Eating outside the house

myname20

Hi..

I am just wondering what do you order when you eat outside the house?

I understand that meals on cafes and restaurants will never be as healthy as I could cook them at home but this is such a huge part of my life (eating out) - I cant imagine myself cooking at home on weekends or friday evenings.. These days I am always out.

Whats your choice of food when you eat outside and how can I stay healthy.. without eating salad ??!

perkymommy

baked potato (sweet or white)
rice
vegetables (depending on what the restaurant has)

Checking the menu ahead of time before you go is always a good thing to do so you can plan what you will eat, if possible. I'm married and when my husband and I eat out, which is rare, I usually get a side salad and eat off his meal because he always gets so much anyway. I'm not much of a meat eater either so I'm probably not much help.

shadowfax_c11

Depends on why I am eating out.

I often eat on the road so my go to places are Subway, Sheetz and GetGo. I sometimes order carry out when I don't feel like cooking and that can be Chinese-(usually)General Tsos chicken, Thai-(usually)Bun Dac Biet, Pizza, or Aladdin's (Greek) Vegetarian combo platter and some sort of Lamb.

In other words I eat what I like and budget my calories, or exercise for it.

Tonight a friend is taking me out for Sushi for my birthday. Not going to sweat the calories. Rolls, and nigiri. Hope to get some yellowtail. My favorite!

Losewtforlife4him

I try to look at online menus if they're listed. I'm also not much of a meat eater but if I go to a place like Texas Roadhouse, I will get a 4 or 6oz steak and eat half and a sweet potato with butter on the side and a serving of steamed broccoli and I allow myself a roll when my husband and I go out, we split a meal. I do find it so hard to eat out because I find I am more tempted to eat the unhealthy foods compared to when I'm at home. Like at chick fil a....I would prefer getting their chicken sandwich meal with fries instead of a salad so I try to avoid it because then I've eaten almost my whole days worth of calories which is so frustrating. I do better with eating at home or packing healthy food for work.

missmatch76

I try to go high protein (chicken something or other) and swap the fries for salad.

CaptainJoy

myname20 wrote: »

Hi..

I am just wondering what do you order when you eat outside the house?

I understand that meals on cafes and restaurants will never be as healthy as I could cook them at home but this is such a huge part of my life (eating out) - I cant imagine myself cooking at home on weekends or friday evenings.. These days I am always out.

Whats your choice of food when you eat outside and how can I stay healthy.. without eating salad ??!

Look for blackened items like fish, turkey, or chicken on the menu. They're not burnt, just well seasoned. I've found that grilled meats are also good but some tend to lack flavor. A side of steamed broccoli instead of mac & cheese also keeps the calories down. Just remember that anything fried is going to be soaking in greasy calories. Instead of french fries or hushpuppies choose a baked or mashed potatoes, rice, or a simple slice of toast. It's hard at times but helps if you know in advance where you'll be dining. It's easier to study a menu before you actually get to the restaurant and are trying to order on the spot.

kwtilbury

Stay away from anything fried or covered in sauce (including dressing). Those are two of the biggest calorie bombs.

extra_medium

On days I know I'm going out or eating more than normal I just try to hit it extra hard at the gym or cut back the rest of the day so I have room in the calorie budget to enjoy myself a little.

Francl27

I used to eat out all the time too. Now... not so much.

Typically I look at the menu, figure that the only thing that doesn't have a zillion calories is grilled meat and veggies, realize that I can make that at home for MUCH less money, and end up eating at home.

If it's lunch I indulge a bit more and can typically eat up to 1000 calories though, so it helps (then I get a side of rice or mashed potatoes or something), but the bottom line really is that unless it's a day when I REALLY don't feel like cooking, it's often just not worth it.

When I DO eat out, it's often to have something I can't easily make at home and been wanting for a while (sushi, ribs, or just a local place that has tasty desserts), but then I plan it for lunch and I have a small breakfast and dinner (and usually end up eating at maintenance that day).

ReaderGirl3

I eat out several times a week. I always check the restaurant's website ahead of time, prelog it and then work the rest of the day around it.

earlnabby

myname20 wrote: »

Hi..

I am just wondering what do you order when you eat outside the house?

I understand that meals on cafes and restaurants will never be as healthy as I could cook them at home but this is such a huge part of my life (eating out) - I cant imagine myself cooking at home on weekends or friday evenings.. These days I am always out.

Whats your choice of food when you eat outside and how can I stay healthy.. without eating salad ??!

As much as possible, I check the website of the place I am going to and pre-plan according to what is available and what their nutrition information says. Otherwise, I generally order something with as few ingredients as possible like a steak, pork chop, or grilled chicken breast with sides. Worst case scenario, I order appetizers only or off the kids menu or order a burger and eat half the bun.

mdw9124

If I'm going to eat out - I horde calories. I will skip meals for the anticipation of an upcoming meal. That way I have some more wiggle room. Be careful when ordering "healthy" from restaurants or what have you. Some of the "healthy" options like salads or whatever the can be deceivingly caloric. Though; I imagine you'll be able to at-least get a rough estimate on your meals and be able to adjust your daily consumption accordingly. If you can't get a good beat on the calories you're ingesting due to whatever circumstance you can go by the "only eat half" rule which isn't the most accurate but it's better than nothing.

murp4069

I bank calories during the week for the weekend when I tend to eat out once or twice. I order what I want, whether fried or not, and eat a moderate portion. As for determining the calories, most of the restaurants I go to do not have nutritional information online - I rarely eat at chains. So, I look in the database for similar items, and choose an entry on the higher end of the calorie range. If I just can't find anything that I consider close to what I ate, I'll quick add with a high guesstimate. This method had worked for me so far and my weight loss averages are right on track with my MFP goals.

janejellyroll

Some of my favorite things to order are pizza, salads, burrito/burrito bowls, curries, vegetable stir-fry, sushi, portobello mushroom sandwiches. I'll usually look at a menu online beforehand so I can plan the rest of my day around what I'm going to order.

fishshark

eating out for us is about 2 times a week and its date night or out with friends so i bank and eat whatever. If its like some place chill i make whatever fit. Husband wanted taco bell last night had 2 tacos and a bean burrito. Sodium through the roof still had 50 cals for the day. Im not going to go to a restaurant and pay and get a grilled chicken breast and some lettuce. I can do that at home (which i dont) im paying to go out im busting my *kitten* to make the good stuff fit.

leaj1984

when at work, i sometimes go to a diner near my office. i get a baked potato (plain, no butter), 2 poached eggs and 1/4 avocado. it's super filling and very easy to count accurately and punch into MFP.
when it's more of a festive outing, like friday/saturday dinner with friends, I tend to make that more of a "free meal"... wine, probably no dessert, tuna tartare as a starter or a market salad, and then a fish with veggies/wild rice or mashed potatoes as my main.