Restaurant eating

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msty112
msty112 Posts: 199 Member
in Food and Nutrition
What is everyone's best tip for eating out? We generally don't do it very often for health and financial reasons, but it's probably the hardest thing for me. My 2 biggest things are ordering and drinking lots of water and not eating the free bread.
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Replies

  • jenncornelsen
    jenncornelsen Posts: 969 Member
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    i split my meal in half as soon as i get it. then bring the other half home. also i only drink water unless its a special occasion then one lower cal alcoholic beverage
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    If you know where you're going ahead of time, look at their nutritional info (if they have it) on their website and pre-log it.
  • Goal_Line
    Goal_Line Posts: 474 Member
    edited May 2015
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    Three thoughts on the subject:

    - Yes, avoid the bread and make healthy choices. You've lost 37 lbs so you now what to eat. (Good job BTW!)

    - I like to have a big work out that day or the following day to burn off any extra calories.

    - Don't sweat it. If you don't go out often, you won't put on weight if you are eating well otherwise.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    Lot of places have a low calorie menu that usual features three or four entrees. For example: petite steak with broccoli.
    As a general rule, stay away from salads loaded with cheese, croutons, salad dressing. Stay away from breads, fried foods, sweets, sauces. Stay away from the creamy soups. Look for broiled, baked, steamed, grilled.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
    edited May 2015
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    Eh, I tend to pick something indulgent but not THE MOST indulgent. One drink, no apps or dessert. I have been weighing all my food for quite awhile so I do put in ounces, grams for meat and vegetables. I always add about a tablespoon of oil. I don't order any loaded salads, because they are just as many calories as some of the amazing entrees.
  • SuggaD
    SuggaD Posts: 1,369 Member
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    Pre-plan by looking at the menu then pre-log and stick to the plan.
  • blackcrossknight
    blackcrossknight Posts: 26 Member
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    I ate out three times last week. A buffet (Two pieces of cake, too!) Pizza hut, and then taco bell. It was a last minute choice kind of thing, that family chose, and I just went with it. I ate whatever I wanted and gained maybe a quarter of a pound off it all. But it was good and I don't even regret it. You're eating out just once, and you said you don't do it often, so you know what? Enjoy it. Even if you get a burger and a coke, its one day, and it wont kill you. (Mine could have killed me lol, but good thing they were busy days where a lot of it was burned off!)
  • barryplumber
    barryplumber Posts: 401 Member
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    blackcrossknight wrote: »
    I ate out three times last week. A buffet (Two pieces of cake, too!) Pizza hut, and then taco bell. It was a last minute choice kind of thing, that family chose, and I just went with it. I ate whatever I wanted and gained maybe a quarter of a pound off it all. But it was good and I don't even regret it. You're eating out just once, and you said you don't do it often, so you know what? Enjoy it. Even if you get a burger and a coke, its one day, and it wont kill you. (Mine could have killed me lol, but good thing they were busy days where a lot of it was burned off!)

    I so agree with you...... just don't turn it into a habit one needs to treat oneself once in awhile
  • abetterluke
    abetterluke Posts: 625 Member
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    For me it's mainly been cutting out the appetizers and then sharing dessert with my wife instead of us having our own. It can be a challenge as we don't always want the same things but the last time we disagreed we just didn't order dessert and it actually worked out ok.
  • demartino100
    demartino100 Posts: 3 Member
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    My daughter wanted me to take her to red robin today and I asked them if they have a menu that showed the calories... They didn't :neutral:
    So I started just searching things in this app to get an idea and I tried to order it as plain as possible.

    The app really helps to at least estimate how many calories.
    I also always consume less then I record here so I'm never over and stay under.

  • abetterluke
    abetterluke Posts: 625 Member
    edited May 2015
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    demartino100 wrote: »
    My daughter wanted me to take her to red robin today and I asked them if they have a menu that showed the calories... They didn't :neutral:
    So I started just searching things in this app to get an idea and I tried to order it as plain as possible.

    The app really helps to at least estimate how many calories.
    I also always consume less then I record here so I'm never over and stay under.

    I don't know if you're in the US but I'm pretty positive they are legally required to have nutritional information available to you if you ask.

    Edit: I believe this applies to any restaurant with more than 5 locations

  • LadyFencer
    LadyFencer Posts: 51 Member
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    If you're letting yourself have a treat, think about your own preferences. If I'm going someplace with good bread, I would rather have bread and skip dessert. I agree that the best plan is to log calories in advance. If you can't do that, commit to logging everything as well as you can no matter what. If you go over, don't beat yourself up. Use it as a learning experience.
  • kamber13
    kamber13 Posts: 249 Member
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    Whenever I go out to eat I look up the menu beforehand and get an idea of what I should order. Then I'm not overwhelmed by unhealthy choices. But, as stated above me, I do pick an indulgent dish that I can work into my daily calorie count... that way it's not such a big impact.
  • zdyb23456
    zdyb23456 Posts: 1,706 Member
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    If I'm going to spend money going out, I'm going to get something that I feel is worth the money. I hear/see people order plain salads with water - and pay through the nose for it. Kind of silly when you can eat plain lettuce and water at home for less than a dollar. I'm exaggerating a bit, but to me what's the point especially since going out is usually pretty expensive. Heck, fast food is getting more and more expensive these days.

    Anyway, my tricks are to limit how often I go out. Once a week at most, though this can be hard since being social usually means eating out. I eat very light or not at all during the day to save up calories for dinner. I order water or diet soda and usually only eat half of what I order and take the other half home for a second meal. I avoid cream based anything and skip the mayo where applicable i.e on a burger.

  • msty112
    msty112 Posts: 199 Member
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    When we go out I tend to treat myself and over indulge. Going out is an ordeal for us, find a night we aren't busy and hire a babysitter and all, so I tend to order something I wouldn't cook at home and more on the unhealthy side. We tend to eat at more locally owned restaurants so looking up calories online really doesn't work.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
    edited May 2015
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    For me it depends where I go and if I'm craving something specific. If I'm not, I'll pick something healthy, as I don't like 'wasting' calories on a high calorie meal I wasn't particularly craving in the first place. If I'm craving a high calorie meal though, I'll have it, will just be more careful the rest of the week and exercise a bit more. Same thing for dessert... skip it unless it's something I've been craving for a while (but then I pick a healthier entree... that's why I get annoyed when restaurants don't have their dessert menu online though).

    But what I've noticed is that a healthier meal without fried food and sauce can be just as tasty as a calorie bomb...
  • foursirius
    foursirius Posts: 321 Member
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    Its really not too difficult. Get something like a steak, chicken, or fish and say no butter when cooking it. Then just get normal sides and eat the right portion. I travel 50% of the time so resturaunt eating is the norm for me.
  • fidangul
    fidangul Posts: 673 Member
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    I tend to eat less during that day and save my calorie allowance for the restaurant... Also, i pick foods with less carbs and also ask for them not to put the suace on the dish and have it on the side because generally its the suaces used on the meat that piles on the calories... I'm not usually fussed about dessert so i skip that all together.... However if its a once in a "blue moon" thing i'd say eat whatever u fancy for that night and get back on target the next day.
  • Bobbie63
    Bobbie63 Posts: 55 Member
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    My friend eats out every week once, for a meeting she hosts. She is on her last 10lbs and they are not coming of. Her strategy this month is to only order salad when she eats out. Chicken salad, or whatever kind but to only eat the salad. My strategy for this week was to not have sugar other than in my coffee. It might be weak to some folks but to those of us with an intimate relationship with all 3 of the musketeers, it was a good one. Happy to report, coffee was the only thing I had with grainy white, lovely sugar in it. :smile:
  • dutchandkiwi
    dutchandkiwi Posts: 1,389 Member
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    SuggaD wrote: »
    Pre-plan by looking at the menu then pre-log and stick to the plan.
    ^^
    This. I have to admit that most restaurants have it here and that it has almost become a pre-requisite of us visiting the place. For work this is a lot harder. I have to travel reasonable frequently, mostly within Europe with the odd time outside. I then tend to either go for the salads or alternatively stick to a starter as a main at least that way I can do portion control.

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