Eating out now and then.

hardeepsingh7893

Hi,

it's been almost a month for me and i've had really good progress with weight loss. I've seen many differences.

Lucky for me giving up excess sugar wasn't very difficult.

What i wanted to ask is how bad is it to eat out like say a burger and chips? Is it fine as long as it isn't often and if you add the total calories to what you've already eaten and still able to maintain a deficit? Things such as fat can they cause any issues with weight loss? or only other health related issues.

Thanks in advance.

getstrongkaylen

mostly, as long as your maintaining your deficit, you should be ok. however, there is something to be said about eating calories without a lot of saturated fat/sugar etc. you can lose weight, but you shouldn't be eating that kind of stuff all the time. it's all about moderation. when i do go out and eat, i always look at nutrition info first, and maybe pick options, that maybe aren't the healthiest food over, but aren't calorie bombs either!

StaciMarie1974

Its fine even if it is often: assuming you get your nutrition needs met & you can maintain a deficit while eating those foods. Which means portion control is key.

There are easy ways to fit it in. Such as if you have a high calorie lunch, plan a lower calorie yet still filling dinner. Such as 4-6 ounces lean meat, lots of veggies. Salmon & salad can easily fill me up, and be 300 calories or less - and that includes a little white rice on the side.

Your body needs fat. There are certainly some fats that are better than others, but if you don't have medical reasons to avoid red meat: enjoy the burger when you want to. Just be aware of how it fits into your long term goals. No food is good or bad, unless you have medical conditions that make it bad for you.

hardeepsingh7893 wrote: »

Hi,

it's been almost a month for me and i've had really good progress with weight loss. I've seen many differences.

Lucky for me giving up excess sugar wasn't very difficult.

What i wanted to ask is how bad is it to eat out like say a burger and chips? Is it fine as long as it isn't often and if you add the total calories to what you've already eaten and still able to maintain a deficit? Things such as fat can they cause any issues with weight loss? or only other health related issues.

Thanks in advance.

katherine_startrek_fan

Go for it! To note, it is possible to bloat after eating a meal or two out due to sodium content, but if it does, you'll be back to normal within a few days.

kailibertsch

katherine_startrek_fan wrote: »

Go for it! To note, it is possible to bloat after eating a meal or two out due to sodium content, but if it does, you'll be back to normal within a few days.

This is true, so don't be discouraged. Also, if you are anything like me, I always get anxious about eating out. Like I am going to gain all my weight back from one meal choice. Irrational, I know, but it helps me to look at my calories thoughout the week. If I'm at a deficit for the entire week overall, I feel much better about enjoying myself (as you should!)

hardeepsingh7893

Thanks for all the replies. I will go for it probably tomorrow or the day after.

jgnatca

The total calorie count for burger and chips can vary quite a bit per restaurant and how you dress your burger and sides.

Dairy Queen
1/2 lb GrillBurger with Cheese with large fries, 1300 calories. I don't know about you but that's practically my full daily allowance.

Carl's Jr
All-Natural Single Burger with large fries, 1,220 calories.

http://www.carlsjr.com/menu/nutritional_calculator

Count the cost and eat what you like.

Me, I eat my fast-food burgers Russian-style, open faced (half the bread). I steal a fry or two from my partner.

kn7hqq

I agree if you go out to eat the burger with cheese and fries and a drink that is totally blowing your daily calorie goal. Probably healthier to eat it at home, with less bread and no cheese and fries and lots of water or even put it on a bed of greens and tomatoes and pickles with no bread at all. Giving in to your cravings once in a while is not bad.

hardeepsingh7893

I don't plan to get a drink with it other than water as i'm avoiding all soft drinks as i possibly can as they were the main reason for my excess weight.

Normally when i get a craving i would just go to subway and get a 6" tuna salad for lunch as it's enough to fill me up and i enjoy the taste. I just wanted to enquire about eating out maybe once every few weeks.

TimothyFish

Eating out once in a while is fine and may even be beneficial, since it helps keep you from feeling deprived. If you can keep it below your calorie goal, so much the better.

cebreisch

I believe yes, you can go have a burger and chips if you want to - just as long as you plan for it. Don't deprive yourself all day and wait until dinner because you're most likely to over eat if you do that.

Here are a few things that I usually do when I want to go out for burgers:

• Order the best quality burger I can (if they have a sirloin burger, or angus burger...)
• Decide on what form of carbs I want: Do I want the bun, or can I ditch the bun and have chips instead? Would I rather have a baked potato?
• What sort of veggies do they offer?
• Am I willing to get veggies, and ask someone to let me have 3-4 of their fries just so I can get that taste experience?
• Do I want to split it with someone?

One other thing my husband and I will do at places like McDonalds/Burger King -
Get a regular cheeseburger, cut it in half, put all the burger meat on 1/2 the bun and ditch the other 1/2 the bun - thereby saving yourself some carbs.
That way you can log it as 1/2 a double cheeseburger.

I've gotten to the point where if I go to a steakhouse, I'll get a 6 oz sirloin, sliced tomatoes, and have a slice or two of bread. Yum!

cwolfman13

Calories in...calories out...that's all that matters here.

higgins8283801

I have not given up anything and that includes the occasional take out/fast food. It's fine.