Logging food when out to dinner?

lml852014

How do you do this? I know most places have calories on MFP but how do you know HOW much exactly you are eating especially with some of the alcoholic drinks at some places.

DeguelloTex

You make your best guess and move on.

rsclause

Drinks are fairly easy to log most are two oz. pours. The food you need to be more careful with. Many items, like salads, won't include the dressing or under estimate. Other times leave off the mayo or other condiments. It is best to find a close match and over estimate slightly or find the match with the highest calorie count. Sometimes it helps to do some menu recon before hand to make the best choice but when in doubt chicken or steak with fresh veggies is always good. Go light on salad dressing and no potatoes.

siluridae

I'd ask them, sometimes they know even if they aren't a huge chain restaurant. Better than guessing yourself, I think.

lmr0528

I don't usually log when I go out for meals. It's not often so I just consider that a bit of a cheat meal and treat myself.

SingRunTing

Guesstimate.

I try not to go out to eat very often simply because it can be so off. But learning to fit these situations in "once in a while" is important to long term success.

Sometimes good enough is good enough. Just don't do it everyday.

PinkPixiexox

I estimate - Actually, I tend to 'over' estimate just to be on the safe side! :]
It generally doesn't matter if you aren't spot on, as long as you are logging something! A lot of restaurants I go to are unheard of and are independent local types with very, very generous portion sizes. Not only will they not be in the MFP database but the portion size will vary from plate to plate. I pretty much find something I want to eat, search for an equivalent in the data base and adjust the sizing depending on how it looks when it's in front of me!

jemhh

Google "food portion estimate" and then click on Images. There are a lot of visual cues that you can look for. If you need to, print out one or two of those and stick them in your wallet to help you.

PinkPixiexox

jemhh wrote: »

Google "food portion estimate" and then click on Images. There are a lot of visual cues that you can look for. If you need to, print out one or two of those and stick them in your wallet to help you.

Great tip!

sunandmoons

I try to eyeball my portions however sodium is way way higher then expected. MFP has a lot listed - chain restaurants. I dont eat out that much for sodium reasons. Texas roadhouse and Outback are way off the charts with salt. Most places are. You can end up with 4 times your daily intake. It takes my body nearly a week to get rid of it and urks me when I get stuck on scale readings. Maybe try the lighter side..Most places have it. Most the time I just eat half of whats being served. I dont drink alcohol just because some of those fruit drinks and margaritas can be loaded with sugar. Once in a blue moon every six months or so I do enjoy a few strongbow. The best thing really is just avoid dining out or make it a treat once a month.

amgreenwell

make an educated guess or look up the calories on their on-line nutritional guide or google. If I know I'm going to a restaurant for dinner I look up and pre-log as much as possible. it keeps me grounded and watching what I'm eating. alcohol is a tough one but you can guestimate pretty well.

refuseresist

Also try and go to places where the calrie information is available online. Mostly I just guess.

wendymoira

Almost all the places I eat are non-chains, so not in MFP's database. I just pick somewhat reasonable-sounding database entries and keep going. It's slightly annoying, but better than never dining out, only eating at chains, or not logging anything. I'm waiting for someone to invent a pocket-sized nutrition analyzer.