Dining out when no nutrition info is available

Sassy_xo

When I know I will be going out to eat, I normally look up the nutrition info ahead of time and plan out what I will get to make sure I don't go over on calories/fat. How do you all handle it when you know you will be going somewhere that does not post nutrition info, like a small local place? Tonight is my boyfriends birthday dinner with the families, and he chose a local pizza place (Marion's Piazza) There is no nutrition info posted on their website. I am planning on starting with a salad and lots of water to fill up, and then maybe allow myself a few small pieces of pizza (they cut theirs in tiny squares instead of triangular slices) if I am truly still hungry.

Does anyone have any advice on where to find this kind of nutrition info for local places, or how you handle it when there really is none available? Thanks in advance!

gothchiq

I go to Calorie King, or Google, or any site that has believable calorie counts, and try to find something as close as possible to what that place serves, and I use that item as an approximation. Suppose you are going to get a 12 inch thin crust pizza with mushrooms. Try to get info for an item like that. If you can get the info on the entire pizza, then when you see how many pieces it's cut into, you can do the math for the number of pieces you ate.

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callsitlikeiseeit

i dissect it basically and try to reassemble it in my diary (example a turkey sandwich would list the appox weight of meat, mayo, bread (i use higher calorie count bakery ones for rest. sandwiches), veg, whatever else is on it, etc.... )

Ninkyou

Try to find something comparable, log that, and then move on. Don't sweat the small stuff. Even if you're off a few calories, it's not going to affect your progress to any real noticable degree.

urloved33

If you are blind to the nutritional facts chefs say...less than three ingrediants makes it more natural.

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janejellyroll

urloved33 wrote: »

If you are blind to the nutritional facts chefs say...less than three ingrediants makes it more natural.

Chefs say this? And what does "more natural" have to do with logging the calories involved?

JenMc14

I'd type "sausage pizza" (or whatever) in my food diary, then go through entries to find one that seemed comparable.

cat_caffeine

I generally do the same as gothchiq, for pizza and things like that I look up a chain that serves a similar style of pizza or whatever to the local place I'm going to and use those calorie counts.

jbgibso3

Just think about going for healthier, less greasy ingredients. Pizza is pizza, unless you make it yourself at home. I would say either get a salad with a good protein on top, or just eat the pizza and call it a day. Try to do better with your eating the next.

janejellyroll

jbgibso3 wrote: »

Just think about going for healthier, less greasy ingredients. Pizza is pizza, unless you make it yourself at home. I would say either get a salad with a good protein on top, or just eat the pizza and call it a day. Try to do better with your eating the next.

Pizza isn't pizza if you make it yourself at home?

We don't even know if OP is going to have to "try to do better" at her next meal. I don't see anything in this thread to indicate that this meal is going to put her outside of a calorie deficit (it may, but we don't know that).

I don't really see what is wrong with having salad and pizza. Could she over-do it? Sure. But you can blow your deficit with any food.

jgnatca

Two slices of pizza at dinner fit very well in my calorie goals for the day. Plumping it up with salad just makes it better.

As generic advice, I'd say "eat half". If the food is already on MFP, it is easy to enter and divide. That doesn't work here but it sounds like you have a good plan.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/jgnatca/view/fourteen-restaurant-meal-tips-736082

jbgibso3

janejellyroll wrote: »

jbgibso3 wrote: »

Just think about going for healthier, less greasy ingredients. Pizza is pizza, unless you make it yourself at home. I would say either get a salad with a good protein on top, or just eat the pizza and call it a day. Try to do better with your eating the next.

Pizza isn't pizza if you make it yourself at home?

We don't even know if OP is going to have to "try to do better" at her next meal. I don't see anything in this thread to indicate that this meal is going to put her outside of a calorie deficit (it may, but we don't know that).

I don't really see what is wrong with having salad and pizza. Could she over-do it? Sure. But you can blow your deficit with any food.

I understand all of that. I only meant that you can control the ingredients when you make it from scratch. Thereby controlling and knowing the nutritional information. Didn't mean to make anyone jump to conclusions.

Sassy_xo

Thank y'all for the suggestions and advice! Appreciate this community so much!

sk1nnyb1tchm0dee

gothchiq wrote: »

I go to Calorie King, or Google, or any site that has believable calorie counts, and try to find something as close as possible to what that place serves, and I use that item as an approximation. Suppose you are going to get a 12 inch thin crust pizza with mushrooms. Try to get info for an item like that. If you can get the info on the entire pizza, then when you see how many pieces it's cut into, you can do the math for the number of pieces you ate.

I do this. Close items that have counts.

barbiereynolds701

I asked the waitor.

If they dont know, I order, and then ask for a list of its ingredients.

marinabreeze

I will find something comparable from a chain and log it that way. When DH and I go out for dinner we tend to go to local eateries, and this has worked for me.