount while the entire dish could be way, way more.
ETA: To address the original question: choose something that looks like it hasn't been cooked in butter and oil like grilled chicken breast. If it comes with a side of veggies ask them how they're prepared. Steamed (with or without butter)? Grilled? Cooked in a pan with loads of oil and stuff? You can always ask them to NOT cook it in oils and butter. If that doesn't work see if you can get side salad with dressing on the side (since restaurants are notorious for drenching their salads in dressing). There are plenty of items you could choose that won't completely derail your eating and be low in calories.
Obamacare? :huh:
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Something that helps me - I skip lunch (or just have a yogurt or an 80 cal soup) and then eat half of the meal at dinner (or maybe the full meal but usually not the bread, etc.). I do try to estimate it beforehand, stuff on a couple hundred quick added calories and then after dinner I'll eat a bit more if I think I was too low on food for the day.
I find it gives me more flexibility at dinner (for those cases where you think you're ordering something healthy and it comes out swimming in sauce or butter). This wouldn't work for everyone though. And if you eat out every day, skipping lunch isn't necessarily a good option. Once in a while though would be ok (like once a week I guess).0 -
this whole thread just makes me sad...-1
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goddessofawesome wrote: »
Oh, I'm sorry the "Affordable" Healthcare Act.goddessofawesome wrote: »Every time I end up going out to eat at a restaurant that doesn't publish their nutritional information I feel like I am playing Russian roulette. It should be mandatory that consumers are allowed to know the contents of the food you are serving them. I have no way to log any of this stuff accurately because restaurants have a way of sneaking fats and oils into just about everything! I could have eaten an entire stick of butter today for all I know. I used to love trying new places. Now it's just a headache. I feel like such a cranky old lady getting my feathers ruffled at what should have been a good time but I can't help but wonder if I am going to regret this tomorrow. Blah.
Funny you should say that (note the bold). Obamacare has a new law in place that is forcing restaurants to put the calorie amounts on their menus. If they don't then they pay a hefty fine. The problem though is that the calories will be misleading as they are probably for one serving not the entire dish so someone will think they're dinner is 600 calories when it's only a normal sized serving that would be that amount while the entire dish could be way, way more.
ETA: To address the original question: choose something that looks like it hasn't been cooked in butter and oil like grilled chicken breast. If it comes with a side of veggies ask them how they're prepared. Steamed (with or without butter)? Grilled? Cooked in a pan with loads of oil and stuff? You can always ask them to NOT cook it in oils and butter. If that doesn't work see if you can get side salad with dressing on the side (since restaurants are notorious for drenching their salads in dressing). There are plenty of items you could choose that won't completely derail your eating and be low in calories.
Obamacare? :huh:
Mmm hmmm yeah ok.0
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