Dating and Eating Out

beachbabe6206

So here's the situation for me: My boyfriend loves to eat out and take me out, and that has been the main cause of my weight gain. Well now that I have been off and on trying to lose weight I always get sabotaged because he wants to eat out. We have our favorite restaurants and I just want to be with him for all my free time. I try to do active things with him but its hard since we both work full time and its not nearly enough. I stress so much about it all that I actually end up eating more and feeling super sick. Anyone have any advice or help for me?

whierd

You should let your boyfriend eat out whenever he wants and just enjoy it. If you want something different, say so.

Candi_land

Maybe after a few drinks.

DavidHusky

My wife and I have/had the same problem, except it goes back and forth - it also doesn't help the neither of us really loves to cook and we both work opposite schedules. Two things we've tried to do is make cooking together an activity (usually I make the meat and she does the rest ) and pick one meal a week to go out (makes it more special?). And if you do end up in a stretch where you are going out a lot, portion control is key to minimize the damage (careful of restaurant salads!) and splitting things really helps (with the bill too).

Lone_Wolf70

i just want "Dating and Eating Out" in my newsfeed so everyone assumes I made a snarky sexual comment. Plase continue your conversation.

kill3rtofu

Take a deep breath and relax. No need to stress out. Your boyfriend just wants to treat you (hopefully he is picking up the check for all these nights out). Just try to stick with your caloric goal and you'll be able to eat out all the time without guilt. Skip the alcohol, soup, fries, and dessert (unless you're celebrating) and get a salad, veggies/fruits, and drink your glass of water.

Zylahe

Maybe go to the gym together then a restaurant?
Or with the nicer weather go for a walk to the restaurant. ( at leat park the car a few extra blocks away)
I'm guessing if u have favorites, you have already worked out the healthy mnu options, but if you go there alot see if they can modify your dish to make it better for you.
If your bf likes food nd thats why he likes going out, do a cooking class together, you get to spnd time with each other, learn a skill nd you will have alot more control of what you eat.

Peachy1962

Make good healthy choices when ya eat out like Grilled chicken salad or roasted veggie plate!! Maybe just make an excuse to only eat half and take half back home for another meal the next day! Good luck!!

Megs081211

My husband and I enjoy eating right and I try to do it healthy so we agreed on some things.

1) how many times a week or a month we'll go out (we like a weekly dinner out, sometimes it's every other week).

2) no appetizers (usually not anything healthy and full of fat and grease)

3) I always get water or unsweet tea as a drink (usually water with lots of ice and lemon)

4) I always look for a grilled or baked chicken or fish meal

5) I stay away from fries and opt for veggies and a side salad (depending on where we go I'll get a baked potatoe)

6) When I place my order I always ask for them to bring me a to go box. I put have the meal in the box and put it on the chair or seat next to me. If I eat it all and am still hungry then I'll take some out of the box and eat a little more (generally pasta dishes are the only things that stay in the box). I can figure if I go to a restaurant can get a grilled or baked chicken or fish meal with veggies and a salad it's usually about 400 calories (dependent on the restaurant).

7) I always get my salad before my meal as well. I eat my veggies then start on my meat.

nmiller0813

A couple of things, there is always salads and ask for the dressing on the side. Also, most restaurants have a light fare menu, so you could make sure you go with those. And if you have to eat from a regular menu, make sure that they only bring you half of the item that you ordered and box the rest for you to take home.

Those are my suggestions.

Hope this helps

iAMsmiling

jwdieter

Maybe just make an excuse to only eat half and take half back home for another meal the next day!

Or share a meal. I've found that half a restaurant meal is generally about right. Obviously depends on the food, the restaurant, and whether the guy wants to pound down the 12-2400 calories himself.

Alex_is_Hawks

My partner loves to eat out...(and I do too) what we do is we often order an appetizer (of which he eats the bulk because he needs many more calories than I do) and then we share a plate for the main course.

we NEVER get two entree's. EVER.....

and our appetizer is usually salad or soup.

it works for us.

I_Will_End_You

Maybe after a few drinks.

I see what you did there...

BeachIron

How exactly does that cause weight gain? I must be doing something wrong.

cwolfman13

I'm married now...but I used to eat out all the time when I was just dating. Still eat out quite a bit, but not as much as I used to...mostly because we have a toddler and a 1 year old and my wife is always tired from chasing them around.

HealthWoke0ish

In for the pic...



Oh. Not what I expected.

Juliejustsaying

i just want "Dating and Eating Out" in my newsfeed so everyone assumes I made a snarky sexual comment. Plase continue your conversation.

^ this...was kinda disappointed that we were talking restaurants. :grumble:

Unknown

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amyx593

That's how I gained the 30 pounds that I'm now trying to lose! when I was gaining, I knew it was because we were (and still are) constantly going out to eat and drink, but we have so much fun together that I can't and don't want to stop doing it.

What I'm doing is just trying to make healthier choices and/or eating smaller portions. Salads, seafood, non-fried, no (or little) carbs and starchy vegetables. If you do eat something that's unhealthy, eat less of it and eat slower. Make sure you log everything you are consuming so you can hold yourself accountable. When we drink, I go for low cal and cut back on shots and creamy drinks.

You can definitely do it, it's just about the small changes. Also, instead of going out 5 days a week, I've cut down to 3ish.

JenCatwalk

Well my hubby likes to take me out 3-4 times a week at lest. I just order the healthiest thing on the menu, and i usually only eat half of my order so im not consuming tons of calories. And I usually skip bread rolls/chips unless they fix in my macros/calories. A lot of times restaurants have special 550 calories or less menus. Well anyway I've had no problem losing body fat and inches from my body even tho we eat at restaurants as often as we do. What I'm saying is you have control over how much you do eat.

nika_bolinhos

Eating out doesn't have to be a problem, just make sure that you know what you are ordering.
Sometimes people always order the same thing in the same places, try and explore more of their menu if that is the case.
Choose meat and veg instead of saucy pasta when you can and avoid the deep fried stuff. Also, watch out for the salad dressing, usually most of the calories are in there.
Other than that just enjoy yourself and try to schedule your nights out so you can have lighter meals during the day and have those extra calories saved up
Just because you are on a diet it doesn't mean you have to suffer, a bit of self control usually does the trick.
It's also good training for the future, when you reach your goal weight you'll need to be able to control that and you won't have the excuse of a diet.

_noob_

i just want "Dating and Eating Out" in my newsfeed so everyone assumes I made a snarky sexual comment. Plase continue your conversation.

this

Megs081211

Well my hubby likes to take me out 3-4 times a week at lest. I just order the healthiest thing on the menu, and i usually only eat half of my order so im not consuming tons of calories. And I usually skip bread rolls/chips unless they fix in my macros/calories. A lot of times restaurants have special 550 calories or less menus. Well anyway I've had no problem losing body fat and inches from my body even tho we eat at restaurants as often as we do. What I'm saying is you have control over how much you do eat.

a WEEK????? How does your budget survive that lol

_AllieCat_

I actually save calories during the week for the weekend/date nights. The trick is to plan ahead, not skip out on enjoyable life moments because of your lifestyle. It's a lifestyle change, not some strict diet. Go with the flow and just make smart choices.

JenCatwalk

Well my hubby likes to take me out 3-4 times a week at lest. I just order the healthiest thing on the menu, and i usually only eat half of my order so im not consuming tons of calories. And I usually skip bread rolls/chips unless they fix in my macros/calories. A lot of times restaurants have special 550 calories or less menus. Well anyway I've had no problem losing body fat and inches from my body even tho we eat at restaurants as often as we do. What I'm saying is you have control over how much you do eat.

a WEEK????? How does your budget survive that lol

Hahaha... benefits of a rich man.

Mouse_Potato

Same problem here. My boyfriend is the pickiest eater ever and to compensate he takes me out to eat. Every. Freakin'. Night. I've just learned to steer us toward restaurants that post nutritional information and figured out what on the menu fits my macros. In fact, I've been known to suggest a restaurant based upon my knowledge of how many calories I have left for the day! (Shhh! He doesn't know!)

MzManiak

I just go out. Enjoy the time. Only eat half of my meal and take the rest home. Log it, work around it. Make it fit. It's working. If you can't make it work for you, offer to cook for him or ask him to try out whatever place you want to go. You can almost always order a soup and salad or salad and sandwich at restaurants...

kls13la

I feel your pain! My boyfriend also likes eating out (and drinking wine), which causes havoc for me! And he can eat so much more than me that it isn't fair! Obviously your best options are to skip the alcohol, appetizers, and dessert and order the healthiest thing you can find on the menu. But that's no fun. :laugh:

So, what I try to do is compromise. We eat out once or twice a week, and I plan ahead for it when I am working out my calories for the week. It requires more exercise (I have to do it 5-6 days a week, but I keep my eye on the prize...that glass of wine or plate of enchiladas) and cut back on the days I don't eat out. That usually leaves me with enough of a cushion that it works, but it does require self control. And I will sometimes try to order something more healthy, provided it is something I will still enjoy. (I hate spending money at a restaurant to order grilled chicken and veggies.)

The other thing we've started to do instead of eating out is grill out at home. Grilling out is a lot of fun and an easy way to keep the calories low. (He can make steak or whatever he wants, and I just have him grill me up a piece of chicken.)

calibriintx

In

_Waffle_

So here's the situation for me: My boyfriend loves to eat out and take me out, and that has been the main cause of my weight gain.

Anyone have any advice or help for me?

Find a cheap-*kitten* boyfriend and your problems are solved. #firstworldproblems