How do you count calories when eating out?

Semele0
Semele0 Posts: 114 Member
in Getting Started
Hello, I'm new here. These past days I've registered meticulously everything I ate, measuring it with a scale. This evening I'm going to eat out, and I know I'll go over my calorie limit and it's not a problem. But I would like to enter today's dinner in the diary too, so as to keep track of my "cheat days". I just have no idea on how to calculate the calorie I'll be eating. Do you have some suggestion on how to evaluate, even if roughly, how many calories are on a plate?
Thanks!

Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    If it's a large franchise/chain type of restaurant they are required to publish their nutritional information...they do this on their websites. If it's a local place, you just find something similar in the database and do the best you can.
  • kd_mazur
    kd_mazur Posts: 569 Member
    Many restaurants publish nutrition information. do a search for the restaurant and see what pops up. if it is a mom and pop type place maybe decide generally what you are planning to eat and look up the components to see approximately what you will be consuming.
  • sllm1
    sllm1 Posts: 2,130 Member
    I do the best I can. If the restaurant I'm eating at doesn't provide nutritional information, I choose a similar dish at a restaurant that is in the database. If you're tracking carefully all week, one restaurant "estimate" won't derail you. I try to estimate "high" for restaurant food since they tend to add butter, oil, and such for flavor.
  • Semele0
    Semele0 Posts: 114 Member
    Thank you all for the info and advices!
  • saintshoc
    saintshoc Posts: 29 Member
    Always check the company website and then plan B is to just guesstimate.
  • Semele0
    Semele0 Posts: 114 Member
    In the end what I did was to create a new recipe, where I added all the ingredients of my meal, guessing their weight, and adding some oil or butter that they might have used for cooking.
  • emmooney235
    emmooney235 Posts: 85 Member
    If you go into the diary and click on the meal like you are going to log, there is an icon next to the bar code scanner. Its a GPS restaurant finder, find where you are going and click on it. It's possible the restaurant's menu & nutrition will be there.
  • Semele0
    Semele0 Posts: 114 Member
    Thanks for the info, I can't seem to find it right now, but I'll try again when I've got some time.. Anyway I don't think many restaurants in my area will be posting nutritional facts online, I've never seen it done. Thank you anyway, it might be useful sometime, maybe if travelling abroad.
  • CajunTess
    CajunTess Posts: 268 Member
    emmooney235 wrote: »
    If you go into the diary and click on the meal like you are going to log, there is an icon next to the bar code scanner. Its a GPS restaurant finder, find where you are going and click on it. It's possible the restaurant's menu & nutrition will be there.

    I use this all the time, but you need to have your location services turned on for the app in order to use it.
  • Trish1c
    Trish1c Posts: 549 Member
    You use your best guess & round up. It's all you can do.

    I have found my restaurant meals don't really put me over. The "problem" is usually the portion size, not the food or even the preparation itself. If it's something I really love & I'd be tempted to eat the whole thing which is usually 2-3 portions, before I dig in I cut it in half and put 1/2 on the bread plate so I am closer to only eating 1 legitimate serving rather than how much they dished onto my plate.

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