Oh NO!

BoxerBrawler

Going out for dinner with my dad tonight and he wants to go to the dreaded Olive Garden where everything on their menu is over 700 calories! I am good at asking for substitutions e.g., no dressing on my salad so I can get vinegar on the side, double the veggie in place of the starch, lean meat not covered with cheese, etc. But out of all the places we could go to that place is hard when it comes to getting the healthiest options available! I'm running a deficit right now, worked out and already had lunch so I have the room in my day, but still... ugh!!!!!

clambert1273

why worry about it... go out, eat and have a nice time

Sinistrous

You're allowed to take a day for yourself, you know. Just maintain.

abatonfan

Olive garden has a nice under 600 Calorie menu. I personally like the lasagna primavera with grilled chicken (470 Calories) with the minestrone soup (110 calories per bowl).

Robbnva

Its OK to go over your calories 1 day and guess what? You will still lose weight...

I went to buffalo wild wings one week and pigged out (15 wings and fries) come weigh in day, I still lost. Not as much as normal, but a loss is a loss. Good luck and enjoy

52cardpickup

cushman5279 wrote: »

Going out for dinner with my dad tonight and he wants to go to the dreaded Olive Garden where everything on their menu is over 700 calories! I am good at asking for substitutions e.g., no dressing on my salad so I can get vinegar on the side, double the veggie in place of the starch, lean meat not covered with cheese, etc. But out of all the places we could go to that place is hard when it comes to getting the healthiest options available! I'm running a deficit right now, worked out and already had lunch so I have the room in my day, but still... ugh!!!!!

... I don't understand the problem. If you have room in your day, what's the issue?

LAWoman72

^ Yup...just saw a commercial where they said they have 550 and under dishes.

girlviernes

LOL olive garden? Man, one of my first meals out was Cheesecake Factory. You can do it!

BoxerBrawler

Thanks everyone. I know I can do it and I know I can give myself a break and enjoy, eat what I want and still lose or maintain. It's just that I've been participating in a fitness challenge and I've been doing so good I don't want to derail myself. Although, honestly sometimes when I eat more I lose more.

Robbnva

cushman5279 wrote: »

Thanks everyone. I know I can do it and I know I can give myself a break and enjoy, eat what I want and still lose or maintain. It's just that I've been participating in a fitness challenge and I've been doing so good I don't want to derail myself. Although, honestly sometimes when I eat more I lose more.

I've found that too, sometimes I lose when I'm sure I've gained

neveragain84

Every day won't always look pretty. There are some days I'm over in calories, but this isn't a race... it's a lifestyle change. Just enjoy being together and do better tomorrow.

astrose00

girlviernes wrote: »

LOL olive garden? Man, one of my first meals out was Cheesecake Factory. You can do it!

Me too! Talk about stress!!!

astrose00

I think they have non pasta dishes, like grilled chicken breast and a veggie. I had that before. It wasn't good, but I'm sure it was low cal, lol. That pasta dish someone mentioned with the chicken for 470 calories sounds great.

MinnieInMaine

Just remember that if you stay in your calories (or don't go over very much) but see a jump in your weight, it's probably from the sodium. Restaurant food is loaded with it! Drink lots of water with your meal and a little extra for the next few days.

segacs

You know it's also okay to order something and not clean your plate, right? If your meal is 1000 calories and you have 500 in your day, just eat half of it! Take the rest home, or share it with someone. What's the big deal?

SueInAz

Olive Garden has some lower calorie choices as others have mentioned. If you're worried, eat half of the meal and take the rest home for another day. My mom always asks for a box when the food is served and she boxes half up before she even starts eating.

adge1475

I go there pretty often, actually (seriously, once a week, it's my sister-in-law's favorite place), and I usually get the grilled chicken with a side of asparagus. No harm, no foul, move on.

meltedsno

http://media.olivegarden.com/en_us/pdf/olive_garden_nutrition.pdf

The above link is the nutritional value of everything served at olive garden. If you do your homework before you go, you will find a nice variety of things that are lower in calories. Don't know where you got the "everything is over 700 calories" mentality, but you are incorrect.

I ALWAYS check out nutritional values at restaurants before going out to eat and I know ahead of time what I am going to have. If the restaurant doesn't have anything posted online, I don't go there. I find somewhere that I can go and enjoy myself without feeling guilty for "splurging".

segacs

meltedsno wrote: »

I ALWAYS check out nutritional values at restaurants before going out to eat and I know ahead of time what I am going to have. If the restaurant doesn't have anything posted online, I don't go there.

If I followed that philosophy, I'd never go to another restaurant in my life, because there are basically no restaurants where I live that post up nutritional information. (Heck, even finding a restaurant that has a website is pretty rare.)

Just get good at guesstimating.

Robbnva

segacs wrote: »

You know it's also okay to order something and not clean your plate, right? If your meal is 1000 calories and you have 500 in your day, just eat half of it! Take the rest home, or share it with someone. What's the big deal?

Yep, no clean plate club when you go out.

HeySwoleSister

When I last went to Olive Garden, their lowest calorie "lite" entree was 600 calories, which is WAY more than I spend on a meal, especially chain restaurant meals. (Local chef-driven eatery? I eat what I want, no regrets) I just got the regular lasagne and only ate half. It was OK. WAY too salty, though. Blergh.